Read Ebook: The Beginner's American History by Montgomery D H David Henry

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The Indians at the east did not build cities, but lived in small villages. These villages were made up of huts, covered with the bark of trees. Such huts were called wigwams. The women did nearly all the work, such as building the wigwams and hoeing corn and tobacco. The men hunted and made war. Instead of guns the Indians had bows and arrows. With these they could bring down a deer or a squirrel quite as well as a white man could now with a rifle. They had no iron, but made hatchets and knives out of sharp, flat stones. They never built roads, for they had no wagons, and at the east they did not use horses; but they could find their way with ease through the thickest forest. When they came to a river they swam across it, so they had no need of bridges. For boats they made canoes of birch bark. These canoes were almost as light as paper, yet they were very strong and handsome, and they

"floated on the river Like a yellow leaf in autumn, Like a yellow water-lily."

In them they could go hundreds of miles quickly and silently. So every river and stream became a roadway to the Indian.

Instead of being angry with his daughter, Powhatan promised her that he would spare Smith's life. When an Indian made such a promise as that he kept it, so the captain knew that his head was safe. Powhatan released his prisoner and soon sent him back to Jamestown, and Pocahontas, followed by a number of Indians, carried to the settlers presents of corn and venison.

Some years after this the Indian maiden married John Rolfe, an Englishman who had come to Virginia. They went to London, and Pocahontas died not far from that city. She left a son; from that son came some noted Virginians. One of them was John Randolph. He was a famous man in his day, and he always spoke with pride of the Indian princess, as he called her.

The people had wasted their time digging this shining dirt when they should have been hoeing their gardens. Soon they began to be in great want of food. The captain started off with a party of men to buy corn of the Indians. The Indians contrived a cunning plot to kill the whole party. Smith luckily found it out; seizing the chief by the hair, he pressed the muzzle of a pistol against his heart and gave him his choice,--"Corn, or your life!" He got the corn, and plenty of it.

He returned to America a number of years later, explored the coast north of Virginia, and gave it the name of New England, but he never went back to Jamestown again. He died in London, and was buried in a famous old church in that city.

After we had gained the victory and peace was made, we chose presidents to govern the country. Four out of six of our first presidents, beginning with Washington, came from Virginia. For this reason that state has sometimes been called the "Mother of Presidents."

What can you tell about Captain John Smith before he went to Virginia? What happened to him on his way to Virginia? What is said about the landing of the settlers in Virginia? What did they want to do? What did Captain Smith want to do? What about Captain Smith's trial? What is said about the church in Jamestown? What happened to the settlers? What did some of them try to do? Who stopped them? Tell what you can about the Indians. What kind of houses did they live in? Did they have guns? Did they have iron hatchets and knives? Did they have horses and wagons? What kind of boats did they have? What happened to Captain Smith when he went in search of the Pacific? What did Pocahontas do? What is said about her afterward? What about the gold-diggers? How did Captain Smith get corn? What did he make the settlers do? What is said about Captain Smith's cold-water cure? Why did Captain Smith go back to England? What three things did he do for Virginia? What about his books and maps? What is said of negro slaves? What about tobacco? What about Governor Berkeley and Mr. Bacon? What happened to Jamestown? What did the war of the Revolution do? Who was its great military leader? Why is Virginia sometimes called the "Mother of Presidents"?

CAPTAIN HENRY HUDSON .

While Smith was in Jamestown, a company of London merchants sent out Captain Hudson to try to discover a passage to China and the Indies. When he left England, he sailed to the northwest, hoping that he could find a way open to the Pacific across the North Pole or not far below it.

If he found such a passage, he knew that it would be much shorter than a voyage round the globe further south; because, as any one can see, it is not nearly so far round the top of an apple, near the stem, as it is round the middle.

Hudson could not find the passage he was looking for; but he saw mountains of ice, and he went nearer to the North Pole than any one had ever done before.

Then Captain Hudson turned his ship about and sailed for the coast of North America. He did that because his friend, Captain Smith of Virginia, had sent him a letter, with a map, which made him think that he could find such a passage as he wanted north of Chesapeake Bay.

