Of their sitting to the great oppression of his subjects, from whom they re-
ceived wages;" concluding by an order for the prosecution of their clerk
Beverley, to whom he ascribes all of these evils.
In the same year several persons w T ere imprisoned and punished for
treasonable expressions. The council was now as servile as the governor
could wish, and he proceeded without interruption in his system of arbitra-
ry innovation upon the established usuages of the colony, and the liberties of
its citizens.
The province of New York belonged to the king as proprietor as well
M - 10 1T97 as sovere ig" n j and in order to strengthen this his own cs-
JNov. 11, 103/. tat ^ ^ gent orc } ers f or g^i t } ie th cr colonies to assist in
building forts, and supplying garrisons for its western frontier, alledging
that these measures w r ere equally necessary for the protection of all; in con-
formity to these orders a message was received from governor Diingan, re-
quiring the quota of Virginia, but the legislature refused to appropriate a
man or a farthing for purposes from which they were to derive no benefit
but rather an injury, as the protection of the north-western frontier would
drive the Indians further south, where they might commit their depreda-
tions upon the unprotected citizens with more impunity.
Whilst the colony was contending against their governor, a revolution
«£ S X' in England had dethroned the sovereign, and placed William and
' Mary upon the throne. This change whilst it placed the council
which had made many loj^al professions to James, in an awkward position,
was an event producing analloyed joy to the people of Virginia, as they
could now hope for justice to be done to their oppressive governor.
Soon after this occurrence the war broke out between the allied powers
and Lewis XIV. of France, and the colony was ordered to place itself in the
best posture of defence.
The comnlamts of the Virginia legislature against their irovernor at
length were taken up by the privy council, and although the charges against
Howard were not tried, yet redress against his usurpation was granted, at
the same time that the principles upon which they contended that their
rights had been violated, "were- denied to be correct. Howard pleading ill-
health was not deprived of his commission for not reluming to the colonv,
but as it was necessary that there should be a governor upon the eve of a
war, Sir Francis Nicholson was sent over. His conduct was mild and con-
ciliatory, and consequently popular; among other highly beneficial acts
passed under his government, was one for the establishment of a college
which was very liberally endowed.
He was succeeded by Sir Edmund iVndros as governor-in chief, who is
Sent 20 160 9 represented to have been actuated in his administration by
â– * ' 'â– ' ~ a sound judgment and a liberal policy; to have been exact,
diligent and methodical in the management of business; of a conciliatory
deportment and great generosity.* Sir Francis Nicholson was again made
*Burk ; vol. 11. p. 216.
HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 617
governor-in-chief, in November 1698. He was an ambitious man, who had
served in the capacity of a governor, and deputy governor in several of the
colonies, and taken great pains to become popular, and to make himself
well acquainted with the situation of all the colonies, — their wants,— their
trade, and their capabilities, with a view to unite them if possible under one
government, over which he hoped to obtain the appointment of governor
general. The pressure of war with the combined foice of the French and
Indians, which seemed now about to fall upon the colonies, and rendered
some union necessary for the purpose of defence, seemed highly favorable
to his design.
The French at an early day conceived a correct idea of the importance
of the British colonies in America. The Count De Callier, governor of
Montreal, during his residence in Canada, after a long experience derived
from observations on the spot, had formed the bold project of separating in two
the English colonies by the capture of New York. The success of this
scheme would manifestly have destroyed that concert so necessary to har-
mony and efficiency of co-operation, and left the other colonies liable to be
cut off in detail, and would effectually establish the safety of Canada by
enabling the French to keep in check the powerful savage confederation,
composed of the Five Nations which had lately by a furious irruption laid
waste the country even to the gates of Montreal and Quebec. This plan of
« 1AQ9 Callier's was adopted by the French government. A fleet was
P ' ' sent to the bay of New York, with orders to retain possession
of it, until December, when if no further orders were received, it was to sail
for Port Royal, land its munition and stores and return to France. The
land force were to have marched from Quebec by the route of the Sorel
river and Lake Champlain. This expedition was defeated by a destructive
inroad of the Five Nations, which carried death and desolation over the
whole country, even to the very gates of the capital. This unforeseen oc-
currence rendered it necessary to retain the whole force at home in mea-
sures ol self-defence, and saved New York, without her having to strike a
blow in her own behalf.
