Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 2.djvu/575

 temperate situation, a large number of wholesome springs, and the proximity of two creeks, one of which emptied into the James, the other into the York. As has been seen, the plan of abandoning Jamestown as the site of the capital had been contemplated on several occasions. It was always supposed, however, that the new seat of the colonial government would be one of the towns designated in the text of the Cohabitation Acts. The measure for incorporating the new capital was not introduced into the Assembly until 1699, and it was embodied in the code of 1705. The details of this statute illustrate the practical manner in which a new town was laid off in Virginia in the seventeenth century. The first provision was for the appropriation of four hundred and seventy-five square feet of land as a site for the state-house. An area of two hundred feet in its immediate neighborhood was to remain unobstructed in every direction. Two hundred and eighty-three acres and thirty half-poles of land were reserved for the general uses of the town. Of this, two hundred and twenty acres were designed as sites for houses, and fifteen acres and forty-four poles and a quarter were set apart for a roadbed to lead from the town to Queen&#8217;s Creek, a stream flowing into York River. At the point where the road reached the creek, fourteen acres, seventy-one poles and a quarter of land were to be laid off for a port, and for a similar purpose, twenty-three acres, thirty-seven poles and a half of land were reserved on Archer&#8217;s Hope Creek, the name of which was changed to Princess. This second port was connected with Williamsburg by a road for which ten acres and forty-two poles were allowed by statute. The appropriation of the ground upon which the town was built was made by a jury of twelve men drawn from the counties of York, New Kent, and James City, freeholders who were not related by blood or