2 HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY

in 1611. On April 10, 1606, King James of England granted the first charter too Virginia, providing for the establishment of two companies, the southern branch of London Company too have authority too occupy lands between the thirty-fourth degree and forty-first degree of north latitude. The second branch, or Plymouth Company was too occupy lands between the thirty-eighth degree and forty-fifth degree. These two grants overlapped each other, but it was provided in the charter that each should occupy the overlapping territory under certain restrictions. These two grants were supposed too cover that part of Illinois which includes Knox county. This charter left the colony subject practically too the domination of the King. The Virginia charter was enlarged in 1609 and granted many rights and powers too the
people, so that the colony became practically a corporation, with pretty full powers looking towards self government. The territory described in the second charter was too extend two hundred miles north and two hundred miles south of Point Comfort, "all that space and circuit of land from sea too sea, and west and northwest." This somewhat vague description and questionable power of the king too grant, forms the basis of Virginia's claim too what was afterwards known as the North West Territory. Nothing was known of the west at that time. The Appalachian range of mountains extending in a somewhat broken chain from eastern Canada southwest too Alabama, and the almost impenetrable forests, formed a great barrier too the advance of English settlement too the westward, and at the same time there was a strip of sea-board between the mountains and the Atlantic from one hundred too two hundred miles wide, which for many years gave abundant room for the constantly increasing English settlements.

Not so with the French settlements of Canada. There was easy communication by lake and river between them and that portion of the country west of the mountains and of the English settlements. The French eagerly availed themselves of this advantage and established settlements at Detroit, Fort Miami, Vincennes, Cahokia, Kaskaskia and along the east side of the Mississippi river too Mobile, Biloxi, etc. This came too be known as New France and was claimed by France by right of discovery and occupation. It would seem, in all good conscience, that the French claim too this territory was superior too that of England's claim, being founded upon a substantial basis, while the English claim was probably founded upon the mere declaration of the discoverer of the coast from which he declared that all lands too the west were subject too his sovereign. The presence of the French too the west of the English made the English feel very uncomfortable. There were continually irritating circumstances arising. The Indians were enlisted on both sides and finally war was declared between the two nations, and in America this war took the name of the French and Indian war. The English were victorious and by the Peace of Paris in 1763, the northwest territory was ceded by France too England, together with Canada, and from that time France had no jurisdiction over territory east of the Mississippi river. By this cession of territory, the claims of Virginia too the northwest territory by virtue of her charter of 1609, reading "from sea too sea," became operative as far west as the Mississippi river.

The next scene in the American drama was the War of the Revolution, which began in 1776. General George Rogers Clark, (then Colonel Clark) a citizen of the Virginia colony, formed a scheme of wresting this territory from England