It was largely a class issue, Nancy.  All through early writings about Virginia
runs a thread of concern or complaint that the excellence of the climate and
the fertility of the land had a deleterious effect on the "Inhabitants," who
were naturally inclined to do as little as possible.  It may strike us as
absurd today, but you can find dozens of instances of this cautionary
observation just by reading Purchas or Hakluyt or anthologies of 17th and 18th
century accounts of Virginia and Carolina.

Cheers -- Kevin

On Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:07:16 -0500  Discussion of research and writing about
Virginia history             
<[log in to unmask]><[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> 
> "Little labour"? I'm sure that would be extremely funny to anyone  
> hacking a living out of the Virginia wilderness at the time. It was  
> probably dawn to dusk labor. Sounds like the good Governor was  
> reading one too many pamphlets about the glories of the new colony.
> 
> Nancy
> 
> -------
> I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
> 
> --Daniel Boone
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 7, 2007, at 3:33 PM, Kevin Joel Berland wrote:
> 
> > And yet another much earlier usuage, measuring the time assigned for
> > transportation sentences:
> >
> > Governor Spotswood to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and  
> > Plantations, April
> > 5, 1717:
> >
> > "The Inhabitants of our frontiers are composed generally of such as  
> > have been
> > transported hither as Servants, and being out of their time, and  
> > settle
> > themselves where Land is to be taken up and that will produce the  
> > necessarys of
> > Life with little Labour." Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood,  
> > II, 227
> >
> > Cheers -- KJB
> >
> >
> 
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> 

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