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Meps. plataa, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one expoaura are filmed beginning in the upper left hand comer, left to right and top to bottom, aa many framea ae required. The following diagrama illustrate the method: Lee cartea. planches, tableeux. etc.. peuvent Atre fllm^e A dea taux de rAduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seul cilchA. ii est filmA A partir de i'angle supArleur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut mt baa, an pranant ia nombra d'Imagea nAcaaaaira. Las diagrammes suivants illuatrent ia mAthode. t 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Br - «l -.* - !:■■ j^. AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY: O R, An historical ACCOUN Of those persons who have been distinguished ii* America, A I ADVENTURERS, STATESMEN, PHILOSOPHERS, DIVINES, WARRIORS, AUTHORS, And other remarkable CHARACTERS. Comprehending a Recital of The EVENTS conneaed with their LIVES and ACTIONS. VOL. I. """^ BY JEREMY BELKNAP, d. d. *' Hie manus ob patriam piignando vulnera pafli Quique facerdotes cafti, cum vita manebat : Quiquc pii vates, ct Phcebo digna locuti : Inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes : Quique fui memores alios fecere merendo :" VIRGIL, PubliisfieD accocoiflg to Sift of CongreCer* PRINTED at 505 TON, • y ISAIAH THOMAS AND EBENEZERT. ANDREWS. Faust'i Statuk, No 45, Newbury Stkekt. ie S6tx.inaire de Qufebec 3, rue de VUi^versit6, Qufebec 4, QUE- :•■■■•:.#; i:'^y, \ >i. ^ M>\0\r\ \\ .:A ■; u; ;i -. )»■' . "3! ;u3 :;■.'/■■; >i i* A > r I ^^ -# ' . r I.--. A D V E RTISE M E N T. . NO apology is neceflary for the appearance of this work, if its utility be admitted. My iirft intention was to place the names in alphabetical order ; but, on farther confideration, it was found to be impraQicaUe, unlefs the whole work were before me at one view. A chronolog- ical arrangement appeared, on the whole, equally proper, and mora in my power. Should any deviation from the exa£l order take place, it muft be afcribed to a deficiency of materials ; which however, it is hoped, will be fupplied, at fome future time. Boston, January, 1794. ■M^i "f i 'J f v» vr ..ak«Mt- ■ .*:. jt ««^t^i^w^ ♦ ■ >• Si H . ( l-'.iii-; ■ I 'U V ..."tt..,- ■ tl; fti i-\i: Vfi *l /ti";!.i1. »«»«?'■ •»• ;r(> («. I.V.V. ^t.. •>, ;».' 4. S.b.i •- l-*"! .<• * ii I, , » •V^:'**^!^^ 1. «:-:*j -^' 't^,:-*; . v^i !C?J1- , vv; . #. * * fcv. ,v r I ■: ■'. r,.k # aL*a.« >1 ./r •^fi^>•.■If^ nr','' Tv* .'^I'^fi') MfiO;' >"f .311/? PRELIMINARY DISSERTATION. On the Circumnavigation of Africa by the An- cients; and its probable Confequence, the Popu- vlationo/ fame Parte/ AuEKic A, uii » ,t,^> i HE firft navigators, of whom we have any account, were the Phenicians, who were fcattered along the coafts of the Mediterranean and of the Red Sea. As early as the days of Mofes, they had extended their navigation beyond the pillars of Hercules, on the weftern coaft of Africa, toward the fouth ; and as far northward as the ifland of Britain, whence they imported tin and lead,* which according to the univerfal teftimony of the anciepts, were not then found in any other country. From the accounts given in ancient hiftory of the expeditions of Sefoftris, King of Egypt, fome have been led to conclude, that he made a difcovery of all the coafts of Africa.t However this might I , there is no doubt that he opened, or revived a com- mercial intercourfe with India and Ethiopia, by way of the Red Sea, It hath alfo been thought, that the voyages of the Phenicians and Hebrews to Ophir, in the time of Solomon, were nothing more nor lefs than circumnavigations of Africa. J But * See Numbers, chap, xxxi, ver. 22. + Forfter's Hiftory of Voyages and Difcoveri««, page 7. + Ibid. A3 ■''t, ** h. Preliminary Dissertation. % But, leaving thefe, for the prefent, in the region of conjecture ; the earlieft regular account which we have, of any voyage round the contiiient of Af- rica, is that performed by order of Nccho, King of Egypt, and recorded by Herodotui ; the moft an- cient hiflorian, except the facred writers, whofe works have come down to our time. His charafter as a hiilorian is, ^< candid in his acknowledgment of wh^t is uncertain, and ablblute when he fpeaks of what he knows. ' The dat^ of Net ho 's reign is fixed by Rollin 616 years before Chrift. The date of Herodotus' hillory is placed by Dufr^fnoy in the third year of the 83d Olympiad, anfwering to 446 years before Chrift. So that he muft have penned his narration of this voyage, in lefs than two centu- ries after it was performed. I fhall give his account 9t large, in a literal tranflation, from the Genevs^ edition of his work, in Greek and Latin, by Stepha- nus.* In defcribing the feveral great divifions of the earth, he fpeaks thus : 1 " I wonder at thole who have divided and diftin- guilhed Lybia,+ Afiaand Europe, between which there is not a little difference. If indeed Europe agrees with the others in length, yet in breadth it does not feem, to me, worthy to be compared. For, Lybia fhews itfelf to be Jurrounded by the fea, ex-» cept where it joins to Afia. Necos, King of the Egyptians, being the firft of thofe, whom we know, to * Lib. iv, chap. 4a. + Lybia is the name by which the whole continent of Africa w^s called by the Greeks. ! h iPr P;i£LIMINARY DISSERTATION. f to dein(^ .Urate it. After he had defifted from dig- ging a Jitch from the Nile to the Arabian gulf (in which work above twenty thoufand Egyptians pc< rifhed ; he betook himfelf to raifing armies and building fhips, partly in the north fea* and partly in the Arabian gulf, at the Red Sea, of which they yet (how fome remains. t) He fent certain Pheni- cians in fhips, commanding them, that having pafT- ed the pillars of Hercules, they Aiould penetrate the north fea, and fo return to Egypt. The Pheni- cians therefore loofing from the Red Sea, went away into the fouthern fea, and, direding their fhips to land, made a feed time, at the end of au- tumn, that they might expe6i a harveft, and might afliduoufly coaft Lybia. Then, having gathered the harvefl, they failed. J Thus, two years being confumed ; in the third year, coming round the pillars of Hercules, they returned to Egypt ; re- porting things which with me have no credit, but may perhaps with others, that in failing round Lybia they had the Sun on the right hand'§ In this manner it was firfl known. ' -. * "In the fecond place, the Carthaginians, have faid, that a certain Satafpes, fon of Tcafpis * By the north fea is meant the Mediterranean, which lies north of Egypt. + Lib. ii, chap. 48. J " Into whatever part of Lybia featnen came, they waited for harveft, and when they had reaped, they loofed from the Ihore." (Note of Stephanus. § i. e. They being in the fouthern hemlfphere and failing nortlr ward, faw the Sun rife on the right hand. ,., , A4» ^■ 3(^ •fi '9'%' 9 Preliminary Dissertation; of Teafpis, a man of the Achamenidcs did not fail round Lybia, when he was fent ; but being deter- red by the length of the navigation and the folitude of the country, returned home, having not fulfilled the labour which his mother enjoined him. For he had violated a virgin, daughter of Zopyrus, the fon of Megabyfus ; and for that caufe, being by Xerxes condemned to be crucified, his mother, who was fiftcr to Darius, liberated him ; becaufe, ihe faid, fhe would impofe on him apunifhment greater than the King's command. Wherefore it became neceffary for him to fail round all Lybia, till he fliould come to the Arabian gulf. Xerxes confenting to this, Satafpes went into Egypt, and, having there taken a Ihip and companions, failed to the pillars of Hercules. Having pafl'ed them, and having doubled the promontory of Lybia call- ed Syloes,* he kept a fouthern courfe. Having traverfed much of the fea in many months, and find- ing much more time neceffary, he turned about and came back to Egypt. Returning to Xerxes, he re- ported, that in vifiting the rcmoteft coalts, he had ken fmall men, clothed in Phcnician garments; who, at the approach of his fhip, lied to the moun- tains and left their villages ; which he entered, and took nothing from them but cattle. He gave this rcafon for not having failed round Lybia, that his (hip could fail no farther ; but was flopped. Xer- xes did not believe him, and becaufe he had not performed * Now called Cjipc Bojador in the 26th degree of north lati- tude. ' #^ Preliminary Dissertation* 9 performed his engagement, ordered him to under- go his deftined punifhmem." /^x "• f--'^*>» To the authenticity of this circumnavigation of the African continent, the following objeftions have been made : '•'•^* ■ •• • « • ' *" •'»' «*»»« Firrt, it is fa id that** the veffcls which the ancients employed, were fo fmall as not to afford ftowage for provifions, fufficient to fubflft a crew during a longvoyage." ' '. "t,' - ^'<-^? ' Secondly, " their conflruflion was fuch that they could feldom venture to depart far from land, and their mode of fteering along the coaft was fo circuit- ous and flow, that we may pronounce a voyage from the Mediterranean to India, by the Cape of Good Hope, to have been an undertaking beyond their power to accomplifti ; in fuch a manner as to render it in any degree fubfervient to commerce. To this decifion, the account preferved by Herodo- tus of a voyage performed by fome Phenician (hips employed by the King of Egypt, can hardly be con- fidcred as repugnant."* '^ ' I have chgfen to coufider both thefe objeBiont together, becaufe that each one helps to deftroy ■ -■• -' -■ • ■ '''»^' -v' '-' .• " " ■'-;.' . the * Robertfcfh's India, p. 175, American edition. , The objeftions taken from this learned author were not ma je direftly againft the voyage mentioned by Herodotus ; but rather againft the poffibility of a paflage to India by way of the Atlantic Ocean, and round the African continent. However, as he bring? this voyage into view in the fame argument, and fpeaks of il du- bioufiy, it is conceived that his fentimcnts arc' not mifreprefented in the above quotations. lO Preliminary Dissertation. '^ the other. For if the veffels were fo fmall, as not to contain provifions for a long voyage, tliis was one reafon for the navigators to keep their courfe near the land ; that they might Bnd water, fruits, game and cattle, on the (hore, as well as R(h, on the Ihoals and rocks near the coafl, for their fubiiftance. And ifit was their defign to keep near the land, for the fake of difcovery, fmall veiTels were beft adapted to the purpofe ; becaufe they could pafs over flioals, through fmall openings, between iflands and rocks, which are generally fituate near the coaRs of great continents. Befides, ^f the veffels were fmall, they could carry but fmall crews, who would not require very large quantities of provifion. But Herodotus h(^ helped us to folve the diffi- culty refpefting provifions, in a manner perfeftly agreeable to the pra6lice of antiquity, though un- known to modern navigators. They went on ftiore and fowed corn, and when it was ripe gathered the harveft. This enables us to account for two circum- {lances attending the voyage of Necho ; the length of time employed, and the fupply of provifion, at leaft of bread, confumed in it. Nor was the fowing and reaping any lofs of time ; for the monfoons in the Indian ocean would not permit them to proceed any faftcr. A fhip failing from the Red Sea with the N. E. monfoon, in the fummer or autumn, would meet with the S. W. monfoon, in the beginning of December, which muft have detained her in fome of the harbours, on the t Preliminary Dissertation! li the eafterh eoaft of Africa, till the next April. During this time, in that warm climate^ com might be fown and reaped ; and any other articles, eitheif of provifion or merchandife, might be tak^n on board. Then the N. E. monfoon would carry* her to the fouthern parts of Africa, into the region of variable winds. This regular courfe and chang- ing of the monfoons was familiarly known to the navigators of Solomon's fhips, and was the caufe of their fpending three years, in the voyage to andfVom Ophir. « In going and returning, they changed the monfoon fix times, which made thirty fix months. They needed no longer tinie to complete the voy- age, and they could not perform it in lefs."t '^ t^*V It is not pleaded, that the voyage of Necho was undertaken for the fake of commerce ; or, if the authenticity of it were eftablifhed, that it would prove the prafticability of a voyage from the Medi- terranean to India, round the Cape of Good Hope, by the veflels then in ufe, and the nautical fkill then acquired. The voyage of which Herodotus fpeaks might have been a voyage of difcovery; fuch an one as was perfe6lly agreeable to the genius of the people by whom it was performed, and of the prince, by whofe order and at whofe expcnfe it was undertaken. " The progrefs of the Phenicians and Carthaginians, in their knowledge of the globe, was not owing entirely to the defire of extending their trade from one country to another. Com- merce was followed by its ufual effefts, among both thofe + Bruce's travels-r-B, ii, chap, 4, «iH PiCeliminary Dissertation* thofe people. It awakened curiofity, enlarged the ideas and deiires of men, and incited them to bold cnterprifes. Voyages were undertaken, the folc obje£i of which was to ^^ difcover new countries and to explore unknown fea^."* The knowledge acquired in thefe voyages of difcovery might afterwards be fubfervient to commerce ; and though the Pheni- cians might not think it convenient, to circumnavi- gate Africa, more than once, yet that they carried on a commercial intercourfe with different parts of that country, and particularly with places fituate on the eaftern coaft, in the Indian ocean, we have evi- dence from the facred writings. In the reign of Solomon " the king's ftiips with the fervants of Hiram and the navy of Tharfhifh every three years brought ivory,t apes and peacocks, befides filver and the gold of Ophir," which is with great reafon fuppofed to be the country now called Sofala on the eailern coaft of Africa, in the fouthern hemif- phere ; as the learned Bruce, in his late book of travels, has fatisfaftorily proved. The prophet Ezekiel, who was contemporary with Necho, King of Egypt, in the account which he gives of the merchandife of Tyre, enumerates fev- cral commodities, which it is well known belong to Africa, " horns of ivory and ebony, and the perfons of men."* We may form fome idea of the ftrength and materi?'s of the fliips of the Tyrians, and of their • Robertfon's America — Vol. I, p. ii, 4th edit. + a Chron. viii. 18, ix. 21. • Ezekielj chap, xxvii, ver, 1 3, 1 5. 'W'^'-' - -"^"f! Preliminary DissERtATiON. 13 their (kill in na^i ;on,fromthe following paltagcsin his apoftrophe uy h ynis. « They have made all thy fhip-boards of fir trees of Senir; they have taken cedars of Lebanon to make mafts for thee ; of th^ oaks of Baiiian have they made thine oars. Thy wife men, O Tyrus, were thy pilots. The ancients ofGebal, the wife men thereof were thy calkers. The Ihips of Tharfhifh did fmg of thee ; thou waft repleniftied and made very glorious in the midft of the feas ; thy rowers have brought thee into great waters." Though we have no particular dcf- cription of the fize or model of their (hips; yet they certainly had mafts, fails and oars; their pilots and calkers were wife men, and they were not afraid to fail in great waters,, by which is proba- bly meant the Ocean, in diftin6lion from the Medi- terranean. ^^^ ^.- ^^^__ ^ _ .J...,.i^ t ^rv. > «»*^,f.,«-.,^f :i.r. ri*j&-a<'^ Of the form and ftriifture of the Grecian veneid we have a more particular knowledge. " They were of inconfiderable burden, and moftly without decks. They had only one maft, and were ftrang- erstotheufe of anchors."* But then it muft be remembered, that " the Phenicians, who inftrufted the Greeks in other ufeful arts, did not communi- cate to them that extenfive knowledge of naviga- tion, which they themfelves poffefled.'*t We may hence conclude that the fhips of the Phenicians were fuperior to the Grecian velTels ; and we have no evidence from the ftrufture of their veffels or their mode of failing, to warrant a doubt of the abil- • Robertfon's America— Vol. 1, p. 15. f Ibid. p. 14* ^- fl. TW- /* t4 Preliminary Dissertation. ftyof theiffhips or feamen, to perform a voyagtf 1toii*id the cbrttih^nt of Africa ihthfee years. ^ ' ' I'd ah Elirbpean theorift fuch i voyage may feeiii left pA€l!cat)le than to an American. The Euro- )i/tins have' ufually etr» ployed none but fliips of great ijui'deh, ih'Aheir trade to India and China; but fincethe AmeHcans have vifited thofe countries, ilbdpis of fifty or fixty tons have failed round the Cap^tolf Good Hope to China, and round Cape Horn to the northweft coaR of America, and acrofs the north Pacific Ocean. If any doubt can yet re- main, it may be entirely removed by the recolleftion ot a voyage performed in the year 1789, by Lieii- .ji^hant Bligh' of the Britifh navy; who, being "turned adrift by his mutinous crew, traverfed the >.»4outh Pacific Ocean, above twelve hundred , %agues, in a bpat of twenty three feet long, with- . . vout a deck, in much ftormy weather, with fcanty provifions; and having pafled many dangerous >ifocks and ihoals, among unknown iilands, arrived in forty one days at a Dutch fettlement in Timor, .one of the Moluccas.* The pbj eftions then againft the reality of Necho's voyage, from the fize and ^ ftruEiure p^ the Phenician vefiels, and the want of ' proviiion, are not fo formidable on examination, as ■ 1 at the firft appearancct '%Wikk:i^'W -^ M . * v^ * • Set til* pHhted narrative dv Lieut, mieii, ' " , '? "■'■..■ * •' ° ': - -^ I ■■•■■,;»" r"''''i t'l'f ^ + Sinte this diflertatioh Was fent to the prefsj kave met with Aei following account 6f an adventure which adds to the credibil- ity of the circumnavigation of Africa in fmall embarkations. In t, I •^ift' Preliminary DissERTAtiON. i^ J[ A third objeftion againft the credibility of iTiis early circumnavigation is, that P^veral writers of the greatell eminence among the ancients, and moft diftinguifhed for their knowledge of geogra- phy, regarded this account rather as an amuiinj^ tale, than the hiftory of a real tranra6tion ; and^ either entertained doubts concerning the poffibility of failing round Africa, or abfoluteiy denied it.*^ t That ' ■ In 1534 when the Portiiguefe had eflabUihed a government in India; Badur King of Kambaya being at war with the greajC Mogul (ought a(fiftanc$ from the Portugueie and offered them the liberty of building a fort at Diu. As foon as this liberty was granted and the plan of the fort was drawn, James Botello a per« ion (kilful in the affairs of India, having been in Aifgnct with JohnKingof Portugal, and being anxious to reccveir the favour of that Prince refoived to carry the firft news of it to him. Hav- ing obtained a copy of the plan he let out firom India in a bark of Jixteenfeet and a half long, nine broad and four and a half deep : with three Portuguefe, two others, and his own flavei. He pretended that he was going to Kambaya, but whin he wac oilt atfea, made known his defign to go to Lifbon ; at which they were all aftoniihed. Being overcome by fair words they proceeded on their way, till finding themfelves reduced to diflrefs, the flaves agreed to kill Botello ; but after killing a fervant they were put to death themfelves. With the lour who remained, Botello held on his courfe, doubled the ibuthern cape of Africa and at length arrived at Lifbon ; where the bark was immediately burnt ; that no man might fee it was poOible to perform that voyage in fo fmall a velTel. The King was greatly pleafed with the news, and reftored Botello to his favour, without any other reward for fo darine an adventure. ;., - See a colleflion of Voyages and Travels, in qumrto, printed at London, 1745, by Thomas AfMey. Vol. 1. p. 82. ♦ Robertfon's India, p. 175. ,, ' ^ I.- ^ 16 Prsliminary Dissertation. ' i V That the Roman geographers and hiftorians did doubt and difbclieve the (lory is very evident ; and* the Cetufes are not far to be fought. .^ The firft was the jealoufy of the Phe'hicians. •• Whatever acquaintance with the remote regions df the earth the Phenicians or Carthaginians acquir- cdf was concealed from the reft of mankind with a mercantile jealoufy. Every thing relative to the courfe of navigation was a fecret of ftate, as well as a myftery of trade. Extraordinary fafts are recorded concerning their folicitude to prevent other nations from penetrating intb what they wifh-* cd (hould rerhain undivulgcd."* One of thefe extraordinary fafts is thus related by Strabo. The Romans, being deiirous to difcover the places^ whence the Carthaginians fetched tin and amiber, " fent a veflel, with orders to fail in the wake of a' Phenician veHel. This being obferved by the Carthaginian, he purpofely ran his vefli^l am9ng rocks and fand banks ; fo that it was loft, together with that of the inquifitive Roman. The patriotic tommander of the former was indemnified for his lofsby his countrv.''t ,,....., . , ., , * A iecond reafon was the pride of the Rpmanl. If, as Pope tells us, V " With honeft fcorn, the firft fam'cl Cato view'd ''W^ Rdme, learning arU from Greece whom flie fubdu'd j" *the fame pride would make their wife men fcdrn'fo learn geography or navigation, theoretically, from thole who were heft able to teach them. It is ac- ^, ,,4.." , knowledged ♦ Robertfon's America, vol. i, p. ig. ' + Forllci's Hiftory of Voyages and Difcoverics, chap, i. 1^ ^tUif-'% Pr£Liminaiiy Dissertation. »7 knowledged that the Romans «* did not" imbibe that > commercial fpirit and ardor for difcovery which d|ftingv>ilhed their rivals."* It muft alfo be obferv- ed, that there was but little intercourfc between them; and that the Carthaginians were deficient in thofe fciences for which the Romans were famous. Among the Phenicians and Cardiaginians, the ftudy^ and knowledge of their youth were confined to writ- ^ ing, arithmetic, and mercantile accounts; whildf/ polite literature, hiftory and philolbphy were in- little repute; and by a law of Carthage, the ftudyr'^ of the Greek language was prohibited; left any,H communication (hould be carried on with their eT:f nemies.t i\ third reafon was the opinion which the wifeft men among the Romans had formed, and to which/ they obftinately adhered, concerning the fivoj- zones, and the impoflibility of pailing from ons.;** hemifphere to the other, becaufe of the torrid zone k lying between. This doftrine of the zones is fo fully rcprefented by Dr. Robertfon,J that I need only refer the reader to what he has written on the *^ ftibje£l. ! . vt- . But notwithftanding the doubts and the infidehV ty of the Roman pbilofophers, and tlie great def- ' crence paid to them by this learned and cautious inquirer; there is one circumftance which almoji convinced him of the reality of Necho's voyage, • Robertfon's America, vol. i, p. 14. + RolHn's Ancient Hiftory, book ii, part i, fcfl, y, J Robertfon's America, vol. i, note 8. as }nU,r .SCIT Ul 4^y* V^'A' TT \t i-ir.if \ .8 Preliminary Dissertation* ■;> as related by Herodotus. It is this, that the PheU iiicians, in failing round Africa, " had the Sun ok their right hand;'* which Herodotus, with hit ufual jtiodefty and candor fays, " with me has no credit, though it may with others." On this the Dodbr, judicioufly remarks, "The fcience of aftronOiiiy was in that early period fo imperfeft, that it was by experience only, that the Phenicians could come at the knowledge of this faft ; they durft not, without this, have ventured to aflert what would have appeared to be an improbable fiftion."* In- deed if they had not known it by experience, there is not the leaft conceivable reafon for their invent- ing fuch a report j nor even for the entrance of fuch an ideajnto their imagination. The modeft doubt of Herodotus is another argument in favour bf the truth and genuinenefs of it ; for as he had 410 experience to guide him, and the idea was new, it was very proper for him to hefitate in admitting it, though he fliowed his impartiality by inferting it in his relation. So much for the voyage performed by the Phe- ^ hicians under the orders of Necho, which is the Jirfl; proof produced by Herodotus, of his pofition, that " Lybia is furrounded by the fea, except where it joins Afia." ' ' Hiifecond proof is not fo conclufive, nor is the defign of his introducing it fo obvious. It is the relation of a voyage undertaken by Satafpes a Per- fian, whofe punifhment was commuted from cruci- fixion * Robertfon's India, note 54» , 4t r \ Phe-' the ition, vherc ' « ^ the 5 the Per- ruci- n P^£LiMiNAtiY Dissertation. jo fixiori'to failing round Lybia; which vdyage he; began, but returned by the fame route, not having completed it. The rcafon vhich he gave for re- turning was, that ^ his (hip was (topped and could fail UQ farther," which hisfovereigndidiiot believe, and therefore pUt him to death, to which he had ^before been condemned. |, The only evidence which this (lory cin afford is, that the circumnavigation of the African con- , tinent was^ at that time, thought pra6licable The mother of Satafpes thought fo, or (he would not have propofed it ; and Xerxes thdtight to^ or he would not have difbelieved th^ (lory of the (hip being (lopped ; by which expreflioh was meant that the fea was no farther navigable, by reafon of land. The exa6l date of this Voyage is not alcertarA* ed ; but as Xerxes reigned twelve years, slnd died \in the year 473 before Chrift, it could hot have ; been much more than thirty year&, preceding tbe ' time when Herodotus publilhed his hiflory. The voyage of Hanno, the Carthaginian, is thus briefly mentioned by Pliny : ** In the flourilhing ' date of Carthage, Hanno having failed round from Gade^ [Cadiz] to the border of Arabia, com- mitted to writing an account of his voyage ; as did Himilco, who was at the fame time fent to difcover the extreme parts of Europe."* The charaQer of Plinyj as a hiftorian, is, that " he coUefted from all authors, ,.>'s • Pliny's Natural Hiftory, lib* 8, cap. 67. B a > t * 'w 20 PRELIMINAIIY JDlSSERTATION. authors, good and bad, who had written before him ; and that his work is U mixture of truth and error, which it \i difficult t6 fcparate." Art in- ftancCj in confinnsltion df this remark, occtifs in this very thaptef ; where he fpeiks of fotht mer- chants, failing from India, and thrown bya tcm- peft, on the coaft of Germany. He aHbmemiotis a voyage, made by Eudoxus, from . the At^him 'gulf to Gades ; and ftnothfcr of Cdelius Aritipat«r, from Spain tb Ethiopia. ''"-*' "^ Of thefe voyages, that of Hanno is bell amhenk ticated. He failed from Carthage with fixty gal- lies, each carrying fifty oars, having oh board thirty thoufand men and women, with prpvifions and articles of tfaific. The deHgn of this equip- ment was to plant colonies along the weftcrn fhorc of Africa, which the Carthaginians, fro.n priority of difcovery, and from its contiguity to their ter- ritory, confidcred as their own dominion. Haii- 00 was abfent five years, on this colonizing expe- ditioji ; but there is no certainty of his having pro- ceeded any farther fouthward, than the bay of Benin, in the eighth degree of north latitude. A fragment of his journal, which, at his return, he depofited in the temple of Saturn, at Carthage, is now extant ; and though it has been treated as fabulous by feveral authors, ancient and modern, yet, its authenticity has been vindicated by M. Bougainville, in the 26th volume of the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Infcriptions and Belles Lettres; m '\ Preliminary >Di5SERTATioii;l I^etues ; whefca French tranflation of ii i* given:* rom Uie Qrcek, into vrluch l»n|*i»ge it was ren» dere4 froiB the original Punic :u . » ) - '.^ Concfirniog. die voyage of Eudoxus^ the fol-i lowing account is given by Bruce.* He was fent by PtoJomy Euergetes^ as an ambaflador to India, to remove, tiie ba4 c(fe6ls €( the King's ccMiduB in the beginning of his reign, who had extorted con* tribuiions from merchants of that aqd other trad- ing countries. Eudoxus returned after the King's death, and was wrecked on the coaft of Ethiopia y wherp he difcovered the prow of a fhip, which had? fuffered the fame fate. It was the hgure of a horfe ;: and a failor, who had been employed in European voyages, knew tliis to have been part of one of thofe veflels, whiqh traded on the Atlantic ocean ; of which trade Gades was the principal port. This circumllance amounted to a proof, tihat diere was a paflage round Africa, from the Indian to the Atlani^ tic ocean. The difcoVery was oT no greater im- portance to any perfon, than to Eudoxus himfelf ; for, fometimc afterward, falling under the difpiea- fure of Ptolemy Lathyrus, and being in danger of his life, he fled ; and embarking on the Red Sea,^ failed round Africa and came to Gades. This voyage of Eudoxus was treated as a fabl^ by Strabo, the Roman geographer, who wrote about a century and a half after the time when it is faid to have been performed. The true caufe of the in- ! ^»;"5if ^^.,^■¥* . I>'^I K' credulity * Travels, book Ii, chap. 5. The voyage of Eudoxus was orig* iiially written by Pofidonius, but I have not met with that autho A • 1^ 1 * 1 il 1 / 28 .# PRKLIMINAHY DlStERTATlOH. M credulity of him and of other Roman authors in,' rcfpe£l to thefe voyages and difcoveries, wai :h6 doctrine of the zones ; to which they inilexihly \ ailhered) s^nd which entirely precluded all copi ^ vi£iion. , I . \ Thefe are all the evidences which I hav« had opportunity to examine refpe6iing the queftion of the circumnavigation of Africa,^ and, upon the^-^ whole, there appears to be this peculiarity attending the fubje£l, that it was believed by thofe who liv-« ed neareft to the time when the voyage of Necho is faid to have been made ; and, that in propor- tion to the diftance of time afterward, it was doubt- ed, difbelieved and denied ; till its credibility was cftablifhed beyond all doubt by the Portueuefp ad- venturers in the fifteenth century. f The credibility of the Egyptian or Phenician voyages, round the continrfTt of Africa, being ad- mitted, and the certainty of the Carthaginian voyr ages and cqlonies on the weftern flipre of Africa being eftablifhed ; we may extend our inquiry to the probability of what has been advanced \>y fome writers, and doubted or denied by others, the popu- lation of fome part of America froni beyond \h^ Atlantir. -.v-f .■c-'-^. ,*♦...>■ n''' ' I") ■■ Atlantic, .^^■1^^ ■ >*. '.'.■..>%. .!>.'• .JN.._ .f .'.t'l f Dr. Forfievy in his biftory of voyages anc( flifcoyenes^chap. i) refers to three German authors, Gefner^ Schlozer and Michadis, whfv have written on this fubjeft, and obferves, that " the circum- of Africa by the Phenicians and Egyptians is proved navig.",t. • ,iflcnJ«irtion. Prbliminarv Dissertation. «8 The difcovcry of the Canary iflands by the Car- . thaginians isafaft well attellcd. Pliny Ipeaks of them as then deftitute of inhabitants, but containing (vejligia tedificiorum) he rcuiaiiis of buildings. From this circumftance, it niitft appear, thar they had been inhabited before the Carthaginian diicov cry. In Plutarch's time, the Fortunate Iflands were riL': only inhabited, but were fo celebrated tor their J. / ..iity, that they were fuppofed to be the feat of tfee blelTed. When Madeira and Porto Santo were difcover- cd by the Nonnans and Portuguefe, both were un- inhabited. A queftion then arifes, if thefe iflands were fometimes inhabited and at other times defrrt- ed, what became of their inhabitants ? It muft have been fome uncommon event which could induce them to abandon fo plealant and fruitful a countr; ' without leaving a fingle family behind. If they periftied in the iflands, it is ftill more extraordinary ; for it is a moft Angular circumftance that all the inhabitants ot any place fliould be deftroyed and yet the place itfelf remain. George Glas, who publilh- ed ahiftory of thefe iflands in 1764, attempts to folve the inquiry thus.* '\r,r " Almoft two thirds of the Canary iflands are eoyered with calcined rocks, pumice ftones, and black aflics, which have been formerly thrown out from volcanos ; the remains of which are ftill to be feen, in every one of thefe iflands. Many of the j«,v> "•■"I • Page 167, 4to. natives , ,-1 ,n . .. . , , H l^RELiMlMARY DlSSERTATIO!l#»* ni natives might have been deftroyed by thefe "^'iolent eruptions, and the remainder being terrified, might abandon their country, and go in queft of new habi- tations: but, where they went, is a queftion not eafi- ly folved ; tliough fome aflert, that they pafTed over to America." An event exaftly fimilar is faid by the fame author to have happened about thirty years before he wrote.* " A \ olcano broke out in the S. W. part of the ifland of Lancerotta, near the fea, but remote from habitation ; which threw out fucb an immenfe quantity of afhes and ftones, with fo dreadful a noife, that many of the natives deferted their houfes, and fled to Fuertaventura, another ifland, for the prefervation of their lives." But, whether wf admit the conjeBure, that, be- ing thus obliged to quit the iflands, they " paffed over to America," or not ; yet it is extremely probable, that, in fome of the ancient circumnavi- gations of Africa, or in paffing to and from thefe iflands, or even in coafting the continent from the ftraights of Gibraltar, fome velTels might be drawn by currents or driven by tempells, within the verge of the trade wind ; " which begins not far to the fbuthward of the ftraights, and blows nine months of the year, on the coaft of Morocco." In this cafe, it would be next to iinpoflible, for thofe who had met' with any confiderable damage in their mafts, lails, or rigging, to run in any other direftion, tjian before the wind to the weftward ; and this courfc * Page noo. Preliminary Dissertation. «5 Courfe mud' bring them to the continent, or iflands of America. ^tT"j^}t<^*?^iif:)l^«*' nV^^' W^:i*^^^'-^-'f'-'^ir In confirmation of this remark, feveral faQs have been adduced by way of proof. One is thus relat- ed by Glas;* " A few years ago, a fmall bark laden with corn and palfengers, bound' from Lan- cerotta to TencrifFe, met with fome difafter at fea^ by which (he was rendered incapable of getting to any of the Canary iflands ; and was obliged to run many days before the wind, till Ihe came within two days fail of the coaft of Caraccas, in South America ; where fhe met an Englifli fhip, which fupplied the furviving paffengers with water, and direfted her to the port of La Guiara, on that coaft." La Guiara is one of the ports to which the traH from the Canaries is reftrifted by the King of pain ; and the run thither from Teneriffe is gene- rally performed in lefs than thirty days, with the trade wind.t "" • / ' • - Another faft is taken from GumillaJ who fays ; *' In December 1731, whilft I was at the town of St. Jofeph in the ifland of Trinidad, a fmall veflel of Teneriffe, with fix feamen, was driven into that ifland by ftrefs of weather. She was laden with vine, and bound for one other of the Canary iflands; flie had provifion only for a few days, which, notwithftanding the utmoft care, had been expended, and the crew fubfifted wholly on wine. ,' '''" They * Introduction, 'page 5- " ' ' ' + ibid, page 329, 333. J Cited by Edwards, in his Inftory of tlie W, Indies, vol. i, p. 109. 96 Prelimii^ary Dissertation. 1 ^!i'; They w?re reduced to the laft extremity ; and were received with aftoniftiment by the inhabi- tants) who ran in crowds to fee them. Their ema- ciated appearance would have fufficiently confirm- ed the truth of their ftory, if the papers, which they produced, had not put the matter beyond all doubt." .,,v. .-^..^ ,-^-^ ..^^ ^ ■ _- r-^^.T,., A third faft is related by Herrera, the royal Spanifh hiftorian.t Cohimbus in his fecond voyage to America, having difcovtred the ifland of Gua- daloupe, ** found a piece of timber belonging to a Ihip, which the feamen call the ftern poft ; which they much admired, not knowing which way it fliould come thither, unlefs carried by tempeliuous weather, from» the Canaries, or from the ifland Hifpaniola," where the Admiral's fhip was call a- way in his former voyage. Ferdinand Columbus, in the life of his father,J does not direftly aflerl this ; but fpeaks of their finding " an iron pan ;** and endeavours to account for it, by faying that the (tones there being of the colour of iron, a per- fon of an indifferent judgment might miftake the one for the other." Not content with this folution he goes on thus ; " though it were of iron, it was not to be admired, becaufe the Indians of the ifland of Guadaloupe, being Carribbees, and making their excurfions to rob, as far as Hifpaniola; per- haps they had that pan, of the Chriflians, or of the other Indians of Hifpaniola; and it ispofTiblc they might jk'i + Decad. i, book ii, chap. 7. J Chapter 47, in Chiinliiirs roUeflions, vol, ii. \ Freliminary Dissertation. 27 might carry the body of the Jhip the Admiral loft, to make ufe of the ifon ; and though it were not the hulk of that fhip ; it might be the remainder of fome other wreck, carried thither by the wind and cur- rent from our parts." The improbability of the Indians having carried *« the body or hulk of the fhip, which the Admiral loft," from the northern fide of Hifpaniola, to the caftern fide of Guadaloupe, will appear from the diftance; which is not lefs than two hundred leagues, in a direftion oppofite to the conftant blow- ing of the wind. Nor will Herrera's conjefture, that the ftem poft of the Admiral's fliip was carried thither by a tempeft, be readily admitted, by any who are acquainted with the navigation of the Weft Indies ; for it muft have pafled through a multi- tude of iflands and rocks ; and, without a miracle, could fcarcely have come entire, from fo great a diftance in fuch foul feas. But the difficulty is farther increafed, by confidering what Don Ferdi- nand and Herrera have both afferted ; that when Columbus had loft his ftiip, " he built a fort with the timber, whereof he loft no part, but made ufe of it all ;*** and this fort was afterward burnt' by the natives. If therefore there be any truth in the ftory of the ftcrn poft found at Guadaloupe ; it muft have belonged to fome other veflel, either foundered at fea, or wrecked on the ftiore. Under f Life qi Columbus, chap, xxxlv, Ileireft, book i, chap. 18* J3S' 28 pRELlMlft^ARY DISSERTATION. Under the head of fortuitous vifits to the Ai..o- rlcan continent, may be included a circumjftance; meptioned by Peter Martyr ;t that not far from a plac^ called Quarequa in the gulf of Darien, Vafco Nunez met with a colony of negroes. From the fmallnefs of their number it was fuppofed they had not been long arrived on that coalt. J Thefe • negroes could have come in no other veflels but canoes; a circumftance by no means incredible^ tptjiofe who have read the accounts of Cook, and otbernavigators of the tropical feas. ,5 , t^j ,i«v,ji^ir?4 To thefe fafts may be added, the cafual difcovery of Brazil, by the Portuguefe commander, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, in his voyage to India in the year 1500 ; an account of which is preferved by Dr, Robertfon.} " In order to avoid the calms near the coaft c^ Africa, he ftood out to fea ; and kept fo far to the weft, that, to his furprize, he found himfelf on the fhore of an unknown c6untry, in the tenth degree of fouth latitude. He imagined at firft, that it was fome ifland in the Atlantic Ocean ; but proceeding along its coaft, for feveral days, he was gradually led to ^believe, that a country fo ex- tenfive formed a part of fome great continent." Thefe inftances may ferve as fo many fpecimens of the manner, in which America might have prov- ed 8^n afylum, to fom.e of the ancient navigators of • ... the - + De orbe novo, Decad. iii, chap. i. X Edwards' hift. Weft Indies, vol. i, p. no. . § Hift. America, vnl, i, p. 151. . s Preliminary Dissertation. 29 ■■■™^ ihe African coafts, or of the Canary iflands ; and being arrived, it would be impoffible for them to return. The fame winds which brought them hith- er, continuing to blow from the eaftward, woltld cither difcOurage them from making the attemptydr oblige them to put back if they had made it. No argument then can be drawn from hence, in favour of a mutual intercourfe, between this and the old continent. Thofe who would prove, that America was known to the ancients, muft produce better evi- dence, than they have yet produced, if they con- tend for any other knowledge, than what was acquir- ed by cafual difcoverers, who never returned. The opinion that America was peopled, in part, by the Phenicians, was long fince maintained by Hornius ; and, though rejected by many fucceed- ing writers, has been lately revived by Bryan Ed- wards,* a well informed nierchant of the ifland of Jamaica. He extends the argument no farther, than to the Charaibe nation ; who inhabited the Windward Iflands, and fome part of the fouthern continent ; " whofe manners and charafteriftic features denote a different anceftry, from the gene- rality of the American nations." In fupport of tliis opinion, he has produced, perhaps, as mucli evidence from a fimilarity of mannelrs and language, as a fubjeft of fuch remote antiquity can admit. To this elegant work I muft refer the reader, and fhall add one only remark, arifing from the preceding * Ilift, W. Indies, vol. f, p. 103. ^t; m ■^ 80 Preliminary Dissertation. preceding obfervations ; that if any acceflion of inhabitants was made to America, by the dcfuhory migration of the Phenician or Carthaginian navi- gators, it is mod rational to look for them between the tropics; the very place where the Charaibe« were found. ■ ^., ■ . ' < ''>fi? ■ }^tt- ■■ .' ■ 1 ■ .' • -» n ^ i; t t^'.i'iVi , •■. na*- • '. .^ •: ■■' rj .f, .,■,;■!: .rtJ^ ■ ;',;:. ■ '. » ' - ■ • '';/ lix:^- -4. 1 ' * .'i ■' -■ • n .-yr v. . . ;.••:: ;•>'■. ilJ'W^ ■ -vvl : t .. i >-.. '■■■■ .■;>; ■ 1 ■ '' ; A Chronobgicdl . 1 ■-;= , \ , ■ .,.-.. ..;: ■■■■ }■■ ■ ■ ..*. ' < ■ . ■■:■■ •: If 'i ■ ;• :,■■ 'I' '. * .i . . 1 » ' ,•:-' ^•'•iU.!/ 'j ;'. «, ■ vH?*->. ' - '1 /', :. 1 • ■ - '■ .'.- i i" ' *( - .,'v^ ,:...;, ,^ 'i . .i^_. ' . '■■ * i ■ • : ■ ■ » : .: , ; . ^- 1, :• "-t 1 • • ' ' \ i ' v i : . V '..u • .."'■;/• "S V ».^ ^i/ 4;«^iiB «i^ 'M'-^* ^4 jff ¥ i J.I # : t a^i A Chronological Detail of Adventures and Dijcoveriesy made by the Kv rope an Nations, m America, before the EJlabliJhment oj the Council ©/"Ply- mouth, in 1620. i'^K Thofe marked with f^ are more particularly enlarged upon in the , . Lives of the Ad venturer!. ^ ; • ' .•«r% . ' J* IJIRON, a Norman, accidentally dif- A0m covered a country which was afterward call- ed Winland ; and is fuppofed to be a part of the ifland of Newfoundland. Crantz, Pontoppidan. 1170. MADOC, prince of Wales, emigrated ; 8f^ and, it is thought, difcovered a new country in the weft. . Hakluyt. 1 . - An ifland called Eftotiland, was ^^* ed by a fiflierman of Frijland ; as difcover- as related by Zeno. Hakluyt, 1492. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, in the §1:3" fervice oi Spain, difcovered GuanaAtin; and other iflands, called Bahamas and Antilles, Ferd. Columbus. 1493. COLUMBUS made a fecond voyage, and difcovered Dominica and other iflands, called CdJn'^^^fi. ibid. i^gy, JOHN CABOT, with his fon SEBAS- acr TIAN, in the fervice of Henry VII^ of England, difcovered the ifland of Newfound' land and fome parts of a wcftern Continent; m .?!«;; 32 J498 J 499 1500 1503 1512 1513 ' A Chronological Detail OF as far northward as lat. 45% and as far fouth- ward as lat. 38°. i* Haklyt. COLUMBUS made a third voyage, and diTcovered the weftern continent, in lati- tude 10°, N. : ,. ^ - Ferd. Col. OJEDA, « private adventurer, and AM- ERIGO VESPUCCI followed the track of Columbus, and difcovcred the weftern continent ; of which Amerigo, after his re- turn to Europe,-wrote an account, and pub- lifhcd it. From which, the continent ob- tained the name of AMERICA. Robert/on. CABRAL, in the fervice of Portugal, bound to India, difcovered by accident, the contineikof America,in lat.io°fouth ; which was called Brafil. ibid. COLUMBUS made his fourth and laft voyage to the new continent, in queft of a paffage through it to India. Ferd. Col. JOHN PONCE, in the fervice of Spain^ difcovered the new continent, in the lati- tude of 30" N, and called it Florida, Herrera. VASCO NUNEZ, a Spaniard, travelled acrofs the ifthmus of Darien, and from a mountain, difcovered on the other fide of ihfi continent an (?cf King of Spain* j^* -r-^ .\ r p -VtV^ t-t ihid, iSao FERDINAND DE MAGELLANES, rsKjUf a Portuguefe, in the fervice of Spain, palfed (cw ': , . through the ftrait which bears his name, and ■>\>f:. A failed acrofs the South Sea, to which he gave !» the name of Pacific. -He difcovered the 4.. ^ vi Philippine iflands, and was there killed in a '. ,t> (kirmilh wi h the natives. The fhip, un- ^ j^.y dcr the cv^rr.mand of Sebastian del ;t ':'\a \t $ •* 35 C ARTIER made a third voyage to Canada, built a fort ajid began a fettle- 1541 ment, which he called CharUburg, 4 leagues ,,or above the Port de St. Croix. He broke up the fettlement and failed to Newfound- land. Hakluyt. ROBERVAL, with three fhips and 200 perfons, going to recruit the fettlement in Canada, met Cartier at Newfoundland, and would have obliged him to return ; but he gave him the flip and failed for France. RoBERVAL proceeded up the river St- Lawrence 4 leagues above the ifland of Orleans, where he (bund a convenient har- bour and place for a fortification. Here he built a fort, and remained over the winter. The next year he returned to France with his colony i m . >♦ ibid. '■ , During the fucceeding thirty years the paffion for difcovery took another direftion. Adventurers frorti Europe were feeking a paflage to India and China by the N. E. but were prevented from accomplifliing their views, by the cold and ice of thofe inhofpitable regions. Forjler. '' In this interval, the French of Brittany, the Spaniards of Bifcay, and the Portu- guefe, enjoyed the fiftiery on the banks of Newfoundland, without interruption. Purchas. C 2 1562 i'l III ll I! I : II 36 1562 A-CiiKoNOLOGicAL Detail of Under the patronage of Ciiatillok,^ High Admiral of France, JOHN RI- . *i-*:BAI/r attempted a fettlcment in Florida. ,y.- -K \\q entered a river, in lat 32% on the firll of Mky j whicli, from that circumllance, ' hj named the River May^, and the entrance he called Port Royal. Here he built a • ibrt, which in honour of Charles IX, of .: France, he called Fort Charles. After his departure, the people mutinied and return- ed to France. Hakluyl and Purchas. 156] LAUD0NIF:RK renewed the fettle- mcnt and called the country Carolina^ after the reigning monarch of France. This colony ,was on good terms with the na- tives; but fuffered by famine. They were relieved bv Sir John Hawkins, an Eng- lifhuian, who olfered to carry them to Franco ; but the hope of finding ^/v^r in- duced them to Hay, till Rib alt arrived 1565 with feven fail of veffels. PEDRO MELENDES,in the fervicc of Spain, came with a fuperior force, killed Ribalt and mod of his company, and took. poITcdion of the country, building three forts. - .'. ibid. • 1568 GOURGUES, from France, with die help of the natives, who hated the Span- iards, broke up the Spaififli fetdemcnts in Florida, and returned to France, leaving the country dcfart. . ibid. 157^ Adventurf.s and Discovkrif.s. 37 1576 All attcinpLs to find a N. E. pafFagc to India being fiulliaicd, MARTIN FROB- ISIIER, in the Icrvice oF Elizabeth, Qucc!^ oF England, failed in fcarcli oF a N. W. pafFagc. ■ . ^ 1577 He made a Fccond voyage. 1578 He made a third voyage. * Thcfe voyages were made to Greenland^ awd produced no material difcovcry. He Failed through a ftrait which Hill bears his name, but is now impallablc by reafbn oF fixed ice. »/ Ilakluyt ?i\\(\ Cranlz. ■ Sir FRANCIS DRAKE being on a cruiFe againll the Spaniards in the South Sea, landed on the continent oF America^ northward oF California, took pofleffion oF a harbour, and called the circumjacent jp country between lat. 38° and 42", New^ Albion. Hakluyt. 1579 Sir HUMPHRY GILBERT, obtain- ed oF Queen Elizabeth a patent For all grj- countries not pofFefFed by any Chriltian Prince. Purchas. 1583 GILBERT Failed to Netofoundland ; took Formal poireflTion oF it and oF the con- tinent oF North America, For the Crown oF, \ England. In his return his fliip Foun- dered, and he was loft. ibid. Sir ADRIAN GILBERT, obtained of Queen Elizabeth, a patent For the diFcovcrv C3 ilU'f 3(1^' A Chronological Detail of difcovery of a N. W. paffage ; to remain in force five years. ' Hakluyt. ^584 Sir WALTER RALEIGH,* obtained of Queen Elizabeth, a patent for lands not polfefTed by any Chriltis^n Prince ; by virtue of which he fent PHIUPAMADAS ^nd ARTHUR BARLQW to explore the country called by the Spania^-ds Florida. ibid. 1585 Under the authority of Gilbert's patent, JOHN DAVIS failed from Eng- land in fearch of a N. W. paifage. 1586 lie made a fecond voyage. 1587 He mfide a third voyage. DAVIS explored the weftern coafl; of Greenland, and p?irt qf the oppofite coaft of the continent of America ; the flj[Siit between them bears his name. He aifo difcovered another ftrait which he callecf Cumberland. • Hakluyt. ^585 Sir Walter Raleigh fent Sir RICHARD GRENVILLE toFlorida. He landed a colony of 100 people at Roanoak^ and returned. ibid. ^586 l^iR FRANCIS DRAKE returning from his expedition againft the Spaniards, took the colony x)n board and carried them to Englz^nd. ibid. f See life of John Smith. Sir w Adventures and Discoveries. 3g Sir RICHARD GRENVILLE arriv- ed after their departure and landed anoth- er fmaller colony. r < ^'^^-^^ 1587 Sir Walter Raleigh fent another company under the command of JOHN WHITE, to colonize the country which Queen Elizabeth called Virginia, in honour of her own Virginity. The fecond colony were not to be found. One hun- dred and fifteen perfons were landed to make a third colony, and the governor returned to England for fupplies, Purchas. 1590 GEORGE WHITE was fent* to Vir- ginia, but finding none of the third colony living, returned to England. ihid. 1592 JUAN DE FUCA, a Greek, in the fcr- |l3" vice of Spain, was fent by the Viceroy of Mexico to difcover a N. W. paflage, by ex- ploring the weftern fide of the American continent. He difcovered a ftrait which bears his name in the 48th degree of N, latitude, and fuppofed it to be the long de- fired pafTage. Purchas, 1593 HENRY MAY, an Englifhman, return- ing from the Eaft Indies in a French fhip, was wrecked on the ifland of Bermuda, where he {'ounA fwine ; from which circum- ftance, it appeared, that fome other vcffel had been there before. The company C 4 built 40^ m 1593 or ^594. 1598 1600 1602 A Chronological Detail of built a boat of cedar, caulked it, and payed the feams with lime mixed with turdes' fat, and failed to Newfoundland ; wherice they got a pafl'age to England. Hakluyt. GEORGE WEYMOUTH failed from England to difcover a N. W. paflage. He vifited th9 coaft of Labrador, and failed 30 miles up an inlet in the latitude of 56° ; but made no material difcovery. Forjler. DE LA ROCHE obtained, from Hen- ry IV, of France, a commiflion to con- quer Canada, and other countries not pof- fcfled by any Chriftian Prince. He failed from France with a colony of convith from the prifons ; landed 40 on the ijle of Sable. After fevcn years, the furvivors, being 12 in number, were taken off, and carried home to France; where Henry pardoned them, and gave them 50 crowns each, as a recompcnfc for their fufferings. Purchas. Forjler. Q. ELIZABETH eftabliflied, by char- ter, a company of merchants in England ; with an exclufive privilege of trading to the Eaft Indies. Tablet of Memory* BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD, an Englifhman, difcovercd a promontory on the American coafl, in lat. 42°, to which he gave the name of Cape Cod. He landed on an ifland which he called EUzahttJi, and built ■'i V Adventures akd Discoveries* 41 He ( . . built a finall fort; but the fame fummer returned to England. , ftjir!?