University of Virginia Library

CDXXIX. Council in Virginia. A Letter to the Virginia Company
of London
January 30, 1623/4

Wee receaved your Letters by the Bonny Besse and the George, whervnto
(though divers shipps haue since retorned) wee haue been enforced through
the absence of the Gou9nor To defer our replie, as also owt of our desire
to enforme you of other accidents and p̳ceedings.

Wee haue to our vttermost abilities revenged ourselves vppone the Sal-
vages havinge vppon this river, Cut downe theire Corne in all places wch
was planted in great abundance vppon hope of a fraudulent peace, wth
intent to provide them selves, for a future warr, and to sustaine theire
Confederates, burninge downe the howses they had reedified, and wth the
slaughter of many enforced them to abandone theire plantations, and had
soe served the rest, yf in yt tyme of our gretest scarcitie, & noe reliefe to
be founde amongste ye Enemyes) want of meanes to feede the souldiers
had not Constrayned us to desiste.

Notwthstandinge ye Gournor as soone as our Corne was ripe, sett forwarde
to the River of Potomak to settle the trade wth our freends, and to revenge
the trecherie of ye Pascoticons and theire assocyates, beinge the greatest
people in those p̱tes of Virginia, Who had cutt of Capt Spillman and mr
Pountis his Pynnace, In wch expeditione he putt many to the swoorde,
burnt theire Howses, wth a marvelous quantetie of Corne carryed by
them into the woodes, as it was nott possible to bringe it to theire §our§
boates,

The maine reasone yt invited the Gou9nor into that river, was an agre-
ment made the last yeere by mr Threasurer wth the Patomacks, our ancy-
ent alies, of whome greate numbers were murthered by those nations, not
only to asiste us in that revenge, but to accompeny us and bee our guides

in a warr against the Pomunkeys, wch would haue been very Advantagious
vnto us, The vnsesonablenes of the weather havinge longer detayned him
then the necessitie of the Countrey, could consent to, enforced him to
leaue of his Chief intentione for Ponunka,

It is noe smale difficultie and griefe vnto us to mantaine a warr by vn-
willinge people, who levinge to feede and cloath theire owne families by
theire owne labours, Crye out of the loss of Tyme against their Com-
anders, in a warr where nothinge is to be gained, and the Chief tyme of
doeinge the emynie most spoyle falinge owt to their greatest hindrance, of
this the Gou9nor can speake by experyence, who although at theire ernest
suitℯ, hee staide till theire Cropps were in, In his beinge abroade A fort-
night before he sawe the enymie, was petitioned by them all subscribed
with theire handes, that they might haue leaue to retourne, lest it should
proue theire vtter vndoinge,

Wheras we are advised by you to obserue rules of Justice wth these bar-
berous and p̱fidious enemys, wee hold nothinge iniuste, that may tend to
theire ruine, (except breach of faith) Stratagems were ever allowed against
all enemies, but wth these neither fayre Warr nor good quarter is ever to
be held, nor is there other hope of theire subversione, who ever may in-
forme you to the Contrarie,

Howsoeur our intended howse of entertaynment was not builte, for wch
woorkmen were entertayned, many subscribers beinge slayne in the Mas-
sacre, yett there hath beene great additione, of buildingℯ in divers places,
wherein hath and may bee entertayned, great number of new Comers,
and that wth more convenience in our oppinions, then in publique Guest
howses, where many beinge sick togeather, are likely to bringe a generall
infectione, and finde noe willinge attendance, And heere wee cannott but
againe putt you in minde, how the ships are pestered Contrary to your
agreementℯ Victualed wth mustie bred the reliques of former Vioages, and
stinckinge beere, heertofore soe ernestly Complayned of, in great p̱te the
cause of that mortalitie, wch is imputed alone to the Countrey, the old
planter Consideringe the accidentes, livinge as longe heere as in most p̱tes
of Englande, And it would bee wished, that new Comers who are not Con-
signed to such as are heere well settled, may bringe such p̳visione over wth
them, as mault Cyder butter Chease etc. as may give them Content, and

not make to sudden a change in theire dyett, though the first charge be
more, yet the p̳ffitt in the ende wilbe the greater, The rest we must Com-
ende to the good pleasure of God, who in his tyme, may through our
penitence turne his Judgmentℯ into mercy, The scarsitie this foreruninge
yeere hath been greate, and who could expect less, after such a massacre,
yett none to our knowledg hath Perished through wante, many seasoned
men goinge through theire labours, beside harde marches, wch endured the
same Comone scarsitie.

And to advance the future plentie, besidℯ our Proclamations for the set-
tinge of aboundance of Corne, we haue restrayned trade to publique vses,
that noe privatt man may depend theronne, wch formerly many haue
donne, Butt nothinge will more Conduce to the plentie of the Colonie,
then the p̳ffer of givinge of viii ss p̱ bushell, wch will greatlie dyminishe the
Plantinge of Tobacco, and further all other vndertakings, A thinge gen-
erally desired by the Colony,

Wee haue at all tymes bent our endevors to the furtheringe of those staple
Comodities, wch you haue g[iven] us in Charge, as for the Irone woorkℯ,
wch had longe before now arived at the p̱fectione [if] the woorkmen had
not been cutt of, you know it is nott in our powre wth those that remaine
[to] reestablish them, for Vines and silke, we conceiue noe Countrey more
p̳per, and w[e] endevor to see them fully p̳secuted, Concerninge the state
of those and the rest, the Threasu[rer] will further informe you, And we
beseech you to Consider how great an interuptione, they must of neces-
sitie receaue by the ymploymentℯ, wch the Troubles of these tyms haue
imposed vppon us,

Wee in the name of the whole Colonie doe render most humb̴ɫe thanks to
his sacred Matie for his royal care and favor, not only for his gratious
intentione of restrayninge the sole ymportatione of Tobacco to these two
Colonies, wch we know not by what misinformatione may haue miscaryed,
the only present meanes to enable us to p̳ceede to more reall Comodities,
and workℯ of greter Consequence tendinge to the strength and bewtie of
the Colonie, for wt can be expected from povertie, but also for beinge ye
author of this supplye of meale owt of his tender sence of our former scar-
citie, And we hope notwithstandinge the malice of our Virulent traducers,

To approue orselves in our accions not vnworthie the Continuance of his
favor.

