pioneers of the old south-第23部分
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the Quaker; came the thought of freedom there for the Society of Friends。
The second Charles owed an old debt to Penn's father。 He paid it in 1681 by
giving to the son; whom he liked; a province in America。 Little by little;
in order to gain for Penn access to the sea; the terms of his grant were
widened until it included; beside the huge Pennsylvanian region; the tract
that is now Delaware; which was then claimed by Baltimore。 Maryland
protested against the grant to Penn; as Virginia had protested against the
grant to Baltimoreand equally in vain。 England was early set upon the
road to many colonies in America; destined later to become many States。 One
by one they were carved out of the first great unity。
In 1685 the tolerant Charles the Second died。 James the Second; a Catholic;
ruled England for about three years; and then fled before the Revolution of
1688。 William and Mary; sovereigns of a Protestant England; came to the
throne。 We have seen that the Proprietary of Maryland and his numerous
kinsmen and personal adherents were Catholics。 Approximately one in eight
of other Marylanders were fellows in that faith。 Another eighth of the
people held with the Church of England。 The rest; the mass of the folk;
were dissenters from that Church。 And now all the Protestant elements
togetherthe Quakers ex excepted solidified into political and religious
opposition to the Proprietary's rule。 Baltimore; still in England; had
immediately; upon the accession of William and Mary; dispatched orders to
the Maryland Council to proclaim them King and Queen。 But his messenger
died at sea; and there was delay in sending another。 In Maryland the
Council would not proclaim the new sovereigns without instructions; and it
was even rumored that Catholic Maryland meant to withstand the new order。
In effect the old days were over。 The Protestants; Churchmen and Dissenters
alike; proceeded to organize under a new leader; one John Coode。 They
formed 〃An Association in arms for the defense of the Protestant religion;
and for asserting the right of King William and Queen Mary to the Province
of Maryland and all the English Dominions。〃 Now followed a confused time of
accusations and counter…accusations; with assertions that Maryland
Catholics were conspiring with the Indians to perpetrate a new St。
Bartholomew massacre of Protestants; and hot counter…assertions that this
is 〃a sleveless fear and imagination fomented by the artifice of some
ill…minded persons。〃 In the end Coode assembled a force of something less
than a thousand men and marched against St。 Mary's。 The Council; which had
gathered there; surrendered; and the Association for the Defense found
itself in power。 It proceeded to call a convention and to memorialize the
King and Queen; who in the end approved its course。 Maryland passed under
the immediate government of the Crown。 Lord Baltimore might still receive
quit…rents and customs; but his governmental rights were absorbed into the
monarchy。 Sir Lionel Copley came out as Royal Governor; and a new order
began in Maryland。
The heyday of Catholic freedom was past。 England would have a Protestant
America。 Episcopalians were greatly in the minority; but their Church now
became dominant over both Catholic and Dissenter; and where the freethinker
raised his head he was smitten down。 Catholic and Dissenter and all alike were
taxed to keep stable the Established Church。 The old tolerance; such as it
was; was over。 Maryland paced even with the rest of the world。
Presently the old capital of St。 Mary's was abandoned。 The government
removed to the banks of the Severn; to Providencesoon; when Anne should
be Queen; to be renamed Annapolis。 In vain the inhabitants of St。 Mary's
remonstrated。 The center of political gravity in Maryland had shifted。
The third Lord Baltimore died in 1715。 His son Benedict; fourth lord;
turned from the Catholic Church and became a member of the Church of
England。 Dying presently; he left a young son; Charles; fifth Lord
Baltimore; to be brought up in the fold of the Established Church。
Reconciled now to the dominant creed; with a Maryland where Catholics were
heavily penalized; Baltimore resumed the government under favor of the
Crown。 But it was a government with a difference。 In Maryland; as
everywhere; the people were beginning to hold the reins。 Not again the old
lord and the old underling! For years to come the lords would say that
they governed; but strong life arose beneath; around; and above their
governing。
Maryland had by 1715 within her bounds more than forty thousand white men
and nearly ten thousand black men。 She still planted and shipped tobacco;
but presently found how well she might raise wheat; and that it; too; was
valuable to send away in exchange for all kinds of manufactured things。
Thus Maryland began to be a land of wheat still more than a land of tobacco。
For the rest; conditions of life in Maryland paralleled pretty closely
those in Virginia。 Maryland was almost wholly rural; her plantations and