«i Purchas. 1603 DE MONTS obtained of Henry IV, of France, a patent for the planting of V Acadia and Canada, from lat. 40° to 46°. '.I " s ■»'"'■■ • .^ urn'i.irf i-.ji'Hx 4"^?."yj:^!^f tiit-,' ibid. 3f3- SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN failed up the Great River of Canada, and returned to France the fame year. , ,,r, ;,-4; ibid. 1 ^04 DE MONTS failed from France taking Champlain and Champdore for pilots, and PouRTRiNcouRT who intended a fet- tlement in America. They difcovcrcd " and began plantations at Port Royal, Si. Johns and Si. Croix, in the Bay of Funda. POURTRINCOURT introduced two Jefuits into Port Royal ; but fome contro- verfy arifing, the Jefuits went to Mount De- fart and began a p'lantation there. ibid. 1605 GEORGE WEYMOUTH failed on a fccond voyage to difcover a N. W. paf- fage ; but falling fliort, made the land in 41° 30'; thence failed to 43" 20^ and dif- covered a great river fuppofed to be either Kcnebeck or Penohfcot ; took on board five of the natives and returned to England. He put in at Plymouth ; and delivered three 03* of them to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, then Governour of Plymouth. Gorges. 1606 JAMES I, King of England, by patent, divided Virginia into two diilrifts, called North 4a A Chronological Detail op 1607 North and South Virginia. The fouthern part, fituate between 34" and 41% he grant- ed to a London Company ; the northern part, fituate between 38* and 45°, he grant- ed to a Plymouth Company. Neither of them were to plant within 100 miles of the other. Purchas. CHAMPLAINjby order of De Monts, failed up the River of Canada and fortified Quebecy the name of a ftrait in the river. ibid. HENRY HUDSON, in the fervice of the Englifh Eaft India Company, failed in queft of a N. W. paffage. He attempted to pafs ^o the E. of Greenland, and difcov- ered Spitzbergen. He failed as far N. as 82* ; but, finding the fea obftrufted by ice, returned. Forjler. CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT failed to South Virginia, and began a colony at Jfamestown, Edward Wingfield was tCf" Prefident, but JOHN SMITH wasthe life and foul of the colony. Smith. Purchas. GEORGE POPHAM* failed to North Virginia and began a plantation at Sagada^ hock, of which he was Prefident. In the winter, the fhips returned to England, leav- ing 45 perfons behind. Their Prefident 1608 dying, the next fpring they broke up the plantation • Sec the Life of F. Gorges. t-^- ,; Adventures and Discoveries. 43 < planution and went back ti England. This winter was remarkably fevere both in Ame- rica and England. *'<"^^^ Purchds. »6o8 HUDSON, in the fervice of the Englifh Eaft India Company, undertook a fecond voyage of difcovery, and attempted to pafs on both fides of Nova Zcmbla ; but the ice being impenetrable, he returned. ' > .■'i' .■>■['. , ^n>>'">'^'" i-'^'v"?-' •■*-l^.' i6iO A Chronological Detail of 1611 Sir GEORGE SOMERS having built a pinnace at Bermuda, failed to South Vir- ginia ; the colony determined to return to England ; but, in failing down James' Riv- er, met Lord Delaware with a reinforce- ment, by which they were encouraged to return and refume the plantation. Purchas. JOHN GUY with a company of 40 per- fons began a colony at the bay of Conception, in Newfoundland. ibid. Sir THOMAS DALE reinforced the ^0^ colony of South Virgina with 300 people ; and Sir Thomas Gates with 300 more, * furnifhing them with cattle and fwine ; and thus that colony was eftablifhed. ibid. , The colony at Newfoundland was aug- mented to 60 perfons ; but was for many years in a very precarious ftate. Mr. Guy returned to England, and was afterward Mayor of Briftol. Purchas. Oldmixon. The South Virginia Company having fold the iflands of Bermuda to a part of their own number, they obtained a diftinft charter, and fent a colony of 90 perfons thither ; their firft governor was Richard Moor. Purchas. The colony at Bermuda was enlarged by the addition of 400 perfons. ibid. Sir THOMAS DALE, Governor of Virginia, hearing that the French had fet- tled 1612 1613 Adventures and Discoveries. 45 -, tied within the limits of the northern patent, xr fent Sir Samuel Argall with a fufHcient ,j • force to diflodge them ; which he did, from .. , Mount Manfel (Defart) St. Croix and Port Royal in the Bay of Funda. Thefe French- / . . men retired to Quebec and ftrengthened the fettlcment there. Smith. Purchas. Keith. 1614 Capt. JOHN SMITH having quitted ^#- the colony of South Virginia, failed for s North Virginiztj on a filhing and whahng V i voyage; he ranged the coaft from Penob- ; . fcot to Cape Cod ; and made a map of the % ^v. country, which he firft called New England > -,■:■. i i .%(i.t4 :l i: i->uii ut-a:no>l *ti Smith. 1615 ROBERT ^YLOT and WILLIAM BAFFIN failed from England infearchof a N. W. paflage. ,. ^ - 1616 They made Another voyage, and difcov- ered the great northern bay which bears Baffin's name. Purchas. Forjler. 1617 During this and the two preceding years, war, famine, and peftilence, raged among the natives of New England, by which great numbers were fwept off; and the fur trade between them and the Europeans was inter- rupted. V Gorges. 1619 THOMAS DERMER* failed to New England ; found many places, before popu- lous, almoft defolate, and the few remaining inhabitants * See the life of F. Gorges, 46 A Chronological Detail, G?<;. f ] t'jAy in*" - 'A 1620 I. « *. i. ,-'rfr Inhabitants either fick or but fcarcely recov- ered. In this voyage he failed through the whole paffage between the main land and Long I (land and firit determined its in^/ar fituation. •%*".. Gorges, A Company of ENGLISH PURI- TANS*, who had refided twelve years in Holland, began a colony in New England, which they called New PfymoiUh. Morton, KING JAMES 1 1, eftablifhed at Ply- mouth, in Devonfbire^ a Council, for the planting, ruling and ordering of New Eng- land ; and thus the bufinefs of colonizationi was formed into a fyftem. Gorges, ' 'See life of W.Bradford. ^ t See lifeiof F. Gorges. .« f •/. '•■• • AMERICAN .l\. I I. i ,fl n f I " r4 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. ■■rv^Xi -••♦'^xSStfffHPt:^^*'**'" rMf ...„..•) ...iiJT^r B I R ON. . f * The ancient inhabitants of Norway and Denmark, coUedively taken, were diftin- guilhed by the name of Normans. Their iituation near the coaft of ' c fea, and the ad- vantages which that element prefented to them beyond all which they could cxpedt, from a rough foil, in a cold climate, led them at an early period to the fcience and practice of navigation." They built their vcflcls with the beft of oak, and conflrudted thehi in fuch a manner as to encounter the florms and bil- lows of the northern ocean. They covered them with decks and furnifhed them with high forecaftles and fterns. They made ufc of fails a$ well as oars, and had learned to trim If* ' 1 ' 4 'm 'M III ■m ':-. 48 B I R O N. trim their fails to the wind, in almofl any di- rection. In thefe arts, of building {hips and of navigation, they were fuperior to the peo- ple bordering on the Mediterranean fea, who depended chiefly on their oars, and ufed fails only with a fair wind, ~ " About the end of the eighth and beginning of the ninth century, the Normans made thsmfelvcs famous by their predatory excur- lions. England, Scotland, Ireland, the Ork- ney and Shetland iflands, were objedts of their depredations ; and, in one of their piratical expeditions, (a.d. 861) they difcovered an ifland, which from its lofty mountains,^cov-i crcd with ice and fnow, obtained^the name of Iceland, In a few years after they planted a colony there, which was continually aug- . men ted by migrations from the neighbouring countries. Within the fpace of thirty years (889) a new country, fituate on the weft, was difcovered, and from its verdure during the fummer months received the name of Greenland. This was deemed fo import-' ant an acquifition, that, under - the condu(5t of Eric Raude, or Redhead, a Danifla chief, it was foon peopled. The emigrajits to thefe new regions were ftill inflamed with the paifion for adventure and -."^ B I R O N. 49 and difcovery. An Icelander of the name Heriolf and his fon Biron* made ,i voyage every year to different countries, fc • the fake of traffic. About the beginning of the elev- enth century (looi) their (hips were feparat- cd by a ftorm. When Biron arrived in Nor- way, he heard that his father was gone to Greenland, and he refolved to follow him } but another florm drove him to xYitfouthweJi^ where he difcovered a flat country, free from rocks, but covered with thick woods ; and an illand near the coad. .^-m ,5 . /..•>-«• ■ * : r He made no longer flay at either of thefe places than till the florm abated ; when by a northcafi courfe he hafled to Greenland. The difcovery was no fooner known there, than Leif the fon of Eric, who, like his father, had a flrong dcfire to acquire glory by adven- tures, equipped a vcfTel, carrying twenty five men ; and, taking Biron for his pilot, failed (1002) in fearch of the new country. *•' ^^ His courfe was fouthweft. On the firfl land which he faw, he found nothing but flat rocks and ice, without any verdure. He there- fore gave it the name of Ilelhland^ which fig- ■J i . • » -'• - \ ^ nifies t * His name is fpclled by different authors B i r o n', B x o n v, Bjoern, and Biaern. D ,t^*. .1. H^I0 $0 B I R O N. nifies rocky. Afterward he came to a level fliore, without any rocks, but overgrown with woods, and the fand was remarkably white. This he named MarilanJ, or woody. Two days after, he faw land again, and an ifland ly- ing before the northern coaft of it. Here he firfl landed ; and thence failing weflward, round a point of land, found a creek or river into which the (hip entered.**' - ^ v>r* . , : m. ■'>f On the banks of this river, were bufhes beating fwcet berries ; the air was mild, the foil fertile, and the river well ftored with fifh, among which were very fine falmon. At the head of this, river was a lake, on the ihore of which they refolved to pafs the winter, and ereded huts for their accommodation. One of their company, a German named Tyrker, having ftraggled into the woods, found grapes j from which, he told them that in his country, they made wine. From this circumftancc Leif, the commander of the party, called the place Winland dat gode, the good wine1:ountry. ,, *- An intercourfe being thus opened between Greenland and Winland, feveral voyages were made, and the new country was further ex- plored. Many iflands were found near the coaH;, but not a human creature was feen till the B I R O N. SI die third fummcr ( 1 004) when three boats conftrudlcd with ribs of bone, faftened with thongs or twigs and covered with ikins, each boat containing three men, made their appear- ance. From the diminutive fize of thefe people the Normans denominated them Skra- /ings,* and inhumanly killed them all but one ; who efcaped and colledted a larger num- ber of his countrymen, to make an attack on their invaders. The Normans defended their /hips with fo much fpirit, that the affailants were obliged to retire. After this, a colony of Normans went and fettled at Winland, carrying on a barter trade with the Skraelings for furs ; but a controvcr- fy arofe in t;he colony^ v/hich induced fome to return to Greenland. The others difperfed and mixed with the Skriclings, In the next century (1121) Eric, BiHiop of Greenland, went to Winland, with a bene- volent dcfign to recover and convert his coun- trymen who had degenerated into favages. This prelate never returned to Greenland; nor was any thing more heard of Winlandj for feveral centuries. . , x- nij ' ., Thi» * Cut fticks, chips-r-D warfs, P 2 **■ • * - fct iQ i 52 B I R O N. I ■' 'M VM ■•'■ This account of the difcovery of Winland is taken from Pqntoppidan's hiftory of Nor- way, Crantz's hiftory of Greenland, and a late hiftory of northern voyages by Dr. John Reinhold Forfter. The fidts are faid to' have been colledted from ** a great number of Icelandic manufcripts by Thormond Thor- foeus, Adam von Bremen, Arngrim Jonas and many other writers, fo that it is hardly pofli- ble to entertain the leaft doubt concerning tht authenticity of the relation." '^*^^ '^ '^*^ Pontoppidan fays that " they could fee the fun full fix hours in the fhorteft day j'* but Grantz tells u§ that ** the fun rofe on the fliort- eft day at eight of the clock," and Forfter that ** the fun was eight hours above the ho- rizon," from \yhich he concludes, that Win- land muft be found in the 49th degree of northern latitude ; and from its being in a fouthwefterly diredion from Greenland, he fuppofes that it is either a part of Newfound- land or fome place on the northern coaft of xthegulf of St, Lawrence; but whether grapes are found in either of thofe countries he cannot fay. However, he feems fo fully perfuaded of the fadls, that he gives it as his opinion, that the Normans were, ftridly fpeaking, the firft . ..^ IRON. 53 firft difcovcrers of America, nearly five centu- ries before Columbus. -^^^^.i^jr^jf-;; yHPiii jtr "f . From a careful perufal of the firft accounts of Newfoundland, prcferved by thofe painful colledtors Hakluyt and Purchas, and of other memoirs refpeding that ifland and the coaft of Labrador; and frominfpeding the moft approved maps of thofe regions, particularly one, in the American Atlas, delineated agreea- bly to the adtual furveys of the late celebrated navigator Capt. James Cook, the following obfervations occur. ,. ,.: ^...1n'- jlr.;,: .»i?.^ir^. On theN. E. part of Newfoundland, which- is moft diredtly acceflible from Greenland, there is a long range of coaft, in which are two bays, the one called Gander Bay, and the other the Bay of Exploits. Before the mouth of the former, among many fmaller, there lies ; one lai'ge ifland called Fogo ; and before the mouth of the latter, another, called The New. World. Either of thefe will fufficiently an- fwer to the fituation defcnbed in the account of Biron's fecond voyage. Into each of thefe bays, runs a river, which has its head in a lake, and both thefe lakes lie in the 49 th de- gree of north latitude. ''i«?.i^jm* The earlieft accounts of Newfoundland after- its difcovery and the eftablifhment of a fifliery ^3 /k on >,! : iii ; iJii"! 5+ B I R O N» on its coaft«, have rcfpe^l chiefly to the lands' about Trinity and Conception bays, between the parallels of 48** and 49». Thefe lands arc rcprefented ^s producing ftrawberries, whortle-"^ berries, rafpberries, goofeberries, pears, wild cherries, and hazle nuts, in very great plenty. The rivers are faid to have been well ftored with falmon and trouts. The natives, who inhabited a bay lying to the northward of Trinity ind came occalionally thither in their canoes, are defcribed as broad hreafted and Upright, with black eyes, and without beards j the hair en their heads was of dif- *■ ferent colours ; fome had i>/ack, fome brown and others yellow. In this variety they dif- fered from the other favages of Norih Ame- rica, who have uniformly black hair, un-^ \th it be grown grey with age. ^ The cliniate is reprefented as more mijd m the winter than that of England j but much colder in the fpring, by reafon of the vaft iflands of ice vvhich are driven into the bays pr grounded on the banks. ^ -'' *^""^ ^'^^ On the north eaftern coafl of Labrador,' between the latitudes of 53" and 56% are ma- ny excellent harbours and iflands. The feas' ;ire full of cod, the rivers abound with falmon : and t'i '•:' • ^ B I R O N. ^ and fche climate is faid to be more mild than in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Nothing is faid in any of thefe accounts of vines or grapes, excepting that fome which were brought from England had thriven well. If any-evidence can be drawn from a compari- fbn between the countries of Newfoundland and New-England it may be obferved j that all the above mentioned fruits and berries are found in the northern arid eaftern parts of New-England as far as Nova Scotia, in the latitudes of 44" and 45" -, and that grapes, f'u:/' 'IpinUy liitis labrufca) 2xt, known to gro" . iierever thefe fruits are found, -"'"i '*...' Du Monts in his voyage to Acadia, in 1608, fpeaks of grapes in feveral places ; and they vvere in fuch plenty on the ifle of Orleans in lat. 47** that it was firft called the ifland of Bacchus.* Though there is no dired and pof- itive teftimony of grapes in the iQand of New- foundknd, it is by no means to be concluded that there were none. Nor is it improbable that grapes, though once found there, might have been fo fcarce, as not to merit notice, in fuch general defcriptions, as were given by the firft Englifh adventurers. H-t The * It is alfo faid that Mr. Ellis met with the vjne ^bpiit the. Englifh fettlements at Hudfon's Bay ; and compares the fruit of it to the currants of the Levant. Morfe's Un. (^eo. vol. i, p. 64. D4 Mt: W y C :i jgi B I R O N. 'The diftancc between Grccniand and Ncvir*/ foundland is not greater than between Iceland and Norway j and there could be no more diffirulty in navigating the weftern than the eaftcf n parts of the northern Ocean, with fuch velTels as were tfien in ufe, and by fuch Tea- men as the Normans are faid to have been ^ though they knew nothing of the magnetic needle. • 5^ '~ .-f^K.^1*^'"^''^ ^y^-fA:- t^^t 'm'-^^ iit Upon the whele, though we cart conic to Jio pofitivc conclufion in a qucftion of fuch |-emote antiquity ; yet there are many cir- pumftances to confirm, and none to difprov^ the relation given of the voyages of Biron.* But if it be allowed that he is entitled to the honour of having difcovered America before Columbus, yet this difcovery cannot in the lead detradt from the merit of that cele- brated navigator. For there is no reafon to fuppofe that Columbus had any knowledge pf the Norman difcoveries ; which long be- fore his time were forgotten, and would per* haps never have been rccolle(5ted, if he had , ' <,.iy'^-,-- 1^- 'i ■' -\,v ■• . notj, '{- * At ihy requeft, Governor Went worth, of Nova Scotia, has employed a proper perfon, to make inquiry into any velliges of this ancient colony, which way yet be fubfifling, lam forry that the refult could not he had, before the publication of th'S yolame ; but when it comes to hand^ it (hall be communicated. uiY . B I R O N. S7 not, by the afloniihing exertions of hi^ genius and his perfevering , induftry, effe(5ted a dis- covery of this continent, in a climate more friendly to the views of .commercial ^flVen- tUrerS. ^..--^:v! ."■;|^ ^^ • . ^— r';-^ rt^t". * Even Greenland itfelf, in the fifteenth century, was known to the Danes and NqiT:? mans only by the name of lofi ■ Greenla;:;ci j and they did not recover their knowledge of it, till after the Englifli had afcertained it^ exiftence by their voyages to difcover a N^ W. paffage to the Pacific Ocean, and the Dut^j^ had coafted it in purfiiit of whales* ^^'^^^^^ ■■.,.;..-..,/' •'■:'. II. .MA DO.C.:^/ ,^ 1^* i ."4 «i ■,»?-.-.'.-, 'Jijy rfi -cM^v-i -^V«j-;-i i . ,''M ^'''^a"^ ' -"*> i! § ^T^^ '■■ II. M A D O Cr*^ ^-^-^Vit *^'^\l HIS perfon is fuppofed to have difcov- crcd America, and brought a colony of his countrymen hither, before the difcovery made by Columbus. The ftory of his emigration from Wales is thus related by Hakluyt, whofe book was firft publiflied in 1589; and a fec- ond edition of it in 1600. * "^ ' '' '"^^ **'^ €€ The voyage of Madoc, the fon of Owen Gwynneth, Prince of North Wales, to the Weft Indies in the year 1 170 j taken out of the hiftory of Wales lately publiflied by M. David Powel Dodlor of Divinitie." ** After the death of Owen Gwynneth, his fons fell at debate who (hould inherit after him. For the eldeft fon born in matrimony Edward or lorweth Drwydion was counted unmeet to govern, becaufe of the maime upon his face ; and Howel, that took upon him all the rule, was a bafe fon begotten of an Irifh woman. Therefore David gathered all tlie power he could and came againfl Howcl, and fighting with him, flew him -, and afterward enjoyed quietly the whole land of North Wales, M A D O C. # Wales, until his brother lorweth's ion came toage. ■, -V /:/ f^ ti.j^; m ■ ';t ' _>■•-.- ' "Ma DOC, another of Owen Gwynhcth his Tons , left the land in contention between his brethren and prepared certain (hips, with men and munition, and fought - adventures by fca, failing we/i^ and leaving the coaft of Ireland fo far north that he came to a land , unknown, where he faw many flrange things. ^ •* This land muft needs be fpmc part of that country of which the Spaniards affirm themfelves to be thc^firft finders, fmce Han-\ no's time* [* For by reafon and order of cof- mographie, this land to the which Madoc came, muft needs be fome part of Nova Hif- pania or Florida.] Whereupon it is manifeft that that country was long [before] by Brit- tains difcuVf^ed, afore [either"' Columbus [or Americus V;fputius] led any Spaniards thither ^ . -r j ' ** Of the voyage and return of that Madoc there be many fables feigned, as the common people do ufe, in diftance of place and length of time, rather to augment than diminiih,'but fure it is that there he was. And after he had returned home and declared the pleafant and fruitful * The words Included in crotchets [ ] arc omitted in the fecond fdition ot Hakliiyt's voyages. 6o A D O C. fruitful Countries that he had feen without in-' habitants 5 and upon the contrary part, for what wild and barren ground his brethren and nephews did murther.one another, he prepar- ed a number of (hips and got with him fuch men and women as were defirous tt -^rf , ; J Ni fynnum dii, fy cnaid ocdd ^ , , ,,^j Na da mawr, ond y moroedd. ■ Thefc verfcs I received of my learned friend, M . William Camden, „_j|j|^ I jj| jum)iifi?jr »v u\ - % . V * . /. The fame in Englijh . M a j r. A/u A v ** Madoc I am the fon of Owen Gwynnedd, With ftature large and comely grace adorned. No lands at home, nor flore of wealth m« pleafe. My mind was whole to fearch the Ocean feas.'* ^ In this , extract from Hakluyt is contained all the original information which I have heen able to find refpedting the fuppofed difcovcry of America by the Welch. Thie account itfelf is confufed and contradi(5kory. The country difcovered by Madoc is faid to be ** without inhabitants j" and yet the people whom he carried thither ** followed the man- ners of the land, and ufed the language they found there." Though the Welch emigrants loft their language, yet the author attempts to prove the truth of his ftory by the prefer va- tion of feveral Welch words in the American tongues. Among thefe he is unfortunate in the lit ' A D O t. 63 the choice of ** penguin a bird with a white head ;" all the birds of that name on the American fliores having black or dark brown heads, and the name penguin is faid to have been originally pinguedine, from their exceflive fatnefs * ^*^'^^ '''^ » • v li>ao . * '^*«(fifi ,ui* >^';> 3; ? r ? • ; Among the proofs which fome late writers have adduced in fupport of the difcovery of America by Madbc is this, that a language refcmbling the Welch was fpoken by a tribe of Indians in North- Carolina, and that it is flill ufed by a nation fituate on fome of the weftern waters of the Miilidppi. If that part of the account preferved by Hakluyt be true, that the language was loft, it is vain to offer an argument of this kind in fupport of the truth of the ftory ^ but a queftjon may here arife. How could any report of the lofs of their language have been tranfmitted to Europe at fo early a period ? jl .- i>«MiVrvr •• An attempt has lately been made to afccr- tain the truth of this piece of hiftory by Dr. John Williams. I have not feen the book itfelf, but if the Critical Reviewers may be creditedjf no new facfts have been adduced. ^^(■ij-i-v/v ■ ^f/. '>*-~ffif -it ' • See tHe new Encyclopedia, under the article America. t Critical Review for 1791, page 357, 64 M A D O C. It is remarked by thcra, that " if Madoc once reached America, it is difficult to explain how he could return home, and it would be more improbable that he (hould arrive in America a fecond time ; of which there is not the llighteft evidence." They alfo obfcrve, that <* if Madoc failed weftward from Wales, the currents would rather have carried him to Nova Scotia than to the fouthward.'*f'^--f^i^^A' The mentioning of Nova Scotia reminds me of feme woids in the native language of that country which begin with two fyllables rc(embling the name of Madoc* A fachem of the Pengbfcot tribe who lived in the end of the laft and in the beginning of the prefcnt century bore the name of Madokawando, A village on Penobfcot river was called Mada- wankee. One branch of the river St. John which runs into the bay of Funda is Medoc- tack and another is Medocfcenecafis. The ad- vocates of this opinion may avail themfelves as far as they can of this coincidence, but in my apprehenfion it is too precarious to be the bafisofanyrjuft conclufion. ^i^J 'i^-^vi ritH*A* After all that has been, or can be faid on the iubjeift, we mufl: obferve with the Criti- cal * See Gyles' memoirs of his Captivity in 1689. 'IT M A ETv^ C. ^5 cal Reviewers, that, *• if ^Madoc left Wales and difcovered any other country it muft al- ways remain uncertain where that country is.?* Dr. Robertfon thinks, if he made any difcovery at all, it might be Madeira or one jf the Azores "* '**' * ^ "* *'*'"**j'*'^» * >n»i?.'^*t The book of Hakluyt, in which the original (lory is preferved, was written in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and inthetimcof hercjntro- vcrfy with Spain. Thedefignof his bringing forward the voyage of Madoc appears, from .'^hat he fays of Columbus, to have been, the affcrt- ing of a difcovery prior to his, and confe-t quently the right of the Crown of England to the fovereignty of America i a point at that time warmly contefted between the two nations. The remarks which the fame au- thor makes on feveral other voyages^ evident- ly tend to the eftablifhment of that claim. But if the ftory of Biron be true, which (though Hakluyt has faid nothing of it) is better authenticated than this of Madoc, the right of the Crown of Denmark is, on the principle of prior difcovery, fuperiar to either of them. Perhaps the whole myftery may be unveil- ed, if we advert to this one circumfbance, th^ E time - * Mifl. Amer. vol. i, p. 374. 66 D O C. time when Hakluyt's book was firft publifhcd. National prejudice might prevail even with fo honed a writer, to convert a Welch fable into a political argument, to fupport, againft a powerful rival, the claim of his fovereign to the dominion of this continent. ' V. y . « ■ ' ■ ..■• < • , '.J 1 -.. ." » i }■■ t\ llh ZENO. i>\ it .' !ijt!l 5,»r. » 4^1 ■«-')•<*■ S lr:.:-T^ 67 , '♦^ Z E N 0, I.V .ii-J*ir ^ It is well known that the Venetians were reckoned among the moft expert and ad- venturous of the maritime nations. In that re-* public, the family of Zen o or Zen i is not only very ancient, and of high rank -, but celebrated for illuflrious achievements. Nicolo Zeno, having ejfhibited great valour in a war with the Genoefe, conceived an ardent defire, agreeably to the genius of his nation, to trav-» cl ; that he might, by his acquaintance with foreign nations and languages, render hin"kfelf more illuftrious and more ufeful. With thj§ view he equipped a veflel at his own expenfci and failed through the ftraits of Gibraltar to the northward, [a, D. 1380] with an in- tention to vifit Britain and Flanders j but by a florm which lafted many davs^ he was caft away on the coaft of Frijland^ The Prince of the country Zichmni (or as Parchas fpells it Zichmui) finding Zeno an expert feaman, gave him the command of his fleet, confifting of thirteen veffels, of which two only were rowed with oars j one was a fhip, and the reft were fmall barks. With E 2 thi§ 61 E N O. this fleet, he made conquefls and depredations in Ledovo and Ilofo and other fmall iilands ^ fevcral barks laden with fifh being a part of his capture. Nicolo wrote to his brother Antonio Zeno at Venice, inviting him to Frifland, whither he went, and being taken into the fervice of Zichmni, continued with him fourteen years. The fleet failed on an expedition to EJlland, where they committed great ravages ; but hear- ing that the King of Norway was coming again ft them with a fuperior fleet, they departed j and were driven by a ftorm on fhoals, where part of the fleet wai wrecked,and the reft were fav* ed on Grijlandy "a greatifland but not inhab- ited." Zichmni then determined to attack Iceland, which belonged to the King of iSIo^way ; but finding it well fortified and defended, and his fleet being diminiflied, he retired and built a fort in Brefsy one of fevcn fmall iflands, where he left Nicolo and returned to Frifland. In the next fpring Zeno, with three fmall barksjfailed to the northward on difcovery, and arrived at Engroenland ; where he found a monaftery of Friars, and a Church dedicated to St. Thomas, fituate near a volcano, and heated ZEN '"^. . ,^ heated by warm fprings flowing from the mountain. • . / ^ ^f:. ' a^ After the death of Nicolo, which happen- ed in about four years, Antonio fucceeded him in the command of the fleet ; and the prince Zichmni, aiming at the fevcreignty of the fea^ undertoook an expedition ivejiward, be- caufe that fome flihermen had difcovered rich and populous iflands in that quarter. ;. iV ... The report of the fifhermen was, that above a thoufand miles weft ward from Frifland, to •which diftance they had been driven byatcm- peft, there was aii ifland call EJiotiland, which they had difcovered twenty fix years before ; that fix men in one boat were driven upon the iiland, and being taken by the inhabitants were brought into" a fair and populous city ; that the King ©f the place fent for many in- terpreters, but none was found who could underftand the language of the flihermen, ex- cept one who could fpeak Latin, and he had formerly been caft afliore on the ifland -, that on his reporting their cafe to the King, he detained them five years, in which time they learned the language j that one of them vifited divers parts of the ifland, and Reported, that it was a very rich country, E 3 abounding ■i^ yo 2rE N O. ,1 m I ill abounding with all the commodities of thd world ; that it was lefs than Iceland, but far more fruitful, having in the middle a very high mountain, from which originated four^ i ' The inhabitants were defcribed as very in- genious, having all mechanic arts. They had a peculiar kind of language and letters ; and in the King's library were preferved Latin books, which they did not underftand. They had all kinds of metals (but efpecially gold,, with which they mightily abounded.*) They held traffic with the people of Engroenland, from whence they brought furs, pitch and brimftone. They had many great fbrefts, which fupplied them with timber for the building of fhips, houfes and fortifications. The ufe of the loadftone was not known 5 but thefe filhermen having the mariner's compafs, were held in fo high eftimaticn, that the King fent them with twelve barks to a country at the fouthward, called Drogio j where the moft of them were killed and devoured by cannibals ; but one of them faved himfelf by fhowing the favages a way of tak- ing * This pafTage is in Hakluyt^s trandation and the abridgment fcy Ortelius ; but Dr. Forftcr could not find it in the Italian original of Ramufio, Northern voyages, p. 189. Zen 7^ ing fi(h by nets, in much greater plenty than by any other mode before known among them. This fiiherman was in fo great demand with the princes of the country^ that they frequently made war on each other for the fake of gaining him. In this manner he pafT- ed from one to another, till in the fpace of thirteen years, he had lived with twenty five different princes ; to whom he conmiunicated his ** miraculous" art of fi(hing with nets. .4 He thus became acquainted with every part of the country, which he dcfcribed to be fo extenfive as to merit the name of a new worlds The people were rude and ignorant of the ufe of clothing, though their climate was cold, and afforded beafis for the chace. In their hunting and wars they ufed the bow and the lance ; but they knew not the ufe of metal* ' Farther to the fouthweft the air was faid to be more temperate and the people more civil. They dwelt in cities, built temples, and worfliipped idols to whom they ofi ed human victims ; aad they had plenty of gold and lilver* The fifherman having become fully ac- quainted with the country meditated return. I^ing fled through the woods to Drogio, E 4 . , after > M m& •«:M|';i| ' "! . , '\.i r-^ E N O. after ihrec years fome boats arrived from Ef- totiland in one of which he cmbarkrd for that country ; ;ind having acquired coniuiera- hle property he Htted out a bark of his cwii and returned to Frifland* Such v^as the report of the fifb^irrmar, j tip- on hearing of wiiich ZtC' mni fcTolved to equip" his fleet and go in fea^'ch of ♦he new country ; Antonio Zuno being she fecond in command. But ** the prrparacion foi the vfjyav to Filotilfiid was begun in an evil hour i the fidierrnan who was to have been the pilot died three days before their depar- ture.'' '■■*' ■ _ However, taking certain mariners who had fiiiled with the fifhern^an, Zichmni began the intended voyage. When he had failed a fmall diftance to the weftward, he was overtaken by a ftorm which lafled eight days, at the end of which they difcovered land, which the natives called Icaria. They were numerous and for- midable and would not permit him to come on fhore. \From this place they failed fix days to the weft ward with a fair wind ; but a heavy gale from the fouthward drove them four days before it, when they difcovCi 'diand, in which was a volcano. The air ? mild and temper??*^, it being the he'gb* o;' ^ -tmmer. fhey m ZEN 0. 7? They took a great quantity of fifh, of fca fowl and their eggs. A party who penetrated the country as far as the foot of the volcano, found a fpring, from which iflucd **a certain water, like pitch, which ran into the fea." They difcovercd fome of the inhabitants who were of fmall ftature and wild j and who, at the approach of the flrangers, hid themfelves in their caves. Having found a good harbour ; Zichmni intended to make a fettlement; but his people oppofing it, hedifmiiTedpartof the deet under Zeno who returned to Frifland. «^ The particulars of this narrative were iirfl: written by Antonio Zeno, in letters to his brother Carlo, at Venice -, from fome fragments of which, a compilation was made by Fran- cifco Marcolini, and preferved by Ramufio. It was tranflated by Richard Hakluyt, and printed in the third volume of the fecond edition of his colle£lions, page 121, &c. From it Orttlius has made an extract in his T/jeatrum orbis, «-. . .^^ i.^v^,^. t ... ..*^ ; * Dr. Forfter has taken much pains to exan;i- ine the whole account,both geographically and hiftoric^lly. Th^ refult of his inquiry is, that Friil^'vi is one of the Orkneys ; that Porland is iQ clufter of iliands called Faro; and that Eftland is Shetland. At ::l!l iff ,:V\ ■'it:! !:r,;i - 'I : ,■■,'1 74 Z E N O. At firft indeed he was of opinion that ** thi countries defcribed by the Zenos a£lually ex- ited at that time> but had fmce been fwal- lowed up by the fea, in a great earthquake."* This opinion he founded on the probability that all the high iflands in the middle of the fea are of volcanic original ; as is evident with refpefl to Iceland and the Faro.iflands in the North Sea ; the Azores, TcnerifFe, Madeira^ the Cape de Verds, St. Helena and Afcenfion in the Atlantic j the Society Iflands, Otaheite, Eafter, the Marquefas, and other iiiands in the Pacific. This opinion he was induced to relinquifh, partly becaufe " fo great a re- volution muft have left behind it fome hifto- rical veftiges or traditions j" but, principally^ becaufe his knowledge of the Runic language fuggefted to him a refemblance between the names mentioned by Zeno and thofe which are given to fome of the iflands of Orkney, Shetland, Faro and the Hebrides. However prefumptuous it may appear to call in queftion the opinion of fo learned and diligent an inquirer, on a fubje(ft, which his philological and geographical knowledge ■t^i ;•( J ' »« '• muH: Northern voyages, Dublin edition, p. 200. "SP-I •Is 2 E N 0. 75 ftiuft enable him to examine with the greateft precifionj yet, from the fearch which I have had opportunity to make, it appears probable to me that his iirfl opinion was right, as far as it rcfpedts Frifland, and perhaps Porland. My reafons are thefe : » ' - ^ *^* «i»^i* ii v:.3 I . Dr. Forfter fays that Frifland was ** much larger than Iceland ;"* and Hakluyt, in his account of Zeno's voyage, fpeaks of it as "bigger than Ireland."'|' Neither ofiwhefe accounts can agree with the fuppofition of its being one of the Orkneys -, for Iceland is 346 miles long and 200 wide. Ireland is 3 1 o in length, and 184 in breadth; but Pomona, the mainland of the Orkneys, is but 22 miles long and 20 wide. 2. Frifland was feen by Martin FrobiAier in each of his three voyages to and from Greenland in the years 1576, 1577, and i578.§ In his firft voyage he took his de- parture from Foula, the wefternmoft of the Shetland Iflands, in lat. 60° 30', and after failing W. by 'N, fourteen daySy he made the land of Frifland, " bearing W. N. W. diftant 16 leagues, in lat. 6i°." In his fecond voyage he failed from the Orkneys W. N. W. twen* ty Page •^ Vo!. iii, p. 122, § Hakluy ., vgl, iil, p. 30, &c. Tm m y6 Z E N O. iy Jix days^ before he carae ** within making of Frirtand ;" which he thus defcribcs. "July 4th. Wc made land perfcft, and knew \t CO be 1 iiland. Found ourfelvcs in lat. 6o"j and were fallen in with the fouth- crnmoft part of this land. It is thought to be in bignefs not inferior *o 'England*, and is cajied of fomc authors W eft FriUand. I think it lieth more weft thaii any part of Europe. It cxtendeth to the north very far, as fcemcd to us ; and appeareth by a defcription fet out by two brethren Nicolo and Antonio Zeni ; who l^eing driven off from Ireland about 200 yea ro fmce,,' were fhip wrecked there. They have in their fca charts defcribed every part, and, for fo much of the land as we have failed along, comparing their charts with the coaft, we find it very agreeable; All along this coaft the ice lieth as a continual bulwark, and fo dcfendeth the country, that thofe who would lai d ther'i; incur ^reat danger.""f- In \m third voyage he found means to land on the iHand. The inhnbitants iled ond hid themfel vcs. Their tents were made of fkins and their besets were Hkv, hole of Greenland. From thefe well ■\ her icated accounts of FriUand, • Haklu> ;, vol. iii. p. 62 Z E N O. ^'j Frifland, and its fituation ib far weftward of the Orkneys and Shetland, it feems impoflihle that Dr. Forfter's fccond opinion can be right. 3, One of the rcafons which led the Dodtor to give up his firil opinio^, that thel'c lands once exifled, but had difappeared, was, that fo great a revolution mull have left fome veftigc behind. If no perfon efcaped to tell the news, what better veftigc can there be, than theexiftence of fhoals or rocks, in the places where thcfe iflands once were known to be ? In a map prefixed to Crantz's hiftory of Grecnr land, there is marked a very extenfive (hoal between the latitudes of 59" and 60% called ** The fiinken land of Bufs." Its longitude is betweei I Iceland and Greenland, and the author fpeaks of it in thefe words, ** Some are of c^ in ion that Frifland was funk by an earth- quake and that it was fituate in thofe parts where tne funken land of Bufs is marked in the maps ; which the feamen cautioufly a- void, bccaufe of the fhallow ground and tur- bulent waves. "* , ,^ - ,. ,.j{ , , . Refpedting Bufs Ifland I have met with no other account than what is prefcrved by Pur- chas-f in his abridgment of the journal of Vol. i, p. 273. James t Vol. jv, p. 815, 822. f^^' S-; ■' 78 ZEN O. James Hall's voyages from Denmark to Greenland. In his firft voyage [a. d. 1605] he remarks thus, *' Being in the latitude of 59**^ we looked to have feen Bufle Ifland; but I do verily fuppofe the fame to be placed in a wrong latitude in the marine charts." In his fecond voyage [1606] he faw land which he ** fuppofcd to be Bufle Ifland lying more to the weftward than it is placed in the ma^ fine charts," and the next day, viz. July 2d, he writes, ^* we were in a great current fet- ting S. S. W. which I fuppofe to fet between Bufle Ifland and Frifland over toward Ameri- ca." In a fourth voyage made in 1 6 1 2 by the fame James Hall, from England, for the dif- covery of a N. W. pafl!age, of which there is a journal written by John Gatonbe and pre- ferved in Churchill's Colledions,* they kept a good look out both in going and returning for the ifland of Frifland but could not fee it. In a map prefixed to this voyage, Frifland is laid down between the latitude of 61'' and 62% and Bufs in the latitude of 57". In Gaton- be*s journal the dift:ance between Shetland and Frifland is computed to be 260 leagues, the fouthernmofl: * Vol, vi, p. 260, c68i ''#^. Z E N O. 79 fouthcrnmoft part of Frifland and the north- crnmoft part of Shetland are faid to be in the fame latitude. There is alfo a particular map of Frifland prefcrvecj by Purchas* in which are delineated feveral towns and cities ; the two iflands of Ilofo and Ledovo are laid down to the weilward of it, and another called Stro«- mio to the eaftward. ' - ^ - - -' - ** ' In a map of the North Seas prefixed to an anonymous account of Greenland, in Church- ill's Colleflion-)^ we find Frifland laid down in the latitude 62% between Iceland antf Greenland. . ..^^ . ; v,<< ; w OJ »TV,.? We have then no reafon to doubt the cxif- tence of thefe iflands as late as the beginning of the laft century j at what time they dif- appeared is uncertain, but that their place has iince been occupied by a (hoal, we have alfo credible teftimony. ^ . , The appearance and difappearance of iflands in the northern fea is no uncommon thing, Befldes former events of this kind there is one very recent. In the year 1783, by means of a volcanic eruption, two iflands were produc- ed in the fea near the S. E. coaft of Iceland. One was fuppofed to be fo permanent, that the King * Vol. iv, p. S?5x + Vol. ii, p. 378. i; ■ -•,.;/,,■... ;^fe, ::i; ; , In fome of the old maps, particuMrly in Sanfon's French Atlas, the name Eftotiland is marked on the country of Labrador } but the pompous defcription of it by the filher- man, whether it be Labrador or Newfound- land, exceeds all the bounds of credibility, and abufes even the licence of a traveller. The atmoft extent of Zichmni's expedition, in confequence of the fifherman's report, could not be any farther weftward than Greenland, to which his defcription well agrees. The original inhabitant's were (hort of ftature, half wild and lived in caverns i and between the years 1380 and 1384 they had extirpated the Normans and the monks of St. Thonaas. The difcovery of Eftotiland muft therefore reft on the report of the fiflierman ; but the defcription of it, of Drogio, and the Coun- try S. W. of Drogio muft be raak^ ia the fabulous hiftory of America j aad wbuld pro- bably r * E N O. 85 bably have been long fince forgotten, if Chrif- topher Cdambos had not made his grand dif- covery 5 from the merit of which, his rivals and the enemies of the Spanifh natiofl> havp uniformly endeavoured to dctrad. ^«'^^ >TV' '^'^}: , fv^ ■■'■ w t ^• ^- ,V-,/i'. ''-i, it .. 86 )^ A ^-- * ■* ■^".'•M i .mi 'm.^' \i •!>.\ ' IV. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. ' ^ - ^ «'.>'»■. J. HE adventures which have been al- ready fpoken of were more the refult of acci- dent than defign ; we are now entering on one, founded in fcience and conducted by judg- ment ', an adventure, which whether v^^e re- gard its conception, its execution^ or its con- fequences, will always refledt the higheft hon- our on him, who projedW it. About the middle of the fifteenth century, when the Portuguefe under the condu(5l of Prince Henry, and afterward of King John II. were pu(hing their difcoveries along the wef- tern (hore of Africa, to find a paflage by the fouth to India -, a genius arofe, whofe memory has been preferved with veneration in the pages of hiftory, as the inftrument of enlarging the region of fcience and commerce, beyond any ofhispredeceffors. CHRISTOPHER CO- LUMBUS, a native of the Republic of Genoa, was born in the year 1447, ^"^ ^^ ^^® age of fourteen entered on a feafating life, as the proper fphere, in \/hich his vigorous mind was deftined to perform exploits which ihould COLUMBUS. ^ fhould aftonifh mankind.* He was educated in the fciences of Geometry and Aftronomy, which form the bafis of navigation ; and he was well verfed in Cofmography, Hiftory and Philofophy. His adlive and enterprifing ge- nius, though it enabled him to comprehend the old fyftems, yet would not fufFer him to reft in ^eir decifions, however fanflified by time or by venerable names ; but determined to examine them by a(^ual experiment, he firft vifited the feas within the polar circle, and afterward thofe parts of Africa, which the Portuguefe had difcovered, as far as the coaft of Guinea }^ and by the time that he had at- tained the age of thirty feven, he had from, his own experience received the fuUeft con- viiftion, that the opinion of the ancients refpe<.nn tH' At Lilbon, he married the daughter of Pereflrello, an old fearaan^ who bad been con- cerned in the difcovery of Porto Santo and Madeira j frbm whofe journals and charts, he received the higheit entertainment. Pur- fuing his inquiries in Geography, and obferv^ ing what flow progrcfs the Portuguefe made in their attempts to find a \yay round Africa to India, " he began to refledt that as the portuguefe travelled fo far fouthward, it were no lefs proper to fail weflward," and that it was reafonable to expedl to find the defired land in that dired;ion. It mufl here be remembered, that India was in part known to the ancients, and that its rich and ufeful produdions had for many centuries been conveyed into Europe, either by COLUMBUS. 89 by caravans through the deiarts of Syria and Arabia j or by the way of the Red Sea, through Egypt, ^r v^ the Mediterranean.* Xhis lucrative commerce had been fueceffive- ly cngroflcd by the Phenicians, the Hcbrewa, the Egyptians, the Affyrians, the Palmyrenes, the Arabians, the Gcnoeie and the Venetians. The Portuguefe were then fecking it by at- tempting the circumnavigation of Africa ; and their erpedhtion of finding it in that di- re(5lion was [^rounded on ancis^nt hiftorical traditions, that a voyage had been formerly made by the orders of Necho King of Egypt, from the Red Sea, round the fouthern part of Africa to the flraits of Hercules ; and that the fame route had been ttaveried by Hanno the Carthaginian, by Eudo^m? the Egyptian, and others. The Portuguefe had confumcd about half a century ii) .-naking va- rious attemps, and had advanced no farther, on the weftern coaft of Africa, than juft to crofs the Equator, when Columbi4$ conceived his great defign of finding India m the weft. The caufes which led him to -entertain this idea are diftinguilhed by his fon, the writer of his life, into thefe three ; *« natural reafon, . . , ; - the * Rob?itfon's IiKlia. 3ruce"s Travels, 90 COLUMBUS. \4m wm the authority of writers, and the teftimony of feilors." By the help of " reafon/* he argv^ t in this manner : That the earth and fea compofed one globe or fphcre. This was known by obferving the (hadow of the earth in lunar eclipfes. Hence he concluded that it might be travelled over from eaft to weft, or from weft to eaft. It had been explored to the eaft by fome European travellers as far as Cipango, or Japan ; and as far weftward as the Azores or Weftern Iflands. The remaining fpace, though now known to be more than half, he fuppofed to be but one third part of the cir- cumference of the globe. If this fpace were an open fea, he imagined it might be ealily failed over j and if there were any land extend- ing caitwardly beyond the known limits of Afia, he fuppofed that it muft be nearer to Spain by the weft, than by the eaft. For, it was then a received opinion that the conti- nent and iflands of India extended over one third part of the circumference of the globe 5 that another third part was comprehended between India and the weftern (hore of Spain ; therefore it was concluded, that the. eaftern part of India muft be as near to Spain as :v!jf COLUMBUS. 91 as the wcftcrn part. This opinion though now known to be erroneous, yet being then admitted as true, made it appear to Cohm Su« very eafy and prafticable to difcover India ia the weft. He hoped alfo that between Spain and India, in that diredtion, ther n?^ht be found fome iflands j by the hf'^n hich, as refting places in his voyage, nc ^t the better purfue his main defign. The ^jiv jabil- ity of the exiftence of land in that Ocean, he argued, partly from the opinion of philofo- phers, that there was more land than fea on the furface of the globe ; and partly from the neceflity of a counterpoife in the weft, for the imrnenfe quantity of land which was known to be in the eaft. ,. . . Another fource, from which he drew his conclufion, was, ** the authority of learned men," who had affirmed the poffibility of failing from the weftcrn coaft of Spain, to the eaftern bounds of India. Some of the ancient Geographers had admitted this for truth, and one of them* had affirmed that forty days were fufficient to perform this navigation. Thefe authorities fell in with the theory which Columbus had formed ; and having, ?is early as 1474, communicated his ideas in writing * Pliny. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1,^/ lifi "'^* lUi 2.5 mm 1.1 u us u U4 L£ 12.0 I 11.25 Hiotographic Sdences Corporation // ^ ,,^*■ . I^COt-UMBUS. Joltn^-41. King df Portugal who, though a PriiMc^f good underftanding and of an en- torpiififig difpoiitioiiy yet was ^ deeply engag- ed in profeciitlng difcoveries on the African coaft^ with a view to find a way to India round that continent ; and had been at io vaft an ex««^ penfe without any coniiderable fuccefs, that he. had no inclination to accept the terms which Columbus propofed. Influenced how- ever by the advice of Calsadilla, a favourite com-tkr, he privately gave orders t6 a fhip, bound to the iflands of Cape de Verd, to at- tempt a difcov^Jry in the weft 5 but through ignorance and -want of enterprife, the naviga- torS) after wandering for feme time in the o4 €«dn and making no difcovcry, re^hed thelf* deftincd port and turned the projedt of Go^ lumbttS into llfecule. - - "' DifgTif^iid with this bafe arttfice, lie quitted ^^ortugal, and went to Ferdinand, King of Spain, IttiVprig pr^jvioufly fent his brother to Ehgkrid to fdlifcit' th6 patronage of Henry. VII. Hut being taken by pirates, and detainr cdfev^f^lcyefin in captivity, Bsittholoitte^ had it not in hi^ power to reveal his projcft' to i>bthki|;:oF it; bui repwftHts h'*Hppficat!on t»tH«Xihgiof P6r- tngd air ^hefit^ sknd gives tliis reafon fori^ "bdcaufe.ke lived aiHter biitt." % t. ■t :-'\- t^«nry> till Cbriftopher.CdIiiimbiis iMfl ftid^ ceed^d in Spain. Before tbis ccHlld^Wite* cpmplilhed) he had various ob(laclel>'l4iN*^ mount I and it was not till after feven jisiki •f painful folicitation that he obtained his re« qucft. 