A History of the United States of America (1833) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: These names they retained, till the final conquest of the country by the English, in 1664. Sec. 10. In 1614, Capt. John Smith sailed from England with two ships to North Virginia. During this voyage, he ranged the coast from Penobscot to Cape Cod, and gave names to several points of land, which now, for the first time, were discovered. On his return home, having formed a map of the country, he presented it to Prince Charles, who, in the warmth of admiration, declared that the country should be called New-england. Cape Ann was so called by the prince, in filial respect to his mother. Sec. 11. The year 1619 forms a memorable epoch in the history of Virginia, a provincial legislature being at this time introduced, in which the colonists were represented by delegates chosen by themselves. . This colonial assembly, the first legislature to which the people of America sent representatives, was convoked by Sir George Yeardly, the governor-general of the colony, and met at Jamestown, on the 19th of June. Before this, the colonists had been ruled rather as soldiers in garrison by martial law, but now they were invested with the privileges of freemen. They were divided into elewen corporations, each of which was represented in the assembly. The following year the colony received a great accession to their number. Eleven ships arrived, with twelve hundred and sixty persons for settlement. Nearly one thousand colonists were resident here before. In order to attach them still more to the country, Sir Edwin Sandys, the treasurer of the company, recommended to send over a num- oer of young women of reputable character, to become wives to the planters. Accordingly, ninety at this time came over, and sixty the following year. These were sold to the planters, at the price, at first, of...