42

VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

to rescue his friend and dispatched a small vessel to fetch him and his goods away before Yardlcy could arrive. This vessel arrived in Virginia, April (>. and Argall sailed away on her about the loth. leaving Captain Nathaniel Powell as deputy-governor. On his arrival from X'irginia he answered the different charges brought again him, satisfactorily to sfjme, but not to others. His activity as a seaman still continued. In 1620-21 he com- manded a ship in the fleet of Sir Robert Man- sell in the Mediterranean Sea. About 162 1 he urged that an English settlement be made in New Netherlands, afterwards New \'ork. In 1624 his friends wished to make him gov- ernor again of Virginia, but Sir Francis W'yatt was preferred. He was admiral in Septem- ber, 1625. of 28 ships, and during his cruise captured from the Spaniards seven vessels valued at £100.000. In the attack on Cadiz in 1625 he commanded the flagship. Me was still alive in 1633, but was dead before 1641. as in that year his daughter Ann, widow of Alex- ander l>olling, and her second husband, Samuel Percivall. complained to the House of Com- mons that they had been deprived by John W'oodhall of proj)erty in Virginia left to the petitioner Anne by her late father. Sir Samuel .\rgall, sometime governor of Virginia. From this account it is seen that Argall was one of the most active and remarkable men of his age.

Powell, Nathaniel, deputy governor of Vir- ginia, in 1619. was one of the first planters; left England in December, 1606, and arrived in Virginia in .April. 1607. He went with Cap- tain Newport in the winter of 1608 to explore the York river, and in the summer of 1608 he went with John Smith to explore Chesa- peake P.ay. In 1617 Governor Argall gave him

i mnimission to be '^ergeant-major general to

l-rancis West, master of the ordinance during life. When Governor Argall suddenly left \'irginia about April 10. 1619. he turned over the government to Captain l^)well. which was held by him for a week, until Sir George Yard- ley arrived with a full commission as governor. The only matter of public interest that hap- pened during Powell's brief administration was the coming of Captain John Ward, with fifty emigrants, including Rev. Thomas Bar- grave, nephew of Dr. Bargrave, dean of Can- terbury. They made a settlement above Mar- tin's Brandon, on what is still known as Ward's creek. Captain Powell's plantation of 600 acres was known as '"Powell Brook," after- wards "Merchant's Hope." There March 12. 1622, he and his wife, who was a daughter of William Tracy, one of the partners in the settlement of Berkele}- Hundred, were mur- dered by the Indians. He left no descendants, and his i)lantation was sold by his brother and heir, Thomas Powell, of Howellton, county Suffolk. England. Near Powell's plantation in Virginia is still standing a very old brick church known as Merchant's Hope Church. The creek bounding his i)lace still bears Cap- tain Powell's name.

Wyatt, Sir Francis, go\ ernor and captain general of \'irginia from 1621 to 1626 and from 1639 to 1642. was the son of George Wyatt. Esq.. and Jane his wife, a daughter of Sir Thomas Finch. Francis married, in 1618. Margaret, daughter of Sir Samuel Sandys, of Outersbury, Worcester, brother of Sir Edwin Sandys. He arrived in Virginia in October. 1621. with an appointment to relieve Governor Yardley (whose term expired November 18). Sir Francis was accompanied by his brother. Rev. Hawte Wyatt ; Dr. John Pott, physician

general, afterwards deputy governor: W^illiam