ORDERS OF ASSEMBLY

Concerning the March against the Rappa'. Indians.

ferences with

and

Northumber

land 40.

1

WHEREAS divers complaints have bin made by Recital of dif the inhabitants of the counties of Lancaster, Nor- the Rappahanthumberland and Westmorland concerning divers in- nock Indians, juries and insolencyes offered and done by the Rappa- sions of a war hannock Indians, vnto them the said inhabitants, and have refused to give satisfaction though often demanded by the comissioners of the said countyes, which gives just occasions of jealousies and fears of an intended warr: It is therefore ordered by this present Grand Certain counAssembly, that the said counties bee associated and ties to raise, arm & equip joyned together in and concerning the affaires of their men. neighbouring Indians, and that for this present expedition there be raised in the county of Lancaster one hundred men sufficiently furnished with armes, amunition and provisions, with boates and other necessaries for their voyage to the said Rappahannock townes, likewise the county of Northumberland 40 men qualified as aforesaid, Also in the county of Westmerland Westmoreland thirty men qualified as aforesaid, and that the said men 30. be raised and pressed in such manner as the first man in commission in each county with the assistance of the comissioners of the respective countyes direct and think fitt for the most easie accomplishment of this im- appointed by ployment, and that the nomination of the leaders of the county courts said men in the counties of Northumberland and Westmerland be att the appointment of their severall courts respectively, all which said men so raised and pressed in the said three counties are hereby required to repaire on the first Wednesday in February next to the house of Thoms Meades in Rappahannock river which Place of ren is thought the most convenient place of generall rendizvouz, and from thence Ma'r. John Carter who is hereby appointed commander in cheife is hereby required and authorized to march with all the aforesaid men to the aforesaid Indian towne and demand and receive such satisfaction as he shall thinke fitt for the severall injuries done vnto the said inhabitants not vsing any acts of hostility but defensive in case of assault, And it is further ordered that the said Major John Carter give account of his proceedings vnto the To report to hono'ble the Governour who is hereby authorized with the gov. who, with advice of the advice of his council to determine of peace or warr council, is

dezvous.

Lancaster 100.

Commander in chief.

To go to the

Indian towns

and demand

satisfaction.

to decide on peace or war.

Interpreters.

in this and all other emergent occasions concerning the
said Indians. And it is further ordered, That Capt.
Henry Fleet and David Wheatliff attend the said ser-
vice as interpreters, the charge of the service aforesaid
to born by the three countyes above specified.
(Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

ACTS OF ASSEMBLY.

Preamble.

ACT I.*

Act for renewing of Bills and Bonds within three years.t

WHEREAS the nature of our trade in Virginia in respect of our present commodities and the great distance of our habitations inforceth vs to engagements by bills, bonds and other writeings, vpon the payment and discharge whereof, either in part or in whole, the debtor is oftentimes constrayned to accept of receipts, and imploy other men therein, whereby many times the bills and bonds doe lye out and are not taken vp, or delivered in, or the receipts lost, or the parties and witnesses dead, soe that those debts are againe demanded and recovered often times which were before justly paid and acquitted, ffor remedie whereof, bonds or writ- Bee it enacted that noe bills, bonds or other ingage

No bills,

ten engage

years from their date un

less renewed, sued upon or

ments recover- ments of writeing heretofore made shall any way be able after three pleadable after three years from the end of the sessions of this present Grand Assembly: nor for the future after three years from the date of such bills, bonds or ingagements vnles the same be renewed or sued or recorded in the county court where the debtor liveth or where he last resided (if he be vnknowne or non-resident) or absent out of the county, or else be sued or recorded in the bookes of the quarter court at James Citty.

recorded.

(Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

* The acts of this session are not numbered in any of the MSS. The titles of none of the acts of this session are given in the B MS. though the acts themselves agree with the Rand. and Jef. MSS in which the titles of the four first acts are inserted.

ACT II.

Act concerning false Styllyards.

TO prevent the great abuse and deceit by false styllyards in this collony, It is inacted by this Assembly, That whoever shall vse false styllyards willingly shall pay vnto the party greived three fold damages and costs of suit, and shall forfeit one thousand pounds of tobacco, one halfe to the informer and the other halfe to the publique vse of the county where such offence is comitted, And for the better prevention of such de- Weights to be ceit it is likewise enacted that the eldest in every kept at court comission shall, att the charge of the county, prohouses to try cure and keep att the court house sufficient weights to try as often as shall be desired all styllyards as shall be complained of or brought thither.

steelyards.

(Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

8

ACT III.

Act concerning Imploying Indians with Guns.