1 The obje6iibn» pade to the pFopo(al of Cbkito^fts^'byi the mod learned men' in Spain* tosviiQni the cbnfideration of -it Wa6 #e&rred» w!U give us ibnie idea of the fhti d^f ^gra-* phical fcience at thatf tinW. . Che' (jbjeQion was. How Ifaould he know n\or^ thsball^thd wife men and ikilful Tailors who had eixifted fince the creation ? Another was the authori^ ^ of Seneca, who had doubted whether it were poifible to navigate the ocean at any great diftance from th^ (hore 3 but admitting that it were 'navigable, ' th^y^agined, that three yeais would be -r^iuTdi to -perform the voyage, which Colunlbn^ propbfed* A third was, that if 4 ihip (bould fiil weftward oh a sound. gbbe,.ih&. would ncceifarily go down» oa the oppofite fide, and then it would be impoHible to return, becauie it would it like climbing up a hill* which no ihip ^outd do with the ftrongeft wind. A fourth objection was grounded on a book o£ 8tv Ati|nftine^ • » ■ ■•%■ .*;•*»-! ■■• V*, .•#^- '-■■ ^ V .98 COLUMBUS. in which he had expreifed his doubt of thd exigence of antipodes and the poflibility of going from one heniifphere to the other^ A» the writings of this Holy Father had received the fan(f^ion of the Churchy to contradict hin:i was deemed herefy* , .,, ., , m^..^.)^ ,m^^ ! For fuch reafons^ and by fuch rcaibners, the prppofal of Columbus was at firft rejected 1 but by the influence of John Perez; a Spanifli Priefl, and Lewis Santangel, an officer of the King's houHiold, Queen Ifabella was perfuad- ed to liflen to his felicitation, and after he had been twice repulfed, to recal him to Court i when {he offered to pawn her jewels to defray the expenfe of the equipment, amount- ing to no more than 2500 crowns; which fum was advanced by Santangel, and the Queen's jewels were faved. Thus, to the generous decilion of a female mind, we owe the dilcovery of America. ,v ./ x:^j.i s/^^^/f, * The conditions flipulated between Ferdi^ nand and Ifabella on the one part, and Co-' lumbus on the other part, were thefe : *• That be, his heirs, and fuccefTors, ihould hold thei office of Admiral in all thofe IJlands and Con^ tinents which he fhould difcover; that he- Ihould be Viceroy and Governor of the fame^ ; " % with ;* ■ CO L U M B U S. 99 with power of nominating three alTociates, of whom their majefties fhould appoint one. That he fhould have one tenth part of the neat proceeds of all the gold, and (liver, pre- cious ftones, fpice and other merchandife which fhould be found -, that he, or a deputy of his own appointing, (hould decide all con- troveriies refpefking the trade ; that he fhould be at one eighth part of the expenfe of equip- ping the firfl fleet, and fhould receive on« eighth part of the profits." s Ji*^^^^"^^^ The neceffary preparations being made, and a year's provifion laid in, on the 3d of Augaik, 1492, Columbus failed from Palos, a port of Spain, on the Mediterranean, with three vef- fels, one of which was called a carrack, and the other two, caravels ;* having on board, the whole, ninety men. Having pafTed • through the flraits of Gibraltar, * :^ arrived at the Canaries, on the 1 2th of the fame month ; where he was detained in refitting one of the caravels, and taking in wood and water, till the 6th of September, when he failed wefl- ward on his voyage of difcovery. t? v^«^ ^^i-^ This voyage, which now is confidered as an eafy and pleafant run, between the latitudes. -■-.f' • A cwrack was a velfcl with a deck ; a qaravcl bad nwie. 100 COL U M B U S^ of 20 and 30 degrees, with a trade wind, was then the boldeH: attempt which had ever been made, and filled the minds of the befl leamen with apprchenfion. They were going direct- ly from home, and from all hope of relief, if «ny accident ihould befal them. No friendly port nor hiiman being was known to be in that direction. Every bird which flew in the , air, every fifh which appeared in the fea, and every weed which floated on its furface, was regarded with the mofl minute attention, as if the fate of the voyage depended on it. A phenomenon which had never before been bbfcrved flruck them with terror. The mag- netic needle appeared to vary from the pole : They began to apprehend that their compafs would prove an unfaithful guid^ ; and the trade wind, which wafted them along with its friendly wings, they feared would obflru'it their return. *j« -f-^-.-* . -t V?^ «:..,;.,,;, j ^.fi* f: To be twenty days at fea, without fight of land, was what the boldefl mariner had never before attenipted. At the expiration of that time the impatient failors began to talk of throwing their commander, into the ocean, ^nd returning home. Their murmurs reach-* ed his ears -, but his active mind was never at a lofs r:T •• isi.r. h ^ I*- G Q L U M B U 8. ^ fo^ a lofs for expedients, even in the greateft ex- tremity. By foothingj flattery, and artifice^ by inventing reafons for every qncommon ap- pearance, by promifing rewards to the obedi- ent, and a gratuity to him who (hould firft dif- cover land, in addition to what the King had ordered ; and by deceiving then> in the /hip's reckoning, he kept them on their courfe for fixtecn days longer. In the night of the i ith of Odtober, he himfclf faw a light, which feemed to be on (hore, and in the morning of the 1 2th, they had the joyful fight of land, which proved to be the ifland of Guanahana, one of the cluder called Bahamas, in the 25th degree of north latitude. -^,-^1^ y, ^,..- ^frriS^ t Thus in the fpace of thirty Cix days, and in the 45th year of his age, Columbus complet- ed a voyage which he had (pent twenty years in projecting and executing ; a voyage which opened to the Europeans a new world 5 which gave a new turn to their thoughts, to their fpirit of enterprife and of comn^erce ; which enlarged the empire of Spain, and ilattiped with immortality the name of Columbus. ^^^ if^Aftcr (pending fevcral months in failing from one ifland to another in th^ vail archir ''pelago, which, from the miihkc? of the ag« „ , G 3 received '"""""^■iT^ 102 COLUMBUS. i- M received the name of the Weft- Indies. Colum* bus returned to Spain with the two fmalle^ ve^els, (the larger having been wrecked on the idand of Hifpaniola) leaving behind him a colony of thirty nine men, furniihed with a year's provifion, and lodged in a fort which had been built of the timber faved from the wreck. During his pafTage he met with a violent tempeft which threatened him with dcftrudion. In this extremity, he gave an ^dmjrable proof of his calmnefs and forefight. He wrote on parchment an account of his difcoveries, wrapped it in a piece of oiled cloth, and inclofed it in a cake of wax, which he put into a tight ca(k and threw into the iba. Another parchment, fecured in (he fanie manner, he placed on the ftcrn, that if ^hc fhip (hould fink, the cafk might float, and poflibly one or the other might be driven On fhore, or taken up at fea by fome future navi- gator. But this precaution proved fruitlefs. He arrived fafe in Spain, in March, 1493, and was received with the honours due to his merit. - ' -_ - • -^; - v ■ • *■ •.- -,_"-" • > •/ ■ • - ' • ;:!' 'The account which Columbus gave of his new difcoveries, the fpecimens of gold and pfher valuable produ(5tions, and the light of ^'- ' ^ th^ COLUMBUS. 103 the natives which he carried from the Weil- Indies to Spain, were fo pleafing that the court determined on another expedition. But fifft it was neceilary to obtain the fandlion q( the Pope, who readily granted it ; and by an imaginary line, drawn from pole to pole, at the diflance of one hundred leagues weftward of the Azores, he divided between the crowns of Spain and Portugal, all the new countries already difcovcred or td be difcov- cred ; giving the weftern part to the fof.i;cr, and the eaftern to the latter. No proviiion however was made, in cafe that they fhould meet, and their claims (hould interfere on the oppoiite fide of the globe. The bull, con- taining this famous but imperfect line of de- markation, was figned by Alexander VI. on the fecond day of May, 1493 ; and on the 28th of the fame month, the King and Queen of Spain, by a written inflrument, explained and confirmed the privileges and powers which they had before granted to Columbus* making the offic# of Viceroy and Governor- of the Indies hereditary in his family. On the 25 th of September follo\ying, he failed from Cadiz, with a fieet of feventeen fhips^, great and fmall, well furnifhed with all necef-> J,:.. *A G4 ;'i V ' 1^- iaries o. "^1^"' ■■ ; \ ,r--- ** J04 COLUMBUS. fanes for the voyage ; and Inving on board 1500 people, with horfes, 'cattle^ and imple-^ ments- to eftabli^ plantations»i ■■-■'■.sf.'ifi :j ;< t « ' vt On Sunday the third of November, he dif-' covered an idand, to which, in honour of tho day, he gave the name of Dominica. After- ward he difcovered in fucceHion other iflands^ which he called Marigalante, Guadaloupe^ Montferrat, Redonda, Antigua, St. Martin's, St. Uifula, and St. John. On the 12th of November he came to Navidad, on the North' (ide of Hifpaniola, where he had built his fort, and left his colony j but he had the mortification to find, that the people were all dead, and that the fort had been dedroyed, {k - The account given by the natives^ of the lofs of the colony, was, that they fell intodif- cord among thcmfclves, on the ufual fuhjefts of controvcrfy, women and gold ; that having provoked a chief, whofe name was Canaubo,< he came again ft them with a fuperior force,, and dtftroyed them ; that fome of the natives, in attempting to defend them, had been kilU ed, and others were then ill of their wounds; which, on infpedtion, appeared to have beea made with Indian weapons, i Columbus prudently forbore to make any critical inquiry into the matter; but hafted to COLUMBUS. % any ided to eftabliih another colony, in a more efigUik fituatfon, to the eaflward} which fad «alM liabella, after his royal patrbnefsl : Her had many di/KcuUies to contend with, hefidck thofe which unavoidably attend undertaking! of fuch novehy and magnitude^ Nature ini- deed was bountiful : the foil aind climate, jinou- duced vegetation, with a rapidity to which the Spaniards^ had not been accuilomedL From wheat fown at the end of January,. fuU ears were gath obliged him to ftretch farther to the fouth- ward i by which means, he difcovered the ifland of Jamaica ; where he found water and Other refreihments for hi§ men^ who were almoft COLUMBUS. 107 almofl dead with famine. The hazard, fa- tigue and diftrefs of this voyage, threw him into a lethargic diforder, from ^hich he ha^ juft recovered, when he returned t6 his- coIo-* ny and found it all in confufion 5 from the lame caufes which had proved dcftrudtivc to the firft.. "^^'^ cmj- 07 4:rirfmn \'^mQ'sfmt':tmm In his abfence, the licentioufnefs of the Spaniards had provoked feveral of the chiefs ; four of whom had united to deftroy them» and had adtually commenced hoftilities, in which twenty Spaniards were killed. Co* lumbus collecfted his people, put them into th^ beil order, and by a judicious combination of force and ftratagcm gained a deciiiye vi which were def^ tined to convey fupplies to the colony j apdhe arrived whilO: Chriftopher was abfent on his voyage to Cub£( and Jamaica. Columbus apH pointed his brother to command at Ifabellaj whilKl he went into the interior part of the ifland, to perfe^ his conque(^, and reduce the natives to fubjc6lion and tribute. f . The In4iains wiem^fb unufcd to colledt gold duft,' Ift Tu ^ f The complaints againl^ Columbus fo wrought on the jealous mind of King Ferdi-« nand, that John Aguado, who was fent, in 1495, ^^^^ fupplles to the colony, had or4 ders to a£t as a fpy on his conduct. This man behaved with fo little difcretion, a» to feek matter of accufation, and give out threats againft the Admiral. At the fame time, the (hips which he commanded, being deftroyed by a hurricane, he had no means left to return ; till Columbus, knowing that he had enemies at home and nothing to fupport him but his own merit, refolved to go to Spain, with two caravels ; himfelf in one, and Aguado in the other. Having appointed proper perfons to command the feveral forts ; his brother Bar-> tholomew to fuperintend the whple,and his brother James to be next in authority 5 he fet Ml on the tenth of March 1496, and after a j^rilpus and tedious voyage, in the tropical '...■f\-' ■■'^■' ":* .>". , latitudes, ^H, no COLUMBUS, latitudes, arrived at Cadiz on the eleventh, of jj^jHis prcfcnce at Court, with the gold and other valuable articles which he carried home, removed, in fome meafure, the prejudices which had been excited againft him. But his enemies, though filent, were not idle j and in a court, where phlegm and languor proved a clog to the fpirit of enterprize,' they found it not difHcult to obflrudt his views ; which, notwithilanding all difcouragcments, were fiill pointed to the difcovery of a way to India by the jWeft. -,>r *IH?^ »* ' ^ ^^»i ?Af«i r^^j! '. He now demanded eight (hips, to carry fupplies to his colony, and fix to go on dif- covery. Thefe. demands were complied with, and he began his third voyage on the thir- tieth of May 1498. He keptacourfe fo far to the fouthwardf that not only his men, but his provilions and water fuffered greatly from ex- ceflive heat. The firft land he mac|p after leaving the Ifles of CapC de Verd, was a large ifland which he named Trinidad, from its ap- pearance in the form of three mountains. He then paffed through a narrow ftrait and whirl- pool into the gulf of Paria ; where, obfer^-. ing the tide to be rapid, and the water brack- ■' ^ ' ifli, COLUMBUS; j(|^ he conjectured, that the kndy on tfab weftern and fouthern fides of the gulf, was part of a continent ^ and that the frdh vrAttt proceeded from fome great rivers.' ' ^ The people on the coaft of Paria weit whiter than thofe of the iflands. They had about their necks plates of gold and firings of pearl ; which they readily exchanged for piecr e& of tin and brafs, and little bells i and when they were queflioned whence they obtained the gold and pearls, they pointed to the wefl. The Admiral's provifion not allowing him to flay long in this place -, he pafled again^ through that dangerous flrait, to which ho gave the name^of the Dragon's Mouth; and having fatisfied himfelf, that the land on his left was a continent, he fleered to the N. W ; difcovering Margarita and feveral other iflands in his courfe ; and on the thirtieth of Augufl, arrived at the harbour of St. Domingo, in Hifpaniola ; to which place his brother had removed the colony in his abfence, ia con- fequence of a plan preconcerted between them. ^ Wearied with inceffant care and watching* in this dangerous voyage, he hoped now to enjoy repofe ; inflead of which he found his colony much reduced by deaths ; many of the iia COLUMBUS^ ^e fiiTvivors' fick^ with a difeafe, the peciUur ConTequcince of their debauchery ; and a large fiamber of thtom in z.di\xa\ rebellion. They had formed theaifelves into a body ; they ha4 gained ov and liberty of returning to Spain to thofe who defired it. Thefe offers, however impolitic, proved faccefsful. Roldan himfelf accepted tliem, and perfuaded others to do the fame j then> being reftored to his office, he tried and condemned the refra^lory, fome of whom •'Vl-tl ■■» .iiiJ j'.^.V'>: t f"! s -T were put to death* " An account of this mujiny was fent home to Spain by Columbus and another by RoU dan. Each had their advocates at court, and the catrfe was heard by the King and Queen. Roldan and his men were accufed of adultery^ perjury* 'fohbery, murder, and difturbing th© peace . < iV'^'- ■f^*- f I peace of the whole idand ; vrhilft Cblunt^bilf was charged with cruelty to individuals', ainsii |ng at independence, and engrofling the tribute. It was infinua|ed,that not beinga native of Spaini ^ he had no proper refpedt for the noble £unif Iks, who had become adventurers § and thajf the debts due to them could not be recoveredfv It was fuggeftcd, that if fonne remedy werflL'^ not fpeedily applied, there was danger that h^j would revolt, and join with fonneother Prince j-. and that to compafs this defign, he had con^^v sealed the real wealth of the colony, and pre4^ vented the converfion of the Indians to thot* Catholic faith. % Thefe inQnuations prevailed on the jea^r lou(y of Ferdinand, and even flaggered tho conftancy of Ifabclla. They refolved to ap-?^ point a judge, who fhould examine fiifls oif, the fpot 5 and if he (hould find the Admiral* guilty, to fuperfcde him. For this purpofa. they fent Francis Bovadilla, a knan of nobld tank, but whofe poverty alone recommended him to the office. Furriiihcd \irith thefe pow4 crs, he arrived at §t. Dontingo, when Colum*^ bus was abfcnt ; took lodgings in his houfe f^ invited accufers to appear again ft him j fcizci^ on hia effcfts, and finally fent hin^^ and botfe Tj H ^^ his 'i- \ **4 in C O L U M B U g". t '.'i: his brothers to Spain in three different (hipi but all loaded with irons. . llie mafter of the (hip in which the Admiral failed had fo much refpedt for him, that, when he had got to fea, he offered to take off his fetters ; but Columbus nobly declared, that he would permit that honour to be done him, by none but his fovereigh. In this hu- miliating confinement, he was delivered to Fonfeca, Bifhop of Badajos, who had been the chief in fligator of all thefe rigorous proceed- ings, and to wl^om had been committed the affairs of the Indies. '^^»^^ y^f j[*^v*h;a« a'i=4 it?w»*<^' ' Not: content with robbing Columbus of his liberty, this prejudiced ecclefiaftic would have deprived him of his well earned reputation of having firft difcovered the new continent. With the accufations which Columbus had ient home againft Roldan, he had tranfmitted .an account of the difcovery of the coaft of Paria, which he juflly fuppofed to be part of a continent. Ojeda, an adtive officer, who had failed with Columbus in his fecond voy- age, was at court when thefe difpatches arriv- ed, and faw the draught of the difcovery, with the fpecimens of gold and pearls, which the Admiral had fent home. Being a favourite ■fcxU- of COLUMBUS* .Jtii-mS^i::^ I of Fonfeea, he eafily obtain^ leave to pyrfue the difcovery. Some merchants of Seville i¥ere prevailed upon to equip four ihips ; with which> in 1499^ Ojeda followed the rtrack of Columbus^ and made land on the coaft of Paria. Amerigo Vefpucci, a Florentine merchant^ well fkilled in geography and navigation, accompanied Ojeda in this voyage; J, and by publi(hing the firft book and chart* defcribing the. new worlds obtained the hon- our of having it called America. This however did not happen till after the death of Columbus 4 Several other adventurers fol- lowed the fame track, and all fuppofed that the continent which they had feen, was part of Indian , >{^ . ;^, As foon as it Was known, that Columbus was arrived at Cadiz, (Nov^ 5^ 1 500) in the difgraceful fituation abovementioned, the King and Queen, afhamed of the orders which they had given, commanded him to be releafed, and invited him to court, where they apologized for the mifbehaviour of their new Governor, and not only promifcd to recal him, but to reftore to the Admiral all his ef!e(5ts. Co- lumbus could not forget the ignominy. He preferved the fetters, hung them up in his ,i ; r - H 2 apartment. ir 116 C O L U MB US/ «--. apartment, and ordered them to oe buried in Oi Or' his grave. Inftead of reinftating him in his government according to the original contrad^ the King and Queen fent Ovando, to KifJMnioIa, to luperfcdc Bovadilla ; and only indulged Co- lumbus in purfuing his darling projedt, the difcovcry of India by the weft, which he ftil) hoped to accomplish. He failed again fioiA Cadiz, on the fourth of May, 1 502 5 with four veflek, carrying one hundred and forty jTicn and boys ; of which number were his brother Bartholomew and his fon Ferdinand, th& writer of his life. In his pafr.<,e to the Caribbec iflands, he found his largeft velTel, of fcventy tons, unfit for the fervice ; and therefore went to St. Do- mingo, in hope of exchanging it for a better; and to feek fhelter from a ftorm which he faw approaching. To his injRnite furprize and nwrtification, Ovando would not admit him into the port. A fleet of ilir:Vf ^lips was then ready to (ail for Spain, Om hca^Xi of whicii Roldan and Bovadilla were prifoners. Co- lumbus informed Ovando, of the prognoftics which he had obfcrvcd, which Ovando difre- d, and the fleet failed. Columbus then laid ^ar ! 1 COLUMBUS. ' ti,^ laid tht^^f llTr Ye(rds, under the lee of the ihort I an^*^*'^'*^* ; ^fjer r'T'i *:ijiimi-y-i'''-J ■ i * Chap. 88. H3 •>.■.' 1x8 COLUMBUS. "^ ''After this (lorm, and another which fol*^ lowed it« Columbus having colleded his lit^' tie fquadron, failed on difcovery toward the continent ; and, fleering to the fouthweil, came to an ifland called Guanania, twelve leagues from the coaft of Honduras ; where he met with a large covered canoe, having on board feveral pieces of cotton cloth of divers colours, which the people faid they had Isrpugbt from the weftward. The men were armed with fwords of wood, in which (harp flints were ftrongly fixed. Their provifion was maize and ^oots, and they ufed the ber- ries of cocoa as mpney. When the Admiral inquired for gold, they pointed to the weiV/ and yfhcn he afked for a flrait by which he might pafs through the land, they pointed to the eafl. From the fpeejmeps of coloured pjoth, he imagined, that they had come from India ^ and he hoped to pafs thither, by the ftrait which they defcribed, Purfuing his pourfe to the eaft and fputh, he was led to the gulf of Parien j and vifited feveral harbours among which was one which he* called Porto Bello ^ but he found no paffage extending through the land, He then returned to the weftvvard ; and landed on the coaft of Verar gua ^ C O L U MB U S. 119 gua ; where Ae beauty aftd fertility of the country invited him to begin a plantation, which he called Bekm ; but the natives, a fierce and formidable race, deprived him of the honour of £rft eftabli(hing a colony on thf continent, by killing fome of his people and obliging him to retire with the others. At fea, he met with tempeftuous weather of long continuance ; in which his (hips were fo Shattered, that with the utmod difficulty he kept them above water, till he ran them afliore on the idand of Jamaica. By his extraordinary addrefs, he procured from the natives two of their largefl canoes 3 in which two of his mofl faithful friends, Mendez and Fiefco, accompanied by fome of his failors and a few Indians, embarked for Hif- paniola. After encountering the greateft dif- ficulties, in their paffage, they carried tidings of his misfortune to Ovando, and folicited his aid. The mercilefs wretch detained them eight months, without an anfwer -, during which time, Columbus fufFered the feverefl hardfhips, from the difcontent of his compa- ny, and the want of provifions. By the hqf- pitality of the natives, he at firft received fuch fuppUes, as they were able to fpare j but th« H4 long Iqng jqoi^tiniiance. of thefe guefts had dirnin^ idled their flori^, and ithe infplence gf the mu« tineers gave 9 check to their fri^odfliip. In tjjis e^ctrcmityi. th^ ferric itivention of Co- lumbus fuggeiled an escpedie^it which proved fuccefsful. He Jtn her ufual brightnefsl They gave him thanks, and prdniifbd com^ ^liaAce.; and whilft he remained on the idand there -was no more want of provifion. v ^ -4 At the end of eight months, Ovatido Ml ^ fmall veiTel to Jamaica, .with a cafk of wine, two flitches of bacon, and a letter of compli^ ment and espcufe, which the officer deliver-i' ed ; and without waiting for an anfwer, weighed his anchor the (ame evening and fail- ed back to Hifpaniola. The men who adhered Co Columbus and were with him on board the wrecks, wondered at the fudden departure of the vefTel, by which they expected deliverance. Columbus, never at a lofs for an evalion, told them that the caravel was too fmall to take the whole company^ and he would not go with- out them. This fidlion had the dcfired efFedt ; thofe who adhered to him refumcd their pa- tience ; but the mutineers- became fo infolent that it was neccflary to fubdue tbem by force. In the conteflten of them were killed. Por*- ras, their leader, was made prifoner and the Others efcaped. Bartholomew Columbus , < and m (I IM C L U M B U S. and two others of the Adoiirars party werQV wounded, of whom one died^ --n -->n *- rrm»«i The fugitives, having loft their leadeF»i thought it heft .to fubmit ; and on the nexti day fent a petition to the Admiral, confeflingl their fault, and promifing fidelity. This; promife they confirmed by an oath, of which the imprecation was lingular ; '* they re-^ nounced, in cafe of failure, any abfolution from I Prieft, Bifhop, or Pope, at the time of their death ; and all benefit from the facraments of the Church ; confenting to be buried like heathens and infidels in the open field^^ivr^The Admiral received' their fubmiffion, provided! that Porr'as fhould continue prifoner, and thq^^ would accept a commander of his appoint- ment, as long as they fhould remain on th^ ifland. . • .r » .^ At length a vefTel, which Mendez had been permitted to buy, with the Admiral's money, at Hifpaniola, came to Jamaica, and took them off. On their arrival at St. Do- mingo (Augufl 13, 1504) Ovando afFe(aed great joy, and treated the Admiral with a (how of refpe^ ; but he liberated Porras,and threat* cncd with punifliment the faithful adherents of Columbus, As fpon as the veflel was re*^. fitted, 1 1 -t 1; C O t U M B U S. i^^ fitted, the Admiral took leave of his treach**^ erous hoft, and, with his brother, fon, and fervants, embarked for Spun. After a long and diftrefling voyage, in which the (hip lodt her mafts,he arrived at St. Lucar, in Maf^ ,iH|fis patroneis liabella had been deadaboutl a year $ and with her, had expired m the^ favour which he ever enjoyed in the Coiirt^ of Ferdinand, Worn out with (icknefs and fatigue, difguiled with the infincerity of his^ Sovereign, and the haughtinefs of hiscourtiers, ^ Columbus lingered out a year in fruitlefs fb*^ licltation for his violated rights ; till death ' relieved him from all bis vexations. He died at Valadolid, on the twentieth of May, 1506, in the 59th year of his age ; and was buried'' in the cathedral of Seville, with this infcrip^ ' tion on bis Tomb, ^'1^^ ' ''^nm 3,^^^'"^ Mundo dio Colon, .^^^^.^u 3^ . hJ^j'h^ Tranflated thus. ■i ^ i^ - To his other excellent qualities may be add- ed his piety. He always entertained, and on ^iM-r .i;:i,-^'M:ii''v itfft^ ^'' proper • Some of thefe obfeivations are taken from Dr. Catnpfcell's account of European fcttlements in America, Vol. I, Chap, viii; v ' '.N t -■I I' -I lom gcd. an the and his COLUMBUS. proper occalions exprefTed, a reverence for the Deity, and a firm confidence in his care and plt>fe6tion. In his declining days, the confo-' ^tions of religion were his chief fupport $ and his lad words were, '* Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my fpirit.*^ The perfcpution ^ and injuftice which he faftered, may he traced up to the contract, which he infifled on^ before he engaged in- the plan of difcovery. That a foreigner (hould attain (o high a rank as to be Viceroy for life, and that the honour of an Admiral Aiould be hereditary in his family, to the ex-^ elufion of all the nobles of Spain, was mora than their pride and jealoufy could endure ; and they confhntly endeavoured to depreciate his merit ; the only foundation on which his honours were cre cd ; but to fuppoTe that Columbus tmnfporte4 them to the Weft Indies, with a vkw to de^ ilroy the Indians, appears altogether idlcy when it is confidered that the number is rec*. koned only at twenty. Excepting in this indance, where he was driven by neceffity. there is no evidence, that He made war on the native* of the Weft Indies ; on the CDntrary,^^ he endeavoured as far as polllble to treat them with juftice and gentlenefs. The ikne cant not be fafd of thofe who fucceeded him. :* Attempts have alfo been made to detra(5|:. from his merit, as an original difcoverer of the New World. The moft fuccefsful candidate! ^ who has been fet up as a rival to him, is MAi^f IN. Be H AIM of Nuremberg in Ger- many .^ Hi» claim to a prior difcovery has been Hii well contefted, and the vanity of it (4^'' iuUy expofedby the late Dr. Robertibn, that 'I (hould i ^ COLUMBUS.^ 1^9 I (hould not have thought of adding anything to what he has written^ had not a memoir ap- peared in the fecond volume of the Tranlac- tions of the American Philofophical Society*'- at Philadelphia, in which the pretenfions of Behaim are revived by M. Otto 3 who hai|, produced fome authorities which he had ob* tained from Nuremberg, an imperial city of Germany, and which appear to him, ' m-^ iT,t COLUMBUS. Jfh emigrants with all ncceffaries for two years, and the colony foon increafed. About the year 1486^ Martin Behaim married a daugh-^ ter of the Chevalier Jobft von Hurter, and had a fon by her named Martin. — Jobft von Hurter, and Martin Behaim, both natives of Nuremberg, were Lords of Fayal and Pico."* The date of the fuppofed difcovery of Ame- rica, by Behaim, is placed by M. Otto, in 1484, eight years before the celebrated voyage of Columbus. In the fame year we are told-f that AlonzO Sanchez de Huelva was driven by a ftorm to the weftward for twenty nine days ; and faw an ifland, of which at his re- turn he gave information to Columbus. From both thefe fuppofed difcoveries this conclu- iion is drawn, ** That Columbus would never have thought of this expedition to America, had not Behaim gone there before him.'* Whether it be fuppofed that Behaim and Sanchez failed in the fame fhip, or that they made a difcovery of two different parts of A- merica, in the fame year, it is not eafy to un- . derftand from the authorities produced ; but what * Forfter's hlftory of voyages and difcoveries, p. 257, 258, 259. + Garcilaffo de la Vega's Royal commentaries. Preface. Pur- chas. vol, V, p. 1454. COLUMBUS. 131 what deftroys the credibility of this plaufible tale, is, that Columbus had formed his theo* ry, and projcfted his voyage, at leaft ten years before -, as appears by his correfpondence with Paul, a learned phyfician of Florence, which bears date in 1474.* It is uncertain at what time Columbus Brfl made his application to the King of Portugal, to fit him out for a weflern voyage ; but it is certain that after a negociation with him on the fubje(ft, and after he had found out the fecret and unfuccefsful attempt, which had been made to anticipate a difcovery ; he quitted that kingdom in dif-^ gufl, and went into Spain, in the latter end of the year 1484. The authority of thefe fa<5ts is unqueftioned ; and from them it fully appears, that a prior difcovery of America, by Behaim or Sanchez, made in 1484, could not have been th^ foundation of the enterprife of Columbus. »K/tf .*.*tr.;^?ri-rJ>' «■? j- -'-.^..ui^^ M, Otto fpeaks of letters written by Be- haim in i486, in the German language, and preferved in the "archives of Nuremberg*' which fupport this claim to j: prior difcovery. As thefe letters are not produced, no certain opinion can be formed concerning them ; but I 3 frori^ * Life, chap, viii. 134 C O L U M B U S: from the date of the letters, and from the voyages which Behaim adually performed in the two preceding^ years, we may' with great prohability fnp^Gh, that they related to the difco^^ery of Gongo, in Africa ; to which Bd^ haim has an udcontrovertcd claim. m^^»ifeiH$ o^ Iwill now ftate the fadts relative to thii event, partly froth the authorities cited hy hL Ottb ; arid partly from others. 'i?^m' trtc)i; .>f^ - Dr. Robcrtfon places the difcovery of Gob?* go and Benin in 1483, and with him Dr. Foirfter agrees. The authoi^s of the modern tiniverfal hiftory*' fpeak of two vdyages to ' iis quoted by M. Otto, we are informed, ihdt Behaim failed with Cam, in the(e voyages', A^hich are defcribed in the folib\^ing terms. ** Thefe two, by the bounty of heaVcn, coafl* ing along the fouthern ocean, and havirig .y^n^^i-^^ ■ ,- ■.i^ff^v/ .-troflfed r* Vol. xvi. p. 13^/13^ r .> ^' ' t \ -' . :,t ^j^g? ^* *hc Spanifli name of James, in Latin Jacobus, and in Poftuguefe, Jago. Cam is ig Latin, Camus or Canus, an^ in Spanifli, Cano ; thefe different names are found in diflFcrent auth- ors. CX) L U M BUS. *15 orefiicd thcttcpttor^ got into tbb* xsliier heoa- ifphere ; where, facing to .thaa^wand^ i^v ^dovb projeded Ho'v^ard theXatuh; and nght hands*^?> 1^ wo^ <:Ould be laibrc cprnplcteiy -defcrij^tive of a royagc irom Portugal to Con- go, a6 any . fmrfdn ihay be ^tisfiediby, inifpe6>- iwg a map of Africa ; but how cbuM M. Otto -imqgine thai: the difcol^ery bf - Aoaifirica was acconvpliihcd in fueh a voyage as^thds? ** Hav- ing finiflied this 'Cruize (continties 'Schedl) in the ipaccof adihonths, they rettiraed to Por- - tu^l, with the lofs bf many lof their feamen, by the violence of the climate." Tlas latter -oircumftance alfo agrees i^ery well with the -climate of ithc African coaftji* biit Schedl fays not a word of it^e difcovist^ of America. '*-,M* Otto goes on'tottoil us '''that t^e moft pofitive proof of the great fervices rendered to the crown of Portugal iby Behaim, is the rec- onipenfe bedowed on ^him by King John 11 ; whO) in the moft folemn manner, knighted him, in the prcfence of all his court." Tiien -follows a particular detail of the ceremony of in^llation, as performed on the 1 8th of Feb- ruary, 1485, and M. Otto fairly owns that this was *' a reward for the difcovery of Con- ■" ' ■ * See Brookes' Gazetteer, Benin. 1^ C Oh V MB US. go." Nowlet us bring the de^ch^ parts of the ftory together^ ' .■ - **^'' **"*v:Hf^ - ^*^' ''■; -*^-*-' -^ v-?; Behaitn was knighted on the i8th of Feb- ruary, 14S5, for the difcovery of Congo, in which he had been employed 26 months pre- ceding i having within that time made two voyages thither, in company with Diego Cam. It will follow then that the whole of the pre- ceding years, 1484 and 1483, were taken up in thefe two voyages. This agrees very well with the accounts of the difcovery of Congo, in Robertfon and Forfter, and does nqt di&- gree with the modern uniyerfal hiflory, as far as the year 1484 is concerned; which unfor- tunately is the year affigned for Behaim's dif- covery of *< that part of America called Braiil, and his (ailing even tQ thf ^raits qf M^^el- -' The only thing in M. Otto's memoir which bears any refemblance to a folution of this difficulty is this. ** We may fqppofe that Behaim, engaged in an expedition to -Congo, was driven by the winds to Fernamr bouc, and from thence by the currents tow- ard the coaft of Guiana.'* But fupppfitions without proof will avail little ; and fupppfi- tions againA propf will avail npthing. The two '71 COL U M B U 5. ?X37 rtvfo vayagos to Congo are admittcijl. The courfe is defcribed *, and the time is determin** cd ; and both thefe are dire^ly oppofed to the iUppofition of his being driven by winds and currents to America. For if he had been striven out of his courfe and had fppnt " fever- al years in examining the American iflands» and difcovQring the flrait whicb bears the iiiame of Magellan ;** apd if one of thofe years iwas the year 1484, then he could not have A^vkt 26 months preceding February, 1485^ in the difcovery of Congo 1 but of this we ,have full and fatisfa(^ory evidence 3 the difcovr- -ery of America therefore muft b^ given up.-r' *;^^ There is one thing further in this memoir !^ which deferves a particular remark, and that 'Us the reafbn afligned by M. Otto, for which the King of Portugal declined the prppofal of < Columbus to fail to India by the wcft^ "The ^fefufal of John II. is a proof of the knowU edge which that politic prince had already '^'procured, of the exiftence of a new continent, which offered him only barren lands, inhabits ^ed by unconquerable favages." This knowlr edge is fuppofed to have been deriv^ from the difcoveries made by Behaim. But, not ^0 urge again the chronological difficulty with " ^ ' , ' ^ which ^J« C O L IJ M B U S. which this conje^ure is embarrafTed, I wiit t2ik« nbtice of tffo circumftances in the life of Columbus, which militate with this idea. The firft is, that when Columbus had pro^ pofed a weftern voyage to King John, and he t!eclined it, ** The King, by the advice of one Dodtor CalzadiAa^ refolv>ed to fend a caravel privately, to atttnipt that which Columbus had propofed to him ; becauie in cafe -thofe countries were fo difcoVered, he thought him- felf iiot obligfed to beftow any great reward. Having fpce^ly equipped a caravel, which wa^ to carry fupf^ties to the iflands of Cabo Verde, hefent it that w^y which the Admiral projK>£* ed to gO. But'thofe whom he fent wanted the knowledge, conftancy and fpirit df the Admiral. After wandering many days ttpon the Tea, they turned back to the iflands of C^o Verde, laughing at tht undertaking, and ikying it was impoffible there Jhould he any land 'fii' '♦,: ;*i in thofefeas,*** '^^isr'i^mm^^'^m^ *f Afterward, *' the King being fenfible how iaulty they were whom he had fent with the caravel, had a mind to reftore the Admiral to his favour, and defired that he fhould renew the difcourfe of his enterprize ; but not bci!^ lii^-\ 'u i * I "* vp> ^rt 'A^' •*,r; '.^^ . ■•^V^'i--^ A * Life of Columbus, chap. xL COLUMBUS. ^59 lb diHgeht'to ptt^ tfaisin executionv^ tlife Admiral was in getting aw;^^ lie loft tlial good opportunity^ thb Adibfiirai^ about i iht mA ^ the yen 1484^ flbleaway privatdy oite of Portugal for fear of being ftoipped bj^ tiife King." This iiccoaiit does not agree ivilh ^e faj oofition of a |)ribr difconmry , ^ > '» ^I'The oth«r circirtnftsnGe is oh ititdcvieOr t^hich Cdlambos Iliad widi the j^dblpie of 'L^f^ bon/and the Ring of rPortugal* .on his rbturn from his firft voyage.^ For it t£!> happed thiKt Cokmlms on his retintn vivs by ftrefs df weaker dbHiged Ur'hoin; Ikb' had ^Foiiijht^rid -hear t^ene^vs ; To ilhvt the carai- vel wdald not containi them^ 'Some "of them ipraiiing Gtd ifor fo -^rcat a happi^e& j» othet^ itorming fbaf fhey had loft the djfcoverjrtbrau^ their King's iiicreduHty" " or -sv/if^r: M ^o Wljeh the Ring fent for Cohittibos, *' he was doubtful what to do j ^bat to take order, Upon tl^is fan^ ^a)iint i and I fpnd ypu anothpf ff^ gnj put in prac- tice. Therefore, th9ugh i could better (how it him with a globe in. my hand» and make him fe^fible of tly; figure pf jthe wortd j yet I have refolv^d to render it nkpre e^ qad in- telligible, to fhow this way upon a chart, fuch as arc ufed in navigation ; and therefore I fend COLUMBUS. H3 one to his majedy, made ;uid drawn with my own hand ; wherein i^ fet down the utmoft bounds of the weft, from Ireland in the north» to the fartheft part of Guinea, with all the iilands that lie in the way. Oppofice to which weilern coafl is defcribed the beginning of the Indies, with the iflands and places whither you may go, and how far you may bend from the north pole toward the equinoctial, and for how long a time ; that is, how many leagues you may fail, before you come to thofe places tnofk fruitful in all forts of fpice^ jewels and precious ftones. Do not wonder if I term that country, where the fpice grows, weji, that product being generally afcribed to the eaft ; becaufe thofc who fhall fail weftward will always find thofe places in the weft ; and they th^t travel by land eaftward will ever find tjiofc places in the eaft. The ftrait lines that lie lengthways in the chart, (hew the diftance there is from weft to caft ; the others crofs them, (hew^ the diftance from north to fouth. I have alfo marked down in the faid chart, feveral places in India, where fliipa might put in upon any ftorm, or contrary winds, or any other accident unforefeen. Moreover to give you full information of all thofe places which you are very defirous to knowj ^ 144 COLUMBU S,' know > yoa muft underftandt that none but traders live or reiide in all thofe iflands* and that there is as great number of {hips and fea« faring people With merchandife» aa in any other part of the world ; particularly in a mod noble port called Za^on, where there are every year a hundred large (hips of pcpper» loaded and unloaded, befldcs many oth^r ih^ that take in other fpice* '*' * >, This country is mighty populous, and there are many provinces and kingdoms, and innu- merable cities under the dominion of a prince called the KAam, .which name iignifies. King of Kings ; who for the moft part refldes in the Province of Cathay, His predecefTors were very deiirous to have commerce and be in amit/ with Chriftians ; and 200 years iince^ fenC ambai!adors to the Pope ; deflring him ta fend them many learned men and dodtors to teach them our faidi ; but by reafon of fome obflacles the ambafTadors met with, they re« turned back, without coming to Rome. '^*^*5>v f Befides, there came an ambaiTador-toPope Eugenius IV. who told him the great friend- fhip there was between thofe princes, their people, and theChriflians. I difcourfed with him a long- while upon the fcveral matters of hm*:: 9t the \-■;>;^C;:'^, . •■» 146 COLUMBUS. aitd the revenues. This fpace abovemention- ed is almoft the third part of the globe. This city is in the province of Mango, bordering ' on that of Cathay^ where the King for the mdft * From the ifland Antillay which you call the feven cities, 2indi of whidh you have fonie^ knowledge t to the moft noble ifland of Cifango \ are ten fpaces, which make 2500 miles, or' 225 leagues ;, which ifland abounds in gold, pearls and precious ftones j and you muft un- ' derftand, they cover their temples and palaces ' with plates of pure gold. So that for want of knowing the wky, all thefe things are hid- den and concealed, and yet may be gone to withfafety. . ^ - .. , Much more might be faid, but having told you what is moft material, and you being wife and judicious, I am fatisfied there is nothing of it, but what you underfl:and, and there- fore I will not be more prolix. Thus much may ferve to fatisfy your curiofity, it being as much as the fhortnefs of time and my bufinefs would permit me to fay. So I remain moft: ready to fatisfy and ferve his highnefs to the utmoft in all the commands he ftiall lay upon* Florence t'j line z^y 16;] A^, i:.<.-^^j: ... ^^ LET\tER COLUMBUS*, H7: %f^^ L E t r E R Ih t.*- i. j.j^.^w ^0 Christopher Columbus, Paul tJb^ - - Phjifician 'wijhetb healths :'^^f::hj:) I RECEIVED your letters with the things you fcnt me, whichT fhall take as a great fav* ' our, and commend your lioble and ardent de- fire of failing from caft to weft, as it is mark*^ ed out in the chart I fent you, which would demonftrate itfelf better in the form of a globe. I am glad it i§ Well underftood, and that the voyage laid down is not only poffible but true, certain, honourable, very advantageous and moft glorious among all Chriftians. You cannot be perfect in the knowledge of it, but by experience and praftice, as I have had in great meafure, and by the folid and true in- formation of worthy and wife men, who have come from thoie parts to this court of Rome > and from merchants who have traded long in thofe parts and are perfons of good re- putation. So that when the faid voyage is performed, it will be to powerful kingdoms, and to the moft noble cities and provinces -, rich and abounding in all things we ftand in need of, particularly in all forts of fpice in great quantities, and ftore of jewels. K 2 This H« COLUMBUS. This will moreover be fateful to thofe kings and princes, who are very defirous to* cbnverfe and trade with Ghriftiansof thefe our countries, whether it be for fbme of them to becon» Chriftians, or clfe to have conimuni- cation with the wife and ingisnioua. men of thefe partSr af well in point of religiotiv as in all f<;iences> becaafe of the extraordinary ae« count they hav€ of the kingdooBlj and govern-* ment of thefe parts. For which reafons> and' many more that might be alleged, I do hot at all admire, that you who have a; great heart, and all the Portuguefe nation> which has cved had notable men in all undertakings^ bc) c»^ gerly bent upon performing this voyage. . r\-:* ' i:^--, ♦■•;'>> ) ,. ^'j ^^^5. c-r :. ^ t » • I . ^ ., ■ i >:. i J.: V. H\ -h---^ : v: John;;, '■1 •.' : . •-■<■ tr '• I ')• .. it • . 1 » , '^ •*,•.(' *QmI )" t> V i l^ -^•* ttl* J-.'.*.* IS K SEBASTIAN CABOT. ^Ip/" X HE icono^xical difppfitibn bf Maiiy VlX, King of England, induced hi|B t9 pre- fer ve tcanqviillity in his dotainionsi, which greatly contributed to the increaTe of com- merce and manufadures ; and to bring thith-* er merchants from all parts of Europe. The Lombards and the Venetians were remarkably numerous ^ the former of whom had a Areot in London appropriated to them and called by their name.* ■ ' 1 ■ , . - . Among the Venetians refident the^-e at that time wa? John Cabot, a man perfectly fkil^ led in all the Sciences requifite to form an ac-* compliihed mariner.-j* He had three fons, LewisjSEB AsTi AN and Sandias,J all of whom he educated in the fame manner. Lewis and Sanftius became eminent men, and fettled, the one at Genoa, the other at Vtrnice, Of Se- baftian a farther account will be given. The famous difcovery made by Columbus caufcd great admiration and much difcourfc, * F#rfter's northern Voyages, p. a66. t Campbell's Lives of AdnjiraU. i, 336. Kg m X HakJuyt. Ill, 7. «;.;,aSi. i5< CABOT, in the court of Heiiry,and among the mcrch* ^nts of England. To find a way to India by the weft, had long been a problem with men of fcience as well as a defideratum in the mer- cantile intereft. The way was then fuppofed to be opened j and the fpecimens of gold, which Columbus had brought home, excited %ht warmeft defire of purfuing that difcovery. ^ Cajot, by his knowledge of the globe, fup- pofed that a Shorter way might be found from England to India, by the northweft, Hav- ing communicated his projedt to the King, it was favourably received 5 and on the fifth of March 1496, a commif?ion was granted to <*John Cabot, and his three fons, their heirs and deputies, giving them liberty to fail to all parts of eaft, weft, and north, under the royal banners, and enfigns ; to difcover coun- tries of the heatheMy unknown to chrijlians \ to fet up the King's banners there ; to occupy and poflefs as his fubje<^s, fuch places as they could fubdue ; giving them the rule and ju- rifdidion of the fame, to be holden on condi- tion of paying to the King, as often as they (houid arrive at Briftol, (at which place only ^hey were permitted to arrive) in wares and pi^erchandife, one fifth part of all their gains -^ with C A B O T. \ ici with cxemptiori from all cuftoms and duties on fuch merchandife as (hould be brought from their difcoverics." v.-^ %il, . f:f^f ^^j After the granting of this commiflion, the King gave orders for fitting out two caravels for the purpofe of the difcovery, Thefe were viflualled at the pubUc expenfe ; and freight- ed by the merchants of London and Briftol, with coarfe cloths and other articles of traffic. The whole company confided of three hundred men. •^ ^'#* ■-. 1. ^ •-■f:A\'\. '.I., V*'>.^,. '.. .«»r .-^,-^>>.«[;i4,-»;i.VJMk#''J'^^'>^'ij in£4itr'v'lfii^&^eft pauage, f^y:Hjf'ow» V The beft accpupt? of the voyage preftpycd by Hakluyt and fuVcHas, fay notjtiin^ ^ th^ latitude of Prima "^ifta 5 but fj>eak of ti^(?i[r iailing northward ^fter they had ^djp ibfi land, as far as 67**. Stowe, in his c^if^ft^" cle,*!- fays it was r the ** nof th fide pf Tf^liW ie Labrador.'* '1 his coprfe rnuft j^ve ^^xr- ried thcni far up the ftrait ^hkh fcpj?tr^(jC|i Greenland from the continent of ^^^.e^^cji^, -^^i Finding the land &ili fiir^%c^I}f^ t^,' 1^ northward, arid the weather very cofd ip t)^ month of July ; the ixien became upe^jjf* ^"^ the commanders found i| neQepgirjf. |p ^^X^P^ to Bacalaos. Having hfr^ r^&j^jh^d ttfjSW^r fcjyes, they coafted the land fputbw^rd* u\l they f Rei igo of Heiii vii. An. 14, P^ 878* 'S^ CABOT. they camt into the fame latitude with tne ftraits of Gibraltar 36% or according to fomc, no farther than 38% when their provifions falling (hort, they returned to England ; bringing three of the Savages as a pre/ent to the King. " They were clothed with the fkins of bcafts, and lived on raw flefh 3 but aftc two years, v ere feen in the King's court clothed like Englilhmcn, and could not be difcerned from Englifhmen."* .^ : „ , ^ Nothing more is faid of John Cabot, tfic father j and fomp hiftorians afcribe the whole of this difcovery to Sebaflian only j but at the time of this voyage he could not have been more than twenty years old -, when, though he might accompany his father, yet he was too young to undertake fuch an expedition him- felf. The vc^ . ge having produced no fpe- » cimens of gold ; and the King being engaged in a controverfy with Scotland, no farther encouragement was given to the fpirit of difr covery. After the King's death, Sebaftian Cabot was invited to Spain, and was received in a refpedful manner by King Ferdinand and Queen Ifabella. In their fervice he fiiiled on a voyage • Stowe Reign of Hen, vii, page 875, Anno Regni 18, CABOT. . i- - > ^55 abot in a and oa a voyage of difcovery to the fouthern parts of the New Continent 5 and having viiited the coaft of Brafil, entered a great river to which he gave the name of Rio de la Plata. He failed up this river one hundred and twen- ty leagues i and found it divided into many branches ; the Ihores of which were inhab- ited by numerous people. '' After this, he made other voyages, of which no particular memorials remain, ilc was honoured by Ferdinand, with a commiffion of Grand Pilot j and was one of the council of the Indies. His refidence was in the city of Se- ville. His charadler was gentle, friendly and fecial. His employment was the drawing of charts j on which he delineated all the new difcoverics n-ade by himfelf and others. Petet* Martyr fpcaks of him as his friend, with whom he loved familiarly to converfe.* In his advanced age, he returned to Eng- land, and refided at Briftol. By the fav- our of the Duke of Somerfet, he was intro- duced to King Edward VI, who took great delight in his converfation, and fettled on him a penfion of ^166. i^f- 4^. per annum for ^ life. * " Familiarem habeo donii Cabotum ipfum, et interdnm fontubernakm," Pecad. iii, chap, vi. 156 CABOT. life. He was apppintcd governor of a compa- ny of merch^ts, a^ociated for the purpofe of making difcoveries pf unknown countries.* This is a proof of the great cfleem» in which he was held as a man of knowledge and ex- perience in his profeffion. He had a Arong perfuafion that a paflage might be found to China, by the northeaft, and warmly patroniT- cd the attempt m^dcby Sir HughWiHo^gh- by in 1553 ^° explore the northern feas, for that purpofe. Th^re is ilill extant a com^ plete fet of inflrudtions drawn and fubfcribed by Cabot, for the direction of the voyage to Cathay, which affords the cleareft prpof of his fagacity and penetration.-f But though this, as well as all other attempts of the kind, proved ineffectual to the principal end in view, yet it was the means of opening a trade with Ruflia, which proved very beneficial to the compapy^, ^^ ^ ^^ yhchiz account which we havcof Sebailian is, that in 1 556, when the company were fendr ing out a veflcl called the Search- thrift, under the command of Stephen Burrough, for difr cpvery J tl^c Goy^rnour m^de a viftt on board j r... , * which ♦ Hakluyt I, 268, III, 10. + Ibid I, 226, CABOT. ^57 which IS thus related in the journal of the voyage as prefervcd by rfakluyt.