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could prove that he had drank his Majesty's health on Mt. George."

Mr. J. adds, "he built a fort called Fort Christina, not so far back, where I have seen seventy-seven Indian children at school at a time at the Governor's sole expense. The children could read and say their catechism and prayers tolerably well. But this pious design being laid aside through opposition of pride and interest, Mr. Griffin was removed to the college to teach the Indians placed there by the benefactions of Mr. Boyle. The Indians so loved and adored him, that I have seen them lift him up in their arms, and they would have chosen him king of the Saponey nation."

GOVERNOR SPOTSWOOD'S FAMILY.

[We copy the following additional items of information relating to Governor Spotswood's family, from an interesting pamphlet entitled "A History of St. George's Parish in the County of Spotsylvania and Diocese of Virginia." By the Rev. Philip Slaughter. Published in 1847.]

The following genealogy is given upon the authority of a venerable lady, (still living,) who is the grand-daughter of Lady Spotswood.

Governor Spotswood married a Miss Brayne, in England. He had two sons, Robert and John. Robert was supposed to have been killed by the Indians. John married Miss Dandridge, and was the father of General Alexander, and John Spotswood, of the revolution.

The Governor had two daughters, Kate and Dorothea, the former of whom married a Mr. Moore, and the latter a Dandridge.

The Indian woman, called Wirgina by some authors, was named Catena. After Governor Spotswood's death, she lived with General Alexander Spotswood, of Newpost, and then with Francis Thornton, of Fall Hill, where she died and was buried. When the family passed Germanna on their way to Culpepper, Catena would leave the carriage and wander over the scenes of her youth. She nursed General Alexander Spotswood, and whenever he met her

in after life, he would throw his arms about her and embrace her.

Lady Spotswood, the Governor's widow, married the Rev. Mr. Thompson, of Culpepper, who was a very handsome and accomplished gentleman. Lady Spotswood had been induced to break an engagement with Mr. Thompson, upon the ground that it would be a diminution of her honor and the dignity of her family to marry a person in the station of a clergyman. To remove this objection the following letter was written, which is now published as a literary curiosity, as well as for the gratification of the numerous relatives of the distinguished couple.*

Copy of a Letter from the Rev. John Thompson to Lady Spotswood.

"MADAM,

By diligently perusing your letter, I perceive there is a material argument, which I ought to have answered ; upon which your strongest objection, against compleating my happiness would seem to depend, viz. That you wou'd incur ye censures of ye world for marrying a person of my sta tion and character. By which I understand that you think it a diminution to your honor and ye Dignity of your Family to marry a person in ye station of a Clergyman. Now, if I can make it appear that ye ministerial office is an employment, in its nature ye most honorable and in its effects ye most beneficial to mankind, I hope your objections will immediately vanish, yt you will keep me no longer in suspense, and misery, but consummate my happiness.

I make no doubt, Madam, but yt you will readily grant. yt no man can be employed in any work more honourable, than what immediately relates to ye King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and to ye salvation of souls, immortal in their nature and redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God. The powers committed to their care cannot be exercised by ye greatest Princes of earth, and it is ye same work Heb. in kind and in ye same in the Design of it, wth yt of ye blessed Angels, who are ministering spirits for those who shall be Heirs of Salvation. It is the same Business

i. 14.

* I am indebted for the original letter to Mr. Murray Forbes, of Falmouth, who is allied by marriage to the family.

yt ye Son of God discharged when he condescended to dwell amongst men. Which engages men in ye greatest acts of doing Good, in turning sinners from ye error of their ways, and by all wise and prudent Means, in gaining souls unto God. And the faithful and diligent Discharge of this holy Function gives a Title to ye highest Degree

Dan.

of Glory in the next world; for they yt be wise, shall xii. 3. shine as ye brightness of ye Firmament, and they yt turn many to Righteousness as ye stars for ever and

ever.

All nations, whether learned or ignorant, whether civil or barbarous, have agreed in this as a dictate of natural Reason, to express their Reverence for ye Deity, and their Affection to Religion, by bestowing extraordinary Privileges of Honour upon such as administer in holy things, and by providing liberally for their Maintenance. And yt ye Honour due to the holy Function flows from ye Law of Nature, appears from hence; yt in ye earliest Times ye civil and sacred Authority were united in the same Person. Thus Melchisedeck was King and Priest of Salem; and among ye Egyptians ye Priesthood was joined with ye

En.

