ARGALL, SIR Samuel, navigator and American colonial official: b. Walthamstow, Essex, England, about 1580"; d. 24 Jan. 1626. He was a type of the founders of English colonial dominion—energetic, resourceful and masterful; his further repute as a sort of un principled buccaneer and tyrant is due to senti ment and partisanship. In May 1609, he was sent with a small barque to the new settlement at Jamestown, Va., to trade and fish on behoof of the owner. He seems to have found a shorter route than usual, and soon established a reputation for unprecedentedly quick pas sages. The next year he took out Lord Dela warr to Jamestown, just in time to prevent the entire colony, with the governor, Sir Thomas Dale, leaving for Newfoundland to avoid starvation. He was sent to the Ber mudas for swine to replace those the colonists had eaten, but was driven by storms to Cape Cod where he found good fishing and returned in August; established a corn trade with the Indians above Jamestown, and early in 1611 returned to England with Delawarr, whose health was bad. In September 1621, he was again at Jamestown after the then swift pas sage of 51 days, and the rest of the year he and Dale spent in corn hunting among the Indians. Powhatan had a number of English prisoners in his hands and a quantity of weapons and implements, and Argall hearing that the chieftain's daughter Pocahontas was with her uncle "Powtowneco (Potomac), had the happy thought of securing her to exchange against them, a feat accomplished by threats and the offer of a copper kettle to her uncle. The stock denunciation of him for this "nefa rious treachery" is best answered by the fact that no one was harmed, all parties were bene fited and a most desirable aim was achieved. Pocahontas herself considered it a piece of rare good fortune, would not leave the whites and soon after married one of them, while the pris oners were released and peace restored to the colony. Argall handed her over to Sir Thomas Gates and explored the cast shore of Chesa peake Bay, fishing and trading. Later in the
year he was sent with a vessel of 14 guns to destroy the French settlements on the north coast, regarded as infringing on the Virginia patent. He captured Mount Desert, Saint Croix and Port Royal (N. S.), carried off the settlers as prisoners to Jamestown, and on the way forced the commandant at New Amster dam to recognize English suzerainty by hauling down the Dutch flag and running up the Eng lish. In 1614 he sailed for England, and was put on his defense for these high-handed acts, but completely justified himself. In May 1617, he was made deputy governor of Virginia, and remained two years in a broil with part of the citizens, but justified by others. He was ac cused of illegal trade with the West Indies, and repeatedly ordered to return to England for trial, a command which he ignored for a time, possibly in reliance on the Earl of Warwick, who is supposed to have financed and shared his ventures. In 1620 he served against the Algerine pirates with a 24-gun merchant vessel, under Sir Robert Mansell. He was knighted in 1622. In 1625 he was admiral of a squadron cruising after a hostile Dunkirk fleet, and took some prizes. On 3 October of that year he em barked with the squadron in the expedition against Cadiz tinder Lord Wimbledon, with Lord Essex on board as vice-admiral and com wander of land forces; Argall's flagship was the Swiftsure. He reported the fortress too strong to be taken without a siege, the mer chant vessels were ill supplied and unpaid, and after waiting till December for relief from Charles I they went home. Argall died the next month, it was said from a broken heart because the captain of the Stviftsure was backward and cross° to him. (Argall's own narrative comes down to 12 May 1613).