William the Third an act was passed for the
restraining and punishing of pirates and privateers, the preamble
reciting that "nothing can more conduce to the honor of his most sacred
majesty than that such articles of peace as are concluded in all
treaties should be kept and preserved inviolable by his majesty's
subjects in and over all his majesty's territories and dominions, and
that great mischief and depredations are daily done upon the high seas
by pirates, privateers, and sea-robbers, in not only taking and
pillaging several ships and vessels belonging to his majesty's subjects,
but also in taking, destroying, and robbing several ships belonging to
the subjects of foreign princes, in league and amity with his majesty;"
and they prayed that crimes committed on the high seas should be
punished as if committed on land, in Virginia.[360:A] A committee was
appointed during the same session "to revise the laws of this his
majesty's ancient and great colony and dominion of Virginia."[360:B]

Among the subjects upon which a tax was laid for the building of a
capitol, were servants imported, not being natives of England or Wales,
fifteen shillings per poll, and twenty shillings on every negro or other
slave. Colonel Robert Carter, speaker of the house, was elected to fill
the office of treasurer; and it came to be the custom for the two
offices of speaker and treasurer to be held by the same person. The
establishment of the office of a treasurer appointed by the assembly,
giving that body control of the colonial purse, added much to the
independence of its legislative power.

In the second year of Nicholson's administration a piratical vessel was
captured within the capes of Virginia. She had taken some
merchant-vessels in Lynhaven Bay, and a small vessel happening to
witness an engagement between her and a merchantman, conveyed
intelligence of it to the Shoram, a fifth-rate man-of-war, commanded by
Captain Passenger, and newly arrived. Nicholson chanced to be at
Kiquotan sealing up his letters, and, going on board the Shoram, was
present in the engagement that followed. The Shoram, by daybreak, having
got in between the capes and the pirate, intercepted her, and an action
took place on the 29th of April, 1700, when the pirate surrendered upon
condition of being referred to the king's mercy. In this affair fell
Peter Heyman, grandson of Sir Peter Heyman, of Summerfield, in the
County of Kent, England. Being collector of th