Then, some distance further up, Captain Hudson came to a place where the river breaks through great forest-covered hills, called the Highlands. At the end of the fifth day he came to a point on the eastern bank above the Highlands, where the city of Hudson now stands. Here an old Indian chief invited him to go ashore. Hudson had found the Indians, as he says, "very loving," so he thought he would accept the invitation. The savages made a great feast for the captain. They gave him not only roast pigeons, but also a roast dog, which they cooked specially for him: they wanted he should have the very best.

These Indians had never seen a white man before. They thought that the English captain, in his bright scarlet coat trimmed with gold lace, had come down from the sky to visit them. What puzzled them, however, was that he had such a pale face instead of having a red one like themselves.

At the end of the feast Hudson rose to go, but the Indians begged him to stay all night. Then one of them got up, gathered all the arrows, broke them to pieces, and threw them into the fire, in order to show the captain that he need not be afraid to stop with them.

On the way down stream a thievish Indian, who had come out in a canoe, managed to steal something from the ship. One of the crew chanced to see the Indian as he was slyly slipping off, and picking up a gun he fired and killed him. After that Hudson's men had several fights with the Indians.

The next year Captain Hudson made another voyage, and entered that immense bay in the northern part of America which we now know as Hudson Bay. There he got into trouble with his men. Some of them seized him and set him adrift with a few others in an open boat. Nothing more was ever heard of the brave English sailor. The bay which bears his name is probably his grave.

After the Dutch had held the country of New Netherland about fifty years, the English seized it. They changed its name to New York, in honor of the Duke of York, who was brother to the king. The English also changed the name of New Amsterdam to that of New York City.

The silent harbor where Henry Hudson saw a few Indian canoes is now one of the busiest seaports in the world. The great statue of Liberty stands at its entrance. To it a fleet of ships and steamers is constantly coming from all parts of the globe; from it another fleet is constantly going. If Captain Hudson could see the river which bears his name, and Manhattan Island now covered with miles of buildings which make the largest and wealthiest city in America, he would say: There is no need of my looking any further for the riches of China and the Indies, for I have found them here.

Who was Henry Hudson? What did he try to find? What did the Dutch hire him to do? Where did he go? What did he call the river he discovered? What is said about that river? Tell what you can of Hudson's voyage up the river. What is said about the Indians? Why did Hudson turn back? What did he do then? What is the river he discovered called now? What happened to Captain Hudson the next year? What did the Dutch do? What did they name the country? Why? What did they build there on Manhattan Island? Who seized New Netherland? What name did they give it? What is said of the "Sons of Liberty"? What would Hudson say if he could see New York City now?

CAPTAIN MYLES STANDISH .

The Pilgrims left England because King James would not let them hold their religious meetings in peace. He thought, as all kings then did, that everybody in England should belong to the same church and worship God in the same way that he did. He was afraid that if people were allowed to go to whatever church they thought best that it would lead to disputes and quarrels, which would end by breaking his kingdom to pieces. Quite a number of Englishmen, seeing that they could not have religious liberty at home, escaped with their wives and children to Holland; for there the Dutch were willing to let them have such a church as they wanted.

Before they landed, the Pilgrims held a meeting in the cabin, and drew up an agreement in writing for the government of the settlement. They signed the agreement, and then chose John Carver for governor.

The next time Samoset came he brought with him another Indian, whose name was Squanto. Squanto was the only one left of the tribe that had once lived at Plymouth. All the rest had died of a dreadful sickness, or plague. He had been stolen by some sailors and carried to England; there he had learned the language. After his return he had joined an Indian tribe that lived about thirty miles further west. The chief of that tribe was named Massasoit, and Squanto said that he was coming directly to visit the Pilgrims.

In about an hour Massasoit, with some sixty warriors, appeared on a hill just outside the settlement. The Indians had painted their faces in their very gayest style--black, red, and yellow. If paint could make them handsome, they were determined to look their best.

When the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving, they invited Massasoit and his men to come and share it. The Indians brought venison and other good things; there were plenty of wild turkeys roasted; and so they all sat down together to a great dinner, and had a merry time in the wilderness.

Squanto was of great help to the Pilgrims. He showed them how to catch eels, where to go fishing, when to plant their corn, and how to put a fish in every hill to make it grow fast.

After a while he came to live with the Pilgrims. He liked them so much that when the poor .