Crown. The Greeks accounted ye Priesthood of 3. equal Dignity with Kingship; wch is taken notice of by Aristotle in several places of his Politicks. And among ye Latins we have a Testimony from Virgil, yt at ye same time Anias was both Priest and King. Nay, Moses himself, who was Prince of Israel before Aaron xxiv. 6. was consecrated, officiated as Priest in yt solemn sac

Ex.

rifice by wch ye Covenant with Israel was confirmed. And ye primitive Christians always expressed a mighty value and esteem for their Clergy, as plainly appears by Ecclesiastical History. And even in our Days, as bad as ye World is, those of ye Clergy who live up to ye Dignity of their profession, are generally reverenced and esteemed by all religious and well disposed Men.

From all which, it evidently appears, yt in all Ages and Nations of ye World, whether Jews, Heathens, or Christians, great Honour and Dignity has been always conferred upon ye Clergy. And, therefore, Dear Maday, from hence you may infer how absurd and ridiculous those Gentlemen's Notions are, who wou'd fain persuade you yt marrying with ye Clergy wou'd derogate from ye Honour and Dignity of your Family. Whereas, in strict reasoning the

contrary thereof wou'd rather appear, and yt it would very much tend to support ye Honour and Dignity of it. Of this, I hope you'll be better convinced, when you consider the Titles of Honour and Respect yt are given to those who are invested wth ye ministerial Function amply displayed in ye Scriptures. Those invested wth yt character are called ye Ministers of Christ, Stewards of ye Mysteries of God, to whom they have committed ye Word of Reconciliation, ye Glory of Christ, Ambassadors for Christ, in Christ's stead, Co-workers with him, Angels of the Church

es.

And when it is moreover declared yt whosoever despiseth them, despiseth not Man but God. All which Titles shew yt upon many accounts they stand called, appropriated and devoted to God himself. And therefore, if a Gentleman of this sacred and honourable character should be married to a Lady, though of ye greatest extraction and most excellent personal qualities, (which I'm sensible you're endowed with,) can be no disgrace to her, nor her family, nor draw ye censures of ye world upon either, for such an action. And therefore, Dr Madam, your argument being refuted you can no longer consistently refuse to consummate my happiness. JOHN THOMPSON. May, 1742.

THE PRAISE OF A GOOD WIFE.

O what a treasure is a virtuous wife,
Discrete and loving: not one gift on earth
Makes a man's life so highly bound to heaven;
She gives him double forces, to endure
And to enjoy; by being one with him,
Feeling his joies and griefes with equal sense;
And, like the twines Hippocrates reports,

If he fetch sighs, she draws her breath as short:
If he lament, she melts herself in teares:

If he be glad, she triumphs; if he stirre,

She moves his way; in all things his sweet ape:
And is, in alterations passing strange,

Himselfe divinely varied without change.-Chapman.

COLONEL MALLORY.

HAMPTON, Nov. 19TH, 1850.

Dear Sir,-According to promise, I send you a brief notice of Colonel Francis Mallory, of this county; whose gallant bearing and noble death, in our revolutionary war, are still freshly remembered in this part of the country, though they have not yet found their way into any history of our State.

Of the family of Col. Mallory it is unnecessary to speak, as the subject could interest but few of your readers. His ancestors emigrated from England at an early period and settled in this county. A rather free indulgence in politics, in the old country, (a passion not wanting, I believe, in some of their descendants in the new,) led to this change of residence. Nothing is known of them except as "Justices," "Vestry Men," &c., until the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, when we find Francis Mallory and his brother Edward serving as officers in the regiment raised for the defence of the county.

Elizabeth City, from its exposed situation, suffered much from the attacks of the enemy, some of whose ships were almost always lying in Hampton Roads, and the other estuaries of the Chesapeake. The county, you know, forms a narrow neck of land jutting into the Bay, and is besides indented by several navigable streams of easy access to an enemy commanding the water. The lands being for the most part rich and the people wealthy, a strong temptation was thus held out, and scarcely a week passed without a visit from some hostile party. The farms were plundered of slaves, cattle, and produce, and the good people kept in such a state of alarm that many families removed to the upper country.

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