* ** 't'hft 27th of April^ being iCtonday, tlic Right Worfhipful Se^aftian Caoota came a- board our pinnace, at Gravefend y accompani- ed' with divers gentlemen and gentlewomen ^ who, after they had viewed our pinnace, and tailed of fuch cheer as we coul J make tliem> Went afhore, giving to our mariners right lib- eral rewards. The good old gentleman Maif« tcr Cabota gave to the poor mod liberal alms, wiftiing tJbem to pi'ay fbf the good' fortune and profperous fuccefs of the Search-thrift, our pinnace. And then at the fign of St. Chrif- topher, he and his friends banqueted; and made me and them that were in the company great cheer -, and for very joy that he had to fee the towardncfs of our intended difcovery, he entered into the dance bimfelf, among the reft of the young and lufty company 5 which being ended, he and hiS friends departeo, moft gently commending us to the governance of Almighty God." _ ?a. ', According to the calculation of his age by Dr. Campbell, he muft at that time have been about eighty years old. He ♦ Vol. i, p. 274. ic8 CABOT. * He was one of the moft extraordinary men of the age in which he lived. By his inge- nuity and induftry, he enlarged the bounds of fcicnce and promoted the intereft of the English nation. Dr.. Campbell fuppofes it was he who firft took notice of the variation of the magnetic needle.* It had been obfcrv- cd in the firft voyage of Columbus to the .Weft Indies ; though probably Cabot might not have known it, till after he had made the iJ,*;- , . 1,, , »■ . •# < 1 * ives of Admirals^ f , : ■- . •'. » i. 419. V . - <- ',.7 ITtO -Jlr-''^ r'-^ir.* ■ p^'r y\ r.} t:jl;-l • >• ^i\^^^ ,-z ')■ n^jf ^^ T, r:^;h hf;-/= ■ , ;*ns'^i:l-.t.r:_ r ^ » 1 ./ • ■ • «f * ■•*•• VI. . JAMES . . . ^ , '■!\ytO''^^s f Ih-i:,}, .(■ -^ 'ih-: --7 . » ly^ '^r ' C : c\: ^'■' ' '• « .* drA •: -, ^rr '■'■■tr.z/y , y ' • if 1 . • • 1. JL . ' ; ! .y ' t ;:•> b:!ni.{n':\ * » » ■ - # • . T ^ r;-..r .m:A » ■ • r iO nc:.)j •4 -' » ,' ■> •V;h A* - ■ it •:'!r.f\ ■'^TtV^ .i .. * ■ t: yi 4 T • * ■ 1 ^»..t r-^ A^ i '4 ^ ii O J 59 -rf^ ^• VI. J A M E S C A R T I E R. ( ^ Though the Englfh did not profc , cute the difcovery made by the Cabots, nor , avail themfelves of the only advantages which ' it could have afforded them ; yet their ntjgh- '^ hours of Brittany,* Norroandy and Bifcay. wifely purfued the track of thofc adventurers ^j and took vaft quantities of cc J on *he banks ^ of Newfoundland. ^ ^^^ ; . « jjj In 1524, John Verazzani, a Florentine, in^ the fervice of France, ranged the c jaii of the ^ new continent from Florida to Newfound- land, and gave it the name of New France, , In a fubfequent voyage he was cut to pieces , and devoured by the favages. ,,;,jr«:».»^ ,.•.:» It is remarkable that the three great Euro- pean kingdoms Spain, England and France, made ufe of three Italians to condudt their. dif- • coveries : Columbus, a (.^^^oefe; Cabot, a« Venetian ; and Verazzani, a Florentine. This is a proof that among the Italians there were at that time perfons fupcrior in maritime knowledge to the "other nations of Europe ; • though _^ :j *» * It is fuppofed that the ifland of Cape Breton took its name ffom tlie Bretons, the fifhermen of Brittany, . „ .T lib C A k T I E R though the penurious fpirit of thofc repub* lies, tiifeirntuttiai jestloufy ahd petty wars, made them overlook the benefits refulting from ex- teiifive erit^i-jir'ifeS, arid leave this vaft* regions oFtfte n^W World to lie occupied by 6tHers^[ ' Tf'ilc'^feykg^ of Vct^z^ihi haVi'ng proidiic- cd'rib' ^ddiVicin' tb the revetiu^ of Fraride- s all' furtrtfe^ dttem^s' to^ per&ai liis dilfeov&its^ v^Si^ikid dfidisV buithd flfhery bfeing^ fbu^tf cftJidiiciva to'thfe commfcitial ilit^rctt/i^ was at length conceived, that a plantation ih' t!he n^igfib6iirhB6d of thfe balnlcs nii^t be adyah- tagdoiisf. TKis^ being repreftnteil' to King FM'dh%^^ CHabot the Aduiiral, Jamas' GXR¥ikR* of St. M-alo, was cofhtniAohed to colore the coiiiitl-y, with a' vleiw td find a' place for a colony. -(^ On tH^ loth'dfApHl i53^^1& failed from St'. Mdo v^ith two fliips dffikty'tohs, and 122 m^H'; aliii on the terith of^ May" came iiiTiglit of BdtikviftaV dfl( the iftind of Ncwfoiiridiahd. But the it'e^ Which 'ky alorig^ the flidre obliged' hirri^to'g^' fdtithward V arid he entered a har- b^t^ td Whith he g^ve the^riitiii of.St.^Caiha*^ riri^;$- wKek' "Hi' Wait^d'fdr fiir weather, arid' fitt^%f^'^boats. As "His name is lometimes written iluartter* + Forfter's northern voyages, p. 435. X Called in fome maps Catalina, ' tf A It *r f E a; f6* '^As foorl as the feafon woald permit he fail* «J(i northward, and cjtamined fcvcral harbour* and iflands, on the coaft of Newfoundland ; in one of which he found fuch a quantity of birds, that in half ^1 hour, two boats weref loaded with them ; and after they had eaten aS many as they could, five or fix barrels full were faltbd for each Hiip* This plac^ was called Bird Idand;" ^^'-^-^^ - - :ii^. v,^^: Having paffed Cape de Grat, the northern extremity of the land j he entered the ftraits of Bellifle and vifited feveral harbours on the dppofite coafl o'c Labrador, one of which he called Cartier's Sound* The harbour is de- fCribed as one of the befl in the world ; but the land is fligmatized as the place to which; Cain was banifhed ; no vegetation being pro- • duced among the rocks, but thorns and mofs» Yet, bad as it was, there were inhabitants in it, who lived by catching feals^ and feemed to be a wandering tribe.* * — ;; \ \,. ' In circumnavigating the great idand of New- foundland, they found the weather in gener-* al cold ; but when they had crofTed the gulf ift a fouthWefterly diredtion to the continent, ^ they came into a deep bay, where the climate -. ' «« , was • Hakluyt, vol. iiij p. 20i — all. \ - C A R T I E R. was fo warm, that they named it Baye dc Cha- Icur, or the Bay of Heat. Here were feveral kinds of wild berries, rofes and meadows of grafs. In the frefli waters they caught fal- mon in great plenty* Having fearched in vain for a paffage through the bay, they quitted it, and failed along the coad^ eaflward, till they came to the fmaller bay of Gafpe j where they fought fhelter from a tempcft, and were detained twelve days in the month of July. In this place Cartier performed the ceremony of taking pofleffion for the King of France. A crofs of thirty feet high was eredted on a point of land. On this crofs was fufpended a fhield, with the arms of France and the words Vive le Roy de France, Before it, the {.euple kneeled, un- covered ', with their hands extended, and their eyes lifted toward heaven. The natives, who were prefent, beheld the ceremony at firft with filent admiration 5 but after a while, an old man, clad in a bear's fkin, made figns to them that the land was his, and that they fliould not have it, without his leave. They then informed him by ligns, that the crofs was intended only as a mark of direction, by which they might again find the port ; and they C A R T I E R. 163 they promifed to return the next year, and to bring iron and other commodities. . _,^ v.. * They thought it proper however to con- ciliate the old man's good will, by entertaining him on board the ihip and making him &v- cral prefents -, by which means, they fo pre- vailed on him, that he permitted Cartier to carry two of his fons, young men, to France, on the fccurity of a promife that he would bring them back, at his return the next fpring. From Gafpe, he failed fo far into the Great River, afterward called St. Lawrence, as to difcover land on the oppofite fide ; but the weather being boifterous, and the current fet- ting againft him, he thought it beft to return to Newfoundland, and then to France ; where he arrived fafe in the harbour of St. Malo on the fifth of Seotcmber. The difcoveries made in this voyage excit- ed farther curiofity j and the Vice Admiral M^lleraye reprefented Carticr's merits to the King, fo favourably, as to procure for him a more ample equipment. Three (hips, one of 1 20, one of 60 and one of 40 tons, were deftined to perform another voyage, in the enfuing fpring ; and feveral young men of dif- L 2 tindion . r64 C A R T I E R. tindlion entered as volunteers, to fesk adven« tures in the new world. "When they were ready to fail, the whole company, after the example of Columbus, went in proceflion to church, on Whitfunday, where the BiQiop of St. Malo pronounced his blefling on them. They failed on the 19th of May 1535. Meet- ing with tempeftuous weather, the fhips were feparated j and did not join again, till Cartier in the largcft (hip arrived at Bird Ifland -, where he again filled his boats with fowls, and on the 26th of July was joined by the other vef- fels,- , . .^.- - •, •-.... ».-,(t;--, ._Y; From Bird Ifland they purfued the fame courfe as in the preceding fummer ; and hav- ing come into the gulf on the weftern fide of Newfoundland, gave it the name of St. Law- rence. Here they faw abundance of whales. Faffing between the ifland of AfTumption (fincc called Anticofti) and the northern fhore, they failed up the great river, till they came to a branch on the northern fide, which the young natives who were on board called Saguenay ; the main river they told him would carry him to Hochelaga, the capital of the whole country. After fpending fome time in explorimg the northern coafl, to find an opening to the northward -, ARTIER. 1*5 C northward ; ir the beginning of September, he failed up the river and difcovered feveral ^flands ; one of which, from the multitude :of filberts, he called Coudres ; and another, sfrom the vaft quantity of grapes, he named Bacchus, (now Orleans.) This ifland was full of inhabitants who fubfifled by iiihing. '.When the fhips had come to anchor be- tween the N. W. fide of the illand and the main, Cartier went on fiiorc with his two young Savages. The people of the country were at firft afraid of them ; but hearing the youths fpeak to them in their own language, they became fociable, and brought eels ind other jfifh, with a quantity of Inc a corn in ears, for the refrefhment of their neiv guefls ; in return for which, they were pre- fented with fuch European baubles as were pleafing to themJtv t V i! • - f ct: rift: ^*:3>„ ■J' The next day, Donacona, the prince of the place, came to vifit them, at- rded by twelve boats , but keeping ten of them at a dillanc^, he approached with two only, containing fix^ teen men. Ji the true fpirit of hofpitality, he made a fpcech, accor |>anied with f i^^fi- cant geftures, welcoming the French to his country and offering his fervicc to them. The L3 young Mi "4 ^ 9 i66 C A R T I E R. young favages, Taignoagni and Domagaia anfwcrcd him, reporting all which they h''.d feen in ^rancc, at which he i^ppivarcd to b^ pl<:r fed. Then ap^^roaching the Czpisjr , \^ho held out his Land, he kilTed it, and laid it round his own neck, in token of friendfliip* Cartier, on his part, entertaineJ Donanon:: with bread ard wine^ and they parted mutu- ally pleafed. The next day Cartier went up in his boat to find a harbour for his fhips ; the feafon bf ing {o far advanced that it became neceflary to fecure them. At the well end of the ifle of Bacchus, he found " a goodly and pleafant found, where is a little river and haven ; ' a- bout three fathom deep at high water." To this he gave the name of St. Croix, and de- termined there to lay up his (hips. Near thic place was a village called Stada- coiia, of which Donacona was the Lord. It was environed with foreft trees, fomeof which bore fruit ; and under the trees, was a gro^ 'th of wild hemp. As Cartier was returning to his ihips, he had another fpecimen of the hofpi table manners of the nr'tives. A com- pany of people, of both fc ;^. met him on thff ^orc of the little rWer, >^ ,^ing and danc- ing C A R T I E R. 167 ing up to their knees in water. In return for their courtefy, he gave them knives and beads ; and they continued their mufic till he was beyond hearing it. ,p--^^,^^.fr,xr.<- < ?r When Cartier had brought his fhips to the harbour and fecured them, he intimated his intention to pafs-in his boats up the river to Hochelaga. Donacona was loth to part with him J and invented feveral artifices to pre- vent his going thither. Among others, he contrived to drefs three of his men in black and white fkins, with horns on their heads and their faces befmeared with coal, to make them refemble infernal fpirits. They were put into a canoe and pafTed by the fhips ; brandifhing their horns and making an unin* telligible harrangue. Donacona, with his people, purfued and took them, on which they fell down as if dead. They were carried ajfhore into the woods, and all the favages foU lowed them. A long difcourfe enfued, and the conclufion of the farce was, that thefe demons had brought news from the God of Hochelaga, that his country was fo full of O'cw and ice, that whoever ihould adventure thitht; would periQi with the cold, The artifice affordec diverfion to the French, but L 4 was j68 C A R T I E R, was too thin to deceive them* Cartier de« termined to proceed; and on the 19th of September, with his pinnace and two boats,, began his voyage up the river to Hochelaga, %- Among the woods on the margin of the river were many vines loaded with ripe grapes, than which nothing could be a more welcome iight to Frenchmen, though the fruit was not fo delicious as they had been ufed to tafte in their own country. Along the banks were many huts of the natives -, ivho made figns of joy as they pafied ; prefcnted them with fi/h j piloted them through narrow channels ; car- ried them afhore on their backs, and helped them to get off their boats when aground. Some prefented their children to them, and fuch as were of proper age were accepted. »^ : The water at that time of the year being low, their paffage was rendered difficult ; but by the friendly ^fiance of the natives they lurmounted the obftrudions, On the ^8th of September they paffed the rapids between the idands in the upper part of the lake An- goleme, (now called St. Peters) and on the fccond of O(5tober they arrived at the ifland of Hochelaga 1 where they had been expeded, ^4 preparation^ were made to give them ^ welcome G A R T I E R 169 welcome reception. About a thoufand per- ibns came to meet them, finging and dancing, the men on one fide, the women on the other, m and the children in a diflindt body. Presents of iifli and other viduals were brought, and in return were given knives, beads and other trinkets. The Frenchmen lodged the firfc night in their boats, and the natives watched on the £hore, dancing round their Arcs during the whole night. .^^,, . ,^ , ,. > ? j. r^r i^^^ij « The next morning Cartier, with twenty five of his company, went to vifi t the town, and were met on the way by a perfon of dif- tindion, who bad them welcome. To him they gave two hatchets and two knives, and hung over his neck a crofs which they : ,ht him to kifs. As they proceeded, they pa£(ed through groves of oak, from which the accms were fallen and lay thick on the ground. Af- ter this they came to fields of ripe corn, fome of which was gathered. In the midft of theie fields was fituate the town of Hochehpa, 2 It was of a round form, encompauiL^d with three lines of palifades, through which was one entrance, well fecured with flakes and bars. On the infidc was a rampart of timber, to which were afcents by ladders, and heaps of 170 C A R T I E R. of ftoncs were laid in proper places for defence. In tbr \Arri were about fifty long huts built y:\ih itiC'.i and covered with bark. In the mid- dle of each hut was a fire, round which were lodging places, floored with bark and covered with fkins. In the "nper part was a fcafFold, on which they oried and prefer ved their corn. To prepare it foi eating, they pounded it in wooden mortars, and having mixed it with wa- ter, baked it on hot ftones. Befides corn they had beans, fquafties and pumpkins. They dried their filh and preferved them in troughs. Thefc people lived chiefly by tillage and fifh- ing, and feldom went far from honn<=:. Thofe on the lower parts of the river were more giv- en to hunting, and conficiered the Lord of Hochelaga as their fovereign, to whom they paid tribute. ' ^ *. ■■' - - ■ -^ When the new guefls were condu(3:ed to an open f'^uare ' - the centre of the town ; the females came to them, rubbing their hands and fa-iCS, weeping with joy at their arrival, and bringing their children to be touched by the flrangers, 1 liey fpread mats for them on the groi ^ . whilfl the men feated them- felve3 in a k.ge circle on the outfide. The King was then brought in a litter, on the fhoulders C A R T I E R. 171 fhoulders of ten men, and placed on a mat next to the French Captain. He was about fifty years old, and had no mark of diftin^ion but a coronet made of porcupine's quills dyed red ; which he took off and gave to the Cap- tain, requeuing him to rub his arms and legs which were trembling with a palfy. Several { ^rfons, blind, lame, and withered with age, were alfo brought to be touched ; as if they fuppofcd that their new guefls were meffeng- ers from heaven inverted with a power of healing difeafes. Cartier gratified them as well as he could, by laying his hands on them and repeating fome devotional paflages from a fervice book, which he had in his pocket ; ac- companying his ejaculations with fignificant geftures, and lifting up his eyes to heaven. The natives attentively obferved and imitated all his motions. Having performed this ceremony, he defir- ed the men, women and children to arrange themfelves in feparate bodies. To the men he gave hatchets, to the women beads, and to the children rings. He then ordered his drums and trumpets to found, which highly pleafed the company and fet them to dancing. Being ' 172 C A R T I E R, Being detirous of afcending the hill, under which the town was built, the natives con- ducted them to the fummit ; where they were entertained with a moil extenfive and beauti- ful profpedt of mountains, woods, idands and waters. They obferved the courfe of the riv- er above, and fome falls of water in it ; and the natives informed them that they might fail on it for three months ; that it ran through two or three great lakes, beyond which was a fea of frcrti water, to which they knew of no bounds ; and that on the other fide of the mountains there was another river which ran in a contrary dire6lion to the fouthweft, through a country full of delicious fruits and free from fnow and ice ; that there was found fuch metal as the Captain's Jiher whiftle and the haft of a dagger belonging to one of the company which was gilt with gold. Being ihewn fome copper, they pointed to the north- ward, and faid it came from Saguenay. To this hill Cartier gave the name of Montreal, which it has ever lince retained, - .. .u? The vifit being finiihed, the natives accom- panied the French to their boats, carrying fuch as were weary on their (houlders. They were loth to part with their guefts, and fol- lowed C A R T I E R. 173 lowed them along the (hore of the river to a confiderable didance. On the fourth of O(5lober, Cartier and his company departed from Plochelaga. In pair- ing down the river, they erected a crofs on the point of an illand, which, with three others, lay in the mouth of a (hallow river, on the north fide, called Fouetz. On the eleventh they arrived at the Port de St. Croix, and found that their companions had enclofed the (hips with a palifade and rampart, on which they had mounted cannon. ^ < - j,i^' - » .»,• t • v, ,• The next day Donacona invited them to his refidence, where they were entertained with the ufual feilivity and made the cuflom- ary prefents. They obferved that thcfe peo- ple ufed the leaves of an herb [tobacco] which they preferved in pouches made of ikins ano fmoked in flone pipes. It was very offer vc to the French ; but the natives valued 1. i., contributing much to the prefervation of their health. Their houfes appeared to be well fupplied with provilions. Among other things which were new to the French, they obferved the; fcalps of five men, fpread and dri- ed like parchment. Thefe were taken from their enemies the Toudamani, who came from the 174 C A R T I E R. the fouthy and were continually at war with them. Being determined to fpend the winter a- mong thefe friendly people, they traded with them for the provifions which they could fpare, and the river fupplied them with fi(h till it was hard frozen. In December the fcurvy began to make its appearance among the natives, and Cartier prohibited all intercourfe with them ; but it was not long before his own men were taken with it. It raged with uncontroled violence for above two months, and by the middle of February, out of one hundred and ten perfons, fifty were fick at once, and eight or ten had died. , . . In this extremity Cartier appointed a day of {blemn humiliation and prayer. A crucifix was placed on a tree, and as many as were able to walk went in proceflion, through the ice and fnow, finging the feven penitential pfalms and performing other devotional exercifes. At the clofeof the folemnity Cartier made a vow, that" if it would pleafe God to permit him to return to France, he would go in pilgrim- age to our Lady of Roquemado." But it was nccelfary to watch as well as pray. To pre-, vent C A R T I E R. ^7S vent the natives from knowing theii' weak and defcncelefs (late, he obliged all who were able, to make as much noife as poilible with axes and hammers ; and told the natives that his men were all bufily employed, and that he would not fufFer any of them to go from the ihips till their work was done. The fhips were fail frozen up from the middle of No- vember to the middle of March -, the fnov/ was four feet deep, and higher than the fides of the fhips above the ice. The fevcrity of the winter exceeded all which they had ever experienced ; the fcurvy flill raged ; twenty five men had fallen vidims to it, and the others were fo weak and low in fpirits, that they defpaired of ever feeing their native country. In the depth of this diflrefs and defpon- dency, Cartier, who had efcaped the difeafe, in walking one day on the ice, met fome of the natives, among whom was Domagaia, one of the young men who had been with him to France and who then refided with his coun- trymen at Stadacona. He had been fick with the fcurvy, his finews had been fhrunk and his knees fwollen, his teeth loofe, and his gums rotten j but he was then recovered, and J-'f^' 176 C A R T I E R. and told Car tier of a certain tree, the leaves and bark of which he had ufed as a remedy. Cartier exprefled his wi(h to fee the tree ; tel- ling him that one of his people had been affed cd with the fame diforder. Two women were immediately difpatched, who brought ten or twelve branches, and fhowed him how to pre- pare the decodlion ; which was thus, ** to boil the bark and the leaves ; to drink of the liquor every other day ; and to put the dregs on the legs of the fick."* This remedy prefently came into ufe, on board the fhips ; and its good effedts were fo furpriling, that within one week they were completely healed of the fcurvy ; and fome who had venereal complaints of long {landing were alfo cured by the fame means. The feverity of winter having continued four months without intermiflion, at the re* . turn * This tree was called by the natives Ameda or Haneda. Mr« Hakliiyt fuppofes it to have been the Safnifras ; but as the leave* ■were ufed with the bark, in the winter, it mud have been an ever- green. The dregs of the bark were alfo applied to the fore legs of the patient. From thefe circumftances I am inclined to think that it was the fpnice pine Cpintts canadenfisj which is ufed in the fame manner by the Indians, and fuch as have learned of them. Spruce beer is well known to be a powerful antifcorbutic ; and the bark of this and of the white pine ferves as a cataplafin for wounds and fores. (i A ft T t i R. ij^ ttrrn of tfte fun, the feafon became milicfer^ atia in April the ice began to break up. Ont , the third of May, Cartier took pofleflion ot " the country by creding a crofs, thirty fk\r6 feet high, on which was hung a (hield, bear- ing the arms of France,, with this infcription i Franc^scus prrrius, Dei gratid, Frai^co-^ Ktsu ReXy regnat. ' Th6 fame day, bcin^ a day of itHilvWf, f^i two young favages, Taignoagni and Domagaia, with Donacona the chief of the place, came oA board the (hips j and were partly prevailed on and partly conftrained to accompany Cartier t6 France. A handfome prefent was made to the Family of Donacona, but it was with great reluctance that his friends parted with him ; though Cartier promifed to bring him again at the end of tv/elvc months. On the fixth of May they failed from the Port of St. Croix ; arid having touched at St. Peter's in Newfoundland, they arrived at St.. Malo in France the fixth of July 1536. Whether Cartier performed his vow to God, the hiftory does not tell us ; certain it is, however, that he did not perform his promife to his palTengers. The zeal for adventures pf this kind began to abate. Neither gold nor M filvcr ^S CART I E R. filver were carried home. The advantages of the fur trade were not fully underftood ; and the profpetft of benefit from cultivation in the fhort fummer of that cold climate, w«:s great- ly overbalanced, by the length and feverity of a Canadian winter. The natives had been fo often told of the neceflity of baptifm in or- der to falvation, that on their arrival in France, they were at their own requeft baptized ; but neither of them lived to fee their native land aeain. The report which Cartier brought home, of the fine country beyond the Lakes, had however made fuch an impreflion on the minds of fome, that, at the end of four years, another expedition was proje>.. i-i .... \^ :i li . J^ -V-:-^ >v^. »^' .M^ ? ^ .^ ' * *#«■ :'»4ii M'r.iit^-li * '' VII. FERDINANDO DE SOTO. '0, 1 HR t^vels and tranfadions of thi^ adventurer are o ^ little importance in thp hiftory of Amcr Jiat I fhould not have thought then oi much notice -, ha^ it not been, that l gentlemen of ingenuity and learning, have had rccourfc to the expedi- tion of this Spaniard as a means of folving the queftion refpeding the mounds and fortifica*- tions, of a regular conftrudtion, which within a few years pafl have been difcovered in the thickeft (hades of the American foreft.* Though the opinion feems to have been can- didly given up by one of the writers who at- tempted to defend it ; yet, as wh^t was publish- ed on the fubjedt may have imprefled fomc perfons with an idea that thefe works were of European fabric, I fhall briefly relate the hiftory of Soto's march -, and the difliculties which attend * If the reader wifiies to fee a particular inveAig^on qf t^s hypothefis, he may confult the American Magazine, printed at New York, for December 1787, January and February 1788, and fome fubfequent numbers ; compared with the Columbian Mag- azine, printed at FhiUdelphia, for 3ept«mbcr viA November ^ >^^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) ^ .V^^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■A^IM |2.5 ■^ 1^ 12.2 ui Hii A" O V] <^ //, 7 ^'^ 7^ '^ '/ Photographic Sdences Corporation ^^^' 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4b^ fe ^ ^^ O %A , i!.P> 1 1 ^6 SOTO. attend the fuppofition that he was the builder of any^of thefe fortifications. », After the conquefl of Mexico and Peru, in the beginning of the fixteenth century, the inextingui{hable thirft for gold, which bad feized the Spanifh adventurers, prompted them to fearch for that bewitching metal wherever there could be any profped: of finding it. Three unfuccefsful attempts had been made in Florida, by Ponce, Gomez; and Narvaez j but becaufe thefe adventurers did not penetrate the interior parts of the continent ; Ferdinan- Do DE Soto, G9vernour of Cuba, who had been a companion of the Pizarros in their Peruvian expedition, and had there amufled much wealth, projected a march into Florida, of which country he had the title of Adclan- tado, or Prefident. He failed from the Port of Havannah May i8, 1539, with nineveflels, fix hundred men,* two hundred and thirteen horfes,anda heard of fwine,and arrived on the 30th of the fame month in the bay of Efpiri- tu Santo, on the weflern coaft of the peninfula of Florida. ., * In rrince's Chronology it is (aid that Soto haj 900 men, but he quotes Purchas for his authority, in whofe book the number is *^fx hundredt" •*'rv>°>/-»--' •'- rtj SOT O. (i«7 ■^i-i Being a foldier of fortune and determined on conqueft, he , immediately pitched his camp and iecured it. A foraging party met ^ith a few Indians who refifted them ; two '■ were killed, the others efcaped, and reported to their countrymen that the warriors of fire had invaded their territories ; upon which the fmaller towns were deferted and the natives hid. in the woods. #yj* l-it-^ . \nw%im^^¥f Having met with a Spaniard of the party of Narvaez, who had heen wrecked on the coafty and had been twelve years a captive with the Indians, Soto made ufe of him as a mef- ienger to them to inquire for gold and filver ; and wherever he could receive any informa- tion refpedting thefe precious metals thither he direifted his march • *^ • '^ * 4 w'«^ »4*ift€ ■^-%i . His manner of marching was this : The horfemen carried bags of corn and other pro- viiions ; the footmen marched by the (ide of the horfes, and the - fwine were driven be- fore them. When they firft landed they had thirteen female fwine, which in two years in- creafed to fevcral hundreds j the warmth of the climate being favourable to their propaga- tion, and the forefts yielding them a plenty of fppcjf , . . . ' . The? ■J i88 SOTO. ^ Theiirft fummor and winter were fpcnt in the pemnfula of Florida, not far from the bsLf of Apaiache ; and in the beginning of die following fpcing, having ient back his veifels to Cuba for fupplies, and left a part of his men at the port, where he expected the ihips to return, he ;marched toward the nordi andeaft, ia fearch.of a place called Yupaha^ where he had been informed there was gold. ' 1 1n this march he croiTed the river Altama- ha and probably the Ogechec, and came, as he was informed, within two days journey of the bj^ of St. Helena, where the Spaniards had been iibveral years before. In all this march he ilaid not more than a week in any one place. He then fct his face nortbwardy and hjtv'^ ftfk^ a hijly country, came to a diftrift c: i Chalaque, which is fuppofed to be the coun^ try now lulled Cherokee, on the upper branchi" es of €he river Savannah. Thence he turned fe^'i^w^^, in fearch of a place called Chiaha, ai;^ in this route he crofTed the Allegany ridgiSy and came to Chiaha, where his horfes and men, being exceflively fatigued, he reded thirty days. The horfes fed in a meadow, and and the people lay under the trees, the weath-* /jAiir^ ■'. .:,■;-.'■ ^.-\ ^'.■-» '■•■'*- er I' . ^*: 1^ -^ f . SOTO... i3^ er being very hot, and tb^ natives in* peaee4« This was in the months of May and June.i During their abode the^e^ they heard of ^ eountry called Cbifca, where was copper andw another metalof the fame colour. Thiscoun-'^ txyihi^nortkwurJy and a party was Jent witk Indian guides t6 view it. Their report was^ that the mountains Were impaf&ble, and Soto did not attempt to proceed any farther in that dire<^onu/ ^i^Uthat he.began his march from*. Mavilla, a viljage near the mouth of the Mobille, on the iBth of November, and on the 17th of December arrived, at. Chica9a,. an Indian village of twenty: houfes, wheret' they remained till the next April. :>?. ^^^ Jhe diftance, the time, „the nature of iher country, the courfe and manner pf thei march, and the name of the village, all con-, cur to determine this winter flation of Soto> to be a village of the Chickefaw IncUans, (It- uate on the upper part of the Yafou, a branch: of the Mifiiflippi, about eighty leagues northv/eflward from Mobille, and not lefs; than one hundred and forty leagues, fouth- weftward from the Mufkingum, where the great fortifications, which gave rife to this inquiry, arc found. From. Chica^ay in the /..;4 fpring. I \ II Ifp s o T a / ipniig> %t ytttit weflramrdv microiftda nvdr within tho thirty fowftlk d^pve of latitude^ which tit caHcd Rio Gitade. and #luch it ilov^ known lb be the Miifi£ppi. r On the weAem fidd of the Mtfflffi|>pi^ af- ter famblfas alt ftimtierr he ipmc tlit^ei^ winter, at i' phwe called Andamque, where he enctofed* his oaMip with a wall of dmher, the wovk of three days orify. mi kki thiar enctofure he lodged fafei^f dttring three months J' andviit^tiiefuceedifii^ fpfinigi the^ extreme Ua^igat.^nd anxiety ^^iqh he had iu^red>^thftc# l^itf'iftto a fever, of Which^ he died» May ^i, f^^i, at GuacOya, T& prevent his di^th froih bding knbwil^to thd indiail^, hiflf^ body wa» fdnk iil^ tlite ttAddle of His LitotetianY^ Louiis de Mc^ebko, con*^ tinued^ ifi^hlc bn'tbe weftem' ftde of thd Mlfliffippft» till the neit fiHnmcr ; wheh wofnt witb hti^ijtt, diCa^tntment, ^aidltj^ of mtti; hebu^t feVeift boatsy caHed brigasitifiesy oii the^ Mifii^piyin which, thd fliatt*e#ed remnants, coafi^ngof t^e himdredand eldvtii^, return^ ed to €uba,an Septettiber i J43<.* ^^"^^ The plbce where Soto die(i is fsdd to have been Oh the bank of the ked river, a weAjern »> • i branch <■*• • Purchas, vol. v, p. 1532 to 1556. 1/ I. ^V;.A. .\^■■. feninchof tbc Mifliffippi; Irt ht. 3r\ The plactwhere theteanantof his dM^'hbilttli^if vef!b]$ and embarkfed for Cuba is called ih' the journal Minoya^* They' were feVenteen dayft in failing down the river/ and they Computed *c ' d{(btjce to he' tw6 hundred and fifty leagues.* *" : Prom this account, fidtfifutljr iVridg^ ftoiA Purchai arid compared' with '^e heft maps, I am fulfy perfuaded that the* whole countiy ; through which Soto "travelled on the'eaftern: fide of the Mifliflippi is comprehended with- in -Florida, Georgia and South Caroling ; and thit he r ever w^nt farther northward than the 55th degree ^f latitude, which is difhtnt two degrees fouthward from any part of the Ohio. The conclufion then is, that he could not have bcei# the builder of thofc fbrtitici - tions, flill remaining in that part of the con- tinent, which lies N. W. 6f the Ohio. Nor indeed can ahy works which he eredted for the fecurity of his camp be fubfifting at this time; for the beft of them Were made of, wood, and wfere intended to cover his mcii^ and prote£^his Horfcs and fWine only during" oneWmte^. *v-^!t,i*.-^^ 0^^ Tjjg * Mr. Prince, in his chronology ,fays 400, in figures ; but Pu^5 chai|/r«^ whom be Quotes, f«ys " twQ hundred and fifty." ■* ' 194 SOTO. ^ The works which have fo much excited curiolity and conjedure, are far more numer-t ous, extenfive and durable. They are found in various and diftant places, in the interior part of the continent, on both fides of thp Mifliflippi ; on the Ohio and its branches i on James and Potowmack rivers in Virginia ; in the country of the Six Nations, and on the ihores of lake Erie ; where they arc exceed- ingly numerous. r,>^ ^. The mod obvious mode of folving the queflion refpeding them, is by inquiry of the prefcnt natives. But the flrudures are too ancient for their tradition; the oldeft and wifeft men know nothing of their original. The form and materials of thefe works, indi- cate the exigence of a race of men fuperior to the preient race, in improvement, in delign, and in that patience which mud have accom- panied the labour of erecting them. Trees which have been found growing on them have been cut down, and, from indubi- ^table marks, are knov/n to have been upwards *of three hundred years old ; nor were thefe the firft growth, upon them. . The mounds and ramparts are conftrufled of earth, and have acquired afirmnefsand fol- led SOTO. 1 ^95 idity, which render it probable that they are the work of fome remote age and fome other people ; who had different ideas of conveni- ence and were better acquainted with tife arts of defence ; and in fa£t» were much more nit^ meroui than the anceftry of thofe native$» of whom we or our fathers have had any knowledge. It is to be hoped that the perfons who now occupy and are cultivating the lands where thefe fingular buildings are found, will pre- ! ferve, as far as they are able, fome, at leaft, of thefe monuments of unknown ages; that as they have long reilfled the ravages of time, ' and may poflibly baffle the refearches of the « preient generation, they may fubfift unimpair- ed as fubjedts of fpeculation to our pofterity. ^i lit. 1^4,- ■( ••- iJ f-ifl itf •l Na VIII. HUMPHREY f t ■ «/• - ^..;^^'''^^m 4. i -f. .. . J^*^-?/ I. 1^6 (> I «> i\ VIII. HUMPHREY GILBERT. * After the difcovcry of Newfound- land by tl^e Cabot s, the paitioh for adventure^ aihong the Englifh, met with niany fevere checks. But whilft one adventurer after a* nother was returning home, frono an unfuc- cefsful voyage, intended to penetrate unknowa feas to China ; fordgners were reaping the benefit of their partial difcoveries. Within the iirft forty years we have no ac- count of any attempt made by the Engliih to profecute the difcovery of the new continent, except, that in 1536, two vefTels containing one hundred and twenty perfons, of whom thirty were gentlemen of education and cha- radtcr, under the condufl of ** Mafter Hore of London" made a voyage to Newfound- land i* but they were fo ill provided, and knew fb little of the nature of the country, 'that they fufFcred the extremity of famine. For, notwithflanding the immenfe quantities of ii(h and fowl to be found on thofe coafts ; they were reduced fo low as to watch the nefts of birds of prey and rob them of the fifh which * Hakluyt, vol. iii, p. 130. . \ GILBERT. <97 which they brought to feed their yoong. To .collect this fcanty fupply, with a mixture of roots and herbs, the men difperfed themfelves ,in the woods, until feveral of them were miff- .ing. It was at firft thought that they were .devoured by wild beaAs ; bi;t it was found .tfiat they met with a more tragical .fate j the ftrooger having killed the weaker and feafted •on their fle(h. In the midft of this diflirefs, % French (hip arriving with t fupply of provi- fions, they took her by force, and returned tp England > leaving to the Frenchmen their owii fmaller vefftls^ and dividing the proviiion be- tween them. Complaint of this ^^ of piracy ;Was made to King HenRY VIII: wha^ knowing the mifcries of the unfortunate crew» inftead of punifhing them, paid th^ damage out of his own coffers, mu nnt%i*i m - it^nf * Within the fuccecding forty years, the Englifh had begun to make feme advantage by the fiihery ; and in j 578, the ilate of it is thus dqfcribed.* ** There are about one hun» dred fail of Spaniards who come to tak6 cod $ who make it all wet, and dry it when they come home 5 befides twenty or thirty more, who come from Bifcay to kill whales for, train. /UM^h.ii^r,» . N 3 r. ' -.. V , > : ' Thefc • Letter of Anthony Parkhurft to Richard Haklyyt, vol. iii, p. 132, ^ - I9S GILBERT. Thefe be better appointed for (hipping and furniture of munition than any other nation, fave the £ngli(h ; who commonly are Lords of the harbours. As touching their tonnage, I think it may be near five or fix thouiand. Of Portugals, there are not above fifty fail, whofe tonnage may amount to three thousand, and they make all wet. Of the French na- tion are about one hundred and fifty fail ; the ittofl of their fhipping is very fmall, not paft forty tons ; among which feme are great and reafonably well appointed j better than the Portugals, and^ not fo well as the Spaniards ; the burden of them may be about feven thoU'^ iand. The Englifh veflels have increafed in four years from thirty to fifty fail. The trade which our nation hath to Iceland, maketb, that the EngliHi are not there in fuch num- bers as other nations." The next year [1579] Queen Elizabeth granted to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a pa- tent for the difcovering, occupying and peop- ling of *^ fuch remote, heathen and barbarous countries as were not aflually pofTefTed by any Chrijiian people/** In confequence of this grant, many of his friends joined him, and preparations • Hskluyt iii. 135. Forfler, 292* GILBERT, '99 preparations were made for an expedition, which promifed to be highly advantageous. But before the fleet was ready, fome declined and retracted their engagements. Gilbert^ with a few companions, failed ; but a violent ilorm, in which one of the (hips foundered, cauied him to return. This misfortune in- volved him in debt ; and he had. no way to iatisfy the demands of his creditors, but by grants of land in America. By fuch means, the country was nov likely to be peopled, nor the conditions of his patent fulfilled. He was obliged therefore to fell his eflate before he could make another attempt ; and, after long folicitation, being afUfled by fome friends, he fet fail from Plymouth with five fhips, carrying two hundred and iixty men, on the eleventh of June 1583; and on the eleventh of July arrived off the bay of St. John, on the eaflern coafl of Newfoundland. Thirty fix fifhing vefTels were then in the harbour, who refufed him admittance. He prepared to enter by force of arms ; but pre- vioufly fent in his boat with his commiflion from Queen Elizabeth 5 on fight of which they fubmitted, and he failed into the port.* . . N4 ^ " " '^ ' The • Stith's hiflory of Virginia, page 6. 1 ^0(> G I L B E K T. The Intention of this voyage was to isOm formal pofTeflion of the iilaad* and of the iiflv* ery on its banks* for the crown of England* This WIS done in the foljowimg manner \*^ w- ' : On Monday the fifth of Auguft, Admiral Gilbert had his tent pitched on ihore, in fight of all the (hipping 5 and being attended by( his own people^ fummoned the merchants and maflersr of veflels, both EngUfbmen and oth? ers, to be prefcnt at the ceremony, When they were all afiembled, his commifiion waf read, and interpreted to the foreigners. Then a turf and a twig were delivered to him, which he received with a hazle wand, Imnaediately, protlan^tion was made, that by virtue of his commifiipn from the Queen, .he took , poi^fr fion, for the crowa of England, of the, har> hour of St. John, and two hundred leagues every way round it, . \.---^ . ' vtr. He then publiihed three laws, for the govr: ernmcnt of the territory, By the firft, pub- lic worship was eftabli£hed according to the . mode of the church of England. By the fee- ond, tlie attempting of any thing prejudicial to her Maje(ly*s title was declared treafon, acr i (:ording to the laws of England. By thp ♦ ^aklujrt iii, 151, 165. I L B E R! Tfc 20 X le third> the utteririg of words, to the difhonoiir of her Majefty, was to be puoifhed with tht lofs of ears and the conDfcation bf propert}^^.; i,,.^The proclamation being finished, affent^ hit obedience were fignlficd by loud acplama* tions. A pillar was eredled, bearing a plate of lead; on which the Queen's arms were^en- graven ; and feveral of the merchants took grants of land, in fee farm, oq which th^ might cure their £Qi, as they had done be-f A tax of provifion, by her Majefty's'autho^ lity, was levied on all the fhips. This ;tax was readily paid; befides which, the Admiral received prefeiits of wine, fruit, and other r^* freihments, chiefly from the Portuguefe. --^^^ This formal poflTeflion, taken by Sir |Ium- j^rcy Gilbert, in confequence of the difcov- ' cry by the Cabots, is the foundation of the right and title of the crown of England to the territory of Newfoundland and to the fifliery . 0n its banks, ^ - * 'v -/•^-t^j.^.n^-.v,:-; ■^:' ^^n ' As far as the time would permit, a furvey was made of the country; one principal ob-r jeft of which was the difcoyery qf mines and minerals. The mineralogid was a Saxon, vhois charadterized as *' honefl and religious.** This ^■%&^ 202 GILBERT. t • This man brought to the Adtniral firil a fpe^ cimen of iron, then a kind of ore, which^ on the peril of his life, he protefted to be iilver. The Admiral enjoined fecrecy, and fent it on board; intending to have it affayed, when they fliould get to fea. ' ^^^' The company being difperfed abroad, fbme ^ere taken fick and died ; fome hid themfelves in the woods, with an intention to go home, by the firft opportunity ; and others cut one of the veflels out of the harbour and carried her off* ?'*.'-^'- ■!'* ' 'i ■■"'^. J i «V" , ^iii .-t'^ft'* ■.. -i •■!•'; »..■.,'«. ->^-_ On the twentieth of Augud, the Admiral, having collected as many of his men as could be found, and ordered one of his veiTels to flay and take off the fick, fet fail with three fhips ; the Delight, the Hind, and the Squir- rel. He coafted along the fouthern part of the idand, with a view to make Cape Breton and the I(le of Sable ; on which laft, he had heard that cattle and fwine had been landed by the Portuguefe, thirty years before. Being entangled among (heals and involved in fogs, the Delight ftruck on a fand bank and was loft. Fourteen men only faved them- felves in a boat ; the lofs of the Saxon refiner was particularly noted, and nothing farther vras Mill G T L B E R T. 203 was heard of the filver ore. This misfortune determined the Admiral to return to Eng- land, without attempting to make any farther difcoveries, or to take pofTeflion of any other part of America. On his paiTage, he met witk bad weather. The Squirrel Mgate, in which Sir Humphrey failed, was overloaded on her deck ; but he perfifted in taking his pafTage in her, notwithflanding the remonftrances of his friends, in the Hind, who would have per« fuaded him to fail with them. From the circumilance of his returning from his firft voyage without accomplifhing its objedk, it had been reported that he was afraid of tho iea ; had he yielded to the folicitation of his friends, the iligma might have been indelible. When the wind abated, and the veffcls were near enough, the Admiral was feen conftantly fitting in the idern with a book in his hand. On the ninth of September, he was feen for the laft time ; and was heard by the people in the Hind to fay, ** We are as near heaven by fea as by land.'* In the following night, the lights of his ^ip fuddenly difappeared. The people in the othdr veffel kept a good look out for him, during the remainder of the voyage. On the twenty fecond of September, they 104 GILBERT. i I dxy arrived, through much tempeftand pertly «C Falmouth. But nothing more waa ^n or heard of the Admiral. m*¥ i amf* < w . --ml, '< Whilft his zeal for the intertft of tfete Crown, and the fettkments of its Amerkaa dominions, has been largely commended ;> he has been blamed for his temerity in lavishing his own and other men's fortunes in the prof<^ cctttion of his defigns. This is not the only inflaJ!ice of a wade of property in confequence of ianguine expe^tions ; which, though ruin- ous to the firft adventurers, has produced /olid advantages to their fucceflbrs. t^/ ' Dr; Forfter has a remark on one of the in- cidents of this voyage which is worthy ^A'*v^r ■ ■r^^-^^iato, IX.- WALTER ^.yf ' ;5i^|g'^V^i[ iifl • ^f^-i-i^^lH '^^r;:^^i# iP'^^^'^' \' '-'^'U:' v./ ill 206 . .' ' • '' ^' *■■■.;■'' . '* IX. WALTER RALEIGH, AND ^ -HICHARD GRENVILLE, y HE diflirguKhed figure, which the life of Sir Walter Raleigh makes in the hif- tory of England, renders unneceflary any oth- er account of him here, than what refpedts his adventures in America ; and particularly in Virginia j of which colony he is acknow- ledged to have been the unfortunate founder. He was half brother, by the mother's fide, to Sir Humphry Gilbert, and was at the ex- penfe of fitting out one of the {hips of his fquadron. Notwithftanding the unhappy fate of his brother, he perfifled in his defign of making a fettlement in America. Being a favourite in the court of Queen Elizabeth, he obtained a patent, bearing date the 25th of March 1584, for the difcovering and planting of any lands and countries which were not pofiefied by any chrijiian prince, or nation. About the fame time the Queen granted him another patent, to licenfe the vending of wine, throughout the kingdom ; that by the profits thence arifing he might be able to bear the RALEIGH. 207 the cxpenfe of his intended plan of coloniza- tion. Further to flrengthen his intereft, he engaged the aiTidance of two wealthy kinf- men. Sir Richard Grenville and William Sanderfon.^ They provided two barks, and having well furniihed them with men and proviiions, put them under the command of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlow, who (ail- ed from the weft of England, April 27, 1584. : ^ V- * They took the ufual route by the way of the Canaries and the Weft Indies ', the.reafon of which is thus exprefTed in the accouht of this voyage written by Barlowf*, ** becaufe we doubted that the current of the bay of Mexico between the cape of Florida and Ha- yanna had been of greater force than we after- wards found it to be." " ^ ^ "^ ^ *v Taking advantage of the Gulf ftream, they approached the coaft of Florida ; and on the fecond of July came into ftioal water ; where the odoriferous fmell of flowers indicated the land to be near, though not within fight. On the fourth they faw land ; along which they failed forty leagues before they found an en- trance^ ♦ Stith's.Hifly. of Virginia, p. 7, 8. f Hakluyt, iii, 246. ■m ''!!!! I 20S R A L E I G HT. r- triince. At the firft opening, they caft an- chor (July 13) and having devoutly given thanks to God, for their fafe arrival on the.^ coaft, they went afhore in their boats, and, - took pofTeffion in the name of Queen Eliza^ '^'•"* . ,. -iv^H.; t^v i . r.,..i,«t:-.:>Vii:^;..i t^Jif The pliace where they landed was a fandy' - HIand, called Woeocon,* about iixteen miles ia length and fix in- breadth, full of cedars, pines, cyprefs, falTafras and other trees ; a- ' mong whidh were many vines loaded with grapes. In the woods they found deer and hares ; and in the waters and marfhes, vari- ous kinds of fowl ; but no human creature *'■■j^ >l WW * ^ This ifland is generally fuppofc;cl to be one of thofe which lie at the mouth of Albermarle founcl,on the coaft of North Carolina. Barlow, in his letter to Sir W. Raleigh, preferved by Hakluyl, fays, that he, witb feyen others, went in about " tuentyniUj into the river Occam;; and, the evening following, came to an ifland ca)M Roanokq difiant from the harbour by which we entered^ /even leagues J at the north end thereof was a village." Mr. Stith, who wrote the hiftory of. Virginia, and who acknowledges that he had not feen this letter in Englilh but in a Latin tranfla- tion, fuppofes, that the ifland Wococon muft lie between cape Hattsras and cape Fear, and that the diflance might be 30 leagues. But it appears from Barlow's letter that the boat went in one day and Came m die evening to the north end of Roanoke ; the dif- tance jp twice mentioned, once in miles and once in leagues. I fee no rea£on therefore to admit Stith's conjefture in oppofition to Barlow. Stith however appears to have been a very clofe and accurate inquirer, as far as his materials and epportunity permitted. # lie [cape (ues. day dif. I m to and Itted. RALEIGH. 2op was icen, till the third day ; when a cafioe, with three men, came along by the (hore, Onp of them landed ; and, without any fear or pcj^;- ctution, met the Europeans and addreiled theno. in a jfriendiy manner, in his own language. They carried him on board one of tlieir vcf- .i^8 ; gave.hima ihirt and fome other trifles, and regaled \iiax with meat and wine. He then returned to his canoe ; and with his com- panion9 went a finding. When the canoe was filled, they brought the fi(h on ihore and di- vided them' into two heaps ; making %n$, ^that each of the veffcls (hould take one. ' "» . { The next day, feveral canoes came; in which were forty or fifty people, and among ■ them was Granganixneo, brother of Wingina Kmg of the country ; who was confined at home by the wounds, which he had received in battle, with a neighbouring Prkice. The manner of bis approach was fearlefs and ref- pedful. He. left his boats at a diftance ^ and cande along the fhore, accompanied by all his people, till he was abrcaft of the fhips. Thefi .advancing with. four mcaonly, wlio fpread a mat on the .ground, he fat down on one end ; and the four men on the other. When tl^e Engliflb wcpton.iliore, arrned, he , beckoned L> o to .