Virginia

The chief manufacturing city in 1927 was Richmond with 621 establishments, 31,881 wage-earners, and products valued at $290,052,593. Tobacco products predominate and Richmond in 1927 had the largest cigar factory in the world. Here are also large locomotive and wood work plants. Far behind in the value of their products were Norfolk, $35,454,000; Roanoke, 000 ; Lynchburg, $25,579,000; Newport News, $19,719,000; Petersburg, $17,342,476; Danville, $12,3o3,000, and Portsmouth, $11,230,000.

Virginia has the advantages of excellent transportation, high grade steam coal and abundant water-power resources. Where the Tidewater region joins the Piedmont section there is an abrupt rocky ledge that forms falls and rapids in the rivers that pour over it. At this fall-line with its excellent power sites are the cities of Petersburg, Richmond and Fredericksburg, while Alexandria is located near the falls of the Potomac.

Transportation and Commerce.

Five large railway systems practically originate in the State and radiate to the south and west. The Southern railway, with its main line traversing the State in the direction of its greatest length leaves Washington to run south-west through Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Danville to the North Carolina line with connections to Richmond and Norfolk on the east; the Atlantic Coast line with its main lines runs south from Richmond and Norfolk; the Seaboard Air line also has its main lines running to the south from Richmond and Norfolk; the Norfolk and Western crosses the State from east to west in the southern part with Norfolk its eastern terminus and the Chesapeake & Ohio crosses from east to west farther north from Newport News on the eastern coast through Richmond to the West Virginia line. Of more recent construction is the Vir ginia railway, opened for traffic in 1909, which connects the coal region of West Virginia with Norfolk. The Baltimore & Ohio has a line down the Shenandoah valley to Lexington. Connection be tween Richmond and Washington is over the Richmond, Fred ericksburg and Potomac, controlled by the Southern, Atlantic Coast line, Seaboard Air line, Chesapeake & Ohio, Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio railways.

Hampton Roads, at the mouth of the James river, which forms the harbour for the leading ports of the State, Norfolk and New port News, affords one of the best anchorages of the Atlantic coast, giving shelter not only to vessels plying to its adjoining ports but serving often as a harbour of refuge for shipping bound up or down the coast. It is frequently used for the assembly of naval fleets. There is a large foreign commerce and regular steam ship service to Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia and Savannah. There is bay and river steamship service from Nor folk, Old Point Comfort and Newport News to Baltimore, Wash ington, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg.

There were in 55.041 m. of public highways in Virginia, 9,044 of which constitute the State highway system and 45,997 a State aided system. Of the State system 7,851 m. were surfaced. Expenditures by the State highway department in 1934 were $22,688,000, of which Federal aid for road construction totalled $7,485,000. Motor vehicles numbered in averaging 148 per ',boo population.

Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in North America. From 1583 to 1588 attempts had been made by Sir Walter Raleigh and others to establish colonies on the coast of what is now North Carolina. The only result was the naming of the country Virginia in honour of Queen Elizabeth. But glowing accounts were brought back by the early adventurers, and in 16°6 an expedition was sent out by the London Company, which was chartered with rights of trade and settlement between and 41° N. lat. It landed at Jamestown on May 13, 1607, and effected the establishment of many plantations along the James river. The purpose of the company was to build up a profitable commercial and agricultural community, and also to hold the country against Spain ; but the hostility of the natives, unfavour able climatic conditions and the inexperience of the colonists delayed the growth of the new community. John Smith became the head of the government in Sept. 16°8, governed with firmness and ability, built a church and prepared for more extensive agri cultural and fishing operations. In 1609 the London Company was reorganized, other colonists were sent out and the boundaries of the new country were fixed, according to which Virginia was to extend from a point 200 m. south of Old Point Comfort, at the mouth of Chesapeake bay, to another point 200 m. north, "west and northwest to the South Sea." Before the arrival of the new governing body and additional settlers the original Colony was reduced to the direst straits. Capt. Christopher Newport, Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers, the new authorities, reached Jamestown at last with i so men, but things were in such a deplorable state that all agreed ( June io, 161o) to give up the effort to found a colony on the James and set sail for home. At the mouth of the river they met Lord Delaware, the governor-in-chief, who brought other colonists and plentiful supplies; and they returned, set up a trading post at what is now Hampton and undertook to bring the hostile natives to subjection. In 1611, 65o additional colonists landed, the James and Appo mattox rivers were further explored and "plantations" were established at Henrico and Bermuda Hundred. New colonists were constantly being sent over and many "indentured" servants were imported as labourers.