History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia Part 18

"SIR:--Whereas, the differences between the Lord Baltimore and the inhabitants of Virginia, concerning the bounds by them respectively claimed, are depending before our council and yet undetermined; and whereas, we are credibly informed you have, notwithstanding, gone into his plantation in Maryland, and countenanced some people there in opposing the Lord Baltimore's officers; whereby and with other forces from Virginia, you have much disturbed that colony and people, to the engendering of tumults and much bloodshed there, if not timely prevented:

"We, therefore, at the request of the Lord Baltimore and divers other persons of quality here, who are engaged by great adventures in his interest, do, for preventing of disturbances or tumults there, will and require you, and all others deriving any authority from you, to forbear disturbing the Lord Baltimore, or his officers, or people in Maryland, and to permit all things to remain as they were before any disturbance or alteration made by you, or by any other, upon pretence of authority from you, till the said differences, above mentioned, be determined by us here, and we give farther order herein.

"We rest, your loving friend, "OLIVER, P."

Cromwell was now endeavoring to heal the wounds of civil war, to allay animosities, and to strengthen his power by a generous and conciliatory policy, blended with irresistible energy of action. In return for Lord Baltimore's ready submission to his authority, the Protector apparently recognized his proprietary rights in Maryland, yet at the same time, he sustained and protected his commissioners, only curbing the violent contest that had arisen between Virginia and Maryland respecting their boundary. His policy as to the internal government of these colonies was one of a masterly inactivity.

"_To the Commissioners of Maryland._

"WHITEHALL, 26th September, 1655.

"SIRS:--It seems to us, by yours of the twenty-ninth of June, and by the relation we received by Colonel Bennet, that some mistake or scruple hath arisen concerning the sense of our letters of the twelfth of January last; as if by our letters we had intimated that we should have a stop put to the proceedings of those commissioners who were authorized to settle the civil government of Maryland. Which was not at all intended by us; nor so much as proposed to us by those who made addresses to us to obtain our said letter. But our intention (as our said letter doth plainly import) was only to prevent and forbid any force or violence to be offered by either of the plantations of Virginia or Maryland, from one to the other, upon the differences concerning their bounds, the said differences being then under the consideration of ourself and council here. Which, for your more full satisfaction, we have thought fit to signify to you, and rest

"Your loving friend, "OLIVER, P."[231:A]

Remembering, however, Lord Baltimore's ready submission to his authority, he nominally, at the least, restored him to his control over the province.

It was the custom of the Maryland Romanists to celebrate, by a salute of cannon, the thirty-first of July, the birth-day of St.

Ignatius, (Loyola,) Maryland's patron saint. On the 1st of August, 1656, the day following the anniversary, a number of Protestant soldiers, aroused by the nocturnal report of the cannon, issued from their fort, five miles distant, rushed upon the habitations of the Papists, broke into them, and plundered whatever there was found of arms or powder.

FOOTNOTES:

[222:A] "Virginia and Maryland," 11, 34; Force's Hist. Tracts, ii.; Chalmers' Annals, 221.

[223:A] St.i.th's Hist. of Va., 199.

[223:B] Properly Bernard: see Hening, i. 408.

[223:C] Hening, i. 372.

[224:A] Gloucester and Lancaster Counties are now named for the first time; when or how they were formed, does not appear. Sir William Berkley was of Gloucestershire, England. The name of Warrasqueake was changed to Isle of Wight in 1637, and first represented in 1642. In that year Charles River was changed to York, and Warwick River to Warwick. The boundaries of Upper and Lower Norfolk were fixed in 1642; and Upper Norfolk was changed to Nansimum (afterwards Nansemond) in 1646.

Northumberland is first mentioned in 1645; Westmoreland in 1653; Surry, Gloucester, and Lancaster in 1652. New Kent was first represented in 1654, being taken from the upper part of York County. (_McSherry's Hist.

of Maryland._)

[224:B] Force's Hist. Tracts, iii.

[225:A] Burk, ii. 97

[225:B] Virginia's Cure, p. 19, in Force's Hist. Tracts, iii.

[226:A] Called Moratuck or Moratoc above the falls, and Roanoke below.

Roanoke signifies "sh.e.l.l:" Roanoke and Wampumpeake were terms for Indian sh.e.l.l-money.

[228:A] Anderson's Hist. of Col. Church, ii. 506. The letter is preserved in Thurloe's State Papers, xi. 273.

[229:A] "Virginia and Maryland," Force's Hist. Tracts, ii.

[229:B] "Leah and Rachel," Force's Hist. Tracts, iii.; Chalmer's Annals, 222.

[230:A] White's Relation, 44, in Force's Hist. Tracts, iv.

[230:B] Milton's Prose Works, ii. 346.

[231:A] Carlyle's Cromwell, ii. 182.

CHAPTER XXV.

1655-1658.

