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JAMES TOWNE In the Words of Contemporaries |
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Pocahontas
The Indian maid, Pocahontas, through her friendship with
Captain John Smith and marriage to John Rolfe, became a real aid to the
colony. This illustration is from the Seventeenth-century portrait
formerly at Booton Hall, Norfolk, England, and now in the National
Gallery of Art, Mellon Collection, Washington, D.C. Reproduced through
the courtesy of the National Gallery of Art.
10. TOBACCO
IT was in tobacco, thanks to the experimental efforts of John Rolfe, that Virginia found an economic basis that made the colony profitable. Tobacco established an economy and directly and indirectly shaped many of the institutions in the colony.
. . . the valuable commoditie of Tobacco of such esteeme in England (if there were nothing else) which every man may plant, and with the least part of his labour, tend and care will returne him both cloathes and other necessaries. For the goodnesse whereof, answerable to west-Indie Trinidado or Cracus (admit there hath no such bin returned) let no man doubt. Into the discourse whereof, since I am obviously entered, I may not forget the gentleman, worthie of such commendations, which first tooke the pains to to make triall thereof, his name Mr John Rolfe, Anno Domini 1612, partly for the love he hath a long time borne unto it, and partly to raise commodity to the adventurers, in whose behalfe I witnesse and vouschafe to holde my testimony in beleefe, that during the time of his aboade there, which draweth neere upon sixe yeeres, no man hath laboured to his power, by good example there and worthy incouragement into England by his letters, then he hath done, witnes his mariage with Powhatans daughter [Pocahontas] . . .
A True Discourse of the Present Estate of Virginia BY RALPH HAMOR.
By the time of Rolfe's experiments the use of tobacco had not become universal in all quarters. There was some stubborn opposition to its development in Virginia. No one had stronger feeling on the subject than King James I of England. In 1604 he had written:
And surely in my opinion, there cannot be a more base, and yet hurtfull, corruption in a Countrey, then is the vile use (or other abuse) of taking Tobacco in this Kingdome, which hath mooved me, shortly to discover the abuses thereof in this following little Pamphlet.
The pamphlet to which he referred was his A COUNTERBLASTE TO TOBACCO, which ended with a harsh warning:
Have you not reason then to bee ashamed, and to forbeare this filthie noveltie, so basely grounded, so foolishly received and so grossely mistaken in the right use thereof? In your abuse thereof sinning against God, harming your selves both in persons and goods, and making also thereby the markes and notes of vanitie upon you: by the custome thereof making your selves to be wondered at by all forraine civil Nations, and by all strangers that come among you, to be scorned and contemned. A custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs, and in the blacke stinking fume thereof, neerest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit that is bottomelesse.
A Counterblaste to Tobacco BY KING JAMES I
Despite royal disapproval, opposition from other quarters, and competition from the regions already producing it, tobacco very soon became the economic cornerstone of Virginia.
1617 Captaine Hamar . . . In March . . . set saile 1617. and in May he arrived at James towne . . . In James towne he found . . . the market place, and streets, and all other spare places planted with Tobacco . . . the Colonie dispersed all about, planting Tobacco.
JOHN SMITH, The Generall Historie of Virginia . . .
1619 All our riches for the present doe consiste in Tobacco, wherein one man by his owne labour hath in one yeare raised to himselfe to the value of 200L [pounds] sterling; and another by the meanes of sixe servants hath cleared at one crop a thousand pound English.
LETTER BY JOHN PORY, 1619.
1623 At the end of theis 4 Yeares there is noe Comoditie but Tobaccoe, . . .
An answere to a Declaration of the present state of Virginia.
1626 We find that nothing hath hindred the proceedings of Artts Manuall trades, and staple comodities more then the want of mony amoungst us; which makes all men apply themselves to Tobacco, . . . (which is our money) . . .
LETTER FROM THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL, MAY 17, 1626.
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