Author: Virginia Company of London

PRIMARY DOCUMENT

Instructions from the Virginia Company of London to the First Settlers (1606)

In these instructions, dated November 1606, the Virginia Company of London informs the men who would settle what became Jamestown of its priorities once they land. In particular, the company suggests how to look for a Northwest Passage, how to search for gold, and how to treat the Virginia Indians, whom it calls “naturals.” Captain Christopher Newport and Bartholomew Gosnold are mentioned by name. Some spelling has been modernized and contractions expanded.

PRIMARY DOCUMENT

An Ordinance and Constitution of Treasurer and Company in England for a Council and Assembly in Virginia (1621)

In “An Ordinance and Constitution of Treasurer and Company in England for a Council and Assembly in Virginia,” passed on July 24, 1621, the Virginia Company of London revised Virginia’s General Assembly from a unicameral to a bicameral body, consisting of a lower House of Burgesses and an upper house comprised of the governor and the governor’s Council. Some spelling has been modernized and contractions expanded.