Introduction to the History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia, Chapters X-XV. [pp. 193-208]

Colony, a code of "Lawes diuine, morall'
and martial," compiled by Sir Thomas Smith
from the military laws of the Low Countries,
and sent, as has been alleged, by him without
the sanction of the company. But since
the corporation in no way interposed its authority in contravention to the new code,
their sanction of it must be presumed. Several of these laws were barbarous, inhuman,
wiritten in blood. They even reduced the
church under Martial la-v. However, under
Dale's administration, sancuinary punishmenits were not often inflicted. The governmnent indeed was, in practice, stringent
and peremptory, but perhaps not much more
so than was demanded by the exigencies of
the Colony. Faction and mutiny had already
well niglh involved it in ruin.
Sir Thomas Dale found the Colony relapsin into indolence and improvidence. Touchinig at Kiquotan he set all hands there to
planting corn. At Jamestown he found the
settlers busily engaged in their usual occupation-playing bowls in the streets. He set
them to work, felling trees, repairing houses,
and providing materials for enclosing the new
town, which he proposed to build. To find
a site for it, hle, with a hundred men, surveyed
Nansemond river and the James to the falls,
and finally pitched upon a high ground encircled by the river near Arrohiattock. Here
was built the town of Henrlico t so called in
* Smith, vol. 2, p. 10-11. Stith, 122. Burk 1, 165-195,
andl Appendix 304. Hawks' Narrative 24-27. Where the
" Law-es diiine" niay be seen. Force's Hist. Tracts, vol.
3. pp. 9-68.
+ Vestiges of the town are still to be traced on Cox's Island, (formnerly Farrar's,) near Varina. Some curious
errors respecting its site have crept into several of our histories. Bark, vol. 1.. p. 106, says:' "'The ruins of this
place, called Henrico in honor of one of the sons of the
monarch, are still sisible at T'uekahoe," and for authority
Stithi, p. 124 is referred to. Btut Stith's words are, "The
ruins of this toswn are still plainly to be traced and distinguished upon the land of the late Colonel William Ran.
dolph of Tuckahoe, just without the entrance bito Farrar's
Islarod." Now Farrar's Island is twelve miles below the
falls, whereas Tuckahoe is as many above. There is
another mistake in a note oii the same page of Bimrk —" This
town, (Henrico,) stood at the mno:th of the river and was
accounted but file miles by land fromo Henrico." It ought
to read "This town Bermuuda, &Zc. But its if there was
some fatality in the case, Keith has fallen into a mistake as
to the situation of this old town. On page 124, he says,
that Sir Thomas Dale "proceeded all the way tip James
river until he came to a high rising ground, about twelve
miles above the falls," which being naturally fortified and almost surrounded by water, he pitched on that place for his
intended purpose,!' and adds that it was "about fifty miles
honor of the heir apparent Prince Henry.
It was seated on a peniinsula surrounded on
three sides by the river, and impaled across
firom water to water. There were three
streets of well-framed houses, a handsomne
church of wood completed and the foundation laid of a better one to be built of brick, besides store-hlouses, watch-houses, &c. Upon
the river-edge there were five houses wherein
lived "the honester sort of people as Farmers
in Englan)d, and they keepe continuall centinell for the towne's securitie." About two
miles back from the town was a second palisade, "neere two miles in length from Riuer
to Riuer guarded by seuerall Comman d.ers,
with a good quantity of Comre-ground impailed sufficiently secured," &c. On the
south side a plantation was established called
Hope in Faith and Coxendale, with five forts
called respectively, Charity, Elizabeth, Patience and Mount Malady, "a guest-hlouse
for sicke people," on the spot where, afterwards, in Stith's timne, Jeffersot's church
stood. On the same side of the river the
Rev. Alexander Whitaker, called "the Apostle of Virginia,"': established his parsonage,
a well-firamed house, and one hundred acres
of land called Rock Hall.
The Appomattox Inldians havinglr committed some depredations, Sir Thomas Dale,
about Christmas, [ 1611,] captured( their town,
seized their corn and slew some of them.
This town was five miles distant from Henrico.
The governor pleased with the situation established a plantation there and called it Ber
above Jamestow n." Now it requires no great topogzraphical
acumen to see that a place only " about fifty miles ab)osve
Jamestown" couldl not be "about twelve wiles above the falls."
It is easy to account for Keith's mistake. According to
Smith, Book 4, p. 10, Henrico usas built " iupon a high land
environed with the main river, some twelve omilesfioami the
falls, by Arrohattoek." It is evident that Keithl mistook
"twelve mniles from the falls" to mean twelve miles above
them, instead of below. Aecording to Smith as above refer-edt to and Beverley, B. 1, p. 25, Ilenrico, as near Arrohattock, and about fifty miles above Jaiiiestorwn. Arrohattock is laid down on Smith's map about twelve omiles
below the falls and on tile North wide of lie river. Henrico was five miles from Bermuda and situated on a peninsula encircled tiy a fIend of the river. According to Stith,
the most accurate of our historians smith who lived in 1746
at Varina, Henrico stood "j oust without the entrance into
Farrar's [:land," and this is now known as Cox's Island.
See Soti. Lit. Mess. for Jiiiie, 18,15. Farrar's Islanud was
probably called after Sir Nicliolas Farrar, deputy treasurer.
* Hawks' Narrative, 29. He was the son of the celeblrated Dr. William Whitahker, master of St. J!bit's, Cainhbidge.
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