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John Smith having been terribly wounded by the accidental explosion of a bay of gunpowder while asleep in his boat, it became necessary to take him to England for treatment, and he did not return. After his departure the colony went from bad to worse, and terrible suffering and disaster ensued. In six months it was reduced from nearly five hundred to sixty, and is referred to as “the starving time.” On June 7th, 1610, the entire party was crowded into two small barges, the “Deliverance” and “Patience,” built from the wreck of the “Sea Venture” at Bermuda, in which Sir Thomas Gates and the survivors of that disaster had arrived a day or two before, and Jamestown was completely abandoned. Dropping down the James River on their way out to sea, they met Lord Delaware, whose ships, laden with colonists and an abundance of provisions, were just entering Virginia waters. Feeling that the hand of God had stayed their departure, they all returned to Jamestown, and thus in three days the Virginia Colony had perished and come to life again. Lord Delaware landed on Sunday, June 10th 1610, and under his wise and strong administration the colony was re-established, flourished and became permanent. |