farms were reached with difficulty by roads hardly more than bridle…paths;
or with ease by sailboat and rowboat along the innumerable waterways。
Though here and there manorslarge; easygoing; patriarchal places; with
vague; feudal ways and customswere to be found; the moderate sized
plantation was the rule。 Here stood; in sight usually of blue water; the
planter's dwelling of brick or wood。 Around it grew up the typical
outhouses; household offices; and storerooms; farther away yet clustered
the cabin quarters alike of slaves and indentured labor。 Then stretched the
fields of corn and wheat; the fields of tobacco。 Here; at river or bay
side; was the home wharf or landing。 Here the tobacco was rolled in casks;
here rattled the anchor of the ship that was to take it to England and
bring in return a thousand and one manufactured articles。 There were no
factories in Maryland or Virginia。 Yet artisans were found among the
plantation laborers〃carpenters; coopers; sawyers; blacksmiths; tanners;
curriers; shoemakers; spinners; weavers; and knitters。〃 Throughout the
colonies; as in every new country; men and women; besides being
agriculturists; produced homemade much that men; women; and children
needed。 But many other articles and all luxuries came in the ships from
overseas; and the harvest of the fields paid the account。
CHAPTER XIV。 THE CAROLINAS
The first settlers on the banks of the James River; looking from beneath
their hands southward over plain land and a haze of endless forests; called
that unexplored country South Virginia。 It stretched away to those rivers
and bays; to that island of Roanoke; whence had fled Raleigh's settlers。
Beyond that; said the James River men; was Florida。 Time passed; and the
region of South Virginia was occasionally spoken of as Carolina; though
whether that name was drawn from Charles the First of England; or whether
those old unfortunate Huguenots in Florida had used it with reference to
Charles the Ninth of France; is not certainly known。
South Virginia lay huge; unknown; unsettled。 The only exception was the
country immediately below the southern banks of the lower James with the
promontory that partially closed in Chesapeake Bay。 Virginia; growing fast;
at last sent her children into this region。 In 1653 the Assembly enacted:
〃Upon the petition of Roger Green; clarke; on the behalfe of himselfe and
inhabitants of Nansemund river; It is ordered by this present Grand
Assembly that tenn thousand acres of land be granted unto one hundred such
persons who shall first seate on Moratuck or Roanoke river and the land
lying upon the south side of Choan river and the ranches thereof; Provided
that such seaters settle advantageously for security and be sufficiently
furnished with amunition and strength 。 。 。 。〃
Green and his men; well furnished presumably with firelocks; bullets; and
powder…horns; went into this hinterland。 At intervals there followed other
hardy folk。 Quakers; subject to persecution in old Virginia; fled into
these wilds。 The name Carolina grew to mean backwoods; frontiersman's land。
Here were forest and stream; Indian and bear and wolf; blue waters of sound
and sea; long outward lying reefs and shoals and islets; fertile soil and a
clime neither hot nor cold。 Slowly the people increased in number。 Families
left settled Virginia for the wilderness; men without families came there
for reasons good and bad。 Their cabins; their tiny hamlets were far apart;
they practised a hazardous agriculture; they hunted; fished; and traded
with the Indians。 The isolation of these settlers bred or increased their
personal independence; while it robbed them of that smoothness to be gained
where the social particles rub together。 This part of South Virginia was
soon to be called North Carolina。
Far down the coast was Cape Fear。 In the year of the Restoration a handful
of New England men came here in a ship and made a settlement which; not
prospering; was ere long abandoned。 But New Englanders traded still in
South Virginia as along other coasts。 Seafarers; they entered at this inlet
and at that; crossed the wide blue sounds; and; anchoring in mouths of
rivers; purchased from the settlers their forest commodities。 Then over
they ran to the West Indies; and got in exchange sugar and rum and
molasses; with which again they traded for tobacco in Carolina; in
Virginia; and in Maryland。 These ships went often to New Providence in the
Bahamas and to Barbados。 There began; through trade and other
circumstances; a special connection between the long coast line and these
islands that were peopled by the English。 The restored Kingdom of England
had many adherents to reward。 Land in America; islands and main; formed the
obvious Fortunatus's purse。 As the second Charles had divided Virginia for
the benefit of Arlington and Culpeper; so now; in 1663; to 〃our right
trusty and right well…beloved cousins and counsellors; Edward; Earl of
Clarendon; our High Chancellor of England; and George; Duke of Albemarle;
Master of our Horse and CaptainGeneral of all our Forces; our right trusty
and well…beloved William; Lord Craven; John; Lord Berkeley; our right