us. moistens his bread with the sweat of his brows. It will be enough if we enable ourselves to prevent insults from those nations of Europe which are weak on the sea, because circumstances exist, which render even the stronger ones weak as to Providence has placed their richest and most defenceless possessions at our door; has obliged their most precious commerce to pass, as it were, in review before us. To protect this, or to assail, a small part only of their naval force will ever be risked across the Atlantic. The dangers to which the elements expose them here are too well known, and the greater dangers to which they would be exposed at home were any general calamity to involve their whole fleet. They can attack us by detachment only; and it will suffice to make ourselves equal to what they may detach. Even a smaller force than they may detach will be rendered equal or superior by the quickness with which any check may be repaired with us, while losses with them will be irreparable till too late. A small naval force then is sufficient for us, and a small one is necessary. What this should be, I will not undertake to say. I will only say, it should by no means be so great as we are able to make it. Suppose the million of dollars, or three hundred thousand pounds, which Virginia could annually spare without distress, to be applied to the creating a navy. A single year's contribution would build, equip, man, and send to sea a force which should carry three hundred guns. The rest of the confederacy, exerting themselves in the same proportion, would equip in the same time fifteen hundred guns more. So that one year's contributions would set up a navy of eighteen hundred guns. The British ships of the line average seventy-six guns; their frigates thirty-eight. Eighteen hundred guns then would form a fleet of thirty ships, eighteen of which might be of the line, and twelve frigates. Allowing eight men, the British average, for every gun, their annual expense, including subsistence, clothing, pay, and ordinary repairs, would be about $1,280 for every gun, or $2,304,000 for the whole. I state this only as one year's possible exertion, without deciding whether more or less than a year's exertion should be thus applied. The value of our lands and slaves, taken conjunctly, doubles in about twenty years. This arises from the multiplication of our slaves, from the extension of culture, and increased demand for lands. The amount of what may be raised will of course rise in the same proportion. QUERY XXIII. The histories of the State, the memorials published in its name in the time of its being a colony, and the pamphlets relating to its interior or exterior affairs present or ancient ? Captain Smith, who next to Sir Walter Raleigh may be considered as the founder of our colony, has written its history, from the first adventures to it, till the year 1624. He was a member of the council, and afterwards president of the colony; and to his efforts principally may be ascribed its support against the opposition of the natives. He was honest, sensible, and well informed; but his style is barbarous and uncouth. His history, however, is almost the only source from which we derive any knowledge of the infancy of our State. The reverend William Stith, a native of Virginia, and president of its college, has also written the history of the same. period, in a large octavo volume of small print. He was a man of classical learning, and very exact, but of no taste in style. He is inelegant, therefore, and his details often too minute to be tolerable, even to a native of the country, whose history he writes. Beverley, a native also, has run into the other extreme, he has comprised our history from the first propositions of Sir Walter Raleigh to the year 1700, in the hundredth part of the space which Stith employs for the fourth part of the period. Sir Walter Keith has taken it up at its earliest period, and continued it to the year 1725. He is agreeable enough in style, and passes over events of little importance. Of course he is short and would be preferred by a foreigner. During the regal government, some contest arose on the exaction of an illegal fee by governor Dinwiddie, and doubtless there were others on other occasions not at present recollected. It is supposed that these are not sufficiently interesting to a foreigner to merit a detail. The petition of the council and burgesses of Virginia to the king, their memorials to the lords, and remonstrance to the commons in the year 1764, began the present contest; and these having proved ineffectual to prevent the passage of the stampact, the resolutions of the house of burgesses of 1765 were passed declaring the independence of the people of Virginia of the parliament of Great Britain, in matters of taxation. From that time till the declaration of independence by Congress in 1776, their journals are filled with assertions of the public rights. The pamphets published in this State on the controverted question, were: 1766, An Inquiry into the rights of the British Colonies, by Richard Bland. 