Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 1.djvu/58

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

as a soldier in the Low Countries, that "uni- versity of war." He sailed to Virginia in 1609, with Sir Thomas Gates, as captain of his com- I)any ; was wrecked with his superior officer on the r.ennuiia Islands, but finally arrived in \'irginia in May, 1610. When Gates cm- harked the colonists to return to England, the company, commanded by Captain Yardlc}-, was the last to get aboard, thereby preventing the town from being burned. When Lord Delaware turned the departing settlers back and resumed the work of colonization, Yardley was made commandant of Forts Charles and Henry, at the mouth of Hampton river. Sub- sequently under orders he abandoned these forts in order to lead an expedition to dis- cover a gold mine beyond the Falls of James river. The Queen of Appomattox invited some of his companions to a feast, and while they were eating, treacherously massacred fourteen of them, including "all the chief men skillful in finding out mines." The colonists retorted by burning her town and killing some of her l)coplc. The expedition got no farther tlian the falls of the river, where they built a fort and remained six months. When Sir Thomas Dale began to build at Bermuda City, Yardley was commandant of the town. When Dale left Virginia in 1616, Yardley, who acted as deputy-governor resided at Bermuda City for the nK)st part. He encouraged the planting of tobacco, with the result that emigration, which had almost entirely ceased, set in again with strrvng force. Private stock comjianies were formed, which sent colonies on their own account to X'irginia. Yardley also taught the Indians a i)unitive lesson. The Chickahominy tribe declined to pay the corn tax, which they had promised Sir Thomas Dale, and about Christmas. 1616. Yardley with 84 men prompt- ly attacked them and in a verv short time

brought them to terms. In May, 161 7, Cap- ! tain .Argall came in. with a commission as | deputy governor, and with orders to portion out lands, as the joint stock period of the charter had expired. This he did not do, and he is charged not only with continuing the \

common slavery, but plundering the "common garden" belonging to the company. Then the company tried to send back the Lord Governor Delaware, but he died on the way, and in Jan- uary, 1619, Captain Yardley was commissioned as governor and captain-general under an order abolishing martial law and establishing a free government. Yardley arrived at James- i town April 10, and immediately called the first j legislative assembly that ever convened in j America. Other events render the year mem- 1 orable such as the introduction in August of 1 the first negro slaves, and the arrival from : England of a ship with twenty young maidens ! "pure and undefiled" to furnish wives to the : tenants of the public lands. Despite the ter- | rible mortality of the climate the colony increased in poj)ulation and property. Dale in 1 61 6 left 351 persons in the colony, but there 1 were about 1200 at the close of Yardley's administration in 162 1, all of them "seasoned" settlers. Sir Francis Wyatt came in as gover- nor in November of that year, and Yardley ] was then a member of the council until May, | 1626. Me was very efficient in punishing the | Indians after the massacre of 1622. When Wyatt wished to leave Virginia for a time on business, the king commissioned Yardley to be | governor of Virginia a second time. He entered into that office in May. 1626. but did not serve much more than a year. He died November 13. 1627. and was interred in the 1

church at Jamestown. He married, about 1618, Temperance West, and had issue two sons, .\rgall and hVancis, the first of whom has i