The Eco del Comercio of Vera Cruz, in its number of the 14th inst., has the following paragraphs:

"The Prefectura of Matamoras, in the State of Puebla, have under their charge the repairing of the road which connects that State with the State of Guerrero, and the work has been under the direction of Se?or Jos? Maria Pavon since last January, with 70 presidential soldiers, afterwards increased 80, provided with plenty of tools, rations, and clothes from the municipal funds. In the first three months of that year, 15,000 yards of road were opened near Mitapec to the State line of Guerrero; and to the last dates, the 31st July last, 3,563 yards were repaired near Chietta; and near Tepeojiema, 8,529 yards."

In a supreme order of the 6th inst., which I received on the 16th, his excellency the Minister of Hacienda writes to me as follows:

"His excellency the President is informed, by your official despatch No. 95, dated the 22d of June last, of the improvements introduced by Mr. Albert C. Ramsey in the line of steamers between Acapulco and San Francisco, in California, and between New Orleans and Vera Cruz, and in that of mails from that port to Acapulco, whose days of arrival and departure are stated in the copy which accompanies yours; and you ask to be authorized to publish the same. His excellency has been pleased to accord this permission, which I communicate to you in answer for that purpose. To the same effect, their excellencies the governors of the States of Vera Cruz, Puebla, Mexico, and Guerrero have been written to, to place no obstacle in the way of the fixing the posts of Se?or Ramsey, but, on the contrary, to afford every facility in placing these very useful establishments."

I have the honor of transmitting this to you for your information, and in answer to your communications of the 16th June last and the 12th inst., assuring you of my consideration and particular esteem.

God and liberty.

P. M. ANAYA.

To Mr. ALBERT C. RAMSEY.

All of which is, by supreme order, published for information.

P. M. ANAYA.

Very respectfully, your obedient servants,

ALBERT C. RAMSEY. EDWARD H. CARMICK.

GENTLEMEN: Your letter of the 28th instant has been received. The conditional contract for service between San Francisco and Vera Cruz, to which you refer, was executed on the 3d of March, 1853, just before I came into office. My attention was called to the subject of Mr. Rankin's letter of the 16th of June, 1853. In my letter of the 9th July following, I gave my views at length in regard to this contract; and if sums of money were expended by you after that time, it was done with a full knowledge of my views, which remain unchanged.

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,

SIR: Your letter of the 30th ultimo was duly received. In referring to the contract between the department and ourselves, you say that, on the 9th of July, 1853, you made known your disapproval of the contract in a communication in answer to a letter from R. G. Rankin; and if we have expended money after that time, on account of the contract, we have done so with a full knowledge of your views.

We were not informed, by your letter of the 9th of July, that you had any intention of annulling our contract. We had completed all our arrangements for stocking the road across Mexico prior to the receipt of your letter; and, on account of the same, have expended the sum of ninety-eight thousand dollars, and our surety for the faithful performance of the contract had been given, and we were bound to be ready to carry the mails.

Your letter certainly did not annul the contract; for then our sureties would have been released from all responsibility on our account, and we absolved from all reproach for the failure of the enterprise. On the contrary, the department still considered the contract binding upon us, as is apparent from the subsequent correspondence with Messrs. Harris & Morgan. The steamers belonging to these gentlemen were carrying the United States mail between that city and Vera Cruz. They had addressed you on the subject of a change in the days of departure from each port, so as to connect, by means of our line across Mexico, with the Panama steamers, at Acapulco, running to San Francisco; and thus supplying additional facilities for a more rapid and frequent transmission of intelligence to and from California. The advantage of this arrangement would have been immense to the Atlantic and Pacific cities, without any inconvenience to the department, and moreover without one dollar expense to it; of course, this arrangement was intended to continue only until the appropriation should be made under our contract, when steamers were to be placed on the line between Acapulco and San Francisco.

The wishes of Messade a large cross of it; then, kneeling round that cross, they all joined in prayer to God for their safe journey.

A little later, they landed on the shore of the river. There they met Indians. Under a huge mulberry-tree they bargained with the Indians for a place to build a town, and paid for the land in hatchets, knives, and beads.

The Indians were greatly astonished at the size of the ship in which the white men came. They thought that it was made like their canoes, out of the trunk of a tree hollowed out, and they wondered where the English could have found a tree big enough to make it.

The emigrants named their settlement St. Mary's, because they had landed on a day kept sacred to the Virgin Mary. The Indians gave up one of their largest wigwams to Father White, one of the priests who had come over, and he made a church of it. It was the first English Catholic Church which was opened in America.

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