University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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M 1907 -CORKS AND CURLS 9 On July 3Ist, at a Virginia Court lTan unknown person presented to Mr. Treasurer Sandys a letter from one desiring to remain unknown and unsought for, expressing an interest in the foundation of the: college in Virginia and pre- senting thereto a communion cup? and before long many other gifts were pre- sented. The same ship which brought the fifty tenants for the college lands in December, 1619, brought also the following articles for the college, lla com- munion cup with the cover and case. A plate for the bread of silver guilt. A carpet of crimson velvet, with a gold lace and fringe, and a linen damask table 5 . cloath, all valued at thirty pounds, which a person unknown had given for the l: ' use of the college? l The first popular legislature which ever assembled in America, met in - l Jamestown in the summer of 1619, and in November of that year it proceeded to take steps toward the erection of the university and college, appropriating 3; money and requiring the several hundreds to provide for the education of young 1', Indians, so as to prepare them fOr the Missionary College which was to- be one 1 department of the University. This may haVe been the germ of the same idea 1;; which we find in Thomas Jeffersonis plan 200 years later . On May 11, 1620, lel in pursuance of this act, a free school was established at City Point by subscrip- E tions of some Indian merchants, and one thousand acresof land were donated - l to the school. This school was to be lldependent upon the college in Virginia? ' :ij which was referred to as already e-xistant. El Many gifts were now being presented to the College, among them being a 11;. bequest of Mr. N icholas Ferrer, the Elder, who lbequeathed three hundred l: pounds toward the converting of Indian children in Virginia? fl In February, 1620, a charitable person whose signature was simply, llDust ; and Ashes? contributed five hundred and f1fty pounds to establish a school for I the education and conversion of Indians in Virginia, which money was invested by the Virginia Company llin an iron work? the profits of which were to be employed in the education of thirty of the infidels, children in the Christian relig- ion, as the donor had required. , Before this, however, in the Autumn of 1619, it appears by the records, that Captain George Thorp, llA gentleman of his Majestyls privy chamber, and one of his Council for Virginia, was sent out as Deputy for the college lands, who hath promised with all diligence to have exceeding care thereof? a trust which he appears to have faithfully performed until he met his tragic death in the great

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8 CORKS AND CURLS VOL.XX So firmly established, notwithstanding all drawbacks, was the Colony that before very long the idea of establishing a Universityii there with a View pri- ' marily to the education of the infidels UndianQ had taken hold upon the people both sides of the water. Such an education was planned and laid out on broad grounds, with a separate high school and college; the first for the ChriStian- izing and education of the children of the Indians, in which the promoters specifi- cally embraced industrial education to fit them by good and honest trades, to become citizens of the new State; a suggestion which our present government might adopt with profit. In furtherance of this, James authorized the Arch- bishops of Canterbury and York, to take up collections for the new Uni- versity which was to be founded at Henrico, and this was done, over fifteen hun- dred pounds being collected and turned over to the members of the company. The plan was enlarged by the Virginia Company at its Court held November 18th, 1618, and Governor Yeardley, who was going back to Virginia, was in- structed by the company, waccording to a. former grant hereby ratifiedf, to select tihe location for a university at the new town of Henrico, and make preparations to build the college immediately. In pursuance of this, on his arrival in Virginia, ten thousand acres of land in the loop of the James were selected by him as an endowment for the University, and one thousand acres was set apart as the endowment of the college. , i The Virginia Company by resolution acknowledged the receipt of one thouse and pounds from the collections authorized by the Bishops and bound itself to invest the same and to apply it towards the building of the college. It further determined to settle at first fifty persons, and by a. subsequent vote one hundred, on the University-lands as tenants on shares, on-e-half of the products to go to the college; and fifty of these tenants were sent over at one time, and reached Virginia on December 4th, 1619, to settle these lands. The college itself for the training up of the children of the Indians, was now being organized, and accord- ing to the records, in 1618, the Rev. Mr. Lorkin was offered a position as a teacher therein and took it under advisement. At the Virginia Court of June 24th, 1619, the affairs of the college were dis- cussed, and it being recognized that an'account of their proceedings must be given, Ttthe following committee of choice gentlemen and others of His Ma.jesty,s Council for Virginia? was chosen to attend to the matter, Sir Dudley Diggs, Sir John Denvers, Sir Nathaniel Rich, Sir John Wolstenihiolms, Mr. John Fe-rral, Dr. Anthony, and Dr. Gul'ston.

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Io CORKS AND CURLS VOLJXX J A mix. I ,.A . Indian massacre 0211 April 1st, 1622, when without warning the Indians fell upon the unsuspecting Colloinists and destroyed some four hundred of them, including the devoted head of the college. A friendly Indian named Chanco gave warning at Jamestown the evening before the massacre OICCUITECI, and thus, the capital of p? the Colony escaped; but the new and flourishing town of Henrico on which so :3 many hopes had been built, was completely destroyed, and with it perished in that holocaust of fire and blood the first university and the first college and , school, not only in Virginia, but in America. On the 3d, of July,1622, the Rev. Patrick Copland, who had shown his zeal for the work by taking up once a collection on board ship off the Cape of Good ' ; Hope for the conversion and the education of the illfldCIS, children Of Virginia, 1 was elected pastor Of the College; but three months before this the projected University had been destroyed, in the sack of Henrico; its tenants put to the sword, and the hopes of the iirst institution of learning extinguished in blood. For many years thereafter the Virginians were too much engaged in hghting the Indians at home and the Court Party in England to be able to resurrect their University, but the idea survived. ' Seventy Odd years afterwards the College of William and Mary was 3 founded on the ridge of the Hmiddle p1antati011 ' back of Jamestown and the hopes which had lain dormant so long once more re-awakened, and from this seed sprinkled with the blood of patriots sprang not only William and Mary College, the Alma Mater of Thomas Jefferson, but the University of Virginia, the cherished Child of his old age. THOMAS NELSON PAGE.