And to ye lordℯ of his maties Counsell, we beseech you in or names to render
or dew retourne of thankℯ, for their Honorable care, noe less can we retourne
to you for yor noble p̱formment, and although we had noe cause to doupte
the want therof (else had we beene blane worthie not to haue written
as ernestly for it as we did for the former supplie) yett it is nevertheless
welcome, rather in regarde of Varietie then necessitie.

And we must frely p̳fess yt the taxe wch was laide vppon you, was malitious
and vniuste, Consideringe our Valuationℯ of Tobacco (not to say the rates
wch unconscionable marchantℯ and maryners doe impose vppon or neces-
sities, wch heere we esteeme at noe more then xviijd p̱li, as by the publique
rat[es] of Comodities may appeere, enforced thervnto by the dayly enhauns-
inge of their prices, especyally of rotten Wynes wch destroy or bodies and
empty or purses, wherof mr Robert Bennett (we hope without the privitie
of his Brother) hath been most Culpable, who in his liefe tyme boasted
that the only sale of fower buttℯ of wyne would be Sufficyent to clere the
whole Vioage.

And for the furtheringe of mr Blanys recoury of deptℯ, at the begininge of
harvest we made an edict, yt noe depte should be paide nor tobacco dis-
bursed till he were satisfied, and we haue from tyme to tyme, not only putt
him in minde therof, but given him all possible asistance, neyther doupt
we but that by these ships hee will make you a p̳ffitable retourne, his
accounpts we cannott as yett p̱vse, in regard of his absence in gatheringe
his deptℯ but shall wth the first Convenience, we haue donne heerin wt
we could, for we hope you thinke us to woorthie to spend, yf we had leysure,
or tymes in the Troblesome gatheringe of those deptℯ, who are our bur-
dned wth greater ymploymentℯ, And for mr Powntis acompt for his maides,
we are such strangers to his p̳cedinge therin, yt we can give you noe ac-
coumpt therof, notwithstandinge before his goinge abroade he was remem-
bred of it, and p̱vsed these yor letters, therfore he cannot be vnmindfull to
give you Satisfactione.

For the Glass workℯ, ship wrights, and Compositione wth ye ffrench men,
we refer you to mr Threa' letters, wch though they haue had noe better
success, yett was not his care and excedinge charge wantinge, even to ye

neclect & great hinderance of his owne p̱ticular, For the Blowmery we
refer it to our next letters, As for ye Petitions, wth our best conveniencℯ,
we will give them dispatch some of them havinge been deferred for wante
of Solicyters, but of these you shall haue a fourther accounpt by mr harte,

Concerninge ye disparagmts of the plantatione, wch we vnderstande to
p̳ceede only from ye Corupt harte of one who but for ye respect of yt place
wch he had formerly vndeservedly borne, might iustly haue receaved
exemplary Punishment for his Venery and drunkeness, we neede say noe
more, then yt the informer, who it should seeme cam pourposely for a
spie, never sawe most of those places where he Complayneth of findinge
such wants & devastations, wt he gaines him self in this, we may give him
in ye rest, but we will referr his Vnmaskinge of Virginia, to a p̱ticuler
vnmaskinge of him by the generall assemblie, in as much as Concernes ye
Countrey, and by our selves in ye slanders that concerne or goverment,

We haue donne all yt lay in our power to p̳cure you a reimbursment for
ye charges of ye fort Vndertaken by Capt Each, wth other expences con-
cerninge ye abigall, but finde a generall vnwillingnes (not to say an opposi-
tion) in all almost but our selves, wherof as yett we cannott but shall after
ye generall assembly wch is alredie sumoned, give you an accounpt, how-
soeuer yt accounpt of yours mentioned in your letter to be sent, is not
com as yet to our hands, Conceringe the forte ye men were levied through-
out ye Countrey, but supplies sundry ways expected having fayled, made
us vnable to feede more mouths then would only suffice to keepe ye place,
together wth sicknes yt fell vppon many, who although they stoode extra-
ordinarie well to health at the tyme of ye date of our letters (that we be
not wrongfully taxed for wrightinge placentia) yett suddenly after fell
fell downe in great numbers in many places, and that it be not often
repeated, we frely confess yt yf our men had stood indifferently to health,
we were liable to these aspertions, in ye fay[linge] of many of our vnder-
takingℯ, wch our malitious adversaries impute to or neclect, we haue wth
much ernestness ymportuned Capt Smiths patienc to stay vppon the
place, who hath donne as much as could [be] expected from him, and doupt
nott butt in ye generall assemblie we shall haue as willinge asistenc from
those, yt haue hitherto hunge back in p̱fectinge ye same wth dew expe-
ditione,

Thus referringe other thingℯ to our next letters, wch shalbe written after
the generall assembly, beseeching god to free both you and us from the
malice of our adversaries and to give his blessinge to our endevors and
sufferingℯ we humbly take our leaues and remane,