1769, The Monitor's Letters, by Dr. Arthur Lee. 1774, A summary View of the rights of British America.* 1774, Considerations, &c., by Robert Carter Nicholas. Since the declaration of independence this State has had no controversy with any other, except with that of Pennsylvania, on their common boundary. Some papers on this subject passed between the executive and legislative bodies of the two States, the result of which was a happy accommodation of their rights. To this account of our historians, memorials, and pamphlets, it may not be unuseful to add a chronological catalogue of American state-papers, as far as I have been able to collect their titles. It is far from being either complete or correct. Where the title alone, and not the paper itself, has come under my observation, I cannot answer for the exactness of the date. Sometimes I have not been able to find any date at all, and sometimes have not been satisfied that such a paper exists. An extensive collection of papers of this description has been for some time in a course of preparation by a gentlemant fully equal to the task, *By the author of these notes. + Mr. Hazard. and from whom, therefore, we may hope ere long to receive it. In the meantime accept this as the result of my labors, and as closing the tedious detail which you have so undesignedly drawn upon yourself. Pro Johanne Caboto et filiis suis super terra incognita investi- Billa signata anno 13. Henrici septimi. 3. Hakluyt's voiages 5. 37. Commission de François I. à Jacques Catier pour l'establissement du Canada. L'Escarbot. 397. 2. Mem. Am. 416. Letetrs-patent of Queen Elizabeth to Adrian Gilbert and others, An assignment by Sir Walter Raleigh for continuing the action Lettres de Lieutenant General de l'Acadie et pays circonvoisins pour le Sieur de Monts. L'Escarbot. 417. Letters-patent to Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers and others of America. Stith. Apend. No. 1. An ordinance and constitution enlarging the council of the two The second charter to the treasurer and company for Virginia, A third charter to the treasurer and company for Virginia. Stith. A commission to Sir Walter Raleigh. Qu. Commissio specialis concernens le garbling herbæ Nocotianæ. 17. A proclamation for restraint of the disordered trading of tobacco. A grant of New-England to the council of Plymouth. 1496, Mar. 5. 11. H. 7. 1498, Feb. 3. 1548, 2. E. 6. 1578, June 11. 20. El. 1583, Feb. 6. 1584, Mar. 25. 26 El. Mar. 7. 31. El. 1603, Nov. 8. 160, Apr. 10. 4. Jac. I. 1607, Mar. 9. 4. Jac. 1. 1609, May 23. 7. Jac. 1. 1610, April 10. Jac. 1. 1611. Mar. 12. 9. Jac. 1. 1617. Jac. 1. 1620. Apr. 7. 18. Jac. 1. 1620. June 29. 18. Jac. 1. 1620. Nov. 3. Jac. 1. 1621, July 24. Jac. 1. 1621, Sep. 10. 20 Jac. 1. 1622, Nov. 6. 20 Juc. 1. 1623, May 9. 21 Jac. 1. 1623. 1624, July 15. 22. Jac. 1, 1624, Aug. 26. 22 Jac. 1. 1624, Sep. 29. 22 Jac. 1. 1624, Nov. 9. 22 Jac. 1. 1625, Mar. 2. 22 Jac. 1. 1625, Mar. 4. 1 Car. 1. 1625, Apr. 9. 1 Car. I. 1625, May 13. 1 Car. I. 1625, July 12. 1626, Jan. 31. 2 Car. 1. 1626, Feb. 17. 2 Cur. 1. 1627, Mar. 19. qu? 2 Car. 1. 1627, Mar. 26. 3 Car. 1. 1627, Mar. 30. 3 Car. 1. 1627, Aug. 9. 3 Car. 1. 16 8, Mar. 4. 3 Car. I. 1629, Aug. 19. 1630, Jan. 6. 5 Car. I. 1630, April 30. An ordinance and constitution of the treasurer, council and company in England, for a council of state and general assembly in Virginia. Stith. Ap. 4. A grant of Nova Scotia to Sir William Alexander. 2. Mem. de l'Amerique. 193. A proclamation prohibiting interloping and disorderly trading to New England in America. 17. Rym. 416. De commissione speciali Willelmo Jones militi directa. 17. Rym. 490. A grant to Sir Edmund Ployden, of New Albion. Mentioned in De commissione Henrico vicecomiti Mandevill et aliis. 17. Rym. 609. De commissione speciali concernenti gubernationem in Virginia. 17. Rym. 618. A proclamation concerning tobacco. 17. Rym. 621. De concessione demiss, Edwardo Ditchfield et aliis. 17. Rym. 633. A proclamation for the utter prohibiting the importation and De commissione directa Georgio Yardeley militi et aliis. 18. Proclamatio de herba Nicotiani. 18. Rym. 19. A proclamation for settlinge the plantation of Virginia. 18. Rym. 72. A grant of the soil, barony, and domains of Nova Scotia to Sir Commissio directa a Johanni Wolstenholme militi et aliis. 18. A proclamation touching tobacco. Rym. 848. A grant of Massachusetts bay by the council of Plymouth to De concessione commissionis specialis proconcilio in Virginia. De proclamatione de signatione de tobacco. 18. Rym. 886. crown. The capitulation of Quebec. Champlain pert. 2. 216. 2. Mem. Am. 489. A proclamation concerning tobacco. 19. Rym. 235. |