Henry's Map of Virginia in 1770; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 14, No. 2; 1905 Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Henry's Map of Virginia in 1770. William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 14, No.2. (Oct., 1905), pp. 83-87. HENRY'S MAP OF VIRGINIA IN 1770. In the Historical Magazine for September, 1863, VII., 286-288, occurs an interesting description of this rare and curious map, which was made by Col. John Henry, father of Patrick Henry.(1) HENRY'S MAP OF VIRGINIA IN 1770. The title-piece is characteristic of Virginia in her earlier days. It presents an arch, surmounted with a capstone, upon which is seated an Indian maiden holding in the right hand a likeness of George III., while her left encircles a cornucopia, from which Indian corn, tobacco leaves and fruit protrude, while the bow and arrows lie across the picture. The ground upon which the arch is based represents a recumbent negro, basked of fruit, Indian corn, tobacco leaves, young negro bearing fruits, hogshead of tobacco; a ship from which the _____________________________________________________________________ (1)Campbell, History of Virginia, 521, states "A copy of this rare map is in the possession of Joseph Horner, Esq., of Warrenton, Virginia. Appended to it is an epitome of the State and conditions of Virginia. The Marginal is profuse and, like the map, well executed." I learn that the map is still preserved in the Horner family. Page 84. little negro seems just to have landed. The title-piece, really a beautiful piece of en- graving, contains the following words: "A new and accurate map of Virginia, wherein most of the counties are laid down from actual surveys, with a concise account of the number of inhabitants, the trade, sale, and produce of the Provinces, by John Henry." "Engraved by Thomas Jeffereys, Geographer to the King." "London, Feburary, 1770; Published according to act of Parliament for hte author, by Thos. Jeffereys, at the corner of St. Martin's Lane, in the Strand". It is a map exclusively of Eastern Virginia. That portion of the State west of the Alleghanies is marked as a wilderness, with the Kanawha, spelt "Konhaway," which is traced from its rise in North Carolina to the Ohio, with very great accuracy; but the country is represented as a wilderness for which there is a treaty now on foot between the colony and the Six Nations, by which it is expected that all this tract of country, containing 9,000,000 or 10,000,000 of acres, lying between the Ohio River and the Konhaway will be added to Great Britain. It is here laid down from "the best information that could be obtained." All the rivers of Eastern Virginia are beautifully and accurately traced, from their remote risings in the mountain through all their turnings and windings to the bay. There being but few towns in Virginia at that time, the plantations of distinguished gentlemen are all laid down. Tracing the north side of James River from "Point Comfort", we come to Hampton, Newport News, Roscow, Blunt Point, Burrell's Bay, Burrell's, Jamestown, Green Spring, Row, Kennon, Weeke, (Weyonake?), Westover, Taylor's Ferry, Shirley, Ry. Randolph, Col. Cocke's, R. Randolph, Woodson's, Selden's, Cocke's, Verino (Varina), Younghusband's, W. Randolph's, Mayo, Richmond, Belvidere, T. M. Randolph, Good's, Woodson's, Goochland Court House, Bolling's Island, Woodson's; these being the plantations on the north side of James River. On the south side we find no plantations marked until we come to Cobham in Surry County, then Cocke, Wakefield, City Page 85. Point; crossing the Appomattox we find Eppes, Bermuda, Hylton, Archer, Woodson, Wathall, Osburn's, Col. Ward's, Warwick, Cary's, Dr. Nevin's, R. Goode's, Falls Plantation opposite Richmond, Rocky Ridge, Tabb's Island, J. Nicholas', opposite the Seven Islands, W. John Peter Salley at the junction of North and Fluvanna rivers, as the James is called. The Rappahannock River has all the plantations legibly marked. Beginning on the north side, we find in Lancaster County, Carter, Crossman, Fairwather's, Burger's Ball, Griffin, Tarpley, Hornby, Bowler's, Tomlin, Sabine Ball, Fauntleroy, Tayloe, Weeks', Leeds, Donaphon, Falmouth, Germanna at the junction of hte Rapidan River and Ground Fork. At the bottom of the map is found the "concise account", as follows: "In the colony of Virgnia are 131,000 tithables - 55,958 of which number are white men, and the residue consists of negro men and women. It will, I suppose, be reckoned a very moderate computation, to allow three children for every pair of negro tithables; if so, the number of negro slaves will amount to 187,606; and as none but white men are listed as tithables, we must suppose that there are 50.863 women, the proportion between the sexes being commonly stated as 11 to 10; and allowing three children to every woman, there will be 152,589 children. Consequently, the number of inhabitants, white and black, in Virginia, will amount to 447.008 - a number greatly exceeding any of the colonies in America. As to the value of this great number of slaves, we can only make a probable computation, founded on principles well known, and admitted in the colony. A negro man or woman between 16 and 40 years of age is believed to be worth fifty pounds (though three or four years ago they went at double that price), reckoning then the above number of negroes tithable, but at 40 pounds each, they will amount to 3,001,680 pounds, and all of them to 6,278,570 pounds. As to the trade of the colony, its staple is tobacco, and though it does not yield much to the planter, notwithstanding that between 50,000 and 60,000 hogshead are communibus Page 86. annis exported to Great Britain, yet as 17,000 tons of shipping are employed and many thousand British inhabitants supported thereby, it is very valuable to the subjects, and may also be siad to be a jewel to the crown, as so large a sum arises out of the duties. The country indeed is very capable of improvement, and some attempts have been made to raise hemp, though not considerable - the soil, however, is very proper for such productions. As to the drink used in the colony, it is generally cider, every planter having an orchard and they make from 1,000 to 5,000 or 6,000 gallons annually, in proportion according to their rank and fortune. As to the soil it is very different in different parts; that which lies upon the rivers and their branches, is generally a black, deep soil, and produces the largest tobacco and all other plants, and, as the country abounds in large navigable rivers, a great proportion of the land is of this kind, the produce of which is very easily brought to market; but the land that lies distant from the rivers is generally of a middling quality, yet produces maize or Indian corn sufficient for the supply of the inhabitants, who chiefly use bread made from the grain; and the meanest and hilly lands are very proper fo the peach tree, every planter having an orchard of those trees, the brandy made from that fruit being excellent, and indeed might be made in sufficient quantities for the supply of the peopole, was there not so much rum imported from the Sugar Islands. As tot he manufactories of Virginia, they consist chiefly of cotton, for very little woolen and linen cloth is made in the Province, there being but few sheep; and as little land is spared from tobacco and grain, few of the inhabitants understand the management of flax. Most of the men, as well as women of the lower classes, wear cotton cloth, both in the summer and winter, and it has been computed that there has been manufactured, for one or two years past, of this kind of cloth, to the amount of 250,000 pounds annually. Although this necessarily lessens the importation of foreign goods, it is now wholly of choice, the people being obliged to it, as the balance of trade, has, for many years, been against them, the colony being much indebted to Great Britain, even in the opinions of good judges, to the amount of 1,500,000 pounds. Page 87. In regard to the stocks of horses, cattle, and hogs, they are very considerable, especially the first, there being a great number of the best English breed now among us. And, as to plate and household furniture, this colony exceeds all the others upon the continent, so that, upon the whole, it is much the richest as well as of the greatest importance to Great Britain, and therefore, well deserves its encouragement and protection."