Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-12

newly strongly Impaled the towne." In
1916 there were at Jamestowne NIFTY tper-
! sons) under the command or Lieutenant
| Sharpe, In the absence OF Captain Francis
West. Esq. brother to the Right Honor
! able the Id Lawarre. whereof thirty-one
| are farmers: all these maintain them
| selves with food and rament'
BERKLEY'S IMPROVEMENTS.
, In 1911 Sir William Berkeley came over
! Governor and cause thirty-two brick
| houses to be built at the public expense.
and occupied one OF them himself lie
caused also a brick church TO be erected.
| In 1850 an act OF Assembly was passed for
building State house In James city
| for the Right Honorable the Governor
and Council to keep courts and for future
| grand assemblies to meet in" But this
| state house, which was built OF brick,
| together with the church and every other
| building in the town, except the maya
zine or public warehouse Richard Law
renee one Of Bacon's men, burned In
| ie7s In l69s the seat OF government was
| removed from jamestown 10 Middle Plan
| ,ations williamsburg. And we are told
| by the Rev. Hugh Jones, who had been
some time minister Of jamestown parish.
that in 1920 jamestown consisted OF
| nothing but abundance of brick rubbish
| and three or four good inhabited houses"
on July 8. l7Si, sharp engagement took
place here while the British forces under
CORVALLIS were crossing at this point on
their march from Williamsburg TO Ports
mouth. Lieutenant-C Colonel Dundas, of
his Majestys forces DISTINGUISHED himself
by the manner in which he repulsed the
attack OF the Pennsylvania line and the
Continentals under Lafayette.
THE FIRST ASSEMBLY.
Here met "in the Guire of the church
IL. o.. -
bly, Of representatives freely cho en- By
the people that ever convened on this
Continent. and the same year. within the
ensuing month. were pure hassd here the
first American slaves, politics and mig
gers" having their beginnings In this
country cotemporaneously. Here. prooa-
bly,, was celebrated the marriage # Po-
cahontas. the first fruit of the English
Church among the Indians" TO John
Rolfc. who introduced the cultivation of
tobacco into Virginia. Here was pre-
pared the first piece OF purely literary
English composition in America, the
translation OF Ovids Metamorphos's by
George Sandys while Treasurer Of the
Colony. the first edition Of which trans
lation was published in London in 1928.
Here" in the language Of Governor
Wise. was the first capitol Of our empire
OF States: here was the very foundation of
~
it's dominion and its millions across the
Continent 10 the shores Of another
ocean Virginia. the American
Revolution. the United States OF North
America, arose from its foundation. and
whether one brick remaineth upon an
other at jamestown or not, tie place can
never be forgotten. and though the James
river shall wash away the site into It's
waters. the monuments of history, the
moral and mental beacons. shall be pre-
served for the honor Of our beloved Com
monwealth and her hero.c fathers and
founders"
DATE OF THE CHURCH.
at what date the church. OF which
tho existing ruin is said to have been
the tower" or "steeple." was erected.
we have not been able TO ascertain; but
IL appears 10 be comparatively modern
structure. and there does not seem TO
exist any evidence Of its great antiquity,
the oldest recorded inscription on a tomb
stone in the buryingground adjacent
being 1922. II is quite certain that the
earlier churches were situated further
west. and tn cir sites are now in all
probability submerged. What was a
peninsula at the time Of the landing. In
1907 had become by the time Of the Re
volutionary war an island The pres
ent area of this island as ascertained
but, as according 10 the early chroniclers
the peninsula comprised much
greater area. and as the encroachment
Of the river, at the western end where
the ancient town was situated, has been
shown to have exceeded. at some points,
ten feet a year, it Is safe 10 conclude that
almost, II not quite all Of the site OF
the ancient james Cittie" is now in
James river The island changed owners
several times within the first half Of this
century at prices varying from $1,000 10
10000. The lower. or eastern, portion had
been for several generations the planta-
ton and residence of the Travis family
The tonbs in their family burying ground
in this part of the island are still stand
ing.
THE FIRE OF 1922
The buildings there were destroyed by
fire. May q. 1872. The upper, or western
portion was the residence and plantation
of the Amber family. the tom0stOncs
Of several OF whose members We're until
recently in the burylng- ground adjacent
to the brick ruin. The spacious bricl,
building erected for their residence WAS
burned within the last month. For some
time previous To the late war the whole
island had been the property of Colonel
Dnrfey; bat it was during the war
owned by William Allen. and In the OK
cavations then made for the earthwOrll
fortihcations there. which are still yisi-
bic. fragment OF armor Of the sixteenth
or seventeenth century was unearthed.
which IL now in the cabinet of the Viz
GINA Historical Society.
The present owners Of the island
Mr.. ard Mrs Edward T. Barney. form
erly OF Dayton, O., have most generously
made To the Association for the PreseT-
walton or Virginia Antiquities a deed Of
gIt OF Some twenty-five acres In area
which, II * safe TO conclude embraces
an That now remains Of that portion on
"hich the town formerly stood TO this
ASSOCIATION. and particularly TO It's Wash
iifSton representative. Mrs j. l.. NJ
Curry. Is due the credit Of securing from
The last Congress an APPROPRIATION of
$1,000 for the protection of this part OF
the island from the further eLcroachment
Of the river. and the work of protection
under this appropriation is now in pro
gress.
THE CELEBRATION IN 1907
on May -. 1901. an enthusiastic cele.
braton Of the two-hundre 9TH anniveisa-
ny was held there, pursuant to the sug-
session OF Leroy Andersen, maze n e
lengthy communication TO the Virginia
Apollo over the signature of "a Farmer
Of the Ancient Dominion" In a 4S-page
pamphlet printed al Petersburg in 1871,
and reprinted hfty years later by JOIN
Warrock, OF Richmond. We have a very
full account OF this celebration. REPORT
ed by the Select Committee" There wers
oraiions by Er.scoc G.. Baldwin ana John
Madison, then students al William and
Mary odes by G. X. blanchard and Le-
roy Anderson, then dinner. with toasts.
the sentiments only remarkable fer the
manner in which patriotism and Poca-
hon,as are pledged TO the enlivenng
strains OF "Yankls Doodle" eat
the approach Of night. as usual. the
sprighty dance commenced. and whether
we consider the numbers. the loveiiness,
the grace. or ski OF the fair. il would
have been easy matter 10 have found IN
any part of the world another assembly
equally attractive and interesting" The
citizens Of Richmond were Conspicuous
by their absence" from this celebration.
Williamsburg. Norfolk and Petersburg
were well repres sntei. Among those from
Petersburg were john Daily Burk. IN
historian. and the too-ardent samu
Sands. "a brave and benevolent young
man who fell "a victim to the too free
use OF ice in cyder". dying al IL =. NJ