SMITH, JOHN, an English adveh turer, the founder of Virginia; born in Willoughby, in Lincolnshire, England, in January, 1579. Of a daring spirit, long ing for a larger and more adventurous life, he early served in the Netherlands as a soldier in the cause of liberty. He then traveled in France, visited Egypt and Italy, and, about 1602, greatly distin guished himself in the wars of Hungary against the Turks, gaining the favor of Sigismund Bathori, Prince of Transylva nia. Wounded and taken prisoner by the Turks, he was sold as a slave, was harsh ly treated in the Crimea, and made his escape. Rumors of war in Morocco at tracted him thither, and thence he re turned to England about 1606.
Smith entered with enthusiasm into the project of colonizing the New World, and with Gosnold, Wingfield, Hunt, and others set out in December, 1606, with a squad ron of three small vessels for Virginia, under the authority of a charter granted by James I. Amid the unhappy dissen sions, difficulties, and distress of the first years of the great enterprise, Smith ren dered the most important services by irrepressible hopefulness, practical wis dom, and vigorous government. But for his wisdom and noble exertions the project would probably have been abandoned. He made important geographical explora tions and discoveries. In 1607, ascending the Chickahominy, and penetrating into the interior of the country, Smith and his comrades were captured by the Indians, and he only, by his rare self-possession, escaped with life. He remained a pris
oner for some weeks, carefully observed the country, got some knowledge of the language of the natives, and when at last they were going to put him to death he was saved by the affectionate pleading of Pocahontas, the daughter of the chief, Powhatan, a girl 10 or 12 years old. Re conducted to Jamestown, Smith had need of all his energy to cheer the desponding colonists. In the summer of 1608 he ex plored in an open boat the Bay of Chesa peake and its tributary rivers, a navi gation of nearly 3,000 miles. He also penetrated inland, established friendly re lations with the Indians, and prepared a map of the country. On his return from this great expedition he was made presi dent of the colonial council. In 1609 he was severely injured by an accidental ex plosion of gunpowder, and without re ward for his splendid services, except in his own conscience and the applause of the world, returned to England. He vis ited Virginia in 1614, was captured by the French in the following year, and on his return to London after three months heard of the arrival of his Indian friend Pocahontas. Smith made known her serv ices, and she was presented to Queen Eliz abeth and loaded with marks of honor and gratitude. Smith published in 1608 "A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia Since the First Planting of That Colony." He died in London, June 21, 1631.