The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-10
tEor the Richmond Dispateh.l
- a. w. W. III. to the Rev. r.. ~.
Neiil and II. A. n. Concerning Cap.
GsprsfSs.

1Eor the Richmond Dispatchl
repsy OF w. W.. II. to shs Ss'. T.. AZ
rS.;s, and X. A. II. Concerning Cap
tain Joln Smith.
r1ay;ne repIied TO all thc charges OF Mr.
Neil and r. A. Il. against Captain smith,
and not desiring to prolong discussion
which feared had already exhausted your
patience, I added to my last letter u desire
10 he excused from further. participation IN
This newspaper discussion OF a historical
subject. 1t seems. however, that neither
II. 4. B. nor Mr.. Neiil were content to rest
il at that point. Both have since cndeavorcd
10 strengthen their position by charging
Inconsistencies on Smith not noted before
evidently afterthoughts-the result OF ulii.
gent search for something to sustain tneii
position previously taken upon. what WAS
shown to be indcfensible ground.
r. A. 3. first makes general charge on
Smith. He says: I" If they (the puolle) VIII
but read the works bearing ms name 'ne.
viii not fail to be impressed NIL, "a. ,,,nm
.inctivc self-glorification MARKING .neni
THROUGHOUT" AS many OF the events re-
Iofed in Smiths historical writings were
those in which he was prominent actor,
he was forced to make himself proninent
tpurc. or else not give true account
:. DiStinctiye sclf-glor ilication," rs matter
os taste, NAV be offensive TO r. y. H., but
| hardly suppose he will contend tnat II
oroyes Smith VIGOROUSLY uniruthiui, as
Mr.. Neill charges him to have been, upon
which proposition l took issue. III, now
axnr The nublic or II. A. i. will read the
historical part of the Oxford Tract OF 1917,
which was written by others. and embraces
the period OF Smiths stay in Virginia, which
tract forms the basis OF Smiths history for
the same period, they will find that the SELF
rlorifcation by Smith OF his deeds Ill SIr'
@inia is cclipscd by the glory awarded TO
him bv the other coionstS, and that nearly
all the remarkable things related or Smith
while in Virginia are not gwen upon MS
own authority, but upon that Oh h!s coh-
panions.
+. 4. u. continues his attack on smith
in these words: "Thc following Is an cN-
ample OF something more than terSfelSa-
ton on his part u:
because have ranged and lived amongst
these Hands 1.-THE West Indics), what my
authorities cannot tell me think 1t no great
errour in helping them to tell myself. In
this little [Ilel of Nevis more than twenty
years agoc have remained good time to-
gether to wod, and water, and refresh my
men, r. A. b. says very correctly that
this refers to the landing at this island OF
the first coloniSts. who were sent out under
the care OF Captain Newport, and settled
Jamestown, Smith being only one OF them,
and not in command OF the expedition.
The more than regeneration" in the view
of r. A. B., consists in his supposng that
Smith claimed to have been in command Of
the expedition at that time. 4 very slight
examination would have shown Il. \. Is.
that Smith meant to claim no such thing
At p. $50 of vol. OF the same work from
which he Quotes (Smith's General History,
reprint OF 1920 he will find that Smith uses
the following language, speaking or TINS eN-
petition: 1.-THE transportation OF the COM
DanT was committed to Captaine Christie
phcr Newport, a mariner well practised
for the Westernc parts OF America. But
their orders for government were put III
box, not to be opened, nor the governors
knowne, until they arrived in Virginia.
On the next mage it is related that after leaI-
ing the West Indies and landing in Virginia
the box was opened and the orders read,
which named Smith as one OF the council
who were to govern the Colony. That
Smith at subsequent period served rs
President OF the Colony is undisputed.
The fact is stated in the writings OF the
Colonists, to be found in the Oxford Tract
and in Purchas, that Smith was one OF the
most active Of those who got up the eXpe-
iiition and enlisted men for it, and to him
they were indebted for their preservation
at Jamestown. In after years, remember
ing these facts, be could, without offensive
self-glorication even, speak OF them as ''my
men "-men, many OF whom he had en-
listed, and all OF whom he had afterwards
governed. The expression does not neces-
sarly convey the idea that he was in COM
rnand on this island, nor was it used with
such design. This is made plain few
lines further on, where, speaking OF certain
trees on the island, he says: Whether 1t
was the dew OF those trees or OF some others
am not certaine, but many OF or men be-
Games so tormented with burning swelling"
&c. On the same page. also, he relates the
erection Of 4 gallows on the island for the
purpose of hanging him. He had prevl-
ously related, on p. 152, vol. !, that from
their departure from the Canaries he had
been restained rs a prisoner on charge OF
rnutinv, OF which he was proved afterwards
10 he innocent OH landing at jamestown;
and at u. $50 he had related that they landed
on the Island OF Nevis after leaving the
canaries, We must conclude, therefore,
that he did not mean, by using the expression
..my men, afterwards, to convey tue lde:'
that he was not prisoner, but in command
nj the eypedition, when he has so plainly
stated the contrary. c.u,
As"R. A. b. rests his attack on Smith
here I will take up the last letter OF Mr.
Neill He writes: "Let NE recapltuis'le
the facts presented and fortify my posi-
ton" He then places in parallel columns
Smiths statement OF his treatment by the
/ Indians the first night he rested at OrapaKs
as their prisoner, given in the History pup
Iished in 1924, and his statement or MS
treatment on subsequent days OF his stay al
{)ranaks. given in the True Relation In
zoos. as contradictory statements OF his
treatment on one and the same occasion,
though | have heretofore pointea out &c
him his blunder; and he adds IN the same
columns that in 1908 Smith says he was sem
hack to Jamestown with men, ana IN l6s4
saws he was sent with II men, notwlth
standing the fact that the first spoken o.
were described as waiting on bis person
while the u men were simply described rs
ACCOMMODATING him, and have called ms al
tention to the fact that Anas Todkill, q:
nuotcd by Purchas, relates the purpose 1ol
which these men came, showing that there
must have been at least II. These exploded
charges are all that Mr. Neill recapitulates
though he has made many more heretofore
Why he should have selected these for bis
recapitulation am at n loss to discover II
IS fair to conclude, however, rs these are
alone restated, the others are abandoned
He next attempts to iortiiy his position by
new matter, at least not used by HIM mere
.oiore in this discussion. His introduction
OF this is in the rough Anglo-saXon sen
teuce, ga lie somewhere" Let us see l.
he succeeds in fixing it on Captain Jobl
Smith.