♦ I 210 R A L E I G n. :|l I ; I ' 1 ii 1 ill 1 1 1 :(M ill to them to come and fit by him i which they did, and he made figns of joy and frieild(hi|i, Ariking with his hand on his head and bread, and then on theirs, to ihew that they were all one. None of his people fpoke a word ; and when the Englifh offered them prcfents, he took them all into his own poifeflion $ making iigns that they were his fervants, and that all which they had, belonged to him. After this interview^ the natives came in great numbers and brought fkins, coral, and < materials for dyes 5 but when Granganimeo was prefent, none were permitted to trade, but himfelf and thofe who had a piece of cop« per on their heads. Nothing pleafed him fo much as a tin plate, in which he made a hole and hung it over his bread, as a piece of defenfive armour. He fupplied them every day with venifon, fifh, and fruits, and invited them to vitit him at hid village, on the north end of an ifland called Roanoke. 1 4 '^Aiiiio-jii * This village confided of nine honfes., built of cedar, and fortified with (hsLrr^ir^i'-^'^ts. When the Englifli arrived there iu i.*cir uoat, Granganimeo was abfent ; but his wife cn-p ertained them with the kindcd hofpitality, iv Ijtd their feet and their clothes, order- ed ••.!»? RALEIGH. aix )Uilt >oat, en-r Ider- ed their boat to be drawn aihore and their oars to be fecurcJ j and then feafted them with veniibn» ii(b, fruite, and honiony.^ Whilft they were at fupper, fom« of her men came in from hunting, with their bows and arrows in their hands s on which her ^;\ie(is began to miilruft danger ; but fhe or- dered their bows to be taken from them, and their arrows to be broken ; and then turned them out at the gate. The Englifh however thought it mod prudent to pafs the nigh in their boat, which they launched and laid at anchor. At this (he was much grieved ; but, finding all her folicitations ineiFe£lua], fl.e ordered the victuals in the pots to be put or. board, with mats to cover the people from the rain ; and appointed feveral perfons of both fexes to keep guard on the beach during the whole night. Could there be a more en- gaging fpecimen of generous hofpitality ? Thcfe people were chara(fterized as ** gen- tle, loving and faithful; void of guile and treachery ; living after the manner of the golden age ; caring only to feed themfelvcs, with fuch food as the foil affordeth, and to H ,?.:-r*. ,;ft;f. ,^f »,,. defend • Mo«h6fly Is tSiade of Indian corn beaten in a mortar and feparated f:dm the bran ; thep boiled cither by itfelf or in the broth af meat. O2 lie 1 1 > ■* Hit I i 21-2 K A L E I 6 H. defend th^ixiTelvis fyotii tbe cold, in tl^eir No ferthirrdifcbVtefy was'inadeof iKc co^iW- tff by tlWfe advrewtoiref!?. From'tHe 'riitit^s th«y dbtrihecl fbnttc Wdcrtam 'adyotint of its gdog^sphy, 'ttfid bf ««' (htj) %hich had been -wteekcd '^ithe feoaft between tivehty iidd 'thirty y^&ats'bdbfe. 'They carrttti awiy twb ^Ofthe tiirtiives, Wanehefe anid Manteo j anid arrived iil the weft x)f England aboiit' tHe'itoirf- ' did 'if 8e]!)tembcr. - The afccourtt bf this difcovfef y 'was fo Wcl- d6me to Queen Eliaabcth, that '(he named the country f^/V^fw/tf ; either in rnenntory of her ' own virginity, or becaUfe it retained its vir- gin purity, and the people their primitive-fim- About thi^ ttmie Raleigh was eledted knight of' the ihire/'fbr-'his ^native county of Devon ' j and in the Parli^rrieht which was held in the fucceeding Winter, he caufed a bill to be brought into the Houfe of Gohimbns to con- firm his patent for the difcovery ^ of foreign countries. After much debate, the bill was carried through both hoiifes, dhd received the royal affent. In addition to which, the Queen conferred on him the order of Knighthood.* A fecond • Stith, p. It, - # R A L E I I G H. 213 A fccond cxp^fition b^R|[; rif^cd^ cjn. Sir, , Ri(:Ivtrd. Gfcnyilji&l^^pfi^lf tpol^^ thi; commaQd«»^ and with feyen veiiE;ls« l^f^. jjofl (fn^I^ f^led from Plymouth, on the ninth of Apfjit 1 5^5*^; They went iQ the, ifii^l} C9Ufj^, by the C^iJ^rics and; the Weft In4W?.y ^}^^^:^l^\ ^P^t two Spamih priMs? y s^f?».#^. WW4y escaping Ihipwrecl^ o|x Cape F^^x, atdyi^d at Wococon thf ?^th of ^i?p.;t: J, ,^{o,,H i6i i.:it> i!^.^ Thc^ na,tiye& capjS^ a$ before^ to bid them welcome and to trade with them. Mantjeo, whom they had brought back, proved a faith- ful guides and pUoted th^m about from place to pI^jQP. in an cxcurfion^ of eight dayss >yith their boats, they vi^ted feyecal Ij^d^ villag- es, on the iflands and on the n;iain, adjoining to A\bem^r|f Sound* M one place^ called Aquafcogoki an Indian ftole from them a filver cup. Inquiry being made, the often- der wa^ df te6led and p^omife^ ^o reftore it j but the promife being not fpeedily performed, a hafty and feyere revenge was J^^en, by the orders of GrenyiUe j the town wae burnt and the corn deftroyed in the fields, (July 16)' .,.,';•, >..:: .:; h" 'i,:' ;, j^" whjlft . ^ ? ,- ^ f Hakluyt,m.-25i^* ' '•■•'') ' ■ " -' "^ 'I Mr. Stith mifiakes in faying May 26, and Sir William Keith, who copies from him, adopts the fame miftake. 03 »;.4, i!!ii m 1 1 Ul !!i A Li Jar jfTT i;** I G 214 ft" A L' 6 whilft the affrighted people fled to ^e woods, for fafcty. From this ill judged aft of vio-*^ lence, in^ be datecl the misfbrtunes and failr^ ure of this colony. Leaving ont hundred and eight perforis attempt ^ fettlement, Grenviile proceeded with his fleiet tb'the iiland of Hatteras ; where' he received a vifit from Granganimeo, and^ then failed for England. On the iSth 6f September he arrived at Plymouth -, with^ a* rich Spanifli prize vvrhich ht had taken blif the pauage.^ * * ^: ^^ 1^ : "• , ., *^f the colony left in Virginia, Ralph Lanid was appointed Governor. He was a militairy man, of confiderable reputation in the fea-^ fervice. Philip Amadas, who had comniand- cd in th^ firft voyage, was Admiral. They chofe the iiiand of Roanoke in the mouth of Albemarle Sound, as the place of their refiff. dence ; and their chief ernployment was to explore and furvey the country, and defcribe the pcrfons and manners of its inhabitants;^ For thefe purpofcs. Sir Walter Raleigh had fent John Withe, an ingenious painter ; and Thomas Heriot, a fkilful mathematician, and a man of curious obfervation : both of whom •■■nvii' 'Jfh performed R A L E I G H; 215 performed their parta^viduJ^cU^ and^^fij^j cefs,* .^,v.. ; vr .-.:.... •. The fartheft difcovcry which they made to the fouthward of Roanoke was Secotan, aa Indian town between the, rivers of Pampticp ajidx Neus, diftant eighty leagues. . To the northward they went about forty leagues, to a nation called Chefepeags, on a fmall river now called Elifabeth, which falls iato Chefe- ppg Bay, below Norfolk. To the weft ward they went up Albemarle Sounii and Chowan river, about forty leagues, to a nation called Cbowanogs ; whofe King,Menatonona,amufed them with a flory of a copper mine and a pearl filhery ; in fearch of which they fpeqt much time and. fo e^hauAcd their provifions, f'^tW- .^nw'Mf €^^^ .that f$i "m Tbfe draWingJ wbicli Mr. Withe made were engraven and printed at Frankfprt (1590^ by Theodore De Bry. They roprc- fent the perfons and habits of the natives, their employmcBts, di- verfions and fpperftitions. From thefe, the prints in Beverley's hiftory of Virginia iire copied,,,^^^,^,^-^ „^^j(^,^^^ Mr. Heriot wrote a topographical defcriptlon of the country and its natural hiftory, which is preferved in Hakluyt's colle3ion vol. iii, 2ii6. It was tranilated into Latin, and pubiifhed by De Bry in his colleftion pf voyages. It has been fuppofed that Ra- leigh himfelf came to Virginia with this colony. This is a mif- take, grounded on a miftranflation of a paffage in Heriot's narrative. It is thus exprefled in Englifh "The a£iiqns of thofe who have been by Sir Walter Raleigh therein employed." Which is thus rendered in the Latin tranflation, "qui generofum D. Wal- terum Ralegh, in earn regionem comitati funt." Stith, p. 22. 04 ■%*• il;l \.\ ! i i ! mi 111 i'i I,! Ill ! . II! 2l6 R A L E I G H; that the/ were glad t4> eat their dogs hefoif they returned to Roanoke. *\ • jh . I- During this excurfioh, their friend -Ohm* ganimeo died ; and his brother Wingfina dif^ covered his hoflile difpofitton'^oward Ifafe col^ ony. The return of^Mr? liane itid his partjf^ from their e^ecurfioni gave a check 't^hts tiial- ice for a while i but he fecretly hid a plot for their deftrudtion ; which being betrayed to the £)nglifli, they feized all the boats oh the ifland. This brought on a fkirmifli, in which Hvt br fix Indians were killed, and the reft fled to the wobds. After tnuch jealoufy and diffimulation oil bbth fideS,-Wingiiia was drawn into a fnare ; iind with * eight of his 'men, felt a facrifice to the reffentment df the Engliih. • In a few days after Wingiha*s death. Sir Francis Drake, who had been cruiiirig againd ^ the Spaniards in the Weft Indies, and had received orders from the Queen to vifit this colony, arrived with his fleet onthecoaft; and by the unanimous defire of the people, took them all off and carried them to England, where they arrived in July 1586, „.i-.j ;«. Within a fortnight after the departure ' of this unfortunate colony, Sir Richard Grcnville arrived « R A L B I Q I|3 117 arrived with thre« flupfrfof th«ir ff!lief# Fii^ ing their habitation abaii4Qlied» flMi4'heif^ un- able to g^in any irit<$]^gence pf thum i» he knded fifty ihon^ on thd iflsind of Rodnoke^ plentifdlly fbpp^ed with provtiions fdr twc( ( -n ycars^ and then returned to Bngkad* ' The next year ( 1 587) three (hh^ were fent; nhder the comtnandiof Jipho ?^yhite» who was appointed Govdrnor of the <^loiiy» with twelve Coai1iellor9> Tot thenfi Raleigh gave a. charier of incorporation for the city of Ra* leigh, which he ordered them to build on the river Chefepeag^ the northern extent of the difcovery. After jiarrowly eicaping (hipwreck Dti Gape Fear, they arrived at Hatt9ras> on -the Z2d of July, and fent a party tp Roanoke to look for the fecond colpny of fifty men, ,/rhey found no perfon Uvinj;, and the bones of but one dead* The huts were Aanding; -ybut were oycrgrow^i with bu(hes and weeds. j^Jn convcrfetion with fome of the natives, they >;,were informed, that the colony had been de- ,;^royed by Wingipa's ^peoplc^ in Vfv^n^Q of ,'iiis death. ' "^ ^'- ^ Mr. White endeavoured to renevv a friendly •'intercourfe with thofe natives $ but their jea- ' loufy rendered them implacable. He there- fore >-r ^ ■■.''J ■ \\ 2l8 R A L E I G H. fore went acrofs the water to the main with a party" of twenty five men, and came fudden^ ly on a company of friendly Indians, who were feated round a fire, one of whom they killed before they difcovered the miflake. Two remarkable events are mentioned as happening at this time ; one was the baptifm of Manteo, the faithful Indian guide ; the other was the birth of a female child, daugh^ ter of Ananias Dare, one of the Council ; which, being the firfl child born in the colo- ny, was nariied Virginia. -^* * '^*»^***w.^'!^ 4^m-<^- By this time (Augufl 21) the fhips had un- loaded their ilores and were preparing to re- turn to England. It was evident that a farth- er fupply was ncccflary, and that fome perfon mufl go home to folicit it. A difpute arofe in the Council on this point, and after much altercation, it was determined, that the Gov- ernor was the moft proper perfon, to be fcnt on this errand. The whole colony joined in requefting him to proceed, promifing to take care of his intereft in his abfence. With much reluftance he confented, on their fub- fcribing a teflimonial of his unwillingnefs to quit the plantation. He accordingly failed on the 27th of Auguft, and arrived in England the %-''V rWa L E I G H. 219 - th& following November. The nation war^' in a fhte ef alarm and apprehenfion on ac« count of the war with Spain, and of the in- ^ vincible armada, which had threatened it with an invafioh. Sir Walter Raleigh was' one of the Queen's Council of wir, as were alfo Sir Richard Grenville and Mr. Lane. Their time was wholly taken up with public * confultations, and Governor White was o- bliged to wait, till the plan of operations a- gainfl the enemy could be adjufted and carri- ed into execution. i- The next fpring, Raleigh and Grenville, who ^ had the command of the militia in Cornwall, and were training them for the defence of the kingdom ; being ftrongly folicited by White, provided two fmall barks, which failed from ' Biddeford on the 2 2d of April 1588. Thefe " veflels had commiflions as ihips of war, and being more intent on gain to themfelves, than relief to the colony, went in chace of prizes, ^ and were both driven back by fhips of fuperi- or force, to the great mortification of their patron, and the ruin of his colony. , .; - --^t Thefe difappointments were a (burce of vexation to Raleigh. He had expended forty thoufand pounds, of his own and other men's jnoney. s\iii\\ 2Z0. RALE H>: rao^ey, ia puriuitof hi» faxoimte objcM^l ; and. his gaina were- yet to qpmcr 1^ tbcrefistp, made ao afiig^ent of ^s patent (March, y,, 1589) to Ti^ooaa^ ^P^^/ ^^^ ^cr inpifS^f*' ants and adventurers^ a];BongwhoG(L was G^-^. crnor White; with a donation of onel^ui^ dred pounds, ^f the propagation, of the ChriTp. tian'/ce'igon,!!^ .Virginia. Being fhus d,i^« gaged fpra the hufincifi Qf coloniz^om.;; hjc. hadfuU fcope^f.^his fxifrlt^l gen|u$«ia thq war with Spaku , ,, .^ --^.^, v.>j:*£,> ^.a...a..,.' His aflignees were not fo z^oufi kv the pror- iipcMtion of t|}eir bufinefs. It was not tiil the fpri|xg of 1 59to> that Goy^rnor White conW return to his colony. Th^» with thrsQ fhipSf /he fsipiled from Plymouth, andi P^<^g through the Weil Indies, ijn qjjeft ^ 5pwift ptrif^es, he arrived at Hafteras pn : the 15 th of Auguilf, )FrQm thijs place they, ohf^rv^ a ifpoke ariisng 9nt the ifland of l^oanokej which gjs^ve thepir fome hope thiit the colony yvsiS thcr pn thciF eoniing tp the place, they found old trees and grafs bi^rning, ofbut no human being. On a poft.p^' pn? of the houfes they faw the word Crofifan, which gave them fome hope, that at the ifliind of that name they iliould find their friends. .t*'.- Hft A L E I O H. 22 friends. They filled for 'that ifland ; which hy fcfQthwird 6f Hafteras ; -bfbt ^ violent ftoipnii ^rifing, in whkh'thi^y Idft 'thdr anch- 'Ors> -they wcre^d^giid to quit the inho()}!ti« >ble GdA(t;^\!id fdtarn'hoino ; ifdr^^s^ any fhiH^ 4!ketwttdih^r^ioft\iiASnfcnihm i1' "The next jpu C'S^f) "Sit^jRichatd Grcn- : vil)« twftS' nttrtally wkfW"-''5 li^f^ *»*• He [i. e. King James] is beyond comparifon a meer tranf- cendent, beyond all his predeceiTors, princes of this realm ; be« yond the neigbouring princes of his own time ; beyond the conceit of fubjcfts dazzled with fo much brightncfs ; beyond our viflorious Deborah, not in fex alone, but as peace is more ex- cellent than war, and Solomon than David ; in this alfe that he u, and we enjoy his prefcnt funlhinc. " k* f) RALEIGH. 2^3 It is alfo related that a fervant of Sir Wal- ter, bringing a tankard of ale into his iludy as he was fmoking his pipe, and reading, was fo alarmed at the appearance of fmoke, ilTuing out of his mouth, that he threw the ^h into his face, and ran down to alarm the ^rnily, crying out that his ipafter was onc HJifiiftfnge of a weftc«;i ,«0n^iX !wa^ ka»^ri tp ijic xni^iiiM^e nadons of Eur/if^ Qi^, &mt plgta of their m- *q\i\^Y )V{%9, it9 ^od, thrpugh feme openings .whidb i^eaffjid :in it» afniTage to India and .ChilM. Fqr lliis purpoie feveral expen£ive A^dji^tiu^cfr^f^ yo)((^e8 vfere made ; and ev^ t^y hint v!. jn ^l^rfi f* teAi'.- j<*..^«t A.-^'f.S*. Xf. BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOL% • ^■■Vu- ■'W^,' '^j The unfortunate iflue of Rakigh's at- tempt to make a fettlement in America, to* gether with the war with Spain, which con- tinued for feveral years, gave a check to' the fpirit of colonizing. In the beginning of the feventeenth century it was revived by Bar- tholomew GosNOLD, an intrepid mariner in the weft of England. At whofe cxpenfe he undertook his voyage, to the northern part of Virginia, docs not appear ; but, on the 26th of March 1602, he failed from Fal- mouth, in Cornwall, in a fmall bark, with thirty two men. Inftead of going by the way of the Canaries and the Weft Indies, he kept as far north as the winds would permit, and was ihe firft Englifhman who came in a dired courfe to this part of America. 1*^ m^ On the 14th of May they made the land, and met with a fhallop of European fabric, in which were eight favages, one of whom was drcfled in European clothes ; from which they concluded that fome unfortunate fifher- men of Bifcay or Brittany, had been wrecked on the coaft. P 4 The I s ■B§ ■i 0* (i;l f 232 GO S N O L D. The next day they had again fight of land, which appeared like an iiland, by reafon of a large found which lay between it and the main. This found they called Shole Hope. Near this cape they took a great number of cod, from which circumflance they named the land Cafe Cod, It is defcribed as a low fandy (hore in the latitude of 42*. The Cap« tain went on ihore and found the fand very deep. A young Indian, with plates of copper hanging to his ears, and a bov/ and arrows in his hand, came to him, and in a friendly man- lier offered his fervice.'' - «- -f ** «^f»«^|/*i#j .^^.^ On the 1 6th, they coafted the land fouth- erly, and at the end of twelve leagues difcov- ered a ppint, with breakers at a diftance ; and, in attempting to double it, came fuddenly in- to (hoal water, Tp this point of land they gave the nam? of Point Care ; it is now calU ed Sandy Point, and forms the foutheaflern extremity of the county of Bamftable, in Mailachuietts. * ^'^-^ *:,v*^ ;^ . ^^ .,.*;&>.* *^' Finding themfelves furrpunded by ihoals and breakers, they lay at anchor till they had examined the coafl and foundings in their boat ; during which time fome of the natives m^dc them a vifit. One of them bad a pla^e of GO S N O L D/ «33 of copper over his bread, a foot in length and half a foot in breadth ; the others had pend- ants of the fame metal at their ears : they all had pipes and tobacco, of which they were very tona.. i^. jiiin^^ 'iii'i;*it!iswt.N \9ut ■■^^jm^t %;fi*? 'f%^v\. In furveyin'': the coail they difcovered breakers lying oJa point (^land, which they denominated Gilbert's Point ; it is now call- ed Point Gammon, and forms ^he eaftera fide of the harbour of Hyennes. :;. . ; / r 7-^^ i On the 19th they paiTed the breach of Gil- bert's Point, in four and five fathoms of water, and anchored a league or more to the wefl- ward of it. Several hummocks and hills appeared, which at firft were taken to be iflands ; thefe were the high lands of Barnfta-. ble and Yarmouth. .»h^.,~ . * -Hv .v iv ^^ . To the weft ward of Gilbert's Point, ap- peared an opening, which Gofnold imagined to have a communication with the fuppofed found which he had feen weftward of Cape Cod; he therefore gave it the fame name Shole Hope ; but finding the water to be no more than three fathoms deep, at the diftance of a league, he did not attempt to enter it. From this opening, the land tended to the fouthweft ; and, in coailing it, they came to an Um IM .1. 234 G O S N O L D. an ifland to which they gave the name of Martha* s Vineyard. This ifland is defcribed as "diftant eight leagues from Shole Hope> five miles in circuit, and uninhabited; full of wood, 'liines and berries : here they faw deer and took abundance of cod." .4 .^^^^ ^ From their ftation off this ifland, where they rode in eight fathoms, they failed on the 24th \ and doubled the cape of another ifland, next to it, which they called Dover cliff: this courfe brought them into a found, where they anchored for the night, and the next morning fent their boat to examine another cape, which lay between them and the main^ from which projcdeda ledge of rocks, a mile into the fea, but all above water, and not dan- gerous. Having pafl^ed round them, they came to anchor again, in one of the finefl; founds, which they had ever feen 3 and to which they gave the name of Gofnold's Hope. On the northern £de of it was the main ; and on the fouthcrn, parallel to it, at the diftance of four leagues, was a large ifland which they called Elizabeth, in honor of their Queen. determined to tal they up their abode ; and pitched upon a fmall woody jflet in the middle of a frefh pond, as a fafe pi ace G O S N O L t). 235 place to build their fort. A little to the northward of this large ifland lay a fmal! one half a mile in compafs, and full of cedars. This they called Hill's Hap. On the op- pofite northern (horc appeared another fimi- lar elevation to which they gave the name of Hap's Hill. "^-' 9ilii^»inL*yi>s^'. bl4ftr»>/«i^cliOJ?iia^^ '^ By this defcription of the coaft it is evident that the found into which Gofnold entered was Buzzard's Bay. The ifland which he called Martha's Vineyard, was not that which now goes by that name, but a fmall ifland, the cafternmoft of thofe which are known by the name of Elizabeth's ^flands. It is called by the Indians NenimiflTett; its prefent cir*- cumference is about four miles, but it has doubtlefs been diminiflied fmce Gofnold's time, by the force of the tides which fct into and out of the bay with great rapidity. Its natural produdions and pleafant fituation an- fwer well to his defcription; and deci* are frequently feen and hunted upon it : but none were ever known to have been on the great ifland, now called Martha's Vineyard; which is above twenty miles in length and was always full of inhabitants. For what reafon and at what time the name was tranf- ' " ferred 236 G O S N O L D. ferred from the one to the other, I have not yet learned. - The clifF named Dover is fuppofed to be the eaftern head of a fmall ifland which was called by the natives Onky Tonky,and is now corrupted into Uncle Timmy. The rocky ledge is called Rattlefnake Neck. Hill's Hap confifls now of two very fmall iilands called Wicpeckets. There is every appear- ance that thefe were formerly united; and there are now a few cedars on them. Hap's Hil], on the oppoflte part of the main» is a fmall elevated iiland, of an oval form, near the mouth of a river which pafTes through the towns of Wareham and Rochefter. It is a confpicuous objedt to navigators, i -l « The ifland on which Gofnold and his comr pany took up their abode, is now called by its Indian name NauQiaun, and is the property of the Honourable James Bowdoin, of ]^of- ton, to whom I am indebted for thefe remarks on Gofnold's journal, which is extant at large in Purchas's colledtions.* ,,rH; i - 1*^ >* -- Near the fouthweft end of Nau(haun is a large freih pond ; fuch an one as anfwers to Gofnold's defcription, excepting that there is no • Vol. V, p, 1647. n isa rs to Here is no G O S N O L D. 237 no iflet in the middle of it. T^ie (hore is Tandy ; but what revolution may have taken place within the fpace of almoft two centuries pad, we cannot fay* '.. <. J ;, *^ Whilft fome of Oofnold's men laboured in building a fort and ftore houfe on the fmall iHand in the pond, and a flat boat to go to it $ he crofled the bay in his vefTel and difcovered the mouths of two rivers : one was that near which lay Hap's Hill, and the other, that, on the fhore of which the town of New-Bedford is now built. . , , After Ave days abfence, Gofnold returned to the ifland and was received by his people with great ceremony ; on account of an Indian chief and fifty of his men who were there on a vifit. To this chief they prefented a draw hat and two knives ; the hat he little regarded ; but the knives were highly valued. They feafled thefe favages with fifh and muflard, and diverted themielves with the effe£l of the muftard on their nofes. One of them flole a target, but it was reftored. They did not ap- pear to be inhabitants, but occafional vifitants at the ifland, for the fake of gathering (hell- fifh. Four of them remained, after the others I were ,^■•■ yf. i 'i » ^38 G O S N O L D. were gone, ftnd helped the £ngli(h to dig th« roots of falTafras ; with which, as well as the furs which thejr bought of the Indians, the vefTel was loaded. ' After fpending three weeks in preparing a ftore houfe, when they came to divide their provifion, there was not enough to visual the (hip, and to fubfift the planters till the fhip's return. Somejealoufy alfo arofe about the intentions of thofe who were going back} and after five diiys confultation they determin- ed to give up their defign of planting, and re- turn to ErTJgland. On the eighteenth of June they failed out of the bay through the fame paflage by which they had entered it j and on the twenty third of July they arrived at Ex- mouth, in thewefl of England. Gofnold's intention was to have remained with a part of his men, and to have fent Gil- bert, the fecond in command, to England, for farther fupplies ; but half of fo fmall a com- pany would not have been a fufficient num- ber to refill the ravages,had they been difpofed to attack them. After his return to England he was inde- fatigable in his endeavours to forward the fet*^ -^ 1 tling G O S N O L D. 239 fettling of a colony in America, and was one of thoTe who embarked in the next expedi- tion for Virginia, where he had the rank of 4 Counfellor, and where he died in the year 1607, XII. JOHN ■■Tfe r ■ 'S.'IS Vi «' I » il 140 |J5i; XII. JOHN S M I T Hi •i'-tti yi . .^s^-^n Though the carly part of the life of this extraordinary man was fpent in foreign travels and adventures which have no refer- ence to America ; yet the incidents of that period fo ftrongly mark his chara'^er, and give fuch a tindhire to his fubiequent adions, and are v^ithal fo flngular in themfelves, that no reader (it is prefumed) will cenfurtf the in- troduction of them here as impertinent. "^"^' He was born at Willoughby, in Lincoln- shire, in the year 1 579.* From the firft dawn of reafon, he difcovered a roving and roman- tic genius, and delighted in extravagant and daring anions among his fchool fellows. When about thirteen years of age, he fold his books and iatchel, and his puerile trinkets, to * This is deUrmlned by an infcriptlon annexed to his portrait on his map of New-England ■" i£tat 37. Anno 1616." This portrait reprefents him clad in armour and under it are ihcfc verfcs : ■— -■^- ■ '•■ -^ *''^'-- ' '- ■ ^*-- ,^^ ; ^.^ • " ' -.■ ^ r" u " Such are the lines that Aew thy (ace ; 1>ut thofe ^ * '^■- ' That Ihcw thy grace and glory brighter bee ; ,%'*?W^4 Thy faire difcoveries and fowle overthrowes Of falvages much civilized by thee, ' ^^^ '**^ ' Bcft flicvr thy fpirit, and 10 it glory win, ^'*^^* fel'^isv* So thou arc brajfe without, but golde within," y^' ,<> 1 ^rtnitoQ S M I T H. 241 , raiie nidh^', with a view tb conv^ himfell' privately to fea 1 but the death of his father' put a flop for theprefent to this attempt, and * threw him into the hands of guardiansywho en- deavoured to check the ardour of his genius^by < confining him to a compting houCe. Being put , apprenticetoa merchant at Lynn, at the age ^ of^fteen, heat fifft conceived h:^>es that his 4 mader would fend him to fea in his iervice» but thi^ hope failing, he quitted his mafter» and witl^ only ten Aiillings in his pocket» en« . tered into the train of a young nobleman who was travelling to France. At Orleans he was discharged from his attendance on lord Bertie, and had money given l^m to return to Eng- land. With this money he vifited Paris, and proceeded to the Low Countries, where he en- lifted as a foldier, and learned the rudiments of war, a fcience peculiarly agreeable to hh ardent and active genius. Meeting with a Scots gsfitleman abroad, he was perfuad^ to pafs into Scotland, with the promife of be- ing Wrongly recommended to King James ^ , but being baffled in this cxpedation, he re- turned to his native town, and finding no company there which fuited his tafte, he built a booth in a wood, and betook himfelf £^' ,..r :vj: .•i-jfnKl|^ "^«0ff ^ft:-'i^;^1-*^^^^'M-%|£' )^u (.( 242 $ M I T H. to the ftudy of military hiftoiy and tadics, di* verting lumfelf at intervals with his horfe and lance ; in which exercife he at length found acompaniony an Italian gentleman,rider to the e;irl of Lincoln, who drew hii?i fr^pijM^^^^- van retirement to TatteHal. -■} ^^.. ■'. Having recovered a part of the eilate which bis father had left him, he put himfelf into ^ better condition than before, . and fet off ^gain on his travels, in the winter of the year 1596, being then only feventeen years of age. His firfl ibge was Flanders, where meeting with a Frenchman who pretended to be heir to a noble family, he, with his three attendants, prevailed upon Smith to go with them to France. In a dark night they arrived at St., Valery in Picardy, and, by the conni- vance of the (hip maiikpr, the, Frenchmen were carried aihore with the trunks of pur young traveller, whilO: he was left on board till the return of the boat. , In the mean time they had conveyed the baggage out of his reach, and were not to be fuund. A iailor on board, who knew the villains, generoufly undertook to conduct him to Mortaine where they lived, and fupplied his wants till their arrival at the place. Here he fc^nd their friends, from whom he could gain no recompence ; but the report ii- ind Lnd the fyl- ~* [lich into off year s of /here edto three with rrivcd onni- wcrc roung II the they jreach, Iboard, lertook lived, at the from >ut the »rt S M.lcT H. faJfs. report of his fuflferiags indaced feveral perfons ^df dtftin£tiOn to invite him to their houfesv ^ Eager to purfuehis travels^and not carin^^to "^receive favours which he Was unable to re- quite^ he left his new friends and went from port to port in fearch of a (hip of war. In one of ihefe rambles^ near Dinan, it v^s his '^ichance to meet one of the villains who had ^^robbed him* Without fpeaking a word, ^they both drew ; and Smith having wouhd- ^ ed and difarmed his antagoniil, obliged him t c ')nfers his guilt before a number of pl^r- ■ !,.,>» who had afifembled on the occaiion. Sat- ' isfied with his victory, he retired to the feat ^ of an acquaintance, the earl of Ployer, who ^ had been brought up in England^ and having received fupplies from him, he travelled along ^ the French coaftto Bjiyonne,andfrom thence k crofTed over to Marfeilles ; viiiting and obferv- ' ing every thing in his way whkh had any V reference to naval or military architecture* v^ '*;jt!.Aif iMarfeilles he embarked for Italy, in ' company with a rlW)le of pilgrims. The ^ fhip was forced by a temfieft into the harbour ^ of Toulon, and afterward was obliged by a * contrary wind to anchor under the little *' ifland of St. Mary, off Nice, in Savoy. The bigotry of the pilgrims made them afcribe Q 2 their t I \ \l- <* 244 .^1 M I T H. ,,y figaals ynad^ "w'uh torches, which being ^^naie)^ ihown and hidden a certaia nvunber of times, tdefigaated ev^pry letter o£ the alphabet. He Jud foot! after an qppoftiinity of making the i^xiperinaeat. Eberi^gbt bei^g bi^dcged by the Turks; in the ilrei^ towa of Oiimpach^ was cut ofF from all Intelligence and hope of iuccour from his friends* Smith propo^ his method of coaimunicatioa to baron Kijse], who approved it, and allowed him to put it in pradlice.* He was conveyed by a guard to a hill within view of the town> atod fii^iently remote from the Turkiih camp* At the dif- play of the fignal, Eberfpaught knew and an- fwered it, and Smith conveyed to him this inteiligenoe^, at the alarm &lly tfaoii/' The anfwcr was *•' I will/' Juft before the at- tack, by Sciiith^s adWce^agreat number of falfe fires were' made on another quarter^ which divided the attention of the enemy and gave advantage to the a^lants ; who, be- ing aflifted by a Tally from the town, killed many of the Turks^ drove others into the river, and threw fuccours into the place, which obliged the enemy the next day to raife the fiege. This well conduced exploit, pro- duced to our young adventurer, the command of a company, confifling of two hundred and fifty horfemen in the regiment of count Mel- drick, a nobleman of Tranfylvania.-^-**^^ •'**»= * The regiment in which he fcrvcd being en- gaged in fcvcral hazardous enterprizes. Smith was foremcfl in all dangers and diflinguifhed himfelf both by his ingenuity and by his val- our ^ and when Meldrick left the Imperial army, and pailed into the fcrvice of his native, prince. Smith followed him. -/ .^.-n^u,^*^ At the fiege of Regal, the Ottomans derided the (low approaches of the Tranfylvanian ^rmy,and fent a challenge, purporting that the lord Turbiiha, to divert the ladies, would fight any fingle Captain of the Chriflian troops. ' The '''m' SMITH, 247 , The honour of accepting this challenge, being . determined by lot^ fell on Captain Soaith ; ?> who, meeting his antagoniil on hor&back» j vithin view of the ladies on the battlements^ at the found of mufic began the encounter, and in t fhort time killed him, and bore away this head in triumph to his general the lord Moyzes*.'* ' »g*i^(i«j ' tmmi'^ ut'^iMWiif^i^^,ii&^^^ ;^9 The death of the chief fo irritated his friend Grualgo, that he fent a particular challenge , to the conqueror, who, meeting him with the fame ceremonies, after a fmart combat, took off his head alfo. Smith then in his turn fent a mefTage into the town, informing , the ladies, that if they wiihed for more diver- iion, they fhould be welcome to his head, in cale tb^iir third Chamf ^a could take it. This chaijicnge was accepted by Bonamolgro, who unhorfed Smith and was near gaining the vidtory. But remounting in a critical , moment, he gave the Turk a ftroke with his faulchion which brought him to the ground, and his head was added to the number. For thefe (ingular exploits he was honoured with a military proceHion, confiiling of fix thoufand "men, three led horfes, and the Turks* heads on the poiats of three lances. With this ce- -'0^4 * remony ^■. vijrr 1^48 SMITH. rembny Smith wis conduced to the pavilion of his general, who^ after embracing him» prefented him with a horfe richly furniflied> g fcymitar and belt worth three hundtvd ducats, and a commiflion to be major in his regiment. The prince of Tranfylvankiy aftftr the capture of the place, made hhn a l^rdbut of his pidture fet in gold, and a penfion of three hundred ducats per annum, afnd mortover granted him a coat of arms bearing tinte Torks' heads in a (hield* The patent Ms admitted s^nd recorded in the college of Heralds in England, by Sir Henry Segar, garter king 3t arms. 6mith was always prcad of this diftinguiihing honour, and thefe aims arc accordingly blazoned in the frontifpicce to his hiftory, with this mdttOi siit $r?"9v^^f' ^^ '"i^v^i**s^^^ f^ Vincert, eji vivereA-^'i^rtMi^. ink After this, the Tranfylvanian army was de- feated by a body of Turks and Tartars near Rotenton, and many brave inen were flain, among whom were nine Englifh and Scots officers, who, after the fafhion of that day, had entered into this fcrvice, from a religious zeal to drive the Turks out of Chriftendom. Smith was wounded in this battle and lay ^mpng the dead.. His habit difcovered hid:^ to S M^I^l*^ «# ^ to the viBxfts as ^ pMfon of €6tilkq(ittict\^' thxj iifod I^M wdl t^ his \vbohd$ w^it heal- ed, and then fold him to the Hatha Bbgd^ vrho {akt hiatal a|9refent co liis miArefi ?>4r^ giXgzamla at Conftaiitinopk* acD&vnpahied with a meEage, as Ml of vanity as Void of triidi, that iie had conquered in hattle a Bo- hemian nobleman, and prefented hkh to her ■ as a-flavcw''>*3a«?ri'iu'<»i«B'Riq '^m-.m^i^'-^^p-y'^'^-'''^ " The fttfant proved more acfceptabk to fhe lady thiffi hbr loed intended. She could fpeak Italian j sind Sn^th, in t^t fenguage, not' only informed her of la^connff^&nd quality, bixt converged wkh her in fo pleaflng a manner ite to gain her ^^Aiions. The conn^ion prov- ed ^b tender, that to fbcureliihi for h^rfelf and to prevent his being ill Wfed br fold again, iht km him to hfcr brother the Bafha of Nalbraitz, in the country of the Cambrian Ttu^rs, on the borders of the fea of Afoph. Her pre- tence was, that he (hould there lea^fn theWiSn- nersand langtiage as wdl sis religion of ihe Tartars. By the terms in which ffiie Yrro'te to her brother, he fufpcdied her defign, and refolved to difappOint her. Within an 'hour after Smith's arrival he was fti ipp6d ; his head and beard were fliaven, an iron Collar was put ^'i*' 1 I -250 f^yri T H. put about his neck ; he was clothed with a coat of hair-cloth, and driven to labour among other Chriftian (laves. He had now no hope of redemption, but from the love of his mif- trefs, who was at a great diftance, and not like- ly to be informed of his misfortune ; the hopelefs condition of his fellow ilaves could not alleviate his defpondency. /«Mi> •'> In the depth of his diflrefs, an opportunity prcfented for an efcape, which to a perfon of a lefs courageous and adventrous fp^rit would have provjpd an aggravation of mifery. He was employed in thrcihing, at a grange, in a large field about a league from the houfe of his tyrant, who in his daily vifits treated him with abufive language, accompanied with blows and kicks. This was more than Smith could bear, wherefore watching an opportu- nity when no other perfon was prefent, he lev- elled a ftroke at him with his threfhing in- flrumcnt, which difpatched him. Then hid- ing his body in the ftraw and ihutting the doors, he filled a bag with grain, mounted the Bafha's horfc, and betaking himfelf to the defart, wandered for two or three days, ig- norant of the way, and fo fortunate as not to meet with a fingle perfon who might give :ii ,:i; :i information ■( r SMITH. 25f-t rith a imong f hope I mif- t like- ; I the could :tunity fon of would wf rie ;e, in a ufe of ;d him i with Smith portu- he lev- g in- n hid- ig the ted the to the l^s, ig- not to It give ;ion information of his flight. At length he came to a pod ereded in a crofs road, by the markt) on which he found the way to Mofcovy, and'' in fixteen days arrived at Exapolis on the river Don-; where was a Ruiltan garrifon, the com- mander of which undcrilanding that he was a Chriftian, received him courtcoufly ; took off his iron collar, and gave him letters to the other governors in that region. Thus he travelled through part of Ruilia and Poland, till he got back to his friends in Tranfylvania i receiving prafents in his way from many per- fons of diftin^on, among whom he particu- larly mentions a charitable lady, Callamata, being always proud of his connexion with that fex, and fond of acknowledging their fav-.« ours. At Leipfic he met with his colonel,^ count Meldrick, and Sigifmund, prince of Tranfylvania, who gave him 1500 ducats to repair his IpfTes. With this mjney he was enabled to travel through Germany, France, and Spain, and having viiited the kingdom of Morocco, he returned by fea to England 1 having in his paflage enjoyed the pleafure of another naval engagement. At his arrival in his native country he had a thoufand ducats in his purfc, which, with the intereft he had y' -^ J ,v-f'^R-m. vfi. remaming it! ** I 252 SMITH. remaining in England, he devoted to feck adventures and make difcoveries in North Am erica. t*«*H4 • * "i^ MiW^^ -wl^ ».«*»l«ki Wu* *' Bartholomew Gofnold having conceived a ^vourable idea of America, had made it his bufinefs, on his return to England, to ifolicit afli/lance in profecuting difcoveries. Meet- ing with Captain Smith, he readily enteird into his views, the employment being exactly Aiited to his enterprizing genius. Having en«- gaged Edward Maria WingfieTd, a merchant, Robert Hant, a clergyman, and feveral others, they prevailed upon a number of noblemen, gentlemen, and merchants, to folicit a patent from the crown, by which the adventurers to Virginia became fubjcfl to legal direftion,and had the fupport and encouragement of a wealthy and refpcdtable corporation ; which was ufually ftylcd the South Virginia conipa»- ny, or the London company, in diftin^ion from the Plymouth company, who fuperin- tended the affairs of North Virginia. The date of their patent was April 10, 1606, and on the 1 9th of the following December, three /hips, one of one hundred . tons, another of forty, and one of twenty, fell down the river Thames for Virginia* The commander was Chriflopher SMITH. 25s to ffck [ORTH eivtd ft it his ) foitcit Mcct- entcftd cxadly ing «n*- rchant, others, [)kme«, a patent urcrs to ion, and It of a which conipa*- Hndtion iipcrin- . The 06, and T, three )thcr of ^e river der was )her Chriflophcr Newport, zn experienced mari*. ncr. They had on board the ncccflary pcr- fon^ and provitions for a colony ; and their orders for government were fealed in a box* which was not to be opened till they ihould vrive in Virginia..* s'.vr;.n'/.'\^t it n^.^f..^*' The ihip9 were kept in the Downs by bad weather dx week;s, and afterward had a tern* . peftuous voyage* They took the old route by the Canary and Caribbee illands, and did not make the entrance of Cheiapeak Bay till the a6th of April 1607. From the begin ning of their embarkation, there was a jealou- fy and diflcntion among the company. . Smith and Hunt were frieQds> and both w^re envied and fufpe<^ed by the others. Hunt was ju-r dicious and patient, his office fecured him from infqlt. Smith was ardent and induilrlT ous, courteous in his deportment, but liberal in his language. On fomc fuggeH :c t^s that he intended to ufurp the government, and that his confederates were difperfed among the companies of each ihip, he was made a prifbner from the time of their leaving the Canaries, and was under confinement whea they arrived in the Chefapeak. When the box was opened it was found that Bartholor TJiiVi mew m i'lt 254 SMITH. mew Gofnold* John Smith* Edward M. Wingfield, Chriftopher Newport, John Rat- clifF, John Martin, and George Kendal were named to be of the council j who were to chufe a prefident from among therlfelves for one year, and the government was vefted in them^ Matters of moment were to be '* examined by a jury, but determined by the major part of the council, in which the prefident had two voices." - When the council was fworn, Wingfield was chofen prefident, and a decla- ration was made of the reafons for which Smith was not admitted and fworn among the others. ' ■'■ ^''•;- :^st'*-^'% ■ ■ Mf»^''«i ~'^ms'^'"M?i^ S.-t.' Seventeen days from their arrival were fpcnt in fceking a proper place for their firft planta- tion. The fouthern point of the bay was named Cape Henry, and the northern Cape Charles, in, honour of the two fons of King James. To the firft great river which they difcovcred they gave the name of their fove- reign ; and the northern point of its entrance was called Point Comfort, on accoant of the good channel and anchorage which they found there. On the flats they took plenty of oyfters, in fome of which were pearls ; and on the plain they found large and ripe ftraw- berries, i M. iRat- 1 were > chufe for one them 4 ned by part of lad two fworn, I decla- which ong the -' ^ ■ ' re fpcnt planta- bay was rn Cape )f King ch they ir fove- lentrance of the ey found Icnty of 'Is; and »e ftraw- irries, S M I T H; 255 berrieS) which afforded them a delicbus re- Having met with five of the natives, they invited them to their town, Kecoughtan, where Hampton is now built. Here they were feafted with cakes made of Indian corn, and regaled with tobacco and a dr^nce. In return they prefented the natives beads and other trinkets. Proceeding up the river, another company of Indians ppeared in arms. Their chief, Apamatica, holding in one hand his bow and arrow, and in the other a pipe of tobacco, demanded the caufe of their com- ing } they made figns of peace, and were hof- pitably received. On the 13th of May, they pitched upon a ptninfula where the ihips could lie in fix fathom water, moored to the trees, as the place of their intended fettlement. Here they were vifited by Pafpiha, another Indian chief, v/ho being made acquainted with their deiign, offered them as much land as they wanted, and afterward ient them a deer for their entertainment. On this fpot they piched their tents, and gave it the name of James-town. .■ »;-. R rendered ,•■'*„ lie I .258 SMITH. rendered himfelf very popular ; and his accuf* ers had by a different condunimitted the manageiaent of aF'^irs abroad to Smith, in whom his confidei.ee was ^ol ill? r~ faced. At the fame time the Indians in th'^ir neighbourhood brought in a plenti- ful iupply of fuch provifions as they had, which revived their drooping fpirits ; and Smith feeing the neceffity of exertion to fe- cure themfelves, and provide for the approach- ing winter, partly by his animating fpeeches, but more by his example, fet them to work in mowing and binding thatch, and in build- ing and covering houfes. In thefe exercifes he bore a large fliare, and in a fhort time got a fufficiency of houfes to make comfortable lodgings for all the people excepting himfelf. This being done, and the provifions which the natives had brought in being expended, he picked a number of the beft ha\ 's and em- '! brought barked iji a fhallop which they L^« S M IT H. 26ii ■ t tbsy i oosn ; sptem- ion nor p aFnrs iCe was Indians plenti- cy had, 5 ; and I to fe- proaph- >ccches, work build- xercifcs me got brtable limfelf. ich the ded, he nd em- jroQght from \ >( ji from England, to fearch the country for a- nothcr fupply. ,., . ..,. The party which accompanied Smith in this excurfion, confifled of fix men, well arm- ed, but ill provided with clothing and other neccffaries. What was wanting in equipment was to be fupplied by refolution and addrefs ; and Smith's genius was equal to the attempt. They proceeded down the rivej- to Kecoughtan [Hampton] where the nativies, knowing the needy ftate of the colony, treated them with Contempt, offering an ear of corn in exchange for a mufket, or a fword, and in like propor- tion for their /cant and tattered garments. Finding that courtefy and gentle treatment would not prevail, and that nothing was to be expected in the way of barter, and more« over provoked by their contempt,Smith order* ed his boat to be drawn on fliore and his men to fire at them. The affrighted natives fled to the woods, whilft the party fearched their houfes in which they found plenty of corn j but Smith did not permit his men to touch iti e-. ^ -Ctin?r that the Indians would return ar'f attack them. They foon appeared to the nutriber ot fixty or feve ity, formed into & fquare carrying their idol okee, compofed R ot /^ 262 SMITH. r'!f of fkins, fluffed with mofs and adorned with chains of copper. They were armed with clubs and targets, bows and arrows, and ad- vanced, linging, to the charge. , The party re- ceived them with a volley of fhot, which brought feveral of them to the ground and their idol among them ; the reft fled again to the woods, from whence they fent a depu- tation to offer peace and redeem their god. Smith, having in his hands fo valuable a pledge, was able to bring them to his own terms ; he flipulated that fix of them fhould come unarmed, and load his boat with corn, and on this condition he would be their friend and give them hatchets, beads and copper. Thefe flipulations were faithfully performed on both fides ; and the Indians in addition prefcjited them with venifon, turlries, and other birds ; and continued fmging and danc- ing till their departure. ' t The fuccefs of this attempt encouraged him to repeat his cxcurfions by land and wa- ter ; in the courfe of which he difcovered feveral branches of James-River, and particu- larly the Chickahamony, from whofe fertile banks he hoped to fupply the colony with provifion. B^t induftry abroad will not make d fiouri filing S M I T H. 263 Iwith I with nd ad- irty rc- which id and d again I depu- ir god. Liable a xis own , (hould h corn, ir friend copper, rformed iddition ss, and d danc- *'' ' ' ouraged and wa- fcovered particu- fe fertile ny with ot make jfhing . a flouriOiing plantation without economy at home. What he had taken pains and rifqued his life to provide, was carelefsly and wanton J^ ly expended ; the traffic with the natives be-< ing under no regulation, each perfon made his own bargain, and by out bidding each other they taught the Indians to fet a higher value on their commodities, and to think themfelvcs cheated when they did not all get the fame prices. This bred a jealoufy and fowed the feeds of a quarrel with them, whicl> the colo- ny were in a poor condition to maintain, bet- ing at variance among themfelves. .., , ^^^ . -(The (hallop being again fitted for a trading voyage, whilft Smith was abroad on one of his ufual rambles, and the people being dif-* contented with the indolence of RatclifFe, their prefident, and the long ficknefs of Mar- tin; Wingfield and Kendal, who had been difplaced, took advantage of Smith's abfence, and confpired with fome malcontents to run away with the veffel and gq to England. Smith returned unexpededly, and the plot was difcovered. To prevent its execution, recourfe was had to arms, and Kendal was killed, /mother attempt of the fame kind was je by Ratcliffc himfelf, aflifted by ., R 4 Archer ^ %64 SMITH. Archer j but Smith found means to defeat this alfo tiw :• -tcrmineJ to keep poflcflion of the country, the value of which was daily rifing in his eftimation ; not only as a fourcc of wealth to individuals,but as a grand nation- al obje6l ; and he k liw w umi gt .it undertake iogs could not be accomplifhed without la^ hour and perfeverance. -..,,.. y, . *-# , ^i*-. As the autumn advanced, the waters were covered with innumerable wild fowl ; which with the addition of corn, bean«i, and pump- kins, procured from the Indians, changed hunger into luxury, and abated the rage for abandoning the country. Smith had ^jcen once up the river Chickahamony, but becaufe he had not penetrated to its fource, exceptions were taken to his condu6t as too dilatory. This imputation he determined to remove. In his next vovage, h • went fo high that he was obliged to cut the trees, which had fall- en into the river, to make his way through as far as his boat could fwim. He then left her in a fafe place, orderin^^ As men not to quit her until his rer. * 9 then taking two of them, and two Indians fur guides, he proceed- ed in one of their canoes to the meadows at th? river's hcad^ and leaving his two men with a' M I T H. 265 with the canoe, he went with his Indian guides acroA the meadows. A party of 300* Indians below, had watched the motions of the boat. They firft furprized the draggling' crew, and made one of them prtfoner, from' whom they learned that Smith was above. They next ^ound the two men, whom he had left with the canoe, afleep by a fire, and killed thcm^ then having difcovered Smith, they wounded him in the thigh with an arrow. Finding himfelf thus aflaulted, and wounded, he bound one of his Indian guides with his garters to his left arm, and made ufc of him as 1 ihield, whilft he difpatched three of his enemies and wounded fome others. He was retreating to his canoe, when regarding his enfmies, more than his footftcps, he fuddcn- ly i lunged with his guide into an oozy creek,' and ftuck faft in the mud. The Indians af- toniOied at his bravery did not approach him, till almoft dead with cold, he threw avay his- arms, and begged them to draw hkn cut,* which they did and led him to the fire, where his flain companions were lying. This fight admonifhed hinr» what he was to cxpedt. Be- ing revived by their chafing his benumbed limbs, he called for their chief, Opechanka- now. 266 SMITH. now» King of Patnaunkee, to whom he pr^-. fented his ivory compais and diah The vi« brations of the needle* and the fiy under th^ glafs, which they could fee but not touch, forded them much amufement ; and Smith, having learned ibmething of their language, psurtly by means of that, and partly by figns, entertained them with a defcription of the nature and uies of the iilflrument ; and gave them fuch a tedture on the motions of the heavens and earth, as amazed them, and fuf- pended for a time, the execution of their pur->. pofe. At length, curiofity being fatiated, they faflened him to a tree, and prepared to 4ifpatch him with their arrows. At this in- Aant, the chief holding up the compafs, which he efleemed as a divinity, they laid £^- fide their arms, and forming a military pro- cefTion, led him in triumph to their village Orapaxe. The order of their march was thus : they ranged themfelves in a tingle file, the King in the midd, before him were borne the arms taken from Smith and his compan- ions ; next after the King, came the prifoner, held by three ilout favages -, and on each fide a file of fix. When they arrived at the vil- lage, the old men, women, and children, came out 8 M I T H, 367 out to receive them ; after fome manoeuvres, which had the appearance of regularity, they formed themfelves round the King and hit prifoner, into a circle, dancjng and finging, adorned with paint, furs, and fea|her$, bran-r difhing their rattles, which were made of the tails of rattlefnakes. After three dances, they difperfed, and Smith was conduced to a long hut, guarded by forty men. There he was fo plentifully feared with bread and veni^ fon, that he fufpeded their intention was to fatten and eat him. One of the Indians, to whom Smith had formerly given beads, brought him a garment of furs, to defend him from the cold. Another, whofe fon was then fick and dying, attempted to kill him, but was prevented by the guard. Smith being conducted to the dying yputh, told them that he had a medicine at James-town, which would cure him, if they would let him fetch it 3 but they had another defign, which was to furprize the pla^e, and niakc ufe of him as a guide. To induce him to perform this fer- vice, they promifed him his liberty, with as much land, and as many women, as would content him. Smith magnified the difficulty gnd danger of thpir attempt,fron[i the ordnance. mines 263 glM I T He i mined and other defences of the place, which exceedingly terrified them, and to convince them of the truth of what he told them, he wrote on a leaf of his pocket book, an inven- tory of what he wanted, with fome directions to the people at the fort, how to affright the meffengers who went to deliver the letter. - They returned in three days, reporting the terror, into which they had been thrown, and when they produced the things for which he had written, the whole company were afton- iihed at the power of his divination by the Jpeaking leaf. After this they carried him through feveral nations, inhabiting the banks of the Potow- mack and Rapahanock, and at length brought him to Pamaunkee; where they performed a ftrange ceremony, by which they intended to divine, whether his intentions toward them, were friendly or hoftile. The manner of it was this : early in the morning a great fire was made in a long houfe, and r mat fpread on each fide, on one of which he was placed, and the guard retired. Prefently, an Indian prieft, hideoufly painted, and drefled in furs and fnake fkins, came Skipping in, and after a variety of uncouth noifes and geftures, drew a circle v'ith S M I T H, 26^ with meal round the fire. Then came in three more in the fame frightful drefs, and after they had performed their dance, three others. They all fat opposite to him in a line, the chief pricfl: in the midft. After Ringing a fong, accompanied with the mufic of their rattles, the chief pried laid down five grains of corn, and after a (hort fpeech three more; this was repeated till the fire was encircled. Then continuing the incantation, he laid {ticks between the divifions of the corn. The whole day was fpent in thefe ceremonies, with fad- ing ; and at night a feaft was prepared of the bead meats which they had. The fame tricks were repeated the two following days. They told hkn that the circle of meal reprefented their country, the circle of corn the fea diore, and the dicks his country ; they did not ac- quaint him, or he 1 as not acquainted us with the refult of the operation b'lt he obferved that the gunpowder, which they had taken from him, wa$ laid up among their corn, to be planted the next fpring. - ^ 2 and along each fide of the houfe, a row of his counfellors, painted and adorned with feathers and (hells. At Smith's entrance a great fhout was made. The Queen of Apa- matox, brought him water to wafh his hands, and another ferved him with a bunch of feathers, inftead of a towel. Having feafted him after their manner, a long confultation Was held, which being ended, two large flonCvS were brought in, on one of which his head was laid, and clubs were lifted up to beat out his brains. At this critical moment, Poca- hontas, the King's favourite daughter, flew to him, took his head in her arms, and laid her own upon it. Her tender intreaties pre- vailed. The king confented that Smith fhould live, to make hatchets for him, and ornaments for her. Two days after, Powhatan caufed him to be brought to a diftant houfe j where, after another threatening, he confirmed his promife, and told him he fhould return to the fort, and fend him iwo pieces of cannon, and a grind- ftone i for which he would give him the country SMITH. 