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 no wooden house was to be erected in Jamestown, and all such houses then standing in the Colony should not be repaired with the same material, but should be replaced by structures of brick. The levy of thirty pounds of tobacco a head was for the period of one year to be devoted to the extension of Jamestown, but after the expiration of that time, the annual levy for building was to be expended in establishing towns in Accomac, and on the York, Rappahannock, and Potomac.

This brief synopsis of the law of 1662 shows how elaborate were the provisions of that measure for the enlargement more especially of Jamestown. As far as legislation, independently of favorable local conditions, could create a town where none existed, it might be supposed that this law would have been successful in accomplishing its object, so far, at least, as the capital was concerned. It provided in detail for the erection of a number of houses at a cost which was distributed among the people of the seventeen counties. The mechanics to be employed in the work were to be provided for properly, and to be fully