CCCXXVII. Sir Nathaniel Rich. Draft of Instructions to the
Commissioners to investigate Virginia Affairs
April 14, 1623
Manchester Papers, No. 330
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 465
1
That the Com̄issioners require all the Recordℯ of the Court to be brought
in vnto them together wth the Duplicates thereof, and the Court Bookes
wch should warrant the s̃d Recordℯ, and the Blurr bookes wch should
warrant the Court Booke and is the first ground of the Recordℯ: that it
may [be] discouered whether there be any differences betweene them.
2
That all the publick letters wch came from Virginia &c may be produced,
and that it may be examined vpon oath whither those ɫres were written
by Instructions from hence or no. And whither at the same tyme Sr
E. S. §&§ Mr fferrar did not receaue letters from the Gouernor and Counsell
of Virginia or some of them in mayne pointes concerning the §true§ state
and condic̃on of the Plantac̃on contradictorye or diuerse from what was
publicklie read in Court. And whither it hath not ben deliuered §*to
some in priuate§ as a reason why the Gouernors letters &c haue not ben
read because they did trulie discouer the state of the Countrey and did not
conteyne any thing that may §might§ giue content or to that effect.
To desyre of the Com̄issioners that such of the planters company as shall
be willing to take paynes in the premises to take notes out of the s̃d Recordℯ
& letters and prepare business for their hearing.
The vast and wildℯ §wilde§ proiectℯ of Sr E. S. haue ruyned plantac̃ons: thes
writt from virginia, as 4 Iron workes at once wh & none §all§ of them by
halfes whereas one or 2 might to be effected:
That ye prosperity of ye plantac̃ons sett ye Indians on work to ye massacre
Concerning the lotteryes who they were yt were imployed in them, by
whom, wt reward was granted to them, who mooued for that reward How
they were putt downe: what was collected, and what p̱te the lottery men
receaued to their owne priuate and whether any shared wth them.
How the Countrey is planted, whither vpon the generall stock or privat
men vpon Patentℯ—how many patentℯ are granted & how many of them
p̳ceeded on.
To call to mynd a p̳posic̃on w Mr Gibbs puttℯ Sr me in mynd of & Sr N.
Rich made at a meeting of the Counsell that a shipp wch was then going to
Virginia wth a great many men might be stayed bec̃ there was no p̳uision
for the wch was seconded by Sr D. Degge and Sr Jo: Worselnham and others:
Sr Ed. Sadys did after chide Mr Gibbes and Jo. Wroth that they did not
oppose t. p̳posic̃on. And sed that Sr E. S. his vayneglory & he would say
he had sent so many men in one yeare was the destruc̃ of many of the
Kingℯ Subiectℯ.
To examine wt the sending of Sr ff. Wyatt and Mr G. Sandys cost the
Companye s sayd 2000ɫ at least.
Vpon what groundℯ the Pl we obtayned the Chickohomenes Countrey s
sayed & vpon what groundℯ the occasion was giuẽ of the last Massacre
s sayed that Sr Tho: Dale made these Chickhomenes th K James his serutℯ &
procured them lyueries: these were a people that lay betweene or Colonye &
Powhatanes Countrey who together w
th his Brother Opichankano plotted
when S
r G. Yardly came thither to breake the league betweene vs & the
Chickhomenes & effected it thus. Opichankano §p̳fessing much frendship§
sendℯ §giues§ yardlye aduertisem
t y
t some of the Chickhomenes had killed
some of o
r cattle & swyne: yardly desires a parlye about it. The Chick-
homenes to the nomber of 2 or 300 assemble themselues to treat. Thither
came Yardly & 100 men armed (and as it seemes by correspondence with
Opichankano) In stead of p̱lying with Chickohomenes yardly com̄andℯ a
volley of shott to be delyuered amongst them & kild 30 or 40 of the s̃d
Chickhomenes: This p̱fidious act made them all flye out & seeke Reuenge,
they ioyned with Opichankano & having by stealthes & murthers diuerse
tymes afflicted such of o
r Colony as they could meet w
th & daili offered
them wrongℯ, No Reuenge was taken but all putt vp in so And all meanes
vsed to pacifie in so much that before the last Massacre, o
r Colonyes were
almost made subiectℯ to the Sauages, and they gr §Sauages§ herevpon grow-
ing insolent* took the aduantage of the s̃d last Massacre w
ch if this relac̃on be
true was seemes first to be occasioned by o
r owne p̱fidiouse dealing w
th
them & then supine negligence in letting those furious wild people to grow
vpon thẽ & to delude them with faire shewes
* hanging of a dogg
publickly by the
Counsellℯ
Virginia
qre of the new ɫres come by the last Ships from Virginia wch speake of great
miserie there for want of victualling yett the Counsells ɫre from thence
wch was publiqly read desired no more Corne.
To examine whither all that haue gone to the plantac̃ons haue taken the
Oath of Supremacie according to the pt.
[Indorsed:] 14 Ap. Notes taken for informt by the Comissioners for
Virginia.
