Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 2.djvu/439

 thirteen tons. In 1613, the construction of a much heavier ship was ordered at point Comfort by Argoll, who had just returned from a voyage on the tributaries of the Chesapeake, where he had obtained from the Indians a large cargo of grain for the use of the colonists. Leaving the vessel, which was in the course of building, in the hands of his carpenters, he made a second voyage to the Potomac. When he again arrived at Point Comfort, he pressed forward the building of his frigate, and upon its completion, dispatched it under the command of one of his subordinate officers to Cape Charles, where its crew were to engage in catching fish for the people at Jamestown. He also caused a fishing boat to be constructed at the Point as soon as the vessel was finished. The plank which entered into this ship and boat was obtained on the spot, the timber having been cut down and prepared by members of Argoll&#8217;s company.

It was claimed by those who condemned the manner in which the Colony&#8217;s affairs were managed by Sir Thomas Smyth, that at the end of his term, about 1618, there was in Virginia only one ancient frigate, which really belonged to the Somers Isles, a shallop, a ship-boat, and two small boats which were the property of private individuals. This statement was emphatically denied by members of the Warwick faction, who declared, to the contrary, that in the course of this administration, barges, shallops, pinnaces, and frigates lead been built, an assertion not supported by the facts. In 1620, when the new government had taken a firm hold, and were pursuing a most energetic