The British government daily becoming more sensible of the importance
of the North American colonies, and seeing the danger to which they were
exposed by the plan of De Callier, set on foot a plan of general defence in
the year 1695, adjusting the quotas of each colony to the ratio of its popu-
lation, and forwarding the scale to the different governors, to recommend
for the adoption of the respective colonial assemblies. Several of the colo-
nies rejected this scheme, because several of those which were thought most
exposed wished to employ it as their own interest dictated. Among the re-
fractory was Virginia, which could not be prevailed upon by all the art and
ingenuity of the governor, aided by his great enthusiasm in this his favor-
ite plan, — to vote a cent to the enterprize,— -to his inconceivable chagrin
and mortification. Nicholson finding his own efforts utterly unavailing,
laid the matter before the king, and urged the propriety of forcing Virginia,
to see her true interests upon this occasion. William in reply recommend-
ed a new consideration of the matter by the General Assembly, alledging
upon the authority of Nicholson's report, " that New York was the barrier
of Virginia against the Indians and the French of Canada ; and as such it
was but justice she should defend it." The assembly deemed it but due respect
to his majesty to take the subject again into consideration, but found no rea-
son to change their former opinion, declaring "that neither the forts then in
78
6 18 HISTORY OF VIRGINIA,
beino-, nor any others that might be. built in the province of New York,
could'in the least avail in the defence or security of Virginia; for that either
the French or the northern Indians, might invade the colony, and not come
within a hundred miles of such fort."
The failure of this great subject irritated the governor beyond expression;
and excited in his mind the most inordinate antipathy to the assembly, He
charged the conduct of the assembly to a spirit of rebellion, and inveighed
against what he called its parsimony in the most unmeasured terms, offering
to pay the quota of Virginia out of his. own pocket, and boasting afterwards,
that he had done it, but at the same time, taking the obligation of the gen-
tleman to whom he gave the bills, that no use should be made of them un-
til the Queen should remit money to pay them. This affectation of gener-
osity was designed to gain popularity with the other colonies.
The history of Virginia from this period to the breaking out of the war
with France, presents a remarkable dearth of interesting or striking inci-
dent, all of which could be related would be a list of the governors, a detail of
petty domestic affairs, a gradual extension and improvement of the colony,
and a developement of the designs of France ; designs which were seen by
some more penetrating spirits in the colonies,- and measures recommended
to defeat them, but which received no effectual check until the war broke
out in 1754.
We have now traced the progress of Virginia as far as it is possible to go
with her affairs as an isolated province, cut offfrom all the world, and only
struggling for existence at first with the savages, and afterwards for freedom
with the mother country. She now becomes of importance in the political
world, she emerges from obscurity and becomes a prize to be contended for
by two of the richest and most powerful nations upon earth. She herself
begins to feel her strength, and dares to wrestle with the civilized nations
of the world. She becomes one of a confederacy of colonies for the purpose
of resisting the attacks of a foreign enemy, and finally to resist successfully
the power of the mother country itself, and then a leading member of a con-
federacy of independent nations. Our presumption and the necessity of the
case have led us to attempt much more than will be forgiven, but cannot al-
lure our feeble wing to essay a flight so daring, as would be necessary to
.survey the broad field which now expands" before, us. We leave it rich,
tempting and beautiful as it is, to be painted by some master whose skill
will enable him to exhibit the grandeur and symmetry oi the whole,, and
yet present upon the same canvass a detail of each separate beauty. For
ourselves, we cannot be so barbarous as to disfigure so magnificent a sub-
ject by daubing it over with the same wretched colors, which we have laid
on the preceding piece, in such extreme haste that we fear it will be difficult
to distinguish the characters or design. For the rest our readers must be
content with a very brief and general outline of the progress of affairs pre-
sented in the following:—-
Sketch of Virginia, history from the beginning of the French war to the
beginning of the Revolution.
