Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-05
OLD JOHN SMITH.
HIS PLACE IN HISTORY
FURTHER DISCUSSED.
VIEWS or ALEXANDER BROWN, ESQ.
His Rejoindcr to the Recent
Letter Of Mr.. William
Writ Henry.
tn IN, Editor of the Dispatch .

using the signature "Satis Superque
was not concealmsnt. as 1t is well
known 10 many that frequently write
over that signature.
1 AN not "afliicted with an anti
Smith mania in an acute form" as MIR.
Henry supposes. express my honest
opinion Of Smith and Of the publications
known as "Smith's Works, as feel 1t
10 be my duty TO do. At the same time
/ know that opinions will differ. for
"there is IN individual lens in all hui
man consciences which adjusts itself to
all objects from its own angle of retlec-
ton and one sees only the image that he
reflects" do not question Mr.. Henry
right 10 his opinions and shall only try
10 give some of my reasons for my own.
THE JOHN SMITH EVIDENCE.
I object to a reliance on what IS
known as "the John Smith evidence,
whether written or compiled by Smith.
or by bis clerk, or 10y others, and whether
il was published at Oxford or IN Lon
don, by Purchas, by Smith, or by Others,
because / have found it to be not only
partisan, but unjust, misleading, pre-.
varicating, and frequently untrue. IL
the pen were run through the personal
narrative of the whole OF it-while the
result would be very injurious to Smith
and to his position in the enterprise
il would be beneficial TO nearly every
one else engaged therein, as well as TO
our ideas OF the enterprise itself.
As to my excepting Smith from my
laudation, in my opinion he himself
made the issue between himself and
others. which makes it necessary for us
either TO accept him and reject others,
or 10 accept others and Except" him.
Smith has left no other alternative
FAITHFUL AGENTS.
or course. / do not consider those
who went or were sent from Virginia
and who devoted themselves thereafter
To criticising the enterprise or the man
agement thereof, as being faithful
agents. AS matter OF fact Captain
John Smith was never an agent OF 1.-The
Virginia Company OF London, under
whose auspices the colony IN Virginia
was finally established. And so lar as
that company is concerned, his position
in the controversy is that of an his
torian or critic of their acts, and not as
their agent at all.
II is an interesting fact that free trade.
monopoly, tobacco, and the negro we're
among the subjects of controversy which
split the Virginia Company into parties
in l6l9-l624. And 1t was not really
"the faction of Sir Thomas Smith
which finally destroyed the company,
but it was mainly due to Sir Thomas
Smith and his supporters that the col
ony in Virginia was finally established:
When these great merchants and
business men first took a hand IN
the affairs of England, from the top OF
Mt. Snowden The possessions of that
kingdom we're almost within the range
of the vision. When their work on
earth was done the red cross OF IT.
George was floating over English pos
sessions from one end of the world to
the other-from America to Asia the
service OF the reformed religion had
been read from Greenland's icy noun
tains TO Indias coral strand" and the
commerce of that little northern cor
per of the world had been spread to
the uttermost parts of the earth. And
/ protest against these men being
Judged on partisan evidence and to that
extent. as MIR. Henry puts it, " attach
myself to the faction of Sir Thomas
Smith.
CHARGES AGAINST SMITH.
As 10 Smiths removal from the coun-
Gil. the special charges preferred against
him were that he was mutinOus, fac
tious. seditious, dishonest, &c Some
thought these charges proven, Others
did not but did not attempt to go into
the matter or to decide the question. j
simply stated the fact that he was re-
moved. 1t is true that owing to circum-
stances the new commission did not
reach Virginia until May, 1910, but ii
is equally true that the determination
10 issue it was arrived at prior
to March and that it was
signed and sealed in June, 1909.
1t is true that Percy's term as president
expired on the arrival Of Gates, but he
was not removed from Office thereby; he
remained in the council. Again, as tc
"Smith's landing in Virginia aprisoner
/ simply stated the fact among others.
did not attempt to discuss it. 1t is moi
denied in the Oxford Tract nor II
Smiths general history, though the &C
count of it in both is misleading but i
affords one Of many instances IL which
the narrative in "the Smith evidence,
said to have been taken from the writing
of others, is impeached by the narrative
written 10y Smiths own hand.
WHAT THE WITS OF THE DAY SAID.
/ said that the wits of the day So
luted "Smith with panegyric poetry a
thew had Coryate." L did not affirm
that all of the verses published by Smith
were OF this character, but many o
them are. The verses to Coryate were
also written by distinguished men -
in fact. they have been described as "th'
most extraordinary collection OF testimo
mails which have ever been gathered IL
a single sheaf. More than sixty OF tn
most brilliant and illustrious htteratt o
the time were among the contributors Il
this strange farrago."
Mr.. Henry describes the Oxford Trac
as a great obstacle in the way OF tn
enemies OF Smith. and states that l hav'
attempted to dispose of it "by con
GLIDING without Il particle of evidenc
that it was written throughout by Smitl
himself" l believe that Smith had
hand in-that is, was interested in
compiling the second part, and l hav,
given some of my reasons for thinking SO
but do not remember to have said tina
il was written Throughout by Smit
himself" In fact, the impression o.
my mind, as / have before said, is tia
some other hand than Smiths had q
least part in all. or nearly all, of til
publications known as Captain job
Smiths Works.
THE OXFORD TRACT.
If the Oxford Tract is an obstacle a
ali, it is so because it obstructs the wa
of Justice TO the martyrs Of our genesis
lam not sure that il is worth while b
say more than have already said abou
this tract but in order to show its mis-
leading character will take an exampl
furnished by MIR. Henry-namely, tina
Smith prevented the colonists thre
times from abandoning the settlement