271 to after Imife, L and kind- the country of Capahoufick, and forever efteem him as his fon. Twelve guides accompani->- ed him, and he arrived at James-town, the next day. According to the flipulation, two guns and a large grindftone were offered them, but having in vain tried to lift them, they were content to let them remain in their place. Smith, however, had the guns loaded, and difcharged a volley of ftones, at a tree cover • cd with icicles. The report and efFe<5t con- founded them ', but being pacified with a few toys, they returned, carrying prefents to Powhatan and his daughter, of fuch things as gave them entire fatisfadion. After this ad- venture, the young princefs, Pocahontas, fre- quently vifited the plantation, with her attend- ants, and the refreihments which Ihe brought from time to time proved the means of faving many lives, which otherwift would have been loft. Smith's return happened at another critical juncture. The colony was divided into parties, and the malcontents, were again preparing to quit the country. His prefence a third time, defeated the projed: j in revenge for which they meditated to put him to death, under pretence that he had been the means of murdering the two y^m I i w I 2J2 S^ H. I T. H, two men who went with him in the canoe j but by a proper application .of valour and . Itrength, he put his accufers ujider coniliV"?' ment, till an opporttinity prefcnted for ffigily ing them as prifoners to England. , / :; ,ir,J^ . The misfortunes and mifmanagem^ts of '/ this Virginian colony, during the period here related, feem to have originated partly in th(p ] tempers and qualifications of the men vAio were appointed to command, and partly in the nature akid circumflances of the adventure. There could be no choice of men for the fer- vice,but among thofe who offered themfelves ; and thcfe were previoufly ftrangers to each other, as well as different in their education, qualifies and habits. Some of them had beca ufed to the command of ftiips, and partook of the roughnefs of the element on which the/ were bred. It is perhaps, no great compli- ment to Smith, to fay that he was the beft qualified of them, for command i fince the event proved that none of them, ^)\o furviv- e^ the firft ficknefs, had the confidence of the people in any degree. It is certain that his refolution prevented the abandonment of the plac;e the firft year ; his enterprizing fpi- \ rit led t9 ap exploration of the country, and ^ ^ ^ acquainted I SMITH. ^f3 and here i .th9 who ithe ture. ; fer- Ives; each ^ion> beea ok of they .pli. lebeft the irviv- [ce of In that jut of |g ^Pir and ited ae<|uainted them with its many advantages ^ his captivity produced an intercoude with thq fa\rages i and the fupplres gained from them^ chiefly by means of his addrcfs, kept the peo- pfe alive till the fecond arrival of the fhips from England. The Virginians, thetcfore, jaftly regard him, if not as the father, yet as the iaviour of that infant plantation. In the winter of 1607, Capt. Newport ar- rived from England in Virginia. The other fhip, comman^lcd by Capt. Nelfon, which fail- ed at the fame time, was difmafted on the Ainericati Coaft, and^blown 6flf to the Weft- Indies: The fupplies fent by the company were received in Virginia With the mod cor- dial avidity ; but the general licenfe given to the failors, to trade with the ftvages, proved detrimental to the planters, as it raifed the prices of their commodities fo high, that a pound of coppet would not purchafe, what before could be bought for an ounce. New- port himfelf was not free from this fpirit of ptofufion, fo common to feafaring men, which! he ihanifefted by fending prefents of various fcitid^ to t'oWhatan, intending thereby to give him an idea of the grandeivr of the Englitfi fiction . In a vifit which he ma/ie to this >-t I »rincc. 274 SMITH. prince, under the conduA of Smith, he was received and entertained with an equal (how of magnificence ; but in trading with the favage chief, he found himfelf outwitted. Powhatat), in a lofty Arain, fpoke to him thus : " It is not agreeable to the greatnefs of fuch '^^ men as we are, to trade like common people for trifles j lay down therefore at once, all your goods, and I will give you the full value for them." Smith perceived the fnarc, and warned Newport of it -, but he, thmking to out brave the favage . prince, difplayed the whole of his ftorec Powhatan then fet fuch a price on his corn, that not more than four bufhels could be procured -, and the necef- fary fupplies could not have hten had, if Smith's genius, ever ready at invention, had not hit on an artifice which proved fuccefsful. He had fecreted fome trifles, and among them a parcel of if/ue beads, which, feemingly in il carelefs way, he glanced in the eyes of Pow- hatan. The bait caught him ; and he earn- cflly defired to purchafe them. Smith, in his turn, raifed the value cf them, extolling them as the mofl precious jewels, refembling the colour of the fky, and proper only for the npblcft fovereiens in the univcrfe. Powhatap's w- *'- ' • ■ » • • • miagmation SMI T H. V5 was (how the itted, :hu8 : (uch * eople e, all value , and ng to d the fuch I four I neccf- lad, if had efsful. them y in iL Pow- earn- ith, in Ltoliing mbling for the hatan's ;ion ■P imagination was all on fire i he made large, offers. Smith infifled on more, and at length fuffered himfelf to be perfuaded to take be-, tween two and three hundred bufhels of corn for about two pounds of blue beads, and they parted in very good humour, each one being very much pleafed with his bargain. In a> fubfequent vifit to Opecankanough, King of Pamaunkee, the company were entertained with the i^me kind of fplendor and a fimilar bargain clofed the feftivity ; by which means, the blue beads grew into fuch eftimation, that none but the princes and their families were able to Wear them* -^^t^ ,^v}- ; r^^:ys^ =tntKl^Mf^f Loaded with this acquifition^ they return-: ed to James-town } where an unhappy fire had confumed leveral of their houfes, with much of their provifions and furniture. Mr. Hunt, the chaplain, loft his apparel and library in this conflagration, and efcaped from it with only the clothes on his back. This misfor- tune was feverely felt ; the fhip (laying in port fourteen weeks, and refer ving enough for the voyage home, fo contracted their ftpck of provifions, that before the winter was gone, they^ were reduced to great extremity, and many of them died. The caufc of the (hip's S a deteQtion .^ -^ 2^ S^^M I T H. dietention £6t (o long d time was this : In ftarc^hing for fteOi water m the neighbour- hood of Jafties-town, th^y had difcovcred in a rivulet, fome partieks 6f a yeUowkh iiihg- glafsy which their ia»guine kMaginations had refined into gold duH;. The jseal fbr this pre-^ cious matter Yfus fo illrdng, that in diggifig;^ wflfhing and packing it to tomplete the lading of the fliif^, all other cares wcra abforbed. This was a tedious interval to Capt. Smith ; his judgment condemned their folly, his pa- tience was exhaufted, £(nd his paffion irritated, and the only recompenfe which he had for this long vexation was, the pleafure of fend- ing home Wingfield and Archer, when the fliip departed- ^ ^ • < "• ' • nVaMir The other fhip arrived in the fpring, and notwitbflanding a long and unavoidable deten* tion in the Weft-Indies, brought them a com- fortable fupply of provifions. They took ad- vantage of the opening feafon, to rebuild th«r houfes and chapel, repair the palifades, and plant torn f6r the enfuing fummer, in all which works the example and authority of Smith, were of eminent f^vice. Every ma*r of activity was fond of him, and thofe of a contrai^ dif^ofition were afraid of him. It c*- was SMITH. "^ri In in had th ; pa. ited» for end- I the si ^i and L ad- thesir and alt y of of a It .^ ;iva5 propofed that he (hould go into the coui^- try of the lionacans* beyond the falls of James^river) that th^y might have fome news of (he interior parts to fen4 home to the com- pany ; but a fray with the Indians detained him at James- town, till the fhip failed fc^r England, laden chiefly with cedar, but not without another fpecime.i of the yellow dufi, of ;/hich Martin was fo fcidi that he toot^ chai ge of the packages himfelf and returned to -England. An accefHen of above one huo^ {dred men, among whom were feveral gpld- fmiths and refiners, had been tpade to the coir ony, by the two lafl; (hips, and a new memr ber, Matthew Sfrwjefxer^.: -^^ ^cled to the council. . Having finifhed the nccs^y bufinefs of the feafon, and difpatched the ibip, another voyage of difcovery was undertaken by Capt^ Smith and fourteen otliers. They went dowi) the rtvcf (June lo, 1608), in an^opcn barge, in company with the fhip, and having parted with her at Cape Henry, they croffcd the mouth of the bay, and fell in with a clqfler of iilands without Cape Chatleii', to which the) gave the name of Smith's Ifles, which they fUll bear* Then re-entering the bay -/., • S3 they 27^ S M i r H. ^. they hnded on the caftern neck, an \ vere kindly received by Acomack, the prince of that peninfula, a part of which flill bears his ndrtie. From thence they coafted the eaftern fliore of the bay, and landed fometimes on the main, and at other times on the low iflands, of which they found many, but none fit for habitation. They proceeded up the bay to the northward and croflcd over to the weftern (hore, down which th^y coafted to the fouthward, and in this route difcovered the mouths of the great rivers, which fall into the bay on that fide. One in particular, at- tracted much of their attention, becaufe of a reddifh earth which they found there, and iron? its rj^femblance to bole-aninfioniac, they gave it the name of Bolus-river, and it is fo named in all the early maps of the country i but in the later, it bears the Indian nam? Pa- tapfco ; on the north fide of which ^s now the flourifhing town of Baltimore. They failed thirty miles up the Potowmack, with- out fceine any inhabitants ; but on entering a crtek found themfelves furrounded by In* dians who threjjtened them. Smith prepared for an encounter • but on firing a few guns, the Indians, terrified at the noife, made figns ■ ' ' ' of ir ir SMITH. 279 ' ofpeace, and exchanged hoftagcs . One of the company was by this means carriea to the habitation of their prince, anr' the whole were kindly ufcd. They learn d '^at it was by direction of Powhatan tnat t ' idians were in arms, and had attemptec rife them 5 from this circumftance they ^ ^ed to fuf- pedtthat Powhatan, had been jnformcd of this expedition, by the difcontented part of ' the colony whom Smith had obliged to flay in the country when they would have dcfcrt- ed it '■^•^^ '•*-^;^'*'*^^" '''im':'%'mw^'w^^*;^^''''*^'^ It was Smith's invariable cuftom, when he met with the Indians, to put on a bold face, and if they appeared defirous of peace to de- mand their arms, and fome of their children as pledges of their fincerity ; if they complied, he confidered them as friends ; if not, as ene- mies. In the courfe of this voyage, he col- lected foqjp furs, and difcovered fome colour- ed earths, which the favages ufed as paints, but found nothing of the mineral kind. At ^ the mouth of the Rappahanock, the boat i grounded, and whilft they were waiting for the . tide, they employed themfclves in flicking . with their fwords the fiflies which were left ^ on the flats. Smith having fluck his fword 84 into ^%. ^^1 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 150 "■^~ IM^H ■^ 1^ |2.2 m m M^ Ili4 II— IJ4 4" <-V# '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation ■o" V-f^J^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 SMITH, Into a ftingray, the ^(h mki it$ tail, »Pid witi^ its,iharp indented thorp, wonadfd hmx in, the arm. The wound was extreijacly jpjiioftj, j^^J: he prefcntly fwflled to tha^ dqgree, th|i^. ^ip^v ^peded him to d^e, and he hio^fejf p^ them qrdefs tQ h^t^ him on a neighhoiiring iAand. B^t the fur^on, J)u Ruifel» ha^i^ipg probed the wound ; by the help of a o^ts^ oil, (q allayed the aoguiih andt fwelUo^*, tJim, Smith vv^s ableto eat part of the fiflx fot hi& fupper. From this occurrence* the plaee was diftinguifhcd by the ngpie of Stingraj-?; point, which it ftill bears, "* - • • - Qn the, 2ift pf J>dy, they retiirned to James-town. Having, with the coloured earths which they bad iouud^ diigjttifpd their, boat and ftrcamers, their old conEipaoion& were alarmed at their approach, with the appreheu- fion of an attack frjom the Spaniards 5, this was, a trick of Smith's, to fdghten the M Fi»&^ dentft who had rioted on thepAihlicltorc&KS^nd ,Yf»s building a houfe. in the woodsi,! thai ho '^ight (delude himiCelf (ima the\fickl^, difcon-. ientedj quarrelfome company,^ On Smith's arrival, they iignifted their defijee of invefting him with the government, Ratclifib be^'og depoied^ it fell ta hipaof pourfe ; andh^iijg recommended 'Ft a M I T^ i^ ife th's. f^commea^cd Scrivener tp prefido in bimb* %q^ he 9ntcrc4 on adiiQther vQy«gf» oC dtfeoiTt tj^^i ^Jf nKi9^ tiw 24!^h, of Ji4yt t^ ij» 7th 0^ 9(lf3^ ttmbtqr, witb twelves qEUsa in t^ii o|)9n ^rge^ 3^i;ai^^ tke Wy of Ct^ef^^f^^^a^ in" norths i'lpmr^ as the f^^ oif Su£i|«i«lttnna]ii, cntoriog ^ the rivers that flow into the bay, aid 9:1^ 9fiB4n]^lh^ir ftirores«; ||^ ibnMrplaees, dn^iia- ^^liir«is wi^Ke frkii^y, «wii ii> others j$a1oix&« Their i(^a 9! tb«^ftrangi9 vilitors^ w«s, thait thoy hid comie- '* from Dn4«r the world to talte timt ^*wqf]4 ff0V^ t^m." Smith's conihmt endea^ i^YDjkif^ was tjo preih've peace with them f feUtt x^ovh^n he ecy frequent^ and the laieOs com*^ ' mi^, yvtrv wmi\^ al&£M by dnedifordtroof til<^ ^r> Smith ^!«u now eftahlilbed hi* fhe pivfdtibP 2tf)f by th<> eki^on of the council and the te-* 2Sl2 s M I f W .A queft of the compahy ; but the ^cdmmif&oil ' gave to a majority of the council the whole ^ power. Newport, at his third arrival, brOughf ■- over two new members, and Ratcliffe havirtg s (till a feat, though depofed from the prefiden-i^ >^ cy. Smith was obliged in fome cafes to comiply '<^ with their opinions, conti^ary to his own -^ judgment, an inftance of which will now be - exhibited. ■ i'i4'^^»f-K*'-:>'^«ii:t't3>'w(«»Mt ■!«**/» T^^«^-:^i«^*-i^% ^ The Virginia company in London, dc- -'^^ ceived by fahe reports, and mifled by their own fanguine imaginations, had conceived an ^ expedbation not only of finding precious metals ^ in the country, but of difcovering the South '^ Sea, from the mountains at the head of James* ' river ; and it was thought, that the journey thither, might be performed ia eig* or ten days. For the purpofe of making a iS capi-i> tal difcovery, they put on board Newport's fhip; a barge capable of being taken to pieces, and put together again at pleai'ure. This barge was to make a voyage to the head of the river, then to be carried in pieces acrofs the moun* tains, and to defcend the rivers iwhich were fuppofed to run weftward to tl^ South Sea; To faciliate this plan, it was neceffary to gain the ; favour, of Powhatan, through; whofe^'^' ;.i cbuntry »i ■i m SMITH. tH 1 :^*r ,1 f ■Kr coantty the pailage muft be made ; and tfs means of winning him, a royal preKent was brought over, confiftiiigof a biafon and ewer, a bed and furniture, a chair of ftate, a fiiit of fcarlet clothes, with a cloak and a crown, all which were to be prefented to hini' in due form ; and the crown placed on his head, with as much folemnity as poflible. Toaperfon who knew the country and its inhabitants (b well as Smith, this project appeared chimeri- cal; and the means whereby it was to be car- ried on, dangeroias^ With a fmall quantity of coplper and a few%eads, he could have kept Powhatan in good humour, and made an ad- varitj^e of it for the colony, whereas a profu- fion of preferitshe knew would but increafe his pride and iiifolence. The projedl of travel- ling over unknown mountains with men already weakened by ficknefs, and worn out with fatigue, in a hot climate, and iii the midft of enemies, who might eafily cut off their retreat, was too romiantic even for his fanguine and adventrous fpirit. His opinion upon the matt# cannot be exprefTed in mone^ pointed latiguafe, than he ufed in a letter' to the company. *' If the quartered boat was burned to alhes, one might carry her in abagi - but ."- f,k»' 2S4 SMITH. lull m (h9 is, five hundred cannot^ to » nairU g$t>b place above the falls/'Mi.iiit diiSeat however wa9 iaefieduali and wheahe^ fy^d thai the yoke of the council was. for ejBBcut*- ing it, he; leel his affiftance to eik& as o^ich oC it jii$ was pr^icable, --^ .A^'r».*.4« *f fst^y- . JPi^viou% )to their fettiog out, he undq:^ loolsy wilh four men only, to carry notke io Powhacan of the intended prelent,aad invite him to come to James-town, that he naght receive it there. Having travelled by land twelve miles to WerocooMco, on Pamunl^ (York) rWer, where hi expe^ed ta meet Powhatan^ and not finding him there, whilft amefibftger wa» diipatcjied thirty miks for hinft I ht$ daloghter Foc#hoi^tas, entertained ScBtth and his eofiip£tny with a dance, which fior its itngularityi merits a particular def*' Cfiptioft* •• .liftr^ ;Jfei^^^'l^f^|>»♦»#j^ -'i-^ii'-ii^fibift^at&liv. « In tn open^ pkin^ afii^e being made,, ^e gentlemen were Abated by it. Suddenly a Boife waS( heard ia the adjacent wood, which made them fly t^* their apmsi and ^ze on. two Of ihrer old Inen^ as hoftages lor their own (ecuntfg imagining that they pere betrayed. Upoiir this the young princefs came raooing ^Smidi, and paifiona^ly embracing him^ 3ii?i " offered offered heifelfio be killed, if iiny harm fhoxM h0p^n to hltn or his comptAy» Her aflkr-^' ' ahoet^ fteonded by all thei IhdiaAs prefent^ r&nmtd their Ibtrs. The noife which ha#' danfied '^em, was made hf thirty gtrk, wh^' were preparing for the intefided ceremony!.'' kwmt^iatdy they made their appearance, with' no other covering than a girdle of green leavei* and their (kins painted, each one of a difierent eokmr. -Their lieader had a pair of buck'# horfis on her head, an otter^s (kin as her gir-^ dle» and another on 6ne arnt' ; a bow and ar«^ row in the other hand, and a quive? at her baok/^ The ttk of them had horns oti dieir heads, and a wooden fword or ^ihiiFi» their hands. With (houting and finging^ th^ formed a ring round the iipe, and peru ft>rmed adfealar dance for aboat ati hour/ afieer ^ich they retired tn die fame order atf they had advanced. The danee wa« followed by# feaftiai which^ the iaVage nymphf Were a^ eager with thetr catefib as with th^ tff^ tendance ; and this being ended, they eoti^ doaed the gen^men to their tod^g by fhi^ light of fit© brin The prefent being put on board the boats,, was csurried down James-river and up die Ba- munkee, whilft Newport, with fifty, men, went %crofs by land and met the boafs, in which he pafTed the river, and held the propofed inter- yipw. All things being prepared for the ce- remony of coronation, the prefent was brought - ^ a;^ from •» rSiM I T H. a87 from the boats ; the bafon arid ewer were de-- pofited, the bed and chair were fet up, the fcvlet fuit and cloak were put on, though not till . Namontac (an Indian youth whom Newport had carried to. England and brought bacl^ again) had aiTured him that thefe habili- menis would do him no harm ; but they had^ great difficulty in periuading him to receive the crown, nor would he bend his knee, or inclioe his head in the leaft degree. After many attempts, and. with adual preiling on' his {houlders, they at laft made him ftoop a little and put it on. Inftantly, a fignal being* given, the men in the boats fired a volley,^ at ' which the monarch flarted with horror, im- agining that adefign was forming to deftroy him in the fummit of his glory; but being aflured that it was meant as a compliment, his fear fubfidcd, and in return for the bauble .^ ^f royalty received from King James, he deiired Newport, to prefent him his old fur mantle and i deer ikin ihoes, which in his eftimatfion were doubtlefs afuU equivalent ; fince all tki» finery co^ld not prevail on the wary chief. to allow them guides for the t# go brt (Udli ft froitlvfs emnd, tarriod at the fort with (viglHf ihValidv to relade the (hip» whiUl Newport with all tbe ^coiincily and on^ hundNri ftild dwcti^ t)£ the hcalthiefl inen^ began their tranAoontane tour of difcovery* They pviK oceded in their boats to the falls ajt the head of the river I from thence they travdkd vp the ooimtry two days and a half, and dirco?er->^ ed two towbs of the Monacdns, tht inhabit*^ ants df which ^emed very iodifl^nt toward chem# end tiled theih neither well nor ill w They took one of their petty princes and M l>iiQ bound to guide them. Having pejpfonii-*, ed this mitrchi they grew weary ind returned,i taking with them in their wi^badt certoih poFtioiis df earthy in whidi their rtfinet pre^ leRdbd thlit he bad feen iigns of iilveua TJiisr iMas fldrl dne fhocefs of theic extpeditionj^ fpr^tfad Savages had concesded /their ^am^ and thc^ eosdd neithcf perf\iade |heili cofdl k^ nor ^nd irtd^tdkeicbyfotfcei Thu^ dvey t^t^ritidite^ JaitiaiiJt^wivy Jtimdy di^]5poifitlsd> hUfM^ iiid litkM and li^Uhe additic^JalifhoKtifid^iiOri >d^ behif ku^^ttl i^ by SmMlh for theii^ ^vtf n at^ tempt. 4J, The p^h6'ViigmiL cbfifipany had not 6f^y a vie# to the difcovery of the South Sea, but alfo to eftablifhtnanufa^tures in thtir<;olony $ and for this^purpofe had ient over a number of work<^ Men from Poland and Germany, who were Adlled in the making potafhes and glafa, as well as pitch and tar. Had the country been f^li of people; wdl cultivated and provided with all fieceiTafiei for carrying on thefc works^ there might have been fbme profpedb of ad« vantage ^ but, in a new region^ the principal bb^tt6t$ are fubfiftence and defence $ tthefe will htedBirily occupy the firfl: adventurers to the tttciufion of all others. However, Smith was of fo generous a difpoiition, and Co indefatiga^ bkf i(l' doing what he apprehended to be hh autjs* and in gratifying his employers, that as jpoon as Newport returned from his fruitlefs Mtempt to find the Soutb Sea, he fet all, who Were able, to work, that he mighty if poflible, anfwer the expectation of the company. Thofe %ht) Afltre fltiHed in the manufadtures, be left ilttdar the care of die councilr to Carry on their ^ttkt ; whilft be took thir^ of the mofl ac*« tivc with him, about fi^e miles down the riv- er,' to cut timber i and make clapboards i this being* as he well knew, an employment the T i moil a9o SMITH* moft certain of fuccefs. Among thefe were feveral young gentlemen, whofe hands not having been ufed to labour, were blidered ^y the axes, and this occafioned frequent exprcf- fions of impatience and profanenefs* To puni(h them. Smith caufed the number of every man's oaths to be taken down daily, and at night as many canns of water to be poured infide his fleeve. This difcipline was no lefs Angular than effectual j it fo lefTened the number of oaths, that fcarcely one was heard in a week, and withal it made them perfedly good humdured, and reconciled them to their labour. At his return to the fort, he found, Qot only that bufmefs had been negledted, but much provifion confumed, and that it was necefTary for him to undertake another expe- dition for corn. He, therefore, went up the Chickahamony with two boats and eighteen men, and finding the Indians not in a humour for trading, but rather fcornful and infolent, he told them that he had come not fo much for corn, as to revenge his imprifonment, and •the murder of his two men, fome time before. Putting his crew in a poftqre of attack, the Indians fled, and prefently fent mefTengers to treat of peace ; for the obtaining which, he ^ « made SMITH. apt made them give him an hundred bufhels of corn, with a quantity of fiHi and fowls ; and with this fupply he kept the colony from ftarvingy and preferved the {hip's proviiions for her voyage to England. At her depar- ture, (he carried fuch fpecimens as could be had of tar, pitch, turpentine, foap a(hes, clap- boards, and wainfcot ; and at Point Comfort* met with Scrivener, who had been up the Pamaunkee for corn, and had got a quantity of pocones, a red root, ufed in dying ; theie being taken on board, Capt. Newport returned to England the third time, leaving about two hundred perfons in Virginia. ,,. ^^r* .i.j..i^, The harveft of 1608, had fallen fhort both among the new planters and the natives ; and the colony was indebted to the inventive ge- nius and indefatigable perfeverance of Smith, for their fubliftence during the fucceeding winter. As long as the rivers were open, he k^pt the boats continually going among the natives, for fuch fupplies as could be obtain- ed ; and he never would return empty, if any thing were to be had by any means in his power. WhiliV abroad on thefe excurfions, he and his men were obliged frequently to lodge ^in the woods« when the ground was T 2 % hard apt /SMITH. hard frozen and covered with fnow ; and their mode of accomodating themfelves Was, fifit to dig away the fhow and make a fire; wh^n the ground was dried and warmed, they tie- moved the fire to one fide, and fpread their mat$ over the warm fpot for their hed, ufing another mat as a fcreen from the wind | when the ground cooled, they fhifted the fire again; by thus continually changing their pofitioa ^y kept them&lves tolerably warm through many cold nights ; and it was obierved, that 4hofe who* went on this fervice and fubmitted to thefe hard(hips, were robuft and healthy, whilfl thofe who Aayed at liome wa^ always .weak and fickly. '' .■;'-; Sc-^^v^Ai/-:^--*^ ^ The fupplies procured by trading being in- fufficient, and hunger very preffing, Smith ventured on the dangerous projedt of furpriz- ing Powhatan, and carrying off his whole ilock of provifions. This Indian prince, had formed a fimilar defign refpe<5ting Smith ; and for the purpofe of betraying him, had in- ^ted him to his feat, prdmifing that if he 1f7ouId fend men to build him a houfe, after the Englifh mode, and give him fome guns and fwords, copper and beads, he would load his boat with corn. Smith fent him three " . ■♦^^ Dutch Dutch carpenters* i^ho treacheroufly revealed to him the cicftgn which Smith had formed. Qa his arrival with forty fir men, he foari^ the prince, fo much on his guard, that it wa9 impofHble to execute his defign. Having ipent the day in conversation (in the courfe ([^; I which Powhatan had in Vain endeavoured to perfu^de Smith to l4y afide his arms, as being there in perfe<^ fecurity) he retired in the evening and formed a deiign to furprize Smith, and his pcopl"^ at their fupper j and had it not been for the affectionate friendfhip of Pocahontas, it would probably have been efie<5ted. This liable gir), at the rifque of her life, dole from the fide of her father, and pafTing in the dark through the woods, told Smith with tears in her eyes of the plot, and then as privately returned. When the In- dians brought in the fupper. Smith obliged them to tafte of every difli ; his arms were in readinefs, and his men vigilant $ and though there came divcra fets of mcflengers one after another, during the night, under pretence of fiiendly inquiries, they found them fo well prepared, that nothing was attempted* and the oarty returned in iafcty, a\ ■u;|;!i;:mf ;:v '':'',■■' T3. ^ ./^^^" '/..ow-: i^ "* 294 S M I T H. ^ In a fubfequent vifit to Opecancanough^ b^. whom he formerly was taken prifoner, this prince put on the femblance of friendihip» ivhilfl his men lay in ambufli with their bows and arrows. The trick being difcovered by one of Smith's party and communicated to him, he refolutely feized the King by his hair» and holding a piftol to his bread, led him trembling to the ambufh, and there with a torrent of reproachful and menacing words, obliged him to order thofc very people not only to lay down their arms, but to load him with proviflons. After this, they made an at- tempt to murdei* him in his (leep, and to poi- fon him, but both failed of fuccefs. The chief of Pafpiha meeting him alone in the woods, armed only with a fword, attempted to fhoot him, but he clofed with the favage, and in the ftruggle both fell into the river i where, after having narrowly efcaped drown- ing. Smith at laft prevailed to gripe him by the throat, and would have cut off his head, but the intreaties of the poor vidlim prevail- ing on his humanity, he led him f rifoner to James-town, ^ 'v ; > ^^-* This intrepid behaviour flruck a dr^d into the ravages, and they began to believe what he Sf^M IT H. i^5; Ii6 had often told them, that, ^y a few hours deep i and being difmi^M, with a prefent of copper, they went away, be^ }ieving and reporting that Smith was able /« pring the dead to life, The t&tGt was* that not only many (tolen things were recovered} ^nd the thieves puniQied, but that peace and friendly intercourfe were preferved, and corft {wrought \n as long as they h^d any, whilfl ^mith remained in Virginia. -^. i^^ >; -«! -^-5., He was equally fevere and refolute with his own men, dnd finding many of them inclin* ing to be idle, and this idlenefs in a great Tneafure the caufc of their frequent iickneiTes and deaths, he made an order, ^* that he who would not work (hould not eat, unlefs he were difabled, by ficknefs \ and that every one who did not gather as much food in a day ^8 he did himfelf, fhould be banifhed." A recent attempt having been made, tarun away with the boats, he ordered that the next per- fon who (hould repeat this offence fhould be hanged. 3y firmnefs in the execution of thcfe laws, and by the concurrent force of hit pwn example in labouring continually, and ^iftributing his whole fhare of European pro* vifloni MIT H «97 vkions tnd refrefiiments to the fick, he kept the colony in fuoh order, that, though many of them murmured at his feverity, they aU be- came veryinduftriousi and withal fo healthy, that» of two hundred perfons, there died that winter and the next fpring no more than fcvun. In the fpace of three monthcr they hah made a quantity of tar, pitch, ahd pot alhes '$ bad produced a lample of glais i dug a well in the fort ; built twenty new houfes ^ provided nets and wiers for lifting j eredted a block houfe on the ifthmus of James-town ; anoth- er on Hog Ifland; and had begun a fortrefs on a commanding eminence. As the fpring came on, they paid fuch attention tahufband- ry, as to have thirty or forty acres cleared and jit for planting ; and a detachnient had been fent to the fonthward, to look for the long loft colony of Sir Walter Raleigh, but without AlAeft, ■'^\, Such was the ftate of the Virginiacoldiiy, when Captain Samuel Argal arrived on a trad- ing vdyage, and brought letters from the com- pany in England, complaining of their difap- pointment, and blaming Smith as the caufe of it. They had conceived an ill opinion of hiini from the perfons whom he had fent home. - . ■< 298 SMITH. home, vfho reprefented him as arbitrary and violent toward the colonifts, cruel to the lav- ages* and difpofed to traverfe the views of the adventurers, who expected to grow rich very fuddenly. ^ ^.- fi& 4r> 1 1 i-h'.\ ■rf'-'^fhii^ri There was this difadvantage attending the bufinefs of colonization in North Anaerica, at that day, that the only precedents which could be had were thofe of the Spaniards, who had treated the natives with extreme cruelty, and amafTed vaft fums of gold and iilver. Whilft the Engliih adventurers deteiled the means by which the Spaniards had acquired their riches, they dill expe^ed that the fame kind of riches might be acquired by other means ; it was therefore thought politic, to be gentle in de* meanor and lavifli of prefents toward the na- tives, as an inducement to them to difcover the riches of their country. On thefe priqcir pics the orders of the Virginia company to their fervants were framed. But experience had taught Smith, the mod difcerning and faithful of all whom they had employed, th^t the country of Virginia would not enrich the adventurers in the time and manner which they expected ; yet he was far from abandon— ing it as worthlefs : his aim, was thoroughly to SMITH. 299 to explore it ; and by exploring , he had difcov- ered what advantages might be derived from it I to produce which, time, patience, expenfe and labour, were abfolutely neceflary. He had fairly reprefented thefe ideas to his em- ployers, he had fpent three years in their fer- vice, and from his own obfervations had drawi^ and fent them a map of the country ; and he had conducted their affairs, as well as the na- ture of circumftances would permit. He had had a diforderly, factious, difcontented, difap- pointed fet of men, to control, by the help of a few adherents ; in the face of the native lords of the foil, formidable in their numbers and knowledge of the country, verfed in ftrat- agem, tenacious of refentment, and jealous of flrangers. To court them by prefents was to acknowledge their fuperiority, and inflate their pride and infolance. Though favages, they were men and not children. Though defli« tute of fcience, they were pofTefTed of reafon, and a fufHcient degree of art. To know how to maftage them, it was neceflary to be per- fonally acquainted with them ; and it mufl be obvious, that a perfon who had refided feveral years among them, and had been a prifoner with them« was a much better judge of the proper 300 8 M I T H. proper methods of treating them, than a com-« pany of gentlemen at feveral thouiaad miles diftance, and who could know them only by report. Smith had, certainly, the intereft qf the plantation at heart, and by toilfome; expe-i rience, had )\ii\ learned how to conduct it i when he found himfelf fo obnoxious to bis employers, that a plan was concerted tofuper*- fede him, and reinflate, with a (hare of author rity, thofe whom he had difmi0ed from the ' fcrvice. ■^•■?:- j^>-v- ■•?: ■-%-'-■. -,-'^ '■:-%■ '^■'• The Virginia Company had applied to the King to recal their patent and grant another ; in virtue of which they appointed Thomas Lord dc la Warre» general -, Sic Thomas Gates, lieutenant general ; Sir George Somers» admiral ; Sir Thomas Dale, marfhal ; Sic Ferdinando Wainman, general of horfe ^ and Captain Newport, (the only one of themw^ had feen the country) vice-admiral. Theau^r* venturers having, by the alteration of their pa^ tent, acquired a reinforcement both of dignity and property, equipped nine ihips ; ia vhicl| were embarked five hundred perrons,men,wom« en and children. Gates, Somers, and NcwpQirti had each a commiflion, invefling either of them ^ who might iiril arrive, with power to calHo the old S M I T H. 3©r pM snd (et up the new commi(nbn. The fket failed from England in May 1609, and by fome ftrange policy the three commanders were em^ bdfked in one (hip. This Ihip being feparated from the others in a ftorm, was wrecked on the iOaild bf Bermuda ; another foundered at ffel' ; iand when the remaining feren arrived int Vfqgifiia, two of Which were commanded by Ratclifte and Archer, they found themfelves deilitute of authority ; though ibme of them were full enough of prejudice againfl Smith who was then in command. The (hips had been greatly (battered in their pafTage, mudi of their provifion was fpoiled, many of their pdople were (ick ; and the feafon in which thtiy arrived was no^ the moft favourable to their recovery. A mutinous fpirit foon broke <5ut, and a fcene of confufion enfued ; the new C(^ers would not obey Smith, becaufe they fuppofed his commiffion to be fuperfeded } the new commifiion was not arrived, and it was Uncertain whether the (hip which carried it tvould ever be fcen or heard of. Smith would gladly have withdrawn and gone back to £iig<« bnd, but his honor Was concerned in main-^ ' iaining his authority till he (hould be regularly ibperfed^ ; and his fpirit would not fuiferhim T 'T'"* "' ' * •." to ..Jki 1 1 302 8 M 1 T H^ J ta be trampled on by thofe whom he defpiie^. Upon due coniideratibn, he determined to' maintain his authority as far as he was able ; waiting fome proper opportunity to retlre«^ Some of the mod infolent of the new comers^^^ "he laid by the heels." With the more' moderate he confulted what was bed to beV done I and, as a feparation Teemed to be ther' beft remedy, and it had been in contempla-'.^ tion to extend the fettlements, fome were in- ' duced to go up to the Falls, others to Nanle*'^ mohd, and, others to Point Comfort. Smith's year being almoft expired, he offered to refigit ' to Martin, who had been one of the old coun-^' cil, but Martin would not accept the com-^ " mand ; he, therefore; kept up the form ; and, ^ as much as he could, of the power of govern-;' ment ; till an accident which had nearl^^ ' proved fatal to his life, obliged him to Kttagk^ to England., J..; •.,. ri- :.-i.:.-'^r-:',^r'i.vi^:v:TW'^ On his return from the nfew planlalloH if* the Falls $ fleeping by night in his boat ; ar^ bag of gun powder took fire, and tiurnt'*^^ him in a moft terrible manner. Av/aking^ in furprife, and finding himfelf wrapt in flames, he leapeil into the water, and was almofl^^ drowned, before his companions could recoveir^ ■. ui-^-.— >.-»,*-. ■• • ■• him." ii^- ui S M I T,. H, 303 him* At his return to James- town, in this diftrefled condition, RatcliflTe and Archer con-* fpired to murder him in his bed 1 but th#l aifsfifin, whom they employed, had not courage to fire a piftol. Smith's old foldiers would h^ye taken off their heads 1 but he thought it prudent to pafs by the offence, and take this opportunity, as there was no furgeon iat- the country, of returning to England. As foon as his intention was known, the council appointed Mr. Perci^ to prefide in his room 1 * an4 detained the (hip three weeks, till they cpi^ld write letters, and frame complaintty- againft him. He at length failed for England,^ abput the latter end of September 1609 |4 much regreted by his few friends, one of whoi][i has left this character of him. ** Jtkfi al) his proceedings he made juftice his firft^ gui4e, and experience his fecond ; hatingt bafenefs, floth, pride, and indignity, more thaa 1 any dangers. He never would sdlow more £c^ himielf than for his foldiers ; and upon < no danger would fend them where he would not lead them himfelf. He would never fee us want what he had, or could by any means^i gel for us. He would rather want than bor->^ row i or fbrve, than not pay. He loved adtion h morq than words ; and hated covetoufhef^ and \' .\ ■)• '). anA falfehood worfe thin death. Hut fli(lv<&i- * tUres were bur lives -, and his lofs our deaths/' *^' Therti needs no better teftimony to r^e ^ thith of this charadter, than what is related ^ of the iiliferable Colony after he had qoiUcd ""It. Without government, without prudence^ ^irelefsy indolent, and fadious, tbey becioie **ii prey to the infolcnce of the natives, to tfcu ' diieafes of the climate and to famine. Wirh- ' m Hi months, their number was reduced from five hundred to fixty ; and when the three i^ommanders, who had been wrecked on Ber« fnuda, arrived (i 6 1 o) with one Hundred and fifty men in two fmall veflels, which theybaid built out of the vuuis of their (hip, and the ^ tedars which giew on the iQand ; they found ihe remnant of the colony in fuch t £iirlorn condition ; that without hefitation, they de-> ^rmined to abandon the country, and were f^lmg down the river; when they met 1 4ioat Trom the Lord De la Warrc, who had copi with a fleet to thcT relief. By iw ^.erm&^fH they refumed the plantation, al Uv > f<»* ' tunate incident, may be afcribcd the fallef'^ labliftiment of the colony of Virginia. . -^ *^ Such a genius as Smith's could not retnain ife jfie was well known in England* and k:*;-. ■^tf^t it£3) J-' '» \ , "^^r 8 M t t H. 3®5 the report of his vak nr, and his fpirit of ad- ventaie, pointed him out to a numbei ol merchants. Who were engaged in the Aaieri- can fifhery, as a pepper per^n to malce diicoy* vV^L on the^coaft of North Virginia. la tx. A i6i4» he failed from London with two > <|iips, andarriyed at the ifland of Monahigon. in latkude . 43"^, as it < was then computed, where he huUi feven boats. The defisn c^ the yo^ge vna^.tp take whales, to examine i tnine of gold^ J^d another of copper, which were faid to be there ; and if either, or both of thefe (hould fail, to make up the cargo ; with fi(h and furs. The mines proved a fie* tion, and by long chafing the whales to no purpofe, they loft the beft feafon for fidung y. but whilft the feamen were engaged in thefe, fervlces ; Smith, in one of his boats, with, eight men, ranged the coaft, eaft and weft»/ from Pendbfcot to Cape Cod ; bartering with' the natives for beaver and other furs, and making obfervations on the (hores, iflands^ ^ harbours, and head lands ; which, at his re- < turn to England, he wrought into a map, and , preienting it to prince Charles, (afterward th«; royal marfyr)yifith arequeft that he would give the country a name, it was for the fidft timftv "^1 U csdlol f 3o6 S M I T H. called New-England: The pflhce alio ma3fe feveral alteration^ in the natties Which Smith had given to particular placed. Fbr ihftantciy he had called the name of that promontbry, which forms the eaftfcrn enttatice bf Ma^ chufetts bay, Ti-agabigzanda ; after the namb of the Tnrkifh lady to whom he Had becft formerly a flave at Coniladtindple ; atid thie three iflands which lie off the Cape, the Turks Heads, in memory of his vidtory ovSt the three Turkifli chahiJ)iotis, ih his Tranfyl- vanian adventures. The fbrnifer, Charles, in filial refpedt to his mother, called Cape Aone, which name it has ever iince retained ; the name of the iflands has long fince been loft ; and another clufter to which he gave his own name. Smith's Ifles, and which name the prince did not alter, are now, and have for more than a century been called the Ifles of Shoals ; fo that the mod pointed marks of hii difcoveries on the coaft of New-England, have, either by his own complaifance to the fon of ^ his fovereign, or by force of time and acci-^ dfents become obfolete. When he failed for England in one of the (hips, he left the other biehind, to complete her lading, with orders to fell the fifli in Spain. Themafler, Thomas Hunt, iith )eeH the the ovSt ifyl^ , ill one, I the oil; own the ; for ;s of fhii lave, of. acci- for other rders omas fJviiifljL ^&.* S M I t ri: 307 Hiint, decoyed twenty four 6f the natives on board, and fold them in Spain for flavesi The memory of this bafe tranfaflion was long preferved among the Americans, and fiicceed* ing adventurers fufFered on account of it. '^'- At Smith's return to England he put in at Plymouth -, where relating his adventures, and communicating his fentiments to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, he was introduced to the Plymouth Company of adventurers to ' North Virginia, and engaged in their fervice. At London he was invited by the South Virginia company to return to their fervice ; but made ufe of his engagement with the Plymouth adventurers as an excufe for declining their invitation^ From this circumftance it feems, that they had been convinced of his former fidelity, notwithftanding the letters and re- ports which they had formerly received to his diwdvantage. ^. During his ftay in London, he had the very lingular pleafiire of feeing his friend ^Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan . Hav- ing been made a prifoner in Virginia, (he was there married to Mr. John Rolfe, and by him was brought to England. She was then about twenty two years of age j her perfon U was 3o8 SMITH. was graceful, and her deportment gentle and pleaiing. She had been taught the Engli(h language and the Chriftian religion, and bap- tized by the name of Rebecca. She had heard that Smith was dead, and knew nothing to the contrary, till (he arrived in England. The fame of an Indian princefs excited great curioiity in London ; and Smith had the ad- drefs to write a handfome letter to the Queen, fetting forth the merits of his friend, and the eminent fervices (he had done to him and the colony of Virginia. She was introduced by the lady De la War re ; the Queen and royal family received her with much complacency, and (he proved herielf worthy of their notice and refpe61:. At her firft interview with Smith (he called him father ; and becaufe he did not immediately return the falutation and call her child, (he wai fo overcome with grief, that (he hid hei* face and would not fpeak for fometime. She was ignorant of the ridiculous affectation which reigned in the Court of James ; which forbad Smith aflum- , ing the title of father, to the daughter of a King i and when informed of it (he defpi(ed it J paiHonately declaring, that (he loved him as a father, and had treated him as fuch in her SMITH. 