After the accidental failure of De Callier's design upon New York, the
HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 619
French governors in possession of Canada and Louisiana, endeavored to
strengthen themselves by uniting as far as possible their respective provin-
ces. With this view, acting in concert they made no direct attacks, but con-
tinued to extend their forts and strengthen their power by alliances with
the wild Indian tribes located between them; thus at once endeavoring'to
connect their possessions, — to monopolize the Indian trade; and to limit the
British settlements.
These designs of France produced a mission from the governor of Vir-
ginia to the commander of a fort, erected on the Ohio, in the year 1751.
The commissioner sent was George Washington, then 19 years old. The
answer of the commandant was evasive. The Virginians prepared for war
and the French commenced an attack on the American trades and forts.
An expedition was soon sent against the French, the command of which
devolved upon Washington after the death of Col. Fry. Washington at
first gained a trivial success against a detachment under Monsieur Jumon-
ville, who was killed, and was proceeding to the attack of fort Duquesne,
the main object of his enterprize, when he learned that the French, consid-
erably re-inforced were advancing; this induced him to retreat to Fort Ne-
cessity, a small stockade work which he had erected at the Great Meadows;
in this work he sustained the incessant fire of the French for a day, when
the French asked a parley and Washington surrendered the place upon
highly honorable terms, being allowed to pass with his troops and baggage
into the settled parts of Virginia.
Great Britain began to see the necessity of aiding the colonies in their
manly efforts to repel the enemy from their borders, and she sent an army
under General Braddock, to protect the colonies and drive the French from
the Ohio. Braddock met a convention of war from the several colonies at
Annapolis on the 14th of April 175.3, composed of the governors of New
England, Maryland, Pennsylvania and "Virginia, at which convention con-
cert of military operations was agreed upon. The legislature of Virginia
made liberal appropriations. Washington accompanied the expedition as a
volunteer aid to Braddock.
The fate of this unfortunate expedition is too well known, Braddock va-
lued too highly his own military skill, and the discipline of the British
troops, he knew nothing of the character of his enerrty, and so little did he
esteem the provincials, (in his situation the best troops of his army,) that he
left them all behind at fort Cumberland, — the Little and the Great Mea-
dows, — and with General Dunbar, — except three companies of Virginians.
Braddock advanced with too much confidence, and kept up in a savage
wilderness all the " pomp and circumstance of war" which his military
education had taught him were indispensable in Europe; he advanced urn
molested until he had crossed the Monongahela, and arrived within a few
miles of fort Duquesne, when he fell into an ambuscade of French and In-
dians; his troops were thrown into confusion, and after sustaining the mur=
derous fire of an enemy concealed from their view for several hours, and
having most of their officers killed, and their General mortally wounded,
retreated in confusion ; their rear was protected by the friendly Indians and
few provincials left. The army fell back upon Col. Dunbar, who was next
in command; and who marched off to Philadelphia, leaving two companies
of provincials with the sick and wounded at Fort Cumberland.
Braddock's defeat was of course followed by barbarous and distressing
cruelties of the Indians to the frontier settlers: these were resisted by Wash-
620 HISTORY OF VIRGINIA.
ington as well as he was able with the small force under his command ; but
no regular expedition was undertaken against the enemy until the year
1758, when General Grant was disgracefully defeated before the walls of
fort Duquesne, by the same rigid adherence to European tactics which had
defeated Braddock.
After the defeat of Grant the scattered and terrified troops were again
collected, and the fort taken by Washington in the third year of the war,
who repaired and garrisoned it, and named it Pittsburgh, in honor of the
minister, who then presided over the councils of Great Britain.
The treaty of Fontainbleau in November, 1762, between Great Britain,
France, Spain and Portugal at length put a period to the war.
