XI. The Ber mudas. CHAPTER XI. REMAINING NOTICES OF THE BERMUDAS AND NEW- A. D. 1611-1625. The Bermudas included in the third Virginia charter, 1611-12-The Somers-Islands Company formed-Richard More, first Governor, 1612-Rev. Mr. Keath-Articles drawn up and subscribed by the Colony-Keath's hasty conduct-Church built; and a second clergyman, Mr. Hues, arrives-Six monthly Governors appointed in 1615, after More's departure-Captain Tuckar, Governor in 1616— Succeeded by Captain Butler, in 1619-Unsatisfactory conduct of the clergy Nicholas Ferrar, Deputy-Treasurer; and Barnard, Governor-The Company dissolved in 1624-Notice of Virginia and the Somers-Isles, in Lord Chancellor Bacon's speech-Bacon's views with respect to colonization-The necessity of Bishops watching over the Colonial Churches involved in his statements— Bacon, a member of the Company for the Colony in Newfoundland, in 1610-Terms of the Patent-Whitbourne's Discourse on Newfoundland-His description of its fisheries in 1615-His kindly feeling towards the natives-Letter from the Privy Council to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, in 1621-Colony planted at Avalon, by Sir George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore-Present claims of Newfoundland upon England's sympathy. CHAP. BEFORE the history of Virginia, under the successors of James the First, is resumed, the reader's attention is directed to the progress which English Colonization had made elsewhere, during the reign of that monarch. And, first, inasmuch as the subject is closely connected with the history of Vir ginia, let us notice briefly what had been passing CHAP. in the Bermudas. The position of these Islands in the Atlantic,the shipwreck which Gates and Somers had suffered there, whilst on their way to Virginia, in 1609,— their sojourn upon the coast for ten months,—their departure, at the expiration of that period, for Virginia, in two rude cedar vessels which the timber of the Islands furnished,-the return of Somers thither, after a short interval, to obtain provisions for the settlement at James Town,-and his death, in 1611, whilst he was striving to accomplish the work entrusted to him,-have all been related in a former chapter. It was also there stated, that, after the death of Somers, two of the party remained in the Islands, with a runaway criminal of the former crew; and that the nephew of Somers, with the rest who were under his command, proceeded to England, carrying with them the body of their brave leader from the spot which, even to this hour, has retained the appellation of both his names'. XI. the third charter, The description which the younger Somers gave, Included in upon his return, of the productions and beauty of Virginia the Islands, did not at first meet with credit; but, at 1611-2. length, an hundred and twenty members of the Virginia Company were encouraged to plant a settlement there. The authority granted to them under their charter, then existing, did not extend to a further distance from the American coast than an hun VOL. I. 1 See p. 268 of this Volume. Bb XI. CHAP. dred miles. They procured, therefore, fresh Letters Patent, dated the twelfth of March, 1611-2, which granted to the Treasurer, and the Virginia Company, 'all and singular those Islands, whatsoever, situate and being in any part of the Ocean Seas, within three hundred leagues' of the coast already assigned to them, and being within or between the one and fortieth and thirtieth degrees of Northerly Latitude 2.' The Somers Islands formed. As soon as these Letters Patent were obtained, Company the Virginia Company sold the Bermudas to those members of their body who were desirous of embarking in the enterprise; and a distinct Society was forthwith constituted, under the name of the Somers Islands Company, with Sir Thomas Smith as their Treasurer 3. Richard 1612. In the summer of 1612, Mr. Richard More, to Governor, whom had been entrusted the government of the plantation about to be established in these Islands, reached his destination, with a party of sixty men. The three Englishmen, who had been left there, gave an eager welcome to their countrymen, hoping that they might turn quickly to their own profit some treasure of ambergris which they had already found among the rocks. But this supposed treasure proved their bane: for, in their desire to keep the possession of it a secret, a fraudulent 2 The whole of this third charter is given at length in the Appendix to Stith's History of Virginia. It contains a clause empowering the Company to hold the Lotteries which have been mentioned at p. 270 of this Volume. 3 Stith's History of Virginia, pp. 126, 127. XI. scheme was contrived between them and some of CHAP. More's party, by which the greater part of the value of the material was forfeited, and their own lives brought into jeopardy *. Several traces are to be found in the early history of this Colony of the desire to make the influence of the Church coincident with its first establishment: but this desire was, in a great measure, frustrated by circumstances which shall be briefly noticed. Keath. A clergyman, named Keath, accompanied the party Rev. Mr. under More's command; and, unhappily, he was not endued with the wise, and gentle, and conciliatory spirit of him who had sustained and guided the first settlers of James Town; or with the stedfastness and patience of that second minister of the Church of Christ, who,-sharing the disasters of Gates and Somers in these very Islands,—had been the first to proclaim upon their shores the message of his Divine Master. Of that message the Englishmen, who now set foot upon the same shores, were not unmindful; and, in the original narrative of their proceedings, occurs the following testimony to the fact, on the day of their arrival: As soone as wee had landed all our company, we went all to praier, and gaue thankes vnto the Lord for our safe arriuall; and whilest wee were at praier, wee saw our three men come rowing downe to vs, the sight of whom did much reioice vs; so they welcomming vs, 6 Smith's History of Virginia, pp. The story is an interesting one, and told at length in the narrative of Richard Norwood in 5 July 11, 1612. XI. CHAP. and wee the like to them againe, we sung a Psalme, and praised the Lord for our safe meeting, and went to supper". Articles drawn up and sub scribed by In less than a month after their arrival, the foldrawn up and subscribed by They form a very remarkable document; and, for that cause, I have not hesitated to place them at length before the reader. They are entitled, "The Articles which Master R. More, Gouernour Deputie of the Sommer Ilands, propounded to the Company that were with him to be subscribed unto, which both he and they subscribed the second of August, in his house, Anno 1612, which about the same time he sent into England, to the Worshipfull Company of the Aduenturors. lowing Articles were the Colony. More and his party. Wee, who haue here vnder subscribed our names, being by the great goodnesse of God safely arriued at the Sommer Ilands, with purpose here to inhabite, doe hereby promise and binde ourselues to the performance of the seuerall Articles hereafter following, and that in the presence of the most glorious God, who hath in mercy brought vs hither. 'First, We doe faithfully promise, and by these presents solemnly binde ourselues euer more to worship that aforesaid only true and euerliuing God, who hath made the Heauens, and the Earth, the Sea, and all that therein is, and that according to those rules that are prescribed in his most holy Word, and euer to continue in that faith into the 6 Purchas, iv. 1794. |