Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-04-24
VIRGINIA IN 1909.
a Letter from the Author of the Genesis
ofthe United States

II seems very strange to me that any
one in Virginia should be called upon to
defend Archer, Martin. Percy. Radcliffe.
West. and AL the respected gentlemen
OF worth in Virginia IN the fall of 1909;
but if no one else will answer this call
will. The article signed :" NJ IN the DIS
PATCH OF November 18th Is unjust 10 these
men.
The payment of e432 Is. Cd b. the Earl
OF Northumberland for George Percy on
FEBRUARY 6, 1910, had nothing TO do with
"a younger sprlg of nobilitv's" daily
menu ia Virginia. and therefore cannot
enable anv one, as - says IL would, TO
:" see how his aTistocratic brother in Eng
land furnished him hundreds of pounds
sterling to enable him to keep no "a con-
dnlt1H and ddyty table for gentleman Of tdsh-
ion" 10 support the dignity of his position,
whilst one of the main questions was how
to prevent the real colonists from
starving
When the Earl paid that sum the last
news which he had heard from his
brother, the younger sprlg of nobility"
came by the same vessels which brought
back to England 1.-THE horny handed son
of toll" Captain John Smith, and the pay
ment was for debts contracted during sun
dry years prior to October, 1909. partly in
Virginia and partly in England. 1t was
established and ordained that the Presi-
dent of the Council in Virginia shall not
continue in his office of President-ship
above the space of one year. Captain
John Smiths term as President began on
September 10, 1908, and ended on the same
day in 1909. MS" article begins in 1911
and ends in 1909, and therefore should
be read backwards, and so the facts are
really and naturally exactly the reverse
from what M" has supposed them to be.
NOT UsURPERs.
Archer's letter was written August 81,
1909. before Smiths term had expired. and
il states that many worthy gentlemen had
refused TO be governed by Smith after his
term expired, aud that he (Archer) was
one of those who labored to have Captain
Francis West nen President. These men
had perfect right TO do this-they were
not usurpers.
Ratcllfes letter was written October
4th. after Smiths term had expired. after he
had been succeeded by Percy on Septem-
Der 10th. and after it had been determined
by the Council in Virginia to send him to
the Council in England Ito answer some
misdemeanors, whereof Radcliffe was per-
suaded that he could not clear himself
from great imputation OF blame" and this
proved 70 be so.
If m. thinks that Archer. Percy,
West, and all the respected gentlemen Of
worth in Virginia in 1908 would make
oath 10 falsehood he may continue to
think so; but the managers of the enter
prise, who were better informed than he,
did not think so. and | do not see how
any one who has the interest and honor
of our founders at heart can think so.
The account of the state of affairs in
Virginia at this period, given in Smiths
General Historic" is especially inacu.
rate and unjust. but for cogent reasons
cannot now 60 into details about
events in the Colony Percy was the
governing officer in Virginia from Septem-
Der 10. 1909, to the ARRIVAL of Gates
in May, 1910. and if Ibis aristocratiC
brother in England had sent him some
thing for his menu during that period il
would certainly have been godsepd, be
cause the colonists were starving. as N. "
sa;s, and had not been left III q state oil
plenty, as Smith says.
SUPPOSED SPANISH FLEET.
Sir Thomas Gates was Governor from
Nay to the arrival Of Lord do u War;. "