Questions touching the power of the British Parliament to interfere with
the concerns of the colonies had arisen more than once before the war, and
during its continuance the delicate question arose of the proportions which
the several colonies should pay for the common defence; the British
ministry proposed that deputies should meet and determine the amount
neeessary, and draw on the British treasury which in turn should be reim-
bursed by an equal tax on all the colonies to be laid by Parliament : but
the colonies were afraid to let the lion put his paw in their pockets even to
to take back his own, and this being no time to raise difficulties the colo-
nial legislatures were left to their own discretion in voting supplies, which
they did with a liberality so disproportioned to their ability as to excite the
praise and in some instances to induce a reimbursement on the part of the
mother country.
Virginia had always resisted any interference on the part of Parliament,
especially in the navigation acts, and asserted as early as J 624 that she only
had the undoubted right "to lay taxes and impositions, and none other,"
and afterwards refused to let any member of the council of governor Berke-
ley, in the height of his popularity, to assist them in determining the
.amount of the public levy. Again in 1676 even stronger language was
used and acquiesced in by the king to whom it was immediately addressed.
The slight taxes imposed for the regulation of commerce and the sup-
port of a post-office were borne by the colonies without a murmur, being
considered only a fair compensation for a benefit received.
In March, 1764, the ministers declared it "expedient to raise a revenue
on stamps in America to be paid into the king's exchequer," the discussion
of this was postponed until the next year in Parliament, but commenced
immediately in America, and the proposition was met by every form of
respectful petition and indignant remonstrance ; which were however
equally unavailing, and the stamp act passed in 1765.
The passage of this act excited universal and indignant hostility through-
out the colonies, which was displayed in the forms of mourning and The
cessation of business ; the courts refused to sanction the act by sitting, and
the bar by using the stamps. In the succeeding Virginia legislature Patrick
Henry introduced and carried among others the following resolution:
'I Resolved, that the General Assembly of this colony, together with his
majesty, or substitute, have in their representative capacity, the only ex-
clusive right and power to lay taxes and impositions upon the inhabitants
of this colony : and that every attempt to vest such power in any person
or persons whatsoever, other than the General Assembly aforesaid, is ille-
gal, unconstitutional and unjust, and has a manifest tendency to' destroy
British as well as American freedom.' 3
HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 621
After the passage of Henry's resolutions the governor dissolved the As-
sembly, but the people re-elected the friends and excluded the opposer of
the resolutions.
The spirited conduct of Virginia fired the ardour of the other colonies,
they passed similar resolutions, and a general congress was proposed.
The deputies of nine states met in New York on the first of October; they
drafted a Declaration of Rights, a petition to the King, the Commons, and
the Lords. The stamp act was repealed, and Virginia sent an address of
thanks to the king and Parliament.
The joy of the colonies was short-lived. British ministers imagined
that they could cheat the colonies out of their opposition to taxation with-
out representation, by laying an import duty instead of a direct tax, and
accordingly a duty was laid upon glass, tea, paper and painter's colors ; but
this was equally against the spirit of the British constitution, and met with
a warmer and more indignant resistance on the part of the colonies, who
now began to believe they had little to hope from the justice of Parliament.
The Legislature of Virginia passed very spirited resolutions, which it
ordered to be sent only to the king : upon the passage of which the gover-
nor dissolved it; and the members immediately met and entered unani-
mously into a non-importation agreement.
The British ministers perceived their error and determined to pause in
their violence, to effect this object the governors were directed to inform
the colonies that his majesty's ministers did not intend to raise a revenue
in America and the duties objected to should be speedily repealed. These
assurances made to Virginia by Lord Botetourt, a governor whom they
highly respected, served with his own good conduct for a time to allay her
suspicions of the ministry, but the course they pursued towards Massa-
chusetts was more than sufficient to re-kindle her jealousy. She passed a
protest declaring that partial remedies could not heal the present disorders,
and renewed their non-importation agreement. Jn 1771 Botetourt died,
and Virginia erected a statue to his memory, which still stands in the town
of Williamsburg.
