Old Virginia and her neighbours

THE CAROLINA FRONTIER. 281proprietors of Carolina were going to divide upthe province among themselves, and that Albemarlewas to be the share of Sir William Berkele}',a man especially hated by the Virginians ofsmallmeans, who were the larger part of the Albemarlepopulation. Though these reports werebaseless, they found many believers. But theNavigation Act and theattempts to break up thetrade with Massachusetts were very realCU* £ T) J. JOThe tradegrievances, ohips irom .Boston and oa- with Newlem brought down to Albemarle Soundall manner of articles needed by the planters, andtook their pay in cattle and lumber, which theycarried to the West Indies and exchanged forsugar, molasses, and rum. Often with this cargothey returned to Albemarle and exchanged it fortobacco, which they carried home and sent offto Europe at a good round profit, in supreme defianceof the statutes. It was said that the newcolony was enriching Yankee merchants muchfaster than the lords proprietors.^ In truth thetrade was profitable to merchants and plantersahke, and by the summer of 1676 sundry attemptsto break it up had brought the little colonyinto quite a rebellious frame of mind. We haveseen how Bacon looked forward to possible helpfrom Carolina against Sir William Berkeley.Bacon spoke of the desirableness of the peoj^leelecting their own governors.^ New England furnishedexamples of such elected governors whowere in fuU sympathy with the people. The men^ Hawks, History of North Carolina, ii. 470.^ See above, p. 85 of the present volume.