309 in iicr own country, and would be his child wherever (he went. The fame pedantic af- fcdation caufed her hufband to be looked upon as an offender, for having, though a fubjcd, invaded the myfterious rights of royalty in marrying above his rank. This marriage, however, proved beneficial to the colony, as her father had thereby become a friend to them, and when (he came to England, he fent with her Uttamaccomac, one of his trufty counfellors ; whom he enjoined to inquire for Smith, and tell him whether he was alive. Another order which he gave him was, to bring him the number of people in England ; accordingly, on his landing at Plymouth, the obedient favage began his account by cutting a notch on a long flick for every perfbn whom he faw i but fbon grew tired of his employ^ ment, and at his return told Powhatan that they exceeded the number of leaves on the trees. A third command from his prince was, to fee the God of England, and the King, Queen, and Princes, of whom Smith had told him fo much ; and when he met with Smith, he defired to be introduced to thofe perfonages. He had before this feca the King, but would not believe it j becaufe V 2 the 3IQ SMITH, the perfon whom they pointed out to him ha4 not given him any thing. ^* You gave Pow*- hatan (laid he to Smith) a white dog, h\H. your King has given me nothing," Mr. Rolfc was preparing to return with his wife to Virginia, when (he was taken ill and die^ at Gravefend ; leaving an infant fon, Thomas Rolfe, from whom are defcended feveral fanv ^ ilies of note in Virginia, who hold their lands by inheritance from her, i^f ^i^'>» ^r -m^^ <" Smith had conceived fuch an idea of thp value and importance of the American conti- nent, that he was fully bent on the buiinefs of plantation, rather than li(hing and trading for furs. Jn this he agreed with his friend Sir Ferdinand© Gorges, and the few other ailivc tnembers of the council of Plymouth, but it had become an unpopular theme, One colo- ny had been driven home from Sagadahock by the fe verity of the feafon and the deaths of their leaders. Men who we^-e fit for the bufinefs were not eafily to be obtained, thofe •yvho had formerly been engaged were difcour. aged, and it required great ftrength of mind as well as liberality of purfe, to fet on foot another experiment. After much trouble in endeavouring to unite perfons of oppofite ii}? ^trefts. -if .Vf S, M I T, H. 311 tcrefts. and Ainuilate thofe who b^d i^ftained foro^cr lofle^^ to new attempts, Jie obt^ned pae (hip of t^vo hundred ju^ns, and another of fifty, with which b^ failed ifi 1 615. Hav^ jng proceeded abput one hundred ai>d twenty leagues, tl^ey \yei:e fepafate4 in a ftorm ; the ignaller one conimanded by Capt. Thojmas Pfrmer purfued her voyage ; but Smith hav- ing loil his tnafls was obliged to put back under a juiy niaft to Plymouth. There he put hi$ /lores on board a fmall bark of fixty tons, and thirty men, of whom iixteen were to ^ft him in beginning a nevy colony,.: ij. Meeting >yith an Englifh pirate, his men .would have had him furrenx^er { but though ^Jie had only four guns, aud the pirate tjiirty .fix, he difdained to yield. On fpeaking with jier, he found the commander and fomc of the ,€rew to be his ol,d fhipmate^, , who had run ; awf y with the ihipfrom Tunis, and were in ^jdiftrefs for provifions j they pfFered to put .J th»emfelyes under his command, but he reje6l:- cd the propofal apd went on his voyage. Near the Wcftern Iflands he fell in with two French pirates ^ his men were again thrown 'into a panic, and would have ftruck, but he ■tbreiatened to blow up the (hip, if they would .V,:.; U+ , not ' 312 S MIT H. not fight i and by firing a few running (hot» t he efcaped them alfo. After this he was met by four French men of war, who had order! ^ from their fovereign to feize pirates. He 1 ihowed them his commiflion under the great .« feal ; but they prefidioufly detained him whilft { they fuffered his (hip to efcape in the night, | and return to Plymouth. They knew hit ; enterpriUng fpirit, and were afraid of his mak- ing a fettlement in New-England, fo near to their colony of Acadia ; and they fuf- ' pcftcd, or at le^ft pretended to fufpedt, that he was the perfon who hod broken up their * fifhcry at Port Royal (which was really done ^ by Captain Argal) the year before. ; i When their cruife was finifhed, they carried him to Rochelle ; and notwithftanding their promifes to allow him a (hare of the prizes which they had taken whilft he was with - them, they kept him as a prifoner on board a c /hip at anchor. But a ftorm arifing^ which :^ drove all the people below, he took the boat, ^ with an half pike for an o^r, thinking to make his efcape in the night. The currents was fo flrong that he drifted to fea, and was- near perifliing. By the turn of the tide he. got afliore, on a marfhy ifland, where fomc- , * fowlers S M I T H. '3?^' t fov^lers fi)und him in the morningalmoft dead ivith cold and hanger. He give them his boat to carry him to Ri^elle, where he learned that the (hip which had taken him^ with one of her prizes, which was very rich» had been driven on fhore in that ftorm, and lofty with her Captain and one half of the men. .H'^T * iJ^/iKs-fVr ^ Here he made his complaint to the judge of the Admiralty, and produced fuch evidence in fupport of his allegations,that he was treat- ed with fair words ; but it does not appear that he got any recompence. He inet here and at Bourdeaux with many friends, both French and £ngli(h; and at his return to Eng- land, publi(hed in a fmall quarto, an account of his two lafl: voyages, with the depofitions of the men who were in the ihip when he was taken by the French. To this book he prefixed his map of New-England ; and in it gave a defcription of the country, with its many advantages, and the proper methods of rendering it a valuable acquifition to the Eng- lifh dominions. When it was printed, he went all over the weft of England, giving copies of it to all perfons of note ; and en- deavouring to excite the nobility, gentry, ancl merchants. 3H S M I T H. merchants^ to engage with earneftnpfs ia i!^ buiiners of colonizing America. He ojbt^nedi from many of tfa^ fair promifes^ and w^s complimented by tbe Plymouth company v/itjn the title of Admiral of New-England. 3iit the former ill fuccefs of fome too fanguine acjr venturersyhad made a deep impreflion, and a va** riety of crofs incidents, baffled all his attempts, H owever, his experience ^nd advice were of eminent fervice to others. The open frank- nefs and generoiity of his mind led him to give all the encouragement which he could to the bufincfs of fifhing and planting in New- England ; for which purpofe, in 1622^ he publiflied a book, entitled, ** New-England's Tryals" fome extracts from which arepreferv- cd by Purchas.* No man rgoiced i^orc than himfelf in the eilablifh^ent of the colo- nies of Plymouth and Maffachufetts. ,^ ^^: When the news of the maflacre of the Vicr ginian planters by the Indians, 1622, arrived in England, Smith was all on Rre to go over to revenge the infult. He made an offer to the company that if they would allow him one hundred foldiers and thirty failors, with the necefTary provifions and equipments, he would range the country, keep the natives in ♦ Vol. V, p. 1837, awe. SMI H. 315 fiwe, proted the planters, and make dircQvcr>« m, of the hitherto unknown parts of ^^merir ca $ and.fpr his own rifque and paips W9^14 ^Cut jiothing hut what he WQi4d *^ produce; from the proper lahour of the ^vages." Oa this propofal the company \yas divided^ but fhepufillanimouf ^nd avaricioMS party pre- vailed; and gave him this anfwer^ ** th^ thf charges would be be too great; that their ftock was reduced j that the planters ought $0 defend themfelyes ; but, jthat if he would go at his own expenfe, th^y wou}4 give hio^ ]eavef provided he would give them one half of the pillage,** Such an anfwer cpuld be. fp^ ceived only with contempt. "^'% ; When the King in 1624, inftituted ^ conir miffion for the reformation of Virginia, Smith, by defire of the commiHioners, gave in a rcr lation of his former proceedings in the colony, and bis opinion and advice rerpe£ling the proper methods of remedying the defers in government, and carrying on the plantation with a profpe(fl of fuccefs.* TheUe with ma^ * Agreeably to Smith's advice to thefe commiflioners, King Chiwles I. at^is accedion diflblv^d the coippaoy, in 1626, and ret 4uced the colony under the iminediate «lice6Hon of the crown, ator pointing the governor and council, and ordering all patents an4 proceffes to iffue in his own name. 3^6 I*' M I T H. ny other papers he collected and publifhed, iit 1627, in a thin folio, under the title of, ** The Geneva! Hiftory of Virginia, New-^Bngland, and the Somer Ifles." The narrative part is made up of journals and letters of thofe who ^vere concerned with him in the plantation^ intermixed with his own obfervations. His intimate friend, Mr. Purchas, had publiih- ed mod of them two years before in his '* Pil- grims." -fai^^'/:^:. -n^ t^^ni-^rm *■■ <' i,''"!^ -' '"■■^7^-'-..^::^'-'ii In 1629, at the requeft of Sir Robert Cot- ton, he publi(hed a hiftory of the early part of his life, entitled, " The triie Travels, Adven- tures and Obfervations of Capt. John Smith." This work is preferved intire, 'i the fecond volume of ChurchiU's colledtions, and from it, the former part of this account is compiled. In the concludon he made fome addition to the hiftory of Virginia, Bermuda, New- Eng- land and the Weft Indies, refpedting things which had come to his knowledge, after the publication of his general hiftory. He flated the inhabitants of Virginia in 1628. at five thoufand, and their cattle about the fame . number. Their produce was chiefly tobacco j but thofe few who attended to their gardens had all forts of fruit and vegetables in. great abundance . ff 5, M I T H. 317 abundance and perfection. From New-Eng- land, they received falted fi(h ; but of frefli fi(h their own rivers produced enough, befide an infinite quantity of fowl ; as their woods did of deer and other game. They had two brew houfes ; but they cultivated the Indian corn, in preference to the European grain. Their plantations were fcattered ; fome of their houfes were palifaded ; but they had no fortifications nor ordnance mounted. ' •-^ ?^ His account of New-England is, that the country had been reprefented by adventurers from the weft of England, as rocky, barren and defolate ; but that, fince his account of it had been publifhed, the credit of it was fo raifed, that forty or fifty £ul went thither an-, liually on filling and trading voyages. That nothing had been done to any purpofe iQ^ eftabliflung a plantation, till " about an hun«^ dred Brownifls went to New- Plymouth ; whofe humorous ignorance caufed them to endure a wonderful deal of mifery, with infi- nite patience.** '-' S^.-/^% Tl/t He then recapitulates the hiftory of his American adventures in the following term$. ** Now to conclude the travels and adven- tures of Captain Smith : Howfirfthe plant- ed 3'^ i' M r T H. cd Virginia, and was fct afhorcwitha hundred ihcn in the wild woods j how he was taken prrfoncr by the favages, and by the King of f^amaunky tied to a tree to be (hot to death ; led up and down their country, to be {hown for a wonder ; fatted as he thought for a fac- rifice to their idol, before whom they conjur • cd three days, with ftrange dances and invoca* tions ; then brought before their Emperor Powhatan, who commanded him to be flain ; liow his daughter Pocahontas faved his life, returned him to James-town, relieved him arid his famifhed company, which was but eight and thirty, to poflefs thofe large domi-i nions ; how he difcovered all the feveral na- tions on the rivers falling into the bay of Chef- apeak; how he was flung almoft to death by the poifonous tail of a fiKh called a ftingrayi how he was blown up with gunpowder and rfctiirhed to England to be cured. . ^^ . ** Alfo how he brought New England to- the fubjedidn of the kingdom of Great Brit- tain; his fights with the pirates, left alone among French men of war, and his fhip fan from him; his fea fights for the French a- gaihd the Spaniards ; their bad ufage of him ; how in France, in a little boat, he efcaped them th fe w R SMITH. jx^ them ; was adrift all fuch a ftotxny night at fea by himself, when thirteen French (hips were fplit or driven on fliore by. the ifle of Rhce, the General and mod of his men drowned ; when god, to whom be all honor and praife, brought him fafe on (hore to the adfniration of all who efcapcd ; you may read at large in his general hiflory of Virginia^ tho Somcr iflands and New England." -. This was probably his laft publication, fot* he lived but two j^ears after. By a note in Joflelyn's voyage, it appears that he died in 163 1, at London, in the fifty fecond year o£ his age. ^. .., ■. ..•^\:i .•/ n'^* » . • - y--^ &«s«-3 M^k^^ It would give fingular pleafure to the com- piler of thefe memoirs, if he could learn from any credible teftimony, that Smith ever receiv-. ed any recompence for his numerous fervices and fufFerings. The fenfe which he had of- this matter, in 1627, (hall be given in his own words. ** I have fpent five years, and more than five hundred pounds, in the fer- vice of Virginia and New England, and in neither of them have I one foot of land, nor the very houfe I built, nor the ground I dig- ged with my own hands ; but I fee thofe^ countries fhared before me by thofe who know them only by my defcriptions." XIII. 3s» cs* '^'' ^Ifli XIIL D E M O N T S, 1^4, f OUTRINCOURT ^^^ ^|0£|j^S.C H A M P L A I N; ^>-d^i t«3; k* ,A6i .n -j'of »' » n^:'- ht:- After the difcovery of Canada, by Cartier, the French continued trading to that country for furs, and fi{hing on the banks of Newfoundknd, Cape Breton and Acadia; Inhere they found many excellent and conve- nient harbours, among which Canfeau was early diflinguifhed as a place extremely fuita- ble for the fifhery. One Savalet, an old mari- ner, who frequented that port, had before 7609 made no lefs than forty two voyages to thojfe parts.* ' ^ , v.- f^^ ^ .-, Henry IV, King of France, perceived the advantages which might arife to his kingdom from a farther exploration of the northern parts of America ; and therefore gave encour- agement to thofe who were defirous of mak- ing adventures. In 1598, the Marquis de lA Roche obtained a commiilion of Lord Lieutenant, and undertook a voyage with a view to eftablifh a colony -, confifting of con- vi(fts ; ♦ Purchas V. 1640, . ; . ' >t I if .a ,' "I ■'"^•^ >».■ iH III-* .#.i.,rM'b N T S, ,iri(^s taken out of the prifons. IJappening 'in the couffeof his v%age to fall itf^ith tho . iflc of Sable, a low, fandy 1(1 and, lying about twenty five leagues fouthward of Cahfcaii, he there landed^ forty of hife iftifcrdbJe crew, to jRjbfift on the cattle and fwine, with which jthc place had been (locked by the Portugwcfe, fci* the relief of fhipwreckcd Teamen. The reafon given for chufing this forlorn place, for the difembarkation of his colphy, was, that they would be out of all daftger from the favagcs, till he ihould find a better fituatioii for them on the continent, when he promiie4 to return and take them off. Whether he ever reached the continent is uncertain,* biii he never again faw the ifle of Sable. Return- ing to France, he engage^ in the wars, was jftiade a prifoner by th€ l^HIRe of Merceur, ahci foon after died. The wretched exiles (uWft- ed on fuch things as the place afforded, and| clothed themfelves with the fkins of feals,' * At, the end of feven years,-}- King Henry, in . n .•,.'. ii.e/ ...^s, y^. t 4 compafHon, > * Forfter fays, that " he made in difTerent parts of it, fuch re-f fearches as he thought neceflary, ^nd then returned to France.'*, p. 443, Purchas fays that "it was his fortune, by reafon of con-f . trlry wind, not to find the main land, but was blown back tq France." Vol. v, p. 1807. + Purchas fays twelve ; this will bripg it to the laft yo^ of Jlenry's life, x6jo. W ' ' ^x« A ■'.-';;■•' 322 D E MONT S> is compaffion, fent a fifherman to bring tfiem home. Twelve only were then alive. The fisherman, concealing from thcni the generous intention of their fovereign, took all the fkios which they had collected as a recom pence for his fervices, fome of which being black foxfss; were of great value. The King had theim^ brought before him in their feal fkin habits and long beards. He pardoned their former crimes, and made each of them a prefent of fifty crowns. When they difcovered the fraud of the fifherman, they inftituted a pro- cefs againfl him at law, and recovered large damages; by means of which they acquired fo much property as to enter into the fame kmd or tramc. ^, ^^^ ^^ k, ^r*'* *''.#«-.'i iA.t~<'^i0rt'^ The King alfo granted to iPoNT grave de Chauvin, an excliifivc privilege of trading at Ta^ufac, the mouth of the river Saguenay ; to which place he made two vpyages, and was preparing for a third when he was prevented by death. ^, ^^^^j _;^,^.^^ ,^^ Hi'm'-n^ymm^f ^i^i^m The next voyager of any note was Samuel Champlain, of Brouage; a man of a noble family ', who, in 1603, failed up the river of Canada, as far as Cartier had gone in 1535. He made many inquiries of the natives con- *-- . „ ' ^ ccrning 'W- *^ rEL kble of |35- )n- * t) E M O N T S. 353 4(feing their country, its rii^et^, falls, lakesi Mountains and mines, Thfc refult of his in- quiry was, that a comntiuriication was formed, by means of two lakes j with the dountry df thd Iroquois toward the fouth; that toward the Weft there were niore and greater lakes of frefh water, to one of which they knew no limits ; and that to the northward there was an inland fea of fait water. lii the coiirfe of this voyage, Champlain anchored at a plac6 called ^ebecky which in the language df the country fignifieda ftrait; and this was thought to be a proper fitUation for a fort and fettle- ment. He heard of no rtiines but one of copper, far to the northward. With this in- formation he returned to France, in the month of September. ' '^^ ^ On the eighth of November in the famei year King Henry granted to the SieUr Du MoNTs, a gentleman of his bed chamber, a patent conftituting him LieUteriant General of all the territory of U Acadia, from the for- tieth to the forty fixth degree of north latitude, with power to fubdue the inhabitants and convert them to the Chriftiart faith.* This patent . * See the patent^ in Frtfnchj in Hazard's Colledion^ voi« i. 45, and tranflated into £ngli{ht in Churchill's Collections, vol. viii, p. 79^. W2 D E M O N T 9^; If: 324 u t. ivi u IN r tf. 4i patent was publifhed in all the maritime tc^As of France ; and De Monts having equip^id two veflels failed for his new government oa the feventh of March, 1 604 ; taking wUli him the aforeiaid Samuel Champlain for^ii ^ pilot, and Monfieur de Poutrincourt ' who had been for a long time defirous to vifit America* r'^,,r;iy.,,~ -n'7',v .^vf^ r'*r>jv ■ - v^lv^vfi ►< On the 6tfi of May, they arrived at a har- bour on the S. E. fide of the peninfula of Acadia \ '^ere they found one of their countrymen, K' .ignol, trading with the Indians without licence. They feized his fliip and cargo 1 leaving him only the poor confoktion, of giv- ing his name to the harbour ^here he was taken ; the provifions found in his ihip were a feafonable fupply, and without them the en- . terprize muft have been abandoned. This place is now called Liverpool. * v t~ • v - From Port Roflignol they coafted the pen- infula to the S. W. and having doubled Cape Sable canxe to anchor in the bay of St* Mary, where Aubfy,a prieft, going afliore, wa» loft in the woods, and a proteftant was charg- ed with having murdered him, b^caufe they had ' ibmctimcs had warm difputation on re- ligious Aibjeds. They waited for him fcver- t %^ ^ .r -f JD E M O N T S. 2^S lys, firing guns and founding trumpets, Ji&t in vain ; the noife of the fea was fo great that na other found could be heard. Con-^ ciluding that he was dead^ they quitted the place after fixteen days ; int^ing to examine that extenfive bay on the weft of the peninfu- la to which they gave the name of La Baye Francoife ; but which is now called the Bay of Funda, The pricft was afterward found alive, but almoft ftarved to death, r- tr r^ir . On the eaftern fide of this bay they difcov- crcd a narrow llrait, into which they entered, and foon found themfelves in a fpacious ba« fon, invironed with hills, from which dc- fcended ftr^ams of frefh w^ter ; and between the hills ran a fine navigable river, which they called L'Equille. It was bordered with fertile meadows, and full of delicate fifh. Poutrin- court, charmed with the beauty of the place, determined' here to take his refidence, and having received a grant of it from De Monts, gave it the name of Port Royal. [Anna- te*, is' .it •Ol;* rf »< ■< ,#L>*.i* B»ri ■ }lji'i\< ■■ i-x: # polis.} From Port koyal, De Monts failed farther into the great bay, to vifit a copper mine. It was a high rockj on a promontory, between two bays. [Menis.] The copper, though W 3 mixed -* .^ •V. 32$ D E M O N T S.* %, mixed with ftonc, was very pure • rcfembllfi(| j^hat called Rozette copper. Among the^ il:ones they found chryftals and a certain (hin^. ing ftone of a blue colour. Specimens of thefe ftones were fent to the King. ^ ' : ^itf^ In farther examining the bay they came to a great river which they called St. John's ; full of iflands and fwarming with fifti. Up this river they failed fifty leagues, and were extremely delighted with the vaft quantity of grapes which grew on its banks. By this river they imagined that a ftiorter communica- tion might be had with the Baye de Chaleur and the port of Tadoufac, than by the fea. From the river St. John they coaftcd th6 bay, fouthwefterly, till they came to an ifland in the middle of a river which Champlain had previoufly explored. Finding its* fituation fafe and convenient, De Monts refolved there to build a fort and pafs the winter. To this illand he gave the name of St. Croix ;* bc- ., caufe ♦ This is a ftation of much importance. It has given rife to a pontrovcrfy, between the United States and the Britift govern- ment, vhich is not yet terminated. I fliall therefore give a de- fcription of this ifland and its furrounding waters, from a tranfla- tion of Mark Lefiarbot's hiftory of the voyages of De Monts, jn which he himfelf w^s engaged, and therefore had feen the place yi'hich he defcribes. This tranflation is to be found at large in Churchill's r« ^D E M O N T S. 327: owfe that two leagues higher there were brooks which ** came crofs-wifc to fall with- in this large branch of the fca." l^ - -W /^ ^ The winter proved fcverc, and the people fufFered fo much by the fcurvy, that thir- ty fix of them died ; the remaining forty, who were all fick, lingered till the fpring (1605) when they recovered by means of the frefh vegetation. Tne remedy which Cartier had found in Canada was here unknown, > f?^i ■'\ As Churchill's Colle£ltons, vol. viil, 796, and an abridgement of it in Purchas's PilgrinivS, vol. v, 1619. " Leaving St. John's river, they came, following the coaft twenty leagues from that place, to a great river, which is proper- ly /ea, [i. e. fait water] where they fortified themfclvcs in a lit" tie ijland feated in the midft of this river, which the faid Cham- plain had been to difcover and view. And, feeing it ftrong by nature, and of eafy defence and keeping ; befides that the feafon began to Aide away, and therefore it was behoveful to provide of lodging, without running any farther, they refolved to make their abode there. ., w,., r.,. ■, ;,,^-.; ■<:4i, ir . * " Before we fpeak of the Ihip's return to France, It is meet to tell you, how hard the iflc of St. Croix is to be found out, to them that were never there. For there are fo many ifles and great bays to go by [from St. John's] before one be at it, that I won-, der iiow one might ever pierce fo far as to fipd it. There are three or four mountains^ imminent above the others, on the fdes -, but on the north fde from whence the liver runneth down, there is but a fliarp pointed one, above two leaguis dijlant. The woods of the main land are fair and admirable high, and well grown, as in like manner is the grafs. There is right over againjl the ifland frejii water brooks^ very pleafant and agreeable ; where W4 3i8 D E M O N T S.f ^ As Toon as his men were recovered, J^ Monts refolved to fcek a comfortable ilatioii; in a warmer climatp. Having yidualled an4. Qrmed his pinnace he failed along the coaO: to Norombega, a najne which ha^ been givcn^ by fome Europern adventurers to the bay of. Penobfcot ; from thence he failed to Kenne- bec, Cafco, Saco, gnd finally came to M^^t^-^ barre, as Cape Cod was tl^cn •called by the. ..V-.1, •J French. Vrtiere aivers of Monf. I3e Monts men did tlieir burincfs, and Duilded there, certain cabbins. As for the nature of the ground, it is mofl excelleiit, and molV abundantly fruitful, t'or the faid Monf. Dc Monts having caufed thtre fome piece of ground to be tilled, and the fame fowed with rye ; he was not able to tarry for the maturity thereof to reap it ; and nbtwithflanding, the grain,. failen*^hath grown 4nd increafed fo wonderfully, that two years af- ter, we reaped and did gather of it as fair, big and weighty as iti France, which the foil hath brought forth without any tillage ; awd yet at this preftnt [1609] it doth continue ftill to multiply every, year. •' The faid ifland con taineth fottie half a teague in circuit, fcnd at the end of it, on the fea fide, there is a mount, or frnall kill, which IS, as it were, a little ijle, fevered from the other, \vhere Monf. De Monts his cannon were placed. iThere is alfo ft little chappil, built after the favage fafliion. At the foot of. which chappel there is fuch Jlore of nufcles as is wond^ul,^ which may be gathered at low water, but they are fmall." "' ^'** *' Now let us prepare and hoift up fails. Monf. de Poutrin-. (Court made the voyage into thefe parts, with fome men of good fort, not to winter there ; but as it were to feek out his feat, and find out a land that might like him. Which he having done, had ho need to fojourne there any longer. So then, ths fliips being ready I> E M O N T S. :j2^ French. In fome of he places which he had pafled, the land was inviting ; and par- ticular notice was taken of the grapes ; but the ravages appeared numeif6u(> unfriendly and thievifh.: De Monts' company being fmall, ho preferred fafety to pleafure, and returned fird: to St. Croix, and then to Port Royal ; where he found Dupont, in a (hip from France, with frefh fupplies and a reinforcement of m-f ,i\ forty ^% —i., it. teady For tne rfetufn, lie flilpped himfclif, and thofc of his compi- hy in one of them. " During the forefaid navigation, Mopf. De Monts his people, did work about the /art j which he feated at the end of the ijt- and, oppofite to the place where he had lodged his cannon. Which was wifely con&dered, to tb snd to command the rivet itp and down. But there was an inconvenience ; the iiiid fori did lie toward the north, and without any {helter, but of the trees that were on the ifte fliore) which all about he commanded to b^ kf^pt and not cut down. -'^ ' •>' " The mod urgent things being done, and, hoary, fnowy father being come, that is to fay winter, then they were forced to keep within doors, and to live every one at his own home. During which time, our men had three fpccial.difcommodities, in this ifl- and, want of wood, (for that which was in the faid ifle was fpent in buildings) lack of frejh water, and the continual watch made by night, fearing fome furprize from the favagcs, that had lodged themfelves, at the foot of the faid ifland, or fome other enemyb For the malediction and rage of many chriftians is fuch, that one muft take heed of them much more than of infidels. When th^y had need of water or wood, they were conftrained to crofs over th^ river, which is thrict as broad qf every Jide ax the river of By ^x V 33© D E M O N T S. , forty meh. The (lores which had been de^* pofited at St. Croix were removed acrofs th^ bay, but the buildings were left {landing. New houfes were credted at the mouth of the river, which runs into the bafon of Port Royal ; there the (lores and people were lodged ; and De Monts having put his affairs in as good order as podible, in the month of September embarked for France ; leaving Dupont as his lieutenant, with Champlain, and Champdore to perfedt the fettlement, and explore the country. • During the next winter they were plentifully fupplied by the favages with venifon, and a great trade was darned on for furs. Nothing is faid of the fcurvy ; but they had (hort al- lowance of bread -, not by reafon of any fcarc- ity of corn but bccaufe they had no other mill to grind it than the hand mill, which re- ru. ^ ^^w, quired i'.t^- By a gentleman who refided feveral years in thofe parts, I have been informed, that an ifland which anfwers to this defcription, lies in the eajlern part of the bay of Paflamaquoddy ; and there the river St. Croix was fuppofed to be, by the cemmiflioners who ne- gociated the peace in 1783, who had Mitchel's map before them ; but, in a map of the coaft of New England and Nova Scotia, pub- lilhed in London, 1787, by Robert Sayer, and faid to be drawn by Capt. Holland, the river St. Croix is laid down at the wejlern part of the bay ; the breadth of which is about fix cr lievcn kajTues. D E MONT S. 33f quired hard and continual labour. The fav- agc6 were Co averfe to this cxercifc, that they, preferred hunger to the tafk of grinding coi'n, though they were offered half of it in pay- ment. Six men only died in the courfe of this winter. nt. ::j)tmv .. ^mt , -jt! * ^ \%r^\H In the fpring of 1606, Dupont attempted to find what De Monts had miffed, in the preceding year, a more foutherly fettlement. His bark was twice forced back with adverfe winds ; and the third time was driven on rocks and bilged at the mouth of the port. The men and (lores were faved ; but the vef- fel was loft. Thcfc fruitlefs attempts proved very difcouraging 5 but Dupont employed his people, in building a bark and (hallop ; that they might employ themfelves in vifiting the ports, whither their countrymen refort to dry their fifli, till new fupplies fhould arrive. De Monts and Poutrincourt were at that time in France, preparing, amidft every dif- couragement, for another voyage. On the thir- teenth of May, they failed from Rochelle, in a (hip of one hundred and fifty tons j and on the 27th of July arrived at Port Royal, in the abfence of Dupont, who had left two men only to guard the fort. In a few days be '^p ^ m^ k 33i D E M O N T S. * , he arrived, having met with one of their boatt which they had left at Canfeau, and great was tjie joy on both fides at their meeting. * *«^^w '' Poutrincourt now began his plantatbn i and having cleared a fpot of ground, within fifteen days he fowed European corn and fev* eral forts of garden vegetables. But notwith* Aanding all the beauty and fertility of Port Royal, De Monts had dill a dcfire to find a better place at the fouthward. He therefore prevailed on Poutrincourt to make an« other voyage to Cape Malebarre j and fo earn- eft was he to have this matter accomplifhed, that he would not wait till the next fpring, but prepared a bark to go to the the fouth* ward as foon as the (hip was ready to fail, j «if On the 28thof Auguft, the fhip and the bark both failed from Port Royal. In the fliip De Monts and Dupont returned to France ; whilft Poutrincourt, Champlain, Champdorc and others croffeii the bay to St. Croix, and thence failed along the coaft ; touching at many harbours in their way till they arrived in fight of the Cape, the obje£l: of their voyage. Being entangled among the flioals, their rudder was broken and they were obliged to come to anchor, at the diftance of three D B M O N T S. 33J th^ee leagues from the land. The boat was then fcnt adiore to find a harbour of frefh water j which by the information of one of the natives was acconipli(hed. Fifteen days were fpent in this place ; during which time, a crofs was credted, and poflciTion taken, for the King of France ; as De Monts had done two: years before at Kenebeck, When the bark was repaired and ready to fail, Poutrin- court took a walk into the country, whild hit people were baking bread. In his abfence fome of the natives vifited his people and flole a hatchet. Two guns were fired at them, suid they fled. In his return he faw feveral parties of the favages, male and female, carry- ing away their children and their corn.) and hiding theiiilelves, as he and his com- pany pafTcd. He was alarmed at this ftrange appearance ) but much more fo, when early the next morning a fhower of ar- rows came flying among his people, two of whom were killed and feveral others mounded. The favages having taken their revenge, fled ; and it was in vain to purfue them. The dead were buried at the foot of the crofs ; and whilil the funeral fervice was performing, tha favages were dancing and yelling in mock concert. 334 D E M O N T S; concert, at a convenient diftance, but wiVhin hearing. When the French retired on board their bark, the favages took down the crofs, dug up the bodies and ftripped them of their grave clothes, which they carried off in tri- umph. '- :»; This unhappy quarrel gave Poutrincburt^^ bad idea of the natives. He attempted to pafs farther round the cape ; but was prevent- ed by contrary winds ; and forced back to the feme harbour, where the favages offering to trade, fix of feven of them were feized and put to death. - ' , , , '■">> -. 1 The next day another attempt was made !o fail farther ; but the wind came againft them. At the diftance of fix or feven leagues they difcovered an ifland ; but the wind would not permit them to approach it ; they therefore gave it the name of Douteufe, or Doubtful. This was probably either Nantucket or Ca- pawock, now called Martha's VTueyard ; and if fo, the conteft with the Indians was on the fouth fliore of Cape Cod ; where are feveral harbours and ftreams of frefh water. To the harbour where he lay, he gave the name of Port Fortune. It ■'l^.-^-'V. '' '■'.■■. '."W' D E M O N T S. 335 ;.. It was now late in the feafon and no prof- pern, as a prefent to the friendly na- tives, he finally failed from Port Royal, on the I ith of Auguft, and joined the other vef- fels at Canfeau ; from which place, they proceeded to France, where they arrayed in the latter end of September. ' , . Specimens of tht wheat, rye', barley, and oats were ihown to the King ; which, with other produdions of the country, animal and mineral, were fo Highly acceptable, that he re- newed and confirmed to De Monts the privi- lege of trading for beavers j that he might have it in his power to eftablilh a colony. In confequence of which, the next (pring fev- cral families were fent to renew the plants tion, who •<.,. tv- >n, D % MONT S. 339 who fouad that the favages had gathered fev- en barrels of the torn which had been left ftanding ; and had referved one for their friends whom they expeded to return. The revocation of the exclufive patent given to De Monts, was founded on com- plaints, made by the mafters of fifhing v^flels, that the branch of commerce in which they were engaged would be ruined. When thia patent was reflored, it was limited to one year ; and on this condition, that he fhould make an eftablifhment in the river St. Law- rence. De Monts therefore quitted his connexion with Acadia, and the compa- ny of Merchants, with whom he had been conneded, fitted out two (hips for the port of Tadoufac, in 1608. The fur trade was of very confiderable value, and the com- pany made great profits ; but De Monts find- ing their intcrefts hurt by his connexion with them, withdrew from the a/Tociation. Poutrincourt refolving to profccute his plantation at Port Royal, the grant of which had been confirmed, to him by the King, fcnt Biencourt, his fon, to France, (i6o8) for a fupply of men and provifions. One condition of the grant was, that attempts fhould be made X 2 to '-■«■ ^ « 1 r ' convert the natives to the Catholic faith, it was therefore necefTary to, engage the alliftancc of fome ccclefiaftics. The firil who chibrac- (?d the propofal were the Jefuits, by whofe zealous exertions a contribution was foon made for the purpqfe j and two of their order, Biard and Mafle, embarked for the new plantation. it was not long before a, controverfy arbfe be- tween them and the proprietor, who faid ** it iyas his part to rule them them on earth, and theirs oiily to guide him to heaven.'** After his depakure for France, his fon Biencourt, Sifdaining to be coniroled by thofe whom he had invited to refidfc with hilii, threatened ihcm with corporal punifhment, in return for their fpiritual anathemas. It became necef- fary then! that they fliould feparate. The Je- fuitsi reihov'ed to mount Defart, where they planted gardens and entered on the bufihcfs of their miflion, which they continued till 1613 or 1614 ; when Sir Samuel Argal from Vir- ginia broke up t;he French fettlements in Acadia. In the cncdlmter oiic of thefe Jefuits ^ Was killed and the other was made prifoner. ^ Of ]the other Frenchmen, fome difperfed * fliefttfclves in the woods and mixed with the favages ' •Parchasv. i8o8* # < ^l-' ,D E 'M O N T §. 341 favagcs ', fome went to the river St. Law* ' renccand ilrengthened the fettlejnent which , Chamnlain had made there i and er voyage he had marked the ftrait above the Ifle of Orleans, as a proper lituation for a fort ; becaufe the river was there contrad^ed in its breadtb, aad the Northern fh j was high and commahdiii J He ^rr^ved there in the begin- ' ningof July, and immediately began to clear the woods, to build houfes, and prepare fields and gardens. Here he fpent the winter, and his company fuifered much by the fcurvy. The remedy which Cartier had ufed, was riot to be found, or the favajges knew nothing of it. It is fuppofed that the former inhabitants .had been extirpated, and a new people held polleflion.* X 3 In * Purchas v, 1642. ' ». •■\ V — 'I 342 D E M O N % i] : In the fpring of 1609, Chainplain, with two other Frenchmen and a party of the natives, went up the river now called Sbrel and enter- ed the lakes, which lie toward the fouth, s^nd communicate with the country of the Iroquois To the largefl of thefe lakes Champlain gave his own ilame, which it has evpr fince retain- ed. On the fhore of another, which he called Lake Sacrament, now Lake George, they were difcovercd by a company of the Iroquois, with whom they ha4 a (kirmifh. Champlain killed two of them with his mufquet. The fcalps of fifty were taken and brought to Qucbeck in triumph. ■"'■'"■ ^^- In the autumn, Cha^iplain went to France, leavmg Capt Pierre to command ^ and in 1610 he returned to Qucbeck; to pcrfefl the cqlpny, of wh+.,*i he may cpnfidered as the founder. ^-'— ^*',\ . , • -^-'^y -g^ ■ After the death of Henry IV, he ob- tained of the Queen Regent, a commif- fion as Lieutenant of New- France, with very cxtenfiye .powers. This copimiilion was confirmed by Lewis XIII ^ and Champlain was coiitii^ued in the Government of Canada. ■ ^ 4-' D E M O N T S. '343 *! ^ The religious controverfies, which prevail- ' ed in France, augmented the number of colo^ i nifls. A fettlement was made atTrois Rivieres* and a brifk trade v^as carried on at Tadoufac. In 1626, Quebeck began to alTume the face ofa city, and the fortrefs vv^as rebuilt with ilone ; but the people were divided in their Irreligious principles and the Hugonot party ^-prevailed. In this divided ftate, (1629) the colony was attacked by an armament from England under the conduft of Sir David Kirk, He failed up the river St. Lawrence and appeared before Quebeck, which was then fo miferably fupplied, that they had but feven ounces of br£:id to a man for a day. A fquadron from France, with provifion for their relief* entered the river ; but, af^'jr fome refiftancc, were tak- en by the Englifli. This difappointment in- crcafed the diftrefs of the colony and obliged Champlain to capitulate. He was carried to France in an Englifh (hip ; and there found the minds of the people divided, with regard to Canada ; feme thinking it not worth regain- ing, as it hod coft the government vaft fums, without bringing any return ; others deeniing the ■■■^i X4 '♦ ■« , ,■ '"Si J44 P E M O K T 9^ i\ip* fi{hcry and fur trade to be great nadonal obje^s, efpecially as thfy proved to be a i^ur-f fery for feamen. Thefe fentimentSy fMpported by the folicitation of ChamplaiQi prevailed i and by the treaty of St.- Germain's, in 1632^ Canada, Acadia ^4 Cape Breton were reitorr ed to France. The next year Cnamplain refunied his gov- ernment, and the company of New France were reftored to their former rights and pri- vileges. A large recruit of inhabitants, with g competent fupply of Jefuits, arrived from France; ^d with fome, difficulty a million was eflabli^ed among theHurons ; and a frm- inary of the order was begun at Quebeck., In the midft of this profperity Champl^in died, in the month of December, 1635 ; and was facceeded the next year by De Montma^ny. Champlain' is charadcrized as a man of good fenfe, llrong penetration and upright views J volatile, adtive, enterprj^sing, firm and valiant. He aided the Huroas in their wars with the Iroquois, and perfonally engaged in their battles ; in one of which he was wound- ed. His zeal for the propagation of the Catbolip religion was fo great that it was a ; pommon ^ ir D E MO N T S. 3^ common faying with him, that " the falvtti6n of onp fp«J was pf more value than tbp 9pn- quc'ft of an empire^*** » • Charlefoix ^ift.l^wvcHe, Frajice, Tom. i, p. 197, 410. t V XiV. FERDINANDO > J,- * •^^ ^\^ ' |isjkti 'i^t^fljitj ;'T\ ♦ ,1 \ '34^ 1?^%,^*^'^' XIV. FERDINANDO GORGES, AMD ^ m I I JOHN MASON. VV E know nothing concerning Gorges in the early part of his life.* The firft ac- count we have of him, is the difcovery which he made of a plot which the earl of EiTex had laid to overthrow the government of Queen Elizabeth, the tragical ifTue of which is too well known to be here repeated. Gorges, who had been privy to the confpiracy at firft, communicated his knowledge of it to Sir Walter Raleigh, his intimate friend, but the enemy and rival of Eflex.-f ' ^ ^ * ■?< ; There was not only an intimacy between Raleigh and Gorges, but a fimilarity in their genius and employment j both were formed for intrigue and adventure ; both were inde- fatigable in the profecution of their fanguinc projects ; and both were naval commanders. During the war with Spain, which occupi- ed the laft years of Queen Elizabeth, Gorges, with other adventurous fpirits, found full em- ployment • In JofTelyn's voyage he is called " Sir F. G. of Aflitoik Phillips, in Somerfct," p. 197. f Hume. > . V ■^ GORGES. 347 ployment in the navy of their miiVrefs. When the peace, which her fucceflbr, James I, made in 1604, put an end to th?ir hopes of honor and fortune by military enterprizes, Sir Ferdinando was appointed Governor of Plymouth, in D«yon(hire. This circum- ftance, by which the f))irit of adventure might feem to have been reprefled, proved the bcca- fion of its breaking out with fre{h ^^^^^9 though in a pacific and mercantile form, 0on- neded with the rage for foreign difcoveries, which after fome interruption, had again .<#^> cd the Englifli nation. ^-^- Lord Arundel, of Wardour, had employed a Captain Weymouth in fearch of a north- weft pafTage to India, This navigator having miftaken his courfe, fell in with a river on the coaft of America, which, by his defcription, muft have been either Kenebeck, or Penob- fcot. From whence he brough- ^ i^ngland, five of the natives, and arrived in the month of July, 1605, in the harbour of Plymouth, where Gorges commanded, who immediately took three of them into his family. Their names were Manida, Sketwarroes and Taf- quantum 5 they were all of one language, though not of the fame tribe. This accident proved 'sP- ,««v^- ■^^i**. jiAk w 34? GORGES. proved the occafion, under God's providence, of preparing the way for ^ more perfect dif- cpvery than had yet been made of this part of NorthrAmerica. Having gained the afFe(5tions of thefe fava- ges by kind treatment, he found them very docile and intelligent j and from them he learned by inquiry, many particulars concern- ing ifceir country, its rivers, harbours, iflands, ji^Jfed other animals ; the numbers, difpo- iition, manners and cuftoms of the natives ; ^^^tl^eir government, alliances, enemies, force and methods of war. The refult of thefe in- quiries ferved to feed a fanguine hope of in- dulging his genius and advancing his for- tune by a more thorough difcovery of the country. --•.■--• ■\,'**r'^'^ .: ';t ^ ,\.Jr...^^^.. His chi^f aiTociate in this plan of difcovery, was Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Juftice of the:King's Bench, who, by his acquaintance .with differs noblemen, and by their intereft at .^.court, obtained from King James a patent for snaking fettlements in America, whi':h was .now divided into two diftridls, apd caUed ♦ North and Soiith Virginia. The latter of ^ thefe diilrids was put under the care of cer- .. tain noblemen, knights, and genilemen, who .> \ve;e ■'■<*" >T_>I--Vf^i-. \* ■ • 7 GORGES. m \Vcfe flyled the Lortdon Company j the former under the dire(ftion of others in Briftol, Exe- ter ah'd Plyhiouth, who xvere called the Ply- mouth Company, becaufe their meetings were, uflially hetld there. ._.;:x.V4:,c^^*4 ' i By the joint efforts of tliis company, of ivhich Pbphatn and Gorges we;'e two of the riloiitenterprifing members ; a fhip, command- ' ed by Henry 'Chalong, was fitted out, and failed iii Augul>, 1 606 for the difcovcry of tlie coutitry, from which the favages had been brought, and two of them were pur on board* The orders given to the mailer, were to keep ill ^s high a latitude as Cape Breton, till he Ihould difCbveY the main liand, and then to range the coaft fouthward, till he fhould find the place from which the natives had been taken. Inftead of obfcrving thefe orders, the Captain falling fick on the palfage, made a fbuthern courfe, and firft arrived at the ifland of Porto Rico, \^^here he tarried fome time for the icco very of his health j from thence Coming^ northwardly, he fell in with a Span- i{h fleet from the Havannah, by whom the fhip was fcized and carried to Spaini ^^ Captain Prynne, in another (hip, failed from Briftol, with orders to find Cha-. long, ' t ' A^ 3 50 QJO RGBS- long, and join with him in a furvey of ths coafl, had better fuccefs ; for though he faiU cd of meeting his confort, yet he carried homci^ a^particular account of the coafls, rivers, and; harbours, with other information relative t^^ the country, which made fo deep an impref- fion on the minds of the company, as to ftrengthen their refolution of profecuting their enterprize. ^^ It was determined to fend over a large num- ber of people fufficient to begin a colony. For this purpofe George Popham was appointed prefident ; Raleigh Gilbert, admiral ; Ed- ward Harlon, matter of ordnance ; Robert Davis, ferjeant major ; Elis Beft, marfhal; . Mr. Seaman, fecretary ; James DavJs, com- mander of the fort ; Gome Carcw, xoarcher. All thefe were to be of the council ; and be- lides thefe, the colony confifted of loo men, who were fly led planters. They failed from Plymouth in two fhips (May 31, 1607) and having fallen in with the ifland of Monahigon. (Auguft I .,) landed at the mouth of Sagada- hock, or Kenebeck river, on a peninfula, where they ere ' ' By , -f, ■■W-' "Y'-'- \\\ O rO R G E S. 2S^ By means of two natives, whom they/ brought with them from England, viz. Sket* warroes, fent by Gorfcs, and Dehamida, byj Popham, they found a cordial welcome among the Indians, their fachems offering to conduct and introduce them to the Ba(haba or great chief, whofe relidence was at Penobfcot, and to whom, it was expedied, that all ftrangcrs fhould make their addrefs.* The Prelident having received feveral invi- tations, was preparing to comply with their requeft, and had advanced fome leagues on his way, but contrary Winds, and bad weather^ obliged him to return, to the great grief of the fachems, who were to have attended him. The Bafhaba hearing of the difappointment, fent his fon to vifit the Prefident, and fettle a trade for furs. .. . . . - ^ ,. ., ^ . >^ The fhips departed for England, in De- cember, leaving behind them only 45 perfons of the new colony. The feafon was too far \\ ■' " , \ * '; , advanced • The Bafliaiba of Penobfcot, was a prince, fuperior in rank to the facuems of the feveral Tribes. All the fachems, weftward, as far as Naumkeeg [Salem] acknowledged fubje£lion to him. He is frequently mentioned in the accounts of the firft voyages to New-England ; but was killed by the Tarrateens ip 1615, be« fore any effeftual fettlementwas made in the country. We have no account of any other Indian chief in thefe northern parts of America, whofe authority was fo extenGve. \ '4.° •i \ • '^r. GO R C E S/^ ^ '/) advanced before their arrival to begin planting for that year, it there had been ground pr«psCr- ed for >tillagc. They had to fubfift oil th^ provifions which they had brought ffom^ England, stnd the fi(h and game which the country . afforded* The feveri^y of ari Ame-k fican winter was new to them j and th'ough it was obferved, that the fame wintei!^ was un- commonly fevere in England, yet that cif-* cuttiftance being unknoWh, could riot allevi- ate their diftrefs. By Tome accident^ theii' flore houfe took fire, and was confumed, vv4th ths greater part of theii^ provifions,' in the middle of the winter*; and in the.fpring (1608) they had the additional nfiisforiurie tQ Ipfe their Prefideht, C|aptain Pophafe, by death. The fliip, which their., fripn^ls' in England had by their united exertions, fen t over with fupplies* arrived a few days after, With the melancholy, news of the death .of Sir J<5hn JPopham, Which happened while flieky waiting for a wind at Plymouth* The command of thfe colony now devolve^ *pn Gi|bert;> fcut the next (hip brpugfeiaji ac- count, of the death oi hiis brothet Sir Jciha Gilbert, which obliged liim to re^urri tofeiig*^ land^. tjQ take. Q^rq of the fift^te to wI^ichM .•?• v.'.'ii/M vi : • fticc^dedi ie> O R G E S. 353 fucceeded; Thefe repeated misforttines and difappointraents» operating with; the difguft which the new colonifls had taken to th^ climate and foil, determined them to quit the place. Accordingly, having embarked with their Prefidcnt, they returned to England^ carrying with them, as the fruit of their la-^ hour, a fmall vefTel, which they had built during their reiidence here, and thus the firft colony, which was attempted in New Eng» land, began and ended in one year^ The country was now branded as intolera^ ' bly cold, and the body of the adventurers re- linquiihed the defign. Sir Francis Popham, indeed, employed a (hip for fome fucceeding years in the Bfhing and far trade ; but he, at length, became content with his lofles, and none of this company but Sir Ferdinando Gorges, had the refolution to furmount all difcouragements. Though he finccrely lament- ed thelofs of his worthy friend, the Chiei juf- tice, who had zcaloufly joined with him, in thefe hitherto fruitlefs, but expenfive labours, yet, **aB to the coldnefs :* the clime (he fays) ' he had too much experience in the v^'orld, to be frighted with fuch a blaft, as knowing" many great kingdoms and large territories Y more m •354 GORGES. more northerly fcated, and by many degrecsr colder, were plentifully inhabited, and divers of them ftorrd with no better comu'riditius than the^e parts afford if like iniuilrf , ar* and labour, be ufsd." , Such perfeverin^ ardor m the face of fo ma- ny difcouragenieats, miiit be allowed to dJC- cover a mind formtd for iDtcrprize, and fully periliadcd of the practicability of the una;?:- la'-ing. ' !■ - '..' '■; • ... . ■ , y -. WiitM he found that he could not be fec- cndsd HI his attempts for a thorough difcov- i:ry of the country, by others, he determined to carry it on by himfelf j and for this pur- pofe he purchafed a ihip, and engsged with a mafter and crew to go to the coufl of New England for the purpofe of fifhing and traffic, the only inducement which feafaring people could have to undertake fuch a voyage. On board this fhiphe put Richard Vines, and feveral others of his cwn fcrvants in whom he placed the fuUefl confidence and whom he hired at a great expenfe to ftay in the country, over the winter, and purfue the difcovery of it. Thefe perfons having left the blip's com- pany to follow their ufual occup >si on the coafl, f»'"velled into the land, ■■•: ^ meeting with GORGES. 355 of [he ng with the ravages, who had before returned to America, by their a(Ii(bnce became acquainted with fuch particulars as Gorges wifhed to '-■MW } ■ ■!' -Pff ■'' U know. *:^^ v.rii>n;;.