Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-04-24

getting over the alarm at the arriva,
Of Gates. The three caravels Ga vessei
much used by the Spsniards) IN TINS neei,
together with the recent visit OF SpanlJn
vessel to Point Comfort. had caused Dalo
to suppose the feet Of Gates to DO span,
their minions." rs M" calls them. were
actively employed doing these things IN
Virginia, that sturdy explorer ana Us
cipiinarian," as m" calls Captain gonn
Smith, was employing his irs-h9rny manu-
of toll in England writing the dispatches,
taking possession of the history which
Others made and turning 1t TO MS own
service. In his history this incident OF tne
alarm at the arrival of a supposed spanish
feet in August, 1911, IL transferred IL us
glorifcation to his time in Virginia. IN hu-
gust, 1909.
In those days the eldest sons or the no;
biIity inherited almost everything ana
their younger brothers were ylrtuaiiy tneir
retainers receiving certain stipenus rom
them. OF course II ought not 10 De sup,
poted that :" q Percy would be perml,teu
by the head of that family 10 feeu MS
guests on a pound Of n,eu uay' anu
Captain Percys request to ms or9theI
to discharge a bill of his hand mace 20
Mr.. Nelson. and Likewise bill OF eight
pounds unto Mr.. Pindle Burle. OF Lon
dom" was evidently perfectly reasona-
BILE one.
The old colonists were expected to en-
terrain to q certain extent the neW-cohsiS
for one year, and when Percy wrote TINS
letter there were many newly-arrl'eu eini-
grants III Virginia. In order 10 shiit tnis
expense of entertainment ana 10 solu
having 10 keep the new colonlsts IN their
houses the old colonists, some years after
this. raised among themselves sum equai
TO $40, 100 in present money and buiit
very large guest-house at Jamestown.
OUR EARLY HISTORY.
No impartial. complete, aud correct &C
count a. e.. Eistory) of the Colony OF VIZ
ginia during lG01-lG2t has ever been pub
llshed. The account for the years l0l9,lbzi
has been based on ec pdrte evidence, which
is especially friendly 10 the then managers
of the enterprise: but the account OF the
colony while under the administration OF
Sir Thomas Smith qG07 1879 has been
based almost entirely on er pdrse evidence,
which is bitterly unfriendly to the men
managers. For the years 16lO-l6lS IL Is
mere skeleton sketch, and its SINS are
mostly of omission: but for 16O7-l6O9,
during Smiths time in Virginia, 1t IS
filled with sins of commission.
When began the study .ot our earliest
history soon fOund--irst, that we had
no printed account giving a complete ana
correct idea of the movement IN England
which resulted IN the plantation OF TINS
country by Ennllshmen-ln fact. no &C
count which gave even the dates or ar
rival or departure of American vessels;
second, that we had no history OF the CO.
lonv of virginia. In THE Genesis of the
United States | have attempted 20 sup
ply the first historic deficiency for the years
lGO5-l6Is. and in doing 90 papers, ETC., are
not only mentioned III the course
| OF tho narrative as having oeeh
received in, issued III, or sent from
| London at certain dates during those
wears. but they are also given III full save
when too long or tor some other valid rea-
| son. And OF course many OF these papers
contain references % events IN virginia,
| but very many of the most important pa
pers relative TO these events were not writ
| ten until after 1916, and, therefore, are not
| given in the Genesis, and no attempt IS
| made 10 give n history OF the Colony, IN
| that work. / have, however. intended TO
attempt to supply this second historic de-
| ficiency also. But it would be I'M
| possible for mo 10 do this without
conforming the claims for Smith and the
charges against others in the publications
| known as Captain John Smiths works
| first. because the evidence before me
| would reuulro me to do so; second, be-
| cause in order to be Just 20 nearly every
| man actually engaged III the enterprise l
would be obliged to do so, and thirdly, be-
cause these works are not only unjust 70
the men engaged, but they convey neon
| plete. inaccurate, and unjust ideas Oh the
| motives which inspired them.
The EARLY ooLoSIsr.
purchas saws that the colony of Viz
| piuia was made Port Exqulllne for such
| as by orlure or Yomlt were by good order
and Dhysicka worthy 10 be evacuated from
| this body e.. England. And Smith
| savs-among numerous other things just "a
bad-that FEW were send to nm IN VIZ
| gina. but those who were naught IN Eng
| land and worse in Virginia" nave oeen
| especially anxious TO defend toe men VINO
| founded Virginia from many SUCH unjust
| and misleading statementsas these coming
| from their critics who wrote III ing
land, but, OF course, 1t would be very
foolish IN me 10 attempt TO do this so long
| as the leading historians now IN Virginia
| contend that these men were the real his
torians-disintereste and fully equipped
| of this colony and stigmatiZe those VINO
| protest against the Jonn Smith story as
iconoclasts, historical sappers. and
doubling ThomaSes mder HOTtlft1. trCiijR9' "
and besmear them with dead flies" and
the ointment OF the apothecary.'
As TO "M.'sp remarks in the DISPATCH of
| November ia on TluclS ItIhluS VIII
| only say, as 1 can safely do. that he was
every whit as worthy a man a. Captain
John Smith: who was then member OF
the Council in Virginia. Some people rs
| good as any people il Virginia q. g., any
where claim descent from Perkins. II Is
true that he was III debt, as was Robert
! Tyelin. an ancestor OF the Il, rds Custlses,
| Lees. and Others, and as were other worthy
men in Virginia heR and noic, but, ike old
| Virginia herself at this time, he was EVIL
IDENTIFY anxious 10 pay his de5tS.
/ do not pretend TO say, however, tnat
! no undesirable men came to Virginia, be-
cause there were some such, OF course
| but not such numbers as Purchas and
Smith would have Us believe. OF about
300 men who came here in Smiths time be
never accepts from his slaughter more
than forty. and sometimes only twenty.
All the rest. including nearly every mem
Der of the Council, were idlers, towards,
! knayes. and fools. l. this so, or, Have
| Vrginians been listening TO the songs OF
the Svrens until they have been trans
formed into beasts!" II so, the "hlstorI-
cal sapper" ought to dispelI the Illusion.
Have we been worshipping false image
If so, the " historical iconoclast" ought tc
break 1t. ,.-,,
Nam q,tis nescR. prtIndn' esSe h!sor'o
leqen. ne qiiid fdlsl deere dudedtP Dtinde M
and reyi non diuieGt? ALEXANDER BRowN.