TO prevent the disorderly imploying of Indians with gunns vnder the pretence of being their servants, It is inacted, That noe person shall dare to imploy such Indian servants with gunns vnless they have allowance from the county court where they live or from the vernour and Councill.

No person to employ Indi

ans with guns

unless by license from the Go-county court

or the governor and coun

cil. (Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

ACT IV.

Act for Northampton County to take acknowledgment of

Lands.

Penalty for using false

steelyards.

IT is inacted, That the comissioners of Northampton county shall be impowered to take the acknowledgment of the Indians in their county for sale of their lands, if the said Indians shall desire it, in which they are required to proceed justly and to have the consent of the major part of the towne and being so done their proceeding is to be transmitted to the Governour and Councill and allowed by them vnles they shall see

cause to the contrary.

(Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

Comm'rs. of Nor'ampton county may ledgement of sales of Indi

take acknow

ans' lands, with consent

of the major part of the

town.

Ships on their arrival to

report to the gov'r.

IT is thought fitt and enacted by the Grand Assembly that all comanders of shipps or vesells arriveing in Virginia shall presently after their arrivall make their addresse to the Governour to certifie of their arrivall and such other matters as may concerne their trade here or otherwise relate to the whole country vpon paine of such greivous censure as the Governour shall please to inflict, and that such shipps as shall pass by the ffort att Poynt Comfort either comeing in or goesing the fort, ing out shall douse saile and do their duties as the cus

And douse sail, on pas

at Point Comfort.

tom is, otherwise to pay double for the shott made against them and incurr such other pennalties as their contempt shall deserve, and they are likewise soon after their coming to anchor, to repaire to the Capt. of the ffort and deliver a list of their passengers and take order to pay the castle duties, and be obedient to the orders and laws of the countrey as they will answer the contrary att their perill.

Rand. MS. Bl, MS. Jef. MS)

Lists of passengers to be given to capt. of fort.

Sheriffs to be recommended by county. courts and commissioned by governor and council.

Adjournment of assembly and quarter

court.

ACT V.*

ACT VI.

IT is enacted, That the comissioners of every county shall recommend three or more to the Governour and Councill who shall elect such sherriffs out of those so recomended as they the Governour and Councill shall think most meet and fitt for the place.

(Rand. MS. Bl. MS. Jef. MS.)

THIS Assembly is adjourned till the twentieth day of March at James Cittie, the quarter court is also adjourned till the twentieth of March.

RICH: BENNETT

EDWARD HILL, Speaker.

CHARLES NORWOOD, Cik. Assem

Vera copia,

*The number of this, and the succeeding act is given in the Jef. MS. but the titles are wanting in all the MSS.

THE sum of one hundred thousand pounds of to- Salary of the bacco is assigned to the Governour by this Assembly, governor. in consideration of his expences, charge and pains in the government of this collony, arising out of the Dutch prizes and confiscation of forrain goods and ships, as by the accounts in the Assembly appears. CHARLES NORWOOD, Cl. Ass.

(Bl. MS.)

MARCH 10, 1655.*

[This should be 1655-6. See post pa. 404.]

ACT I.

An Induction to the Acts concerning Indians.

WHEREAS wee have bin often putt into great dangers by the invasions of our neighbouring and bordering Indians which humanely have bin only caused by these two particulars our extreame pressures on them and theire wanting of something to hazard &

The 25th day of March was the beginning of the year, according to the Jewish computation; and the same rule was observed in England till by stat. 24, Geo. 2, chap. 23, sect. 1, (1751) it was declared that after the last day of December, 1751, the 25th of March should no longer be accounted the beginning of the year, but that the year 1752 should begin on the first day of January, and so, in each succeeding year, the first day of January should be deemed the first day of the year. This statute was rendered necessary by the adoption, in England, of the reformed calendar of Pope GREGORY XIII. made in the year 1572; from which period commenced the Gregorian calendar, or New Style. The calendar adjusted by JULIUS CASAR, 45 years before Christ, was called the Julian Calendar, or Old Style, as contradistinguished from the new Most of the nations of Europe had adopted the Gregorian Calendar or New Style, long before the English; who being engaged in extensive commerce, found it convenient, for the sake of foreign correspondence, to preserve both the Old and the New Styles, between the 1st of January and the 25th of March, in each year. Accordingly, in most of the dates prior to 1752, (when the New Style commenced in England,) we see the old year continued till the 25th of March, with the new year annexed to it from the 1st of January to that date: Thus, January, 1623-4. February, 1631-2. March, 1642-3, &c. But this was not uniformly done.

dians by in

Plan for civilizing the Introducing among them the idea of

separate property, &c.

New Style, adoption of.