A contention of long standing between King James and the chartered company culminated in July, 1624, when the company was ousted of all its rights without retribu tion. "The seizure by the King of the powers and property of the company does not seem, however, to have materially affected the people of the colony, as the King immediately appointed a committee to dis charge the functions of the deceased com pany, and himself succeeded to the benefit of their monopoly." The Assembly, as the House of Burgesses was called, had gradually became a repre sentative body, and as such, its enactments militated more and more towards popular enfranchisement, including a resolution "that there should be no taxation without repre sentation," — a fundamental principle of civil liberty. So early as 1645 the colony of Virginia had practically acquired control of its internal affairs and laid the foundations of a popular and representative government. The Governor, however, continued to be ap pointed by the court, except that during the interregnum under Cromwell's usurpation they were elected by the Burgesses. Whatever the advancement of England as to government, arts, science and all that goes to make up a civilization, and whatever of these were carried with the adventurers who founded the colony in Virginia, it is plain that in settling a new and distant coun try, while adhering as closely as possible to the cardinal principles of English civilization, methods at least had to be altered and made conformable to totally different conditions'. The colony had, from the beginning, to provide both for its own subsistence and for defence against the barbarous aborigines, who at once became its enemy. It carried with it the Established Church of England, and religious proscription. It found the indigenous plant, tobacco, familiarly known as " The Virginia Weed," and early made it the chief article of barter and export, and thus the principal source of revenue. It was
also the currency of the colony, and to large degree the standard of values. Salaries, stipends, debts and public dues were made payable in tobacco. It will be interesting, therefore, to trace the social evolution of the Colony by refering to some of the enactments of its law-making body, as to these and kindred subjects. It is to the foresight, labor and care of Thomas Jefferson that we owe the preserv ation of most of the early records of the Assembly, now extant, and it was chiefly from his collection of MSS. and printed laws that Mr. Hening was enabled to publish the first volumes of his "Statutes at Large." On one of these MSS. is indorsed in the same hand, "THE FIRST LAWS MADE BY ASSEMBLYMDCXXIII." IN VIRGINIA,. ANNO
And immediately underneath, in the hand writing of Mr. Jefferson, is this indorsement : This was found among the manuscript papers of Sir John Randolph, and by the Honorable Peyton Randolph, Esq., his son; was given to Thomas Jefferson.'
From this manuscript it appears the first recorded act of the Assembly was that of 1623-4, and related to the church, as fol lows : That there shall be in every plantation where the people use to meete for the worship of God, a house or roome sequestered for that purpose, and not to be for- any temporal use whatsoever, and a place empaled in, sequestered only to the burial of the dead. That whosoever shall absent himself from di vine service any Sunday without an allowable excuse shall forfeite a pound of tobacco, and he that absenteth himself a month shall forfeite 50 Ibs. of tobacco. ffor the preservation of the puritie of doctrine and vnitie of the Church. It is enacted that all ministers whatsoever, which shall reside in the 1 Hening, Vol. I. p. 121.