Digges elected Governor--Bennet goes to England the Colony's Agent--Colonel Edward Hill defeated by the Ricahecrians-- Totopotomoi, with many Warriors, slain--Miscellaneous matters--Matthews Elected Governor--Letter to the Protector-- Acts of a.s.sembly--Magna Charta recognized as in force-- Governor and Council excluded from a.s.sembly--Matthews declares a Dissolution--The House resists--Dispute referred to the Protector--Declaration of Sovereignty--Matthews re-elected-- Council newly reorganized--Edward Hill elected Speaker--Rules of the House.

IN March, 1655, Edward Digges was elected by the a.s.sembly governor of the colony of Virginia. He was of an ancient and distinguished family, and had been made a member of the council in November, 1654, "he having given a signal testimony of his fidelity to this colony and Commonwealth of England." He succeeded Bennet, who had held the office since April, 1652, and who was now appointed the colony's agent at London.

In the year 1656, six or seven hundred Ricahecrian Indians having come down from the mountains, and seated themselves near the falls of the James River, Colonel Edward Hill, the elder, was put in command of a body of men, and ordered to dislodge them. He was reinforced by Totopotomoi, chief of Pamunkey, with one hundred of his tribe. A creek enclosing a peninsula in Hanover County, retains the name of Totopotomoy; and Butler, in Hudibras, alludes to this chief:--

"The mighty Tottipotimoy Sent to our elders an envoy, Complaining sorely of the breach Of league held forth by brother Patch."

Hill was disgracefully defeated, and the brave Totopotomoi, with the greater part of his warriors, slain. It appears probable that b.l.o.o.d.y Run, near Richmond, derived its name from this sanguinary battle. The action in which so many Indians were afterwards ma.s.sacred by Bacon and his men, and with which a loose tradition has identified b.l.o.o.d.y Run, did not occur near the falls of the James River. Hill, in consequence of his bad conduct in this affair, was subsequently, by unanimous vote of the council and the house of burgesses, condemned to pay the expenses of effecting a peace with the Indians, and was disfranchised.[234:A] During this year an act was pa.s.sed allowing all free men the right of voting for burgesses, on the ground that "it is something hard and unagreeable to reason that any persons shall pay equal taxes, and yet have no votes in elections." So republican was the elective franchise in Virginia, under the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell two centuries ago! In this year, 1656, Colonel Thomas Dew, of Nansemond, sometime before speaker of the house of burgesses, and others, were authorized to explore the country between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear. The County of Nansemond had long abounded with non-conformists.

The salary of the governor, as ordered at this time, consisted of twenty-five thousand pounds of tobacco, worth two hundred and fifty pounds sterling, together with certain duties levied from masters of vessels, called castle duties, and marriage license fees. A reward of twenty pounds was offered to any one who should import a minister; ministers, with six servants each, were exempted from taxes, it being provided that they should be examined by Mr. Philip Mallory and Mr. John Green, and should be recommended by them to the governor and council, who were invested with discretionary control of the matter.[234:B]

Letters were sent to Matthews, Virginia's agent at the Protector's court, directing him to suspend for the present the further prosecution of the long and fruitless controversy with Lord Baltimore respecting the disputed boundary.[234:C] Matthews, returning from England, was elected by the a.s.sembly to succeed Digges in the office of governor, who was now employed as agent. Colonel Francis Morrison, speaker, was desired by the a.s.sembly to write a letter to the Protector, and another to the secretary of state, which was as follows:--

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS,--

"We could not find a fitter means to represent the condition of this country to your highness, than this worthy person, Mr.

Digges, our late governor, whose occasions calling him into England, we have instructed him with the state of this place as he left it; we shall beseech your highness to give credit to his relations, which we a.s.sure ourselves shall be faithful, having had many experiences of his candor in the time of his government, which he hath managed under your highness, with so much moderation, prudence, and justice, that we should be much larger in expressing this truth, but that we fear to have already too much trespa.s.sed, by interrupting your highness'

most serious thoughts in greater affairs than what can concern your highness' most humble, most devoted servants.

"Dated from the a.s.sembly of Virginia, 15th December, 1656."

Superscribed, for his "Highness, the Lord Protector."

The letter to the secretary of state was as follows:--

"RIGHT HONORABLE,--

"Though we are persons so remote from you, we have heard so honorable a character of your worth, that we cannot make a second choice without erring, of one so fit and proper as yourself to make our addresses to his Highness, the Lord Protector. Our desires we have intrusted to that worthy gentleman, Mr. Digges, our late governor; we shall desire you would please to give him access to you and by your highness.

And as we promise you will find nothing but worth in him, so we are confident he will undertake for us that we are a people not altogether ungrateful, but will find shortly a nearer way than by saying so, to express really how much we esteem the honor of your patronage, which is both the hopes and ambition of your very humble and then obliged servants.

"From the a.s.sembly of Virginia, 15th December, 1656."

Superscribed, to the "Right Honorable John Thurlow, Secretary of State."