The delay of Lord Dunmore in New York for some months after his
appointment to the gubernatorial chair of Virginia, excited the prejudices
of the colony, which his sending a man of some military distinction as a
clerk, and raising a salary and fees for him out of the colony, were by no
means calculated to dissipate. The first legislature that met compelled
the governor to dispense with the emoluments of his secretary Capt. Foy*;
and the next after thanking him for his activity in apprehending some
counterfeiters of the colony paper, strongly reprove him for dispensing
with the usual forms and ceremonies with w T hich the law has guarded the
liberty of the citizen. The same legislature having provided for the sound-
ness and security of the currency, the punishment of the guilty, and re-
quired the governor to respect the law; turned their eyes to their sister
colonies, and appointed a committee of correspondence to inquire into the
various violations of their constitutional rights by the British ministry.
Whilst Virginia was employed in animating her sister states to resis-
tance, her governor was employed in the ignoble occupation of fomenting
jealousies and feuds between the province, which it should have been his
duty to protect from such a calamity, and Pennsylvania, by raising difficult
questions of boundary and exciting the inhabitants of the disputed territory
to forswear allegiance to the latter province: hoping thus by affording a
62 2 HISTORY OF VIRGINIA.
more immediately exciting question to draw off the attention of these two
important provinces from the encroachments of Great Britain. This
scheme as contemptible as it was iniquitous wholly failed, through the
o-ood sense and magnanimity of the Virginia council.
° Lord North full of his feeble and futile schemes of cheating the colonies
out of their rights, took off the obnoxious duties with the exception of
three pence per° pound on tea, and with the ridiculous idea that he might
fix the principle upon the colonies by a precedent, which should strip it of
all that was odious, offered a draw-back equal to the import duty. This
induced the importation of tea into Boston harbor, which being thrown
overboard by some of the citizens, called down upon their city all the rigor
O.f the celebrated Boston port bill.
A draught of this bill reached the Virginia legislature whilst in session,
an animated protest, and a dissolution of the Assembly by the governor of
course followed. On the following day the members convened in the Ra-
leigh tavern, and in an able and manly paper expressed to their constitu-
ents and their government those sentiments and opinions which they had
not been allowed to express in a legislative form. This meeting recom-
mended a cessation of trade with the East India company, a congress of
deputies from all of the colonies, "declaring their opinion that an attack
upon one of the colonies was an attack upon all British America," and a
convention of the people of Virginia. The sentiments of the people
accorded with those of their late delegates,— they elected members who
met in convention at Williamsburg on the first of August 1774. This
convention went into a detailed view of their rights and grievances, dis-
cussed measures of redress for the latter, and declared their determina-
tion never to relinquish the former; they appointed deputies to attend a
general congress, and they instructed them how to proceed. The congress
met in Philadelphia on the 4th September, 1774.
Whilst Virginia was engaged in her efforts for the general good she
was not without her peculiar troubles at home. The Indians had been for
some time waging a horrid war upon the frontiers, when the indignation
of the people at length compelled the reluctant governor to take up arms
gmd march to suppress the very savages he was thought to have encouraged
and excited to hostility by his intrigues.
Lord Dunmore marched the army in two divisions, the one under Col.
4-ndrew Lewis he sent to the junction of the Great Kanawha with the
Ohio, whilst he himself marched to a higher point on the latter river, with
the pretended purpose of destroying the Indian towns and joining Lewis
at Point Pleasant; but it was believed with the real* object of sending the
whole Indian force to annihilate Lewis' detachment, and thereby weaken
the power and break down the spirit of Virginia. If such was his object
he was signally defeated through the gallantry of the detachment, which
met and defeated the superior numbers of the enemy at Point Pleasant,
after an exceeding hard fought day and the loss of nearly all its officers.
The day after the victory an express arrived from Dunmore with orders
for the detachment to join him at a distance of 80 miles, through an ene-
my's country, without any conceivable object but the destruction of the
* See Memoir of Indian wars, &c. by the late Col. Stuart of Greenbrier, presented