Newport, Christopher, There can be no doubt that King James displayed great wisdom in choosing so experienced and able a seaman as Christopher Newport to command the colonizing expedition of 1607 to Virginia, and in sealing the box which contained his list of councillors during the voyage, in order that there might be no conflict of authority with his. He had sailed the Spanish Main and taken an active part in the privateering exploits against the Spanish in the New World. In 1592 he sailed in command of four ships when he "took and Spoyled Yaguana and Ocoa and Hispaniola and Truxillo, besides other prizes." After the brilliant capture of the "Madre de Dios" by the ships of Sir Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Cumberland, Capt. Newport, who played an important part in the fight, was given command of her and took her to Dartmouth.
When the expedition of 1607 arrived at Jamestown, Newport's name was found on the list of councillors, though he was not expected to become a planter but to serve as admiral in the voyages between England and the colony. In pursuance of his orders to remain two months in the New World exploring, he started May 21 on a voyage up the James river, which he followed as far as the "falls," the present site of the city of Richmond. Here, finding that he could go no further without great danger, he set up a cross with the inscription "Jacobus Rex, 1607," and his own name underneath. Upon inquiry by the Indians as to the meaning of this cross and ceremony, the wily captain told them that the two arms of the cross signified Powhatan and himself, and their juncture the league they had entered into. On June 22 of the same year he returned to England with a cargo of "sasafrax rootes" instead of the gold which the Virginia Company had so ardently hoped for.
Newport's second arrival in Virginia (Jan. 2, 1608) was a timely one. The death of Gosnold had left Wingfield open to attacks of his opponents — Archer, Smith, Ratcliff and Martin, who had first deposed him from the presidency and finally imprisoned him, Capt. Smith, too, who had just returned from captivity with the Indians, was in chains under sentence of hanging. Newport at once set these men at liberty and restored some measure of peace in the colony and council. A few days later, however, a fire broke out and destroyed the whole of the little settlement, thus exposing its occupants to the severity of the winter's weather. Newport again came to the rescue and employed his mariners in helping to rebuild the church, storehouse and other houses. Capt. Newport later made a third voyage to Virginia, and brought on this occasion (Oct. 1608) the first gentlewoman, Mrs Forrest, and Anne Buras, her maid. As was to have been expected, there occurred, shortly after, the first marriage in the colony which was of this same Ann Buras and John Laydon, a carpenter; and to them was born a year later a girl, Virginia Laydon — the first child of English parentage born in the first permanent English colony.
Newport's fourth voyage was in command of the expedition sent out under the second charter, which left Falmouth June 8, 1609. There were nine ships carrying Sir Thomas Gates as governor, and about 500 persons, some of them women. Two of the vessels were wrecked and Newport himself was cast away on the Bermudas with Gov. Gates and 150 other passengers and a large portion of the stores for the colony. He finally got away from the islands, and made his way to Virginia just in time to save the colony from starvation. The casting away of Newport's ship, the "Sea Venture," was the occasion of "Shakespear's great play, "The Tempest," interest in the subject having most probably been communicated to him by Southampton. After one more voyage to Virginia, Capt. Newport's connection with the colony ceased. He resigned his position with the Virginia Company and was appointed one of the six masters of the Royal Navy, and performed several voyages for the East India Company. On the third of these his death occurred about August 15, 1617, while his fleet lay at anchor in a Javan port. The stalwart captain died thus as he had lived, in command of his ship, in the midst of new lands and untried seas.
