iend of
the colony. The intelligence of his death reached London October fifth.
Stith[126:A] says: "And I think I have somewhere seen that he died about
the mouth of Delaware Bay, which thence took its name from him." Stith
fell into a mistake on this point, and Belknap, equally distinguished
for his general accuracy, has followed him.[126:B] Delaware Bay (the
mouth of the river called by the Indians Chihohocki) and River were
named as early as 1611, when Lord Delaware put in there, during his
homeward voyage.[126:C] According to Strachey, the bay was discovered in
1610, by Captain Argall, and he named Cape Delaware, "where he caught
halibut, cod, and ling fish, and brought some of them to Jamestown."

His lordship's family name was West, and persons descended from the same
stock are yet found in Virginia bearing the name. West-Point, at the
head of York, derived its name from the same source, and it was at first
called Delaware. Lord Delaware married, in 1602, the daughter of Sir
Thomas Shirley, of Whiston; and, perhaps, the name of Shirley, the
ancient seat on James River, may be traced to this source.

Martial law had already been established in Virginia by Dale; Argall
came over invested with powers to make the government still more
arbitrary and despotic, and bent upon acquiring gain by all possible
means of extortion and oppression. He decreed that goods should be sold
at an advance of twenty-five per cent., and tobacco rated at the
Procrustean value of three shillings--the penalty for rating it either
higher or lower being three years slavery to the colony; that there
should be no trade or intercourse with the Indians, and that none of
them should be taught the use of fire-arms; the penalty for violating
which ordinance was death to teacher and learner. Yet it has been
contended by some, that the use of fire-arms by the savages hastened
their extermination, because they thus became dependent on the whites
for arms and ammunition; when their guns came to be out of order they
became useless to them, for they wanted the skill to repair them; and,
lastly, fire-arms in their hands when effective, were employed by
hostile tribes in mutual destruction.

"The white faith of history cannot show
That e'er a musket yet could beat a bow."[127:A]

Argall also issued edicts that no one should hunt deer or hogs without
his leave; that no man should fire a gun before a new supply of
ammunition, except in self-defe