-Mi^ ' Mr. Vines and his companions were received by the Indians with great hofpitality, though their reiidence among them was rendered haz- ardous ; both by a war which raged among them, and by a peftilence which accompanied or Aicceeded it. This war and peftilence are frequently fpoken of by the hiftorians of New England^ as remarkable events, in the courie of Provi-- dence, which prepared the way for the eftab* lifhment of an European colony. Concern- ing the war, we know nothing more than this ; that it was begun by the Tarratenes, a nation who refided eaflward of Penobfcot. Thefe formidable people furprized the Bafha- ba, Oi chief fachem, at his head quarters, and deftroyed him with all his family $ upon which all the other fachems who were fubor- dinate to him, quarrelled among themfelves for thf fever :ignty : and in thefe difTenfions 'n\'i.ny of ihcn. as well as of their unhappy people pcrifhed. Of vhat particular kind the ^ Y2 pcftilcnce * 35^ G O H G E S. peilUence was» we have no certaia^ informa^ tion t but it (eeins to have been a difbrdcr pe- culiar to the Indians, for Mr. Vines» and his companions, who were intimately converiant ivith them, and frequently lodged in their wigwam3« were not in ihe leaft degree afFeO:- ed by it> though it fwept off the Indians at fuch a prodigious rate> that the living wer« not able to bury the dead, and their bones were found feveral years after, lying about the village* where they h^d refided. Th$ extent of this peftilence was between P^nobfcot in the ea{l, and Narragan^t in the weft. Thefe two tribes eicaped,whilft the intermediate peo- ple were wailed and deftroyed. A k iun.*.i*u ; The information which Vines, obtained fpr Sir Ferdinando, though fatisfa^iory, in one view, produced no real advantage proportion- ate to the expenfe. Whilft he was deliberat- ing by what means he ihould farther profe- putehis plan of colonization, Capt. Henry HarJey, who had been one of the unfortunate gdveBturers to Sagadahock, came to him, • bringing * Mr. Gookin %s, that he "had difcaurfed with fome old Indifins who were then youths, who told him, that the bodies of the fick were ail over exceeding yettow, (which they defcribed by pointing to a yellow garment) both before they died and after- Ward." See Colleflions of Hiftorical Society for 179^. p 148. GORGES. 35? bringing a native of the Iflaod Capawock, now called Martha's Vineyard, wh6 had been treacheroufly taken from ht8 own country by one of the fiOiing (hips and ihown in London as a fight. Gorges received this favage, whofe name was Epenow^ with great p)ea^ hrc : and about the fame time recovered AC- iacumet, one of thofe who had been fcnt in the unfortunate voyage of Captain Chalong. Thefe two Indians at firft, fcarcely underflood each other > but, when they had grown better acquainted, Affacumet informed his old mafter of what he had learned from Epenow con- cerning bis country. This artful fellow h';d invented a flory of a mine oj gold'm his native ilUnd which he fuppofed would induce fome adventurer to employ him as a pilot, by which m^ans he hoped to get home, and he was not difappointed jn his expedkation , * * » ^^ » ?« - - Gorges had engaged the Earl of Southamp* ton, then commander of the Ifle of Wight, to advance one hundred pounds, and C^ Hobfon another hundred, and alfo to go on the difcovcry. With this affiftance, Harley iailcd in June 1614, carrying with him feveral land <^oldicrs and the two before mentioned Ini- . s, with a thiid named Wanape, who Y3 had •i. #% 35S GORGE S- had been fcnt to Gorges from the Ifle of Wight. 0»' '\r. a -rival of the (hip, fhc was foon pih..:d *o the iiland of Capawock, and' to the harbour where Epenovv was to perform his promife. The principal inhabitants of the place, with fome of h* r,' i kinimen,came on hoard, with whom he held a conference and contrived his efcape. They departed, p omifing to return the next day with furs for IrafHck. Epenow had pretended that if it were known, that he had difcovered the fe- crets of hiS) country, his life would be in danger, but the company were careful to watch himj and to prevent his efcape. 'ad dreiTed him in long clothes, which could eafi- ly be laid hold of, if there fhould be occafion. His friends appeared the next morning in twenty canoes, ?r\d lying at a diftance, the Captain called to them to come on board, which they deciming, lipenow was ordered to renew the invitation. He, mounting the forecaille, hailed them as he was diredcd, and at the fame inflant, thond^ one held him by the coat, yet being {^^ 'Ug ^nd heavy, he jump- ed into the water, ♦.is countrymen then ad* vanced to receive him, and fent a fhowcr of >rrpws into the Oiip, which fo difconcerted the GORGES. 359 the crew, that the prifoner completely efFe(5l- cd his efcape. Thus the golden dream van- ished, and the (hip returned without having performed any fervices adequate to the ex- penfe of her equipment. . n^i > . i^ • .c ^Thc Plymouth company were much dif- couraged by the ill fuccefs of this adventure ; but the fp :it of emulation between them and the London company proved very ferviceable to the caufe in which they were jointly en- gaged. For thefe having fent our four {hips under the command of Michael Cooper, to South Virginia, [January, 1615] and Captain John Smith, who had been employed by that company, having returned to England, and engaged with the company at Plymouth, their hopes revived. Sir Ferdinando Gorges, in ci icert with Dr. Sutliffe, Dean of Exeter, and feveral others, equipped two veflels, one of two hundred, the other of 50 tons, on board of which (befides the compliment of Teamen) were lixteen men who were deftined to begin a colony in New England. [March, 161 5] When they had failed one hundred and twen- ty leagues, the large (hip loft her mafts, and fprung a leak j which obliged them to put back under jury mafts to Plymouth. From Y 4 thence 36q GORGES. thence Smith failed again [June 24] in 1^ bark of fixty tons, carrying the {unc fixteea men 1 but on this fecond voyage, was taken by four French men of war, and carried to France. The vefTcl of fifty tons, which had been feparated from him, purfued her voyage, and returned in fafety ; but the main defiga pf the voyage, which was toeffe<5t a fettlement, was frudrated. it/ ■'*>'* ' . . jEs. ; HwWi*.» *.** The fame year (Odlober) Sir Richard Haw- kins, by authority of the Plymouth companyi^ of which he, was Prefidcnt for that year, vifit- cd jhe coall of New England^ to try what fervices he could do them in fcarching the ^oi^ntry, and its commodities ; but on his ^r-x rival, finding the natives engaged in war, he paffed along the coaft to Virginia, and from thence returned to England, by the way of Spain, where he difpofcd of th^ fi(h, which he had taken in the voyage. . , nn.,.^ ri j*.-,,?; After this, fhips were fent every ieafisn by: the London and Plymouth Companies on voyages of profit j; their fi(h and furs came to a good market in Europe, but all the attempts which were made to colonize North Virginia, by fome nnforefeen accidents failed of fuccefs. Qorgcs, however, had his mind ftill invariably bent O O R O E S. 3«t bent on his original plan, and every incident which feemed to favour his views, weis etger*. ]y improved for that purpofe. Being pofTe^T^ ed of the journals and letters of the fevertil voyagers, and of all the information which could be had, and being always at hand, to attend the meetings of the Company, he con- trived to keep alive their hopes, and was the prime mover in all their tranfadkions. • - ^ About this time Captain Thomas Dermer, who had been employed in the American ftfhery, and had entered fully into the fame views J offered his fervice toaflift in profccut* ing the difcovery of the country. He was at Newfoundland, and Gorges prevailed on |he company, to fend Captain Edward Ro- craft, in a ihip, to New England, with ord*. ers to wait there till he fhould be joined by Dermer, Rocraft, on his arrival, met with a French interloper, which he feized, and then failed with his prize to South Virginia. In the mean time Dermer went to England, and having conferred with Gorges and the com* pany, on the intended difcovery, went out in a fliip, which Gorges himfelf owned -, hoping to meet with Rocraft, but was much perplex- ed at not finding him, ' t Having 5v. 362 GORGES. Having ranged and examined every part of the coafty and made many ufeful obfervations, which he tranfrnitted to Gorges, he fhaped his courfe for Virginia,* where Rocraft had been killed in a quarrel, and his bark funic. Dermer being thus difappointed of his con- fort, and of his expeded fupplies, returned to- the northward. At the ifland of Capawock, he met with Epenow, who knowing him to be employed by Gorges, and fufpedting that his errand was to bring him back to England, ponfpired with his countrymen, to feize him and his companions, feveral of whom were killed in the fray : Dermer de- fended himfelf with his fword, and efcaped, though not without fourteen wounds, which obliged him to go again to Virginia, where he died. The lofs of this worthy man, was the moft difcouraging circumftance which Gorges had met with, and as he himfelf expreffes it, ** made him almoft refolve never to intermed- dle egain in any of thefe courfes." But he had in h&. io deeply engaged in them, and had fo many perfons engaged with him, that he could not retreat with honour, whilft any hope * It is faid that he was the firft who pafTcd the whole extent of Long Ifland Sound, and difcovered that it was not connected with the continent. This was in 1619. GORGES. 363 of th hope of fuccefs remained. Soon after this, a profpeA began to open from a quarter, where' it was leaft expected. •• -- i i^ -> ,^^.:...^.ia^^ The patent of 1606, which divided Virgin-* ia into two colonies, exprcfsly provided that neither company (hould begin any plantation within one hundred miles of the other. By this interdiction the middle region of North America was negledted, and a bait was laid to attradt the attention of foreigners. The adventurers to South Virginia had pro- hibited all who were not free of their compa- ny from planting or trading within their lim- its ; the northern ccmpany had made no fuch regulation; by this means it happened that the South Virginia fhips could fi(h on the northern coaft, whilft the other company were excluded from all privileges in the fouth- ern parts. The South Virginians had alfo made other regulations in the management of their bufinefs, which the northern company were deliroas to intimate. They thought the moft effedual way to do this, was to procure an exclufive patent With this view, Gorges, ever aftive to promote the interefl which he had efpoufcd, folicited of the crown a new charter, which,by the intereft of his friends in court, . 3^4 O O R G E S. court, was after iorhe delay obtained. By this inftrument forty noblemen, knights and gentlemen, were incorporated by the ftylc of *' the council cilabliflied at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling and governing of New England in America." The date of the charter was November 3, 1620* The territory fubjeft to their jurirdi,■"*- , One end which the council had in view, was, to prevent the accefs of unauthorized ad- venturers to the coaft of New-England. The crews of their /hips, in their intercourfe with the natives, being far from any eflablifhed government, were guilty of great iicentiouf- nefs. Befides drunkennefs, and debauchery, feme flagrant enormities had been c/mmitted, which not only injured the reputation of Eu- ropeans, bat encouraged the natives to ads of hoftility. To remedy thefe evils, the coun- cil thought proper to appoint an officer to cx- crcife government on the coaft. The firft perfon GORGES. 36; perfon who was fent in this charadcr^ was Capt. Francis Weft j who finding the fi(her- men too licentious and rohuft to be control- ed by him, foon gave up this inefFedbual com- marid. They next appointed Capt. Robert Gorges, a fon of Sir Ferdinando. He was like his father, of an aftive and enterprizing genius, and had newly returned from the Ve- netian war. He obtained of the council a patent for a tra(^ of land on the northeaftern fide of Maffachufetts Bay, containing thirty miles in length and ten in breadth, and by the .influence of his father, and of his kinfman Lord Edward Gorges, he was difpatched with a commifiion to be " Lieutenant General and Governour of New England" They appointed for his council the aforefaid Weft, with Chrif- topher Lc^et, and the Governour of New Ply- mouth for the time being. Gorges came to Plymouth in 1623, publifhcd his commifiion, and made fome efforts to execute it. He brought over with him as a Chaplain, Willi- am Morrell, an Epifcopal clergyman. This was the firft eflay for the eftablifhment of a General Government in New England, and Morrel was to have a fuperintendence in ec- clefiaftical, as Gorges had in civil afBiirs ; but he 368 GORGED* he made no ufe of his commiflion at Ply- mouth ( and only mentioned it m hisconver-* iation about the time of his departure.* -Thi9 general government was a darling objc I ' '*' This Morrell appears to have been a dili^'ftnt inquirer Into the ftateani circumftances of the country, its nutural produflions and advantages, the manners, cufioms, and govemnient of the natives ; the refult of b's obfeivations he wrought into a poem which he printed both in Latin and Englifli. The Latin is by no means deftitute of claHical merit, of which the following linos may ferve as an evidence. ■ ^ , , ** Eft locus occiduo procul hinc fpatiofus in orbe 'X^'^ ' '" " Plurima regna tenens, populifque incognitus ipfis t^ t»^fcv* Felix frugifcris fulcii, fimul a:quore fclir, * Pxaedii perdivcs vuriis, & flumine dives, / ' ^f -^'^ Axe fatis calidus, rigidoque a fngore tutus.'* » . • . Th'edefcriptionitfeif is juft and animated, and the EngliOi trtnllation (cotifidering the date of it) is very tolerable. It is printed ui the. C9lleitiens of the Hifioricai Society, for 1799, page i%5. a 9. % %: 369 fuppli^s which: he expedtcd to have receive4 •haying failed. This failure w^s owing to ond, Qf thoie crofs accidents which continually be^ . f^ the Council of Plymouth. Tnough the ett^tion of th^ board was really beneficial to th^ natjon, and gave a proper diredlion to the fpir^t pjF colonizing, yet they had to druggie vvitl^ the oppofing interefts of various foirts of The company of South Virginia, and in- deed the mercantile intereil in general, find- irjg themfclves ^eluded from the privilege of fiihing ^nd trajffic, complained of this inftitu- ^tion as a monopoly. The commons of Eng-. land were growing jealous of the royal prfe- ' rpgative ; and wifhingto reftrain it ; the grant- ing charters of ini^orporation with excluiive advantages of commerce was deemed^ ufur-, pation on the rights of the people. Com- plaints were firft made to the King in coun- cil ; but nvj difpofition appeared there to countenance them. It happened however, that a parliament was called for (bme other purpo- fcs (February 1^24) in which Sir Edward Cook was chofen fpeaker of the commons. He was well known as an advocate for the liberties of the people, and an enemy to pro- 11 i ..- :,* t 1 ' '.' * 370 O' 6 R* G E' S. j; je£tors. The King was at firft in a good hu- rtioiir with his parliament, and advantiagc was taken of a demand for fubficiies to brins; io , ^ Ctii j^ • CL - r A^r ■'t'.''■'^v.^^-is^^:t\..• W^ agaipft monoponcs. , . The houfe being refolved into a comihittee, Sir Ferdiniando .Gorges was called to the bar, * where the fpeaker inf9rrtied him, that the patent granted to the council of Plymouth was complained of as a grievance \ that under colour of' planting a colony, they were purfu- ing private gains : that though they refpc(Sl- »;d him as a perfon of worth and honour, yet the public intereft was to be regarded before all perfonal confiderations ; and therefore they re- , quired that the patent be delivered to the houfe. . Gorges anfwered, that he was but one of the Ct)mpany^ inferior in rank and abilities, to many cJthers ^ that he had no power to de- liver it, withoat their confent, neither in fadt, was it in his cuftody. Being afked where it was, he faid, it vl^as for aught he knew, ilill remaining in the crown-office, where it had been left for the amendment of fome errors. As to the general charge he anfwered ^ that he knew not how it could be a public griev^ ance 3 fince it had been ' undertaken for the advancement of religion, the enlargement of the tr ■ "'7^ '^- ■j\ ►*. GORGES. 37' itie bounds of the natioh, the increase oiT trade, and the em. ^nyment of many thoufands of people ; that it could not be a trionopofy • for though a few only were'interefted in the bu- finefs, it was becaufe many could not be in* dueed to adventure where their loflcs at iirft were fure, and their gains uncertain ; and» indeed, fa much lofs had been fuftained that moft of the adventurers themfclves were vi ary ^ that as to the profit arifing from the fiihery it was never intended to be con- verted to private ufe, as might appear by the offers which they had made to all the maritime cities in the Weft of England ; that the grant of exclufive privileges made by the crown, was intended to regulate and fettle plantations, ,by the profits arifing frc: i the trade, and was in effcft no more than -^arty gentlemen and lords of manors in England enjoyed without offence* Ke added, that he was glad of an opportunity for fuch a parliamen- tary inquiry, and if they would take upon themfclves the bufinefs ot colonization, he and his aflbciatds would be their humble fer- vants as far as lay in their pcver, without a;iy re*-ofped: to the vaft expenfe which they had already incurred in difcovcring and taking pofn. Z z fefiion \ yr^ G O- R Gr E^ S*> rcflion of the country, and. bringing iw» :"rs to thcli- tlien prefent fituation. He ali<^ wf^irtd,, tliat if any thing further was to b«> ioquiff4'! into, it might be given him in detail |i wilh liberty ©f anfwering by his coun<:iJ. - . A committee was appointed to examine xhe^ patent and make objections i which were do\i-K vered to Gorges ; accompanied with a decla« ration from the fpeaker that he ought to look upon this as a favour. Gorges having acknow- ledged the favour, employed council to draw* up anfwera to the objections. His council were Mr. (afterwards Lord) Finch, and Mr, Caltrup, afterwards attorney general to the court of vi irds. Though in caufes where the , nrovYsj 'nTk-.l parliament arc concerned ^ parties^ council are often afraid of wading deeper than they can fafely return j yet Gorges was fatisfied with the condud of his council, who fully anfwered the obje<5bions, both in point of Law and Jujlice 3 thefe anfwers being read, the houfe afkcd what further he had to fay^ upon which he added fome obfervations in point of Folky, to the following efFedt : ^r^^ * - &< . V That tbe adventurers had befen at great coft qnd pains to enlarge the King's dominions -^ to employ many feamen, handicraftsmen, and ^ labourers ; 'G 4> K -G E S. •373 ^ a iimple courle ,8 4>ccn given "Ountry, could ekhcr by the labourers'; 'to '^ttle a flourifhing plantation, and advance religion Hi thofc favag * countries | matters of ^he UighcfV CToniequence to the nation, and far exceeding all the advantagis Which tould be expe ed of fifhing, whidh muP ^^ over J for that fo vaU not long remain unpolfe French, Spaniards, or Dutch ; fo that, if the plantations were to be given up, the fifhery rtiuft inevitably be loft, and the honour, as well as intcreft of the nation, greatly fufFer 5 ihat the mifchief already done by the pepfons vrho were foremoft in their complaiifts was intolerable ; for, in their diforderly intercourfe with the favagcs, they had been guilty of tho greateft exceffes of debauchery and knavery, and in addition to all thefe imnf^oralities, they had furniihed them with arms and ammuni> tion ; iby which they were enabled to def- troy the peaceable fi(hermcn, and had become formidable enemies to the planters. ^^Ir r.K '^ He further added, that he had, in zeal for the intereft of his country, deeply engaged his own eftate, and fent one of his fons to the American coaft, belides encouraging many of thither ; this he hoped would go b? .Su^Oc* ►^^^c ^.^.^a IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) « ll! 1.0 I.I La|2.8 12^ it Sw ■ im Il25 III 1.4 V] n / ^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. '4580 (716) 872-4503 fV •sj A \ "% s \ '<* ■If. ' r ^'■i,:.Xf ■ '■' ■'M''' ■" -fl-- -■■:/€'-: C^ ■i:>" &' I \ » - 374 oca a t ft. .; be ah apology for his earneftnefs in this plea^i aaif be bad (hewo lefs warmth it imgbc havQ,f been coni^riied into negligence and iii< gratitude. , ^ ^4 Th^^ pleas, however es^rneft and tatiomli^ were to no purpofe. The parliainent pre^o fented to the King the grievances of the na^l: tion, and the patent for New-England, wat- ^he firft on ^e lift. Gorges, however, . had ^ken care that ^he King (hould be previoiifly acquainted with the objedions and anfwers ; and James .was fo jealous of his prerogative, that though he gave his ailent to a declaraw tory a€t again|l monopolies ia general, yet,;he would not recal the patent, Hoii^ever, i^iit deference to the voipe of the nation,\the,c/^uDif cil thought iit to fufpend their oper^tionfiii Thi5| proved for a while, difcouraging U> the fpjrit of adventure- and occafioned the recalling |lob<;rt porges from bis governs^ -ment.. -' '-^'M ^mit'^ * But the .parliament having proceeded; with more freedom and tDoldnefs in their com- plaints, than fuitcd the feelings of James, he diflblved them in hafte. before they could* proceed to meafures for remedying the difor- dcrs in chqfch and ftate, wb jch had been tl^e ct o It a E> 5^ ^ i^' ^ f\ih]e6t of complaint ; and fome of the noore liberal fpeakers were committed to prirQn. Tliis Served 10 d^nap the Ipirit of feS^rmation, ah^^ prepared the wny for ^pother colony of emi^- grants to, New-lSngUpd. About the fanv? ]tf me, the Wfmoh ambaf;- fador put in a claim- in behajf of his court to theifr territories, to which Gorges vfiam* fuiilmoned to anfwer f)efpre th^ King and council, which he did in fo supple ancl con^ yincing a manner, that the claim was for thajt iftme'filenced. Gorges then, in the name of the Council of Plymouth, complained of thp Dutch, as intruders on the English poHef-* iions in America, by mfi^ing a fettlement on Hudfon's ' river. To this, the Sta^s made an^ ' > fwerVthat if any fuch things had been 4one, ^ \t was without their order, as they had pnlv ^ereded a company for the Weft Indies. This ^ aniwer, made the cpuncil relblye t9 proiecute their bufinef^ and reniove thefe intruders. ^p Hitherto Qorges appears in the light of a zealous, indefatigable and unfucceli-- ful adventurer ; but neither his . labours, expenfe, nor ill fuccefs were yet cpn^e tp a conclufion. '^ ■ m: Tq 4si-:i,f • / •fe t) 1R 1G B S. To entertain a Juft view of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, we t^oft confider h^m both as a mem- ber bf this fcoiincil of PtymoCith, pXw^iftg ih^ genera} mtercft of American |>lantsitioAs ) ixA at the fanfxe time as ah advenfurer, uiidi^t^Ic^ it\^ a fettlemirft of his 6wn, id s^ ^fticWat pariroC the territory which was fubje6^ to the |uriKUaion of the cbancil . Having formed an int/macy with Capt; JohnMlafori^tjoycrridur of Portfmouth, in the county of Hahts, Who was alfo a member of the council -, and ha v- Sng (1622) jointly with hini ptocured froih the council, a grant of a lai^e extent itf tfodn- *try, which they called XW0>z/!(7, oitendihg from the river Merrimack to Sagadahbck, and froih the ocean to thelakeS and river'of Canada, they indulged fanguine expedition of iucci From the accounts given of the country by Jome romantic travellers, they had conceived an ided of it as a kiiid of terre'^naTparadife^ not merely capable of producing all ^he neceiiaries and conveniencies of' life but as already rjchly furnifhed by the bountiful hand of nature. *The air was faid to be pure and falubrious 5 the country plea{arit and delightful, full of goodly forcfts, fair vallies, and fertile plains | abounding in vines, chefnuts, walnuts, and many • V ^ Z^ ^ a Q £ "6 t> 1ft. ft E IS^. . Miny othifrTotts of fftiit'j t!ie Vi^cJ!^ ftMi 'With Mi ^d <^riVir6'it(^'ThrrtK i^obaiy mii6^ Vdfl 6f tiihiicr fr(isfes. \ Ta ifii gVc^'t 1ilce;<» tit 'woods and 'ricadbws/liaving grc4t/ft^^ of Iteigs, filhi5w fer/clks/tocinicks, W^vars atti otiicr g^e J aiii thfcfc -ifl^ds were iuppblc^ to lie commoHioulIy fituate for Habitaiiioh'and traj]ic.' 19 ihe ntl^ft of a fine take, aiiduhdins witli the fndjl delicite^firti. This lake "was kholiigh't'tq he lels Wan "i bb tnifes diftarit *fr6in the ,feac6aftVa^nd there Was foiric fccret expectation that mines and . precious liooes, wbiitd |he* the reward bfthcir pa'tien t and dll i- cent attention to the buunels of dilcovcry. . 3ucH wdrc the charais ofl Lacohia I , It has "hccn IJcforc ohTei^cd that Gbfgcs had fcht over Hichard Vines, with ftJfnc others, on a difcovery, to prepare the' way for a colony. The place which Vines' pitched upon, was at the mouth of Ihe 'river Baco. Some years after, another fetfle'ilicht was made ori the "fiver of Agamehtlcus, by* Francis Norton, whom Gorges fent over with a rium- ber of other people, having procured for them a patent of 12,600 acres pnthe caitfide of the river, and 12,000 more on the weft - r ;s fide ; • - * Lake Champlain. » ;i^ \ ,■ ■\^ \ ■■■a^t. i . 378 G O R G E S. « iide ; his fon Ferdinando Gorges. being named as one of the grantees ; this was the beginning of the town of York. Norton was a Lieu 37f td by the manner in which they condu prodtice ofthe plantation could not pay, their i wages, and they foon became their own maf- i ' ters. The charge of making a fettle^nent i in iiich a wildernefs was more than the value "^ of the lands when the improvements were 4^ made : overfeers were appointed, but they r could not hold the tenants under con^tnand y nor prevent their changing places oj^ every i difcohtent : The proprietors thennfelves never » came in perfon to fuperintend their intereils, % and tio regular government was eflab^iihed tp ^ punifti offenders or pre(crvc orc^er. For thefe [ reafons though Gorges and Mafon expended frorti firft to lail more than iwenty thoufand pounds each, yet they only opened the way for others to follow, and the money w^^^lpft to them and their pofterity.* ■ .y^v,^. >:*. Whilft their private ihtereft Was thus fink- ing in America, the reputation of the coun- cil of which were members lay . under fuch difadvantage in England as tended to endanger their political exiftence. As they had been incorporated for the purpofe, not merely of erantmg \. * • See Hiflory of Ncw-Hampfliirc, vol. i. Chap. i. li. i.,> y^ n. f.' 5B6 <5 il 6 fi 8*. ^ ,, %Hn^n% lands/ bUt ^ mttkin|; itdlUal >{)tiAdi«^ tiokvs in America, tiity Wei churchy ftil4 A^i^6(| t6 cbiitiftUe fuch, linding lliic no indulg't'rvcer ^uld: be gnmted, itumed ctheir tht>aghts '^a^i^ Athene^ where fouie ^ their ibreth^eii hftdalrdidy^ made a fettlement. . They '^rft pUfchal^d of the council of ypiyoiooth a Jarge territory, and-after^ard obtaiiied ^f the 'CroWn iai chiarter, %y-^ which they were ^»infti^ 'tuteda body pidlittcMtbin the realm. Ih June 'td'iQ tb6y brought' their charter ,tt>'Arocrienc their fortunes Were to be expended and their zeal exerted. .*^V.TSf ■>rt >' ■ * ^ G O R O g ». 38> The (^fler^Dce ^tween a man's doing bufinefi^ by hinaf^^f, afid by his fubi^tutes^ was nevee nHWf ^)y exemplified than in tl;^ frqa^u^^ Qf tbf MnQ'^chpfetts pl^intf rSj compared witl^ tb^t of Sir Ferdinando Gorges : wb^t fhe on<) bad been labouring for, ab(>ve twenty yeai;9 witbput any fuc<:er$,iiras realisged by the others i,d tw0 qr tbr?<« years ; jn iive^ they were Co far adtani^d' as ta be able to fi^nd out a cold* tiy froi|) iiiemielves %q begin Sifiplher ;at; Con-^ i^e£ticut^r and inlefs than ffin^ |hey founded an Ul^HPerfity which "has eye;- fmcft pri^MC'^ «d aiA uninterrupted fuGtefJion , of fervipeablo men in •cbweh and ftate« ' n -;^- "■- • 1 The great nuqdber of people who flocked to thi^ nevr plantation, raifed an alann in Eng^ land. As they had manifeiled their difcon-* tent with the eceleiia{(|cal government* it it wa« fufpeded that they Mmed ^indep^ndmcet and would throw oiF their allegiance tb th« crown*^ 'I'Ws j^iloufy WW fo ftrong, thai a royal order was made to reflndn any from coming hither who ^uld not firfl: take the 9athfirof allegiance and fupremacy, and obtain 9 licence for tbeir rem6va3.«4f? 4*?* j>*f'^M>*'^ i To reBitc this jealous cavil againd th6 planters of New- England^we need only to ob*^^ ■-■*i 4 *^^ e fcrvc. *^. -\ v1 382 GORGES. ^^. - J. ' . ' ' ■ • • • .^ ..^ ■ ferve, that at the time when they began their fettlement, and for many years after, the lands which they occupied were objedj of' envy both to the Dutch and French. The Dutch claimed from Hudfon, as far as ConneAicut river, where they had eredted a trading hotiftw The French claimed all the lands of New England ;' and the Governour of Port Royal, when he wrote to Governour Winthrop,diredi- ed his letters to him as Governour oftkeEngliJk at Bojion in Acadia, Had the New England planters thrown off their fubjtftion to th« crown of England they muft have become a prey to one or the other of thefc rival poW^ef s; Of this they werie well aware, and if they had entertained any idea of independency, which they certainly did not (nor did their fuccejfors till driven to it by Britain herfelf) it would have been the mod impolitic thing in the world to have avowed it, in the prcfence of neighbours with whomi they did not wi(h td beconttefted. ^ '^^\^^.'i^^ This jealoufy, however grbtindlefs, had W influence on the public councils of the nation,' as well as on the . fentiments of individuals, and c&ntributed to incrcafe the prejudice which had bfWrt formed againft all who were con* 'to*). ■i\ y* cern^ .i::^.' rr to . / G R G E S. 383 » -« ■ ceriied in the colonization of New England. The merchants Aill confidered the Council of Plymoiiifi, as monopolizing a lucratitre branch of trade; "The South Virginia company, dif- reli/hed their exclufive charter, and iparcd no pains to. get it 'revoked. '-. The popuUr party in the commons regarded them as fuppofters > of the prerogative, and tinder the royal tn^u*- eiice.* The high church party were iacenf- ed againft them as enemies of prelacy; becaufe ^ey had favoured the fettlement of the Puri* tans within their territory: and the King him-* ielf fiifpedkd that the colonies in New 'Eng-i* land bad too much liberty to confift with his notions of gbvernment. Gorges was looked upon' as the author of all the ihifchief j ' and being publicly called upon, declaimed, ** that (hough he had earneftly fought the intereft of the plantations, yet he could not ianfwer for ^ •he evils, which had happeint^a by »thcm/* If ,^ was -extremely mortifying to him to find-that ' after all his eJtertions and expenfes in thef(fr~ vicex)f the nation, he had become a very un« popular charadUr, and had enemies on all lides. ' ■ \ ■ . ' , ■ .t'l'.tl.'-'^tWt * This mabifeflly appeals frdm the grant which they vfete d^ » bilged to nuiketo Sir William Alexander, of the country of Novf' Scotia, by virtue of a meffage from the King, which they confider- ed as a command. This grant was conBrmed t« kim by the King, and he fold it to the French* M. ll A m il j^4, Gr_C> R G E S.^ • thp rrf^gji^tipf^ of tl^c chaoter ip t^^ crowo-i yd ^ ,4!Yi%i^ 9^ % tmitoty ini twelvq Iprd/hipus.tq Ipp united wifier one C^neral Carpv.- ^rnq^f . As ^l^ charter of JV^faflkhuic^U i^od. i|» the ¥ray pf 4thi^ prpjc|*» W» >" .-WijJIWi^ipar V^ifh' Mj|(pf^. pctitipacd the jcrpv\^ for^ ro^. qatipH of it. This bi:Qug;ht on him th% i|r .vyill of tho/c colopij^ a3fp» whp^fronft t)^^ ^mP m^r^^^ ^»4 Ma^o ?« their cnpmiop., Bpfer^th^ OQMiiciL fu?rfn.d^«d th^ir charm, thry inadc 'grapls torfqwje ofth^ir q^|i ii»c9n-< htf^. of mcWj5difl:ria8,from Maryteftd t<| ?t^ 9rpir,^pif ng ^kh the diftri^ fww ?*l»-^ ites>of ^bvfftfd into fhe cpufify,. ^as aiijgncd tp Gotges« In June 1 6 3 j^« th$ co^n- ci) r^figned iheir charter, and potitipned the; Kipg.a^d the lords of th^ privy council for .-> ^pnfirijaatiop ^.the fevefal prpprjc^^y grants, ^n4 tb(B^(h|b)ii]to9Qnt of a geners^SPverinqMot, Sir iP^dinapdo Gorges, then thntus ^TH.ypars of pg?, was th? |)crf0n Ko|Binated tn b? th^ Q^tral Qoverxwr. AhOwt this time* M»fpn, one ftf^^the principal adors in this aSair, was rcQjpycdj^y death : and a,{b^p» which wa§, in- tended for the fervice of the new governoient^ ■» »• : ^•\ ■r. i GORGES." 385 Mimd broke in launching. A quo warranto . WM ifllied agaioil the MafTachufetts charter, but 4he>prQcettding8 upon it were delayed, and never completed-. An order of the King in eouncil» was alio iffued in 1637, for the eftab- liifaaicnt of the general government, and Gor- get iwa» therein appointed Governour ; hut the troubles in Scotland and England, at this time gitw vcty ferious and put a check to the bud- inefa. Soon after, Archbifhop Laud and fome other lords of council, who were zealous in the a^air, lo^^ their authority, and the whole projcft came to nothing. ' '^ • * Gorges however, obtained of the crown in ' 1639, ai confirmation of his own grant, which ■ ^as"* ftyled the Province of Maim, and of which he v/as made Lord Palatine with the • fame^ porwcrs and privileges as the bifhop of Durham in the County Palatine of Durham. In virtue of thefe powers, he conflituted a ^▼emment within his faid prpvince, and in- t:orpor&ted the plantation at Agamenticus in- to a city, by the name of Gorgeana, of which • his coufin, Thomas Gorges, was Mayor, who refided there about two years, and then return- - cd to England. The council for thfc admin- 1 ■ ^ilration of government were Sir Thomas ''"? " A a Joffelyn^ 386 GORGE S. Joflelyn, Knight, Richard Vines, (Steward) Francis Champernoon (a nephew to Gorges,) Henry JolTdyn, Richard Boniton^ William llooke, and Edward Godfrey. ; .^t >.. J*m''> The plan which he formed for the govern- rnent of his province was this : It was to be divided into eight counties, and thefe into fixteen hundreds, the hundreds were to be Subdivided into parifhes and tythings, as the people fliould increafe. In the abfence of the proprietor a lieutenant was to preiide. A chancellor was conflituted for the decifion of civil caufes ; a treafurer to receive the revenue, a marlhal for managing the militia, and a marihal's court, for criminal matters ; an ad- miral, and admiral's court, for maritime caufes ; a mafter of ordnance and a fecretary. Thefe officers were to be a {landing council. Eight deputies were to be eledled, one from each county, by the inhabitants, to fit in the fame council ', and all matters of moment were to be determined by the lieutenant with advice of the majority. This council were to ap- point juftices, to give licences for the fale of lands Jii^je^ to a rent of four pence or fix pence per acre. When any law was to be enacted or repealed, gr public money to be raifcd, they GORGES. 387 they were to call on the counties to ele^ each two deputies, "to join with the council in the performance of the fervice/' but nothing is faid of their voting as a feparate houfe. One lieutenant and eight juftices were allowed to each county ; two head conftables to every hundred -, one condable and four tythingmen to every parifh ; and in conformity to the in- ilitutions of King Alfred, each tythingman was to give an account of ths demeanor of the families within his ty thing, to the conflable of the pari(h, who was to render the fame to the head conftables of the hundred, and they to the lieutenant and juftices of the county ; who were to take cognizance of all mifdemean- ors ; and from them an appeal might be made to the proprietor's lieutenant and council. Forms of government, and plans of fettle- ment, are much more eafily drawn on paper, than carried into execution. Few people could be induced to become tenants in the neighbourhood of fuch a colony as MaflTachu- fetts, where all were freeholders. No provi- fion was made for public inflitutions ; fchools were unknown, and they had no miniflers, till in pity to their deplorable ftate, two went thither from Bofton on a voluntary million. A a 2 and 388 a O R G E s. and were well received by them. The city of Gorgeana, though a lofty name, was in fa£t but an incpniiderable village 3 and there were only a few houfes in fon^ of the bcil placed for navigation. The people were without order and morals, and it was faid of fome of them, that " they had as mahy fharcs in a "womoftt^s they had in a fiihtng boat."* Gor- ges himfelf complained of the prodigality of his fervaiits, and had very little confidence in his own fons, for whofe aggrandizement he had been labo|iring to eftablifh a foundation. He had indeed eredted few mills and Corn mills, and had received fome acknowledgment in the Way of rents, but lamented, that he had not reaped the "happy fucccfs of thofe who are their' own ftc wards, and the difpofers of their own affairs." ' How long Gorges continued in his office as Governour of Plymouth, docs not appear from any materials within my reach. In 1 625, he commanded a (hip of war in a fquad- ron under the Duke of Buckingham, which was fent to the affiftance of France, under pre- tence of bfeing employed againft the Gcnoefe. But a fufpicion having arifen that they were * . deftined * Hiuchinfon's Colleftion of Papers, p. 424. G c RGBS. m deftined to affifV Louis againft his protdbiTt fubjcds at Rochellc, as foon as they were ar- med at Dieppe^ and found that they had been deceived^ Gorges was the fird to break his orders and return with his fhip to England. The others toUowed his example, and their zeal for the Proteflant religion was much ap> plauded.* ?' v ti r n . When the civil difTenfions in Erigland broke Out into a war, Gorges took the royal fide -, and, though then far advanced in years, engaged perfonally in the fervice of the crown. He was in Prince Rupert's army at the fiegc of '^Briftol in 1643; and when that city was re- taken in 1645 by the parliament's forces, he •was plundered and imprifoned.'f' His politic cal principles rendered him obnoxious to the ruling powers, and when it was neceflfary for him to appear before the commidioners for foreign plantations, he was feverely frowned upon, and confequently difcouraged*-^ » * • ^ 'n The time of his death is uncertain -, he is fpoken of in the records of the Province of Maine as dead m June 1647. Upon his de- ceafe, his eftate fell to his cldeft fon, John ■•:•! , xiJ »r» Gorges, ♦ Hume, + JofTelyn fays that he was ftveral times plundered anr<» 'i'^jsLi^^'' ^',' ill' y *t ':'^-<' ;»-"^ .LA t'*'> .>.:.'♦; '■ f .• ». -J ( . ■'J i< : • • I ■\' w7 Hiui - f" • .■■■;■ '394 'O if . ¥) ti|i,J/ 'k>- ;^3ii^iiij^'o «ii.J tiil:: ^0im&'iiii^y^, XV. H E N R Y H U D S O ti. _.iV- _ V . , Notwithstanding the fruiticfs attempts, which had been made, to find a paf- fage to India, by the north, the idea was not given up ; but it was fuppofed, that under the direction of fome prudent, refolute and expe> rienced commander, the objeft might yet be attained. A fociety of wealthy and fanguine adventurers, in England, believed the practi- cability of the paflage -, and with a refolution and liberality almoft unexampled, raifed the money to carry on this expcnfive undertaking. They gave the command of the expedition, to Henry Hudson, a feaman of enlarged views and long experience ; in whofe knowl- edge and intrepidity they could fafely confide 3 and whofe enterprising fpirit was exceeded by none, and equalled by few of his contem- poraries.* When the fhip, whiv^h they had deflined for the voyage, was ready, Hudfon with his crew, according to the cuftom of feamen in that day, went to church on April 19, 1607, and there partook of the Lord's Supper. -f On the * Forfter's northern voyages p. 324, + Purchas iv. 567. HUDSON. 395 the firft of May, he failed from Gravcfend ; and on the 21ft of June, difcovercd land, in lat. 73", on the caftern coaft of Greenland, which he called HoU with Hope. - -^v ' His defign was, to explore the whole coaft of Greenland, which he fuppofed to be an ifland ; and, if poflible, to pafs round it, to the northweft ; or elfe diredtly under the pole. But having failed as far as the latitude of 82*, he found the fea obftru<5ted by impenetrable ice ; and was obliged to return to England ; where he arrived on the 15th of September. By this voyage, more of the eaftern coaft of Greenland was explored, than had ever before been known ; and the ifland, afterward called Spitzbergcn, was firft difcovercd. It alfo o- pened the way to the Englifti, and after them to the Dutch, to profecute the whale fiftiery in thofe northern feas. ' '"' ' ' *". ' ' The next year,* the fame company of ad- venturers refolved to make another attempt, and fent Hudfon again, to find a pafiage by the northeaft. He failed on the 2 2d of A- pril 1608. The higheft latitude, to which he advanced in this voyage, was 75" 30'. Af- ter having made feveral attempts, to pafs be- tween • Purchas iv, p. 574, 39^ HUDSON. twecn Spitzbcrgcn and Nova Zembla, which he found impracticable ', the feafon was fo far fpcnt, and the winds fo contrary, that he had not time to try the ftrait of Waygats, nor Lumley's Inlet ; and therefore thought it bis " duty, to fave vidual, wages and tackle^ by a fpeedy return." He arrived at Gravefend on the 2oth of Auguft.* ''■'' ' . >^ -ta v After his return from his fecond voyage, he went over to Holland and entered into the fervice of the Dutch. Their Eaft India com- pany fitted out a (hip for difcovery, and put him into the command. -f* He failed from Amfterdam on the 25th of March 1609.:!: ' - ' • The * In the journal of th's voyage, written by Hadfon himfeif, i» the following remark. "June 15, lat. 75^7', this morning one of our company looking overboard faw a mermaid, and calling up fome of the company to fee her, one more came up, and by that time, flic was come clofe to the Ihip's fide, looking eamcftly on the men, A little after, a fea <:ame and overturned her. From thp navel upward, her back and breads were like a woman ; (^s they (ay that faw her) her body as big as one of us ', her (kin very white ; and long hair hanging down behind, of colour black. In httr going down, they faw her tail, which was like the tail of a por- poife, and fpeckled like a mackarel. Their names that faw her were Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner." Purchas iv. 575. + This is faid on the authority of Dr, Forfter, The journal faiys nothing of it. It was written by Robert Juet, his mate. ibid. 581. J Smith, in his hiftory of New York, following Oldmixon and •ther fecond band authorities, places this voyage in 1608. But as the journals of Hudfon's four voyages are extaat in Purchas^, I take all dates from bim. IJt U D S O N. 397 The higheA latitude which he made in this voyage was 71° 46' j where he found the fcji in the neighbourhood of Nova Zembla fo fill- ed with ice, and covered with fogs, that it was impofTible to pafs the fVrait of Waygats to the caftward. He therefore tacked and fleered wcflerly, toward Greenland ; intending to fall in with Bufs Idand, which had been feen by one of Frobifher's fhips in 1 578 j but when he came into the latitude where it was laid down, he could not find it. He then fleered fouthweflerly ; pafTed the banks of Newfoundland among the French fhips which were ftfhing, v/ithout fpeaking with any of them ; and failed along the coafl of America. In this route he difcovered Cape Cod and landed there ; then purfued his courfe to the fouth and wefl ; making remarks on the foundings and currents, till he came to the entrance of Chefapeak bay. Here he plied off and on for feveral days, and then turned again to the northward. «-» ..j ,, .« ^ In his return along the coafl, on the 28th of Augufl he difcovered the great bay, now called Delaware, in the latitude of 39° 5', In this bay he examined the foundings and currents. uke 898 HUD S O N. currents, and the appearance of the land $ but did not go on fhore. hi, •' -'-^.y^'^ From this bay, pafling along a low marihy 9oaft fkirted with broken iflands, on the ad of September he faw high hills to the northward ; which I fuppofe were the Nev- crfinks in New Jerfcy. - - < ' . • V On the 4th of September, he came to an- chor in " a very good harbour" in the latitude 40° 30^, which is the bay within Sandy Hook. On the 6th, the boat was fent to furvey what appeared to be the mouth of a river, diftant four leagues. This was the Arait called the Narrows, between Long Ifland and Staten Jlland ; here was a good ucpth of water j and within was a large opening, and a narrow liver, to the weft ; the channel between Ber- gen Neck and Staten Ifland. As the boat was returning, it was attacked by fome of the natives, in two canoes. One man, John iColman, was killed ; he was buried on a point of land, which, from that circumftance, vv;.s called Colman's point. It is probably S jay" Hook, within which the (hip lay. i :'f i^- - . On the 1 1 th, they failed through the Nar- rows, ki^ ^ frund a **good harbour fecurefrom all wii'ils, Tb^ next day, they turned againft a N. W. 'J HUDSON, 399 a N. W. wind, into the rrouth of ^he river, which bears Hudfon's name 5 and came to anchor two leagues within it. Oa thefe two days, they were vifited by the natives, who broug^t corn^ beans, oyflers and tobacco. The y i! id pipes of copper, in which they in>oVM ; and earthen pots, in which they drefkJ their meat, Hudfon would not fufFer tbem to ilay on board by night, • '^ *< .v^.r*.^ : From the 12th to the 19th of September, he failed up the river 1 which he found about a mile wide and of a good depth, abounding with fi(h, among which were ** great ftore of falmons." As he advanced, the land on both iides was hi^, till it became very mountain- ous. This '* high land had many points, the channel was narrowband there were many eddy grinds.".-"' '^.-M.'»,i. ■ -n-r. -v- - . ■- .- From a careful enumeration of the com- puted diilances, in each day's run, as fet down in the journal, it appears that Hudfon failed iifty ^hrce leagues. To this diftance, the river was navigable, for the Ihip -, the boat went up eight or ten leagues farther 5 but found the bottom irregular, and the depth not more than feven feet. It is evident therefore that v>-s he 400 HUDSON. he pcniscrated this river, as far as where the city of Albany now ftands. i- ^ < * ?vr mim- The farther he went up the river, the more friendly and hofpitable the natives appeared. They gave him fkins in exchange for knives and other trifles. But as he came down, bel- low the mountains, the lavages were thievifh and troublofome, which occafioned frequent quarrels, in which eight or nine of them wcrd killed. The land on the eaftern fide of the river near its mouth, was called Manabata. On the 4th of Odober he came out of the river ; and without anchoring in the bay, flood cut to fea I and fleering dire6lly for Europe, on the 7th of November arrived *' in the range of Dartmouth in Devonfhire." Here the journal ends. - ^ -^ • ' ' ' "^'*^*^ ' • The difcoveries made by Hudfon, in this remarkable voyage, were of great mercantile Confequence to his employers. It has been faid, that he " fold the country, or rather his right to it, to the Dutch."* This however is queftionable. The fovcreigns of England and France laid equal claim to the country, and it is a matter which requires fome difcuffion, whether the Hollanders were, at that time, fo far * Smith's hiftory of New York, p. 14. Carey's edition. VI' H U D 8 O l^i 401 far admit,tc(L into the community of nations^ as to derive rights wl;(ich would be acknowl- edged bjf the other European powers.^ How^ 9(e|:» wbilii they were ftruggling for exig- ence ^among the; nations, they were growing rich by, their, mercantile adventures } and this ^capital difcovery, made at their expenfe» was a^ource of no fmall advantage to them. ;Ttiey had, for fome tinie before^ cafl an eye 09 the fur trade -, and had even bribed ibme Frenchmen, to admit them into the traffic at Acadia and Su Lawrenee^i The difcovery of Hudfon's river^ gave them at on/ce> an entrance of, above fifty leagues into the heart of the American continent j in a iltua- tipn, where. the beft furs could bo procured without any interruption from either the French or the Englifli. The place indeed lay, within the claim of both thefe nations z Acadia extended from the latitude of 40** to 48" ; and Virginia from 34** to 45' ; but the French had made feveral fruitlefs attempts to pafs fouthward of Cape Cod ; and had but jull begun the^r plantations at Acadia and St. Lawrence. The EngliQi had m^de fome ef- forts to eftablifh colonies in Virginia, one of which • Chalmer}' Annals. 568. Bb ■ ' 402 fl U D S O N. which was {truggjing for exiftefncc, and others had failed, both in the fouthern and nortfhcm divilion. Befides, King James, by a fif^oke of policy peculiar to himfelfy in dividing Virgmia, between the North and South Cortipanies, had interlocked each patent with the other ; and at the fame tmie inter diBed the patentee^ from planting within one hundred miles of each other.* This uncertainty, concurring with other caufes, kept the adventurers at fuch a diftance, that the intermediate country, by far the moft^ valuable, lay expofed to the in- trulionsof foreigners 5 none of whom knew better than the Dutch, how to avail them- felves of the ignorance or inattention of their neighbours, in the purfuitc^ gain. ; *^.< . But whether it can, at this time, be deter- mined or not, by what means the Holland- ers acquired a title to the country j certain it is, that they underftood and purfued the ad- vantage which this difcovery opened to them. Within four years, a fort and trading hou(e were ere but that they declined it, upon which he returned to England -, and again entered into the fcrvice of the Company^ who had before employed him. ' '• •"'The former attempts for a northern pafTage having been made in very high latitudes,it was now determined, to feek for one, by pafling to the weftward of Greenland, and examining the inlets of the American continent. For this purpofe a fhip was fitted out, and the command was given to Hudfon ; but, unhap- pily, the Company infifted that he (hould take with him as an afliftant, one Colburne, a very very able and experienced feaman. Their great confidence in Colburne's fkill excited Hudfon's envy ; aad after the (hip had fallen down the river, he put him on board a pink, bound up to London, with a letter to the owners, containing the rcafons of his con- B b 2 dua ; 404 HUDSON, dudl ; and then proceeded on his voyage* [April 22, 1 6 ID.] Thisrafh (lep gave the crew an example of diibbedience, v^hich was fo feverely retaliated on himfelf, as to prove the caufcof his ruin. , ::* i . He went round the north of Scotland, through the Orkney and Faro iflands, and on the nth of May made the caftern part of Iceland. Sailing along itfi fouthern fhore, in fight of the volcanic mountain Hecla, he put into a harbour in the weftern part of the illand ; where he met i with a friendly reception from the inhabitants ; but found great diflenlicns among his crew, which he could not appeafc without much difficulty. - Having doubled the fouthern promontory of Greenland, he fteercd N. W. for the Ameri- can continent. In this paflage he was fo en- tangled with floating ice,that healmoft defpair- ed of getting clear. But at length, with much labour and peril,he forced his way through the ftrait and into the bay which bear his name. The farther he advanced, the greater were the murmurings among his men. He removed his mate and boatfwain and put others into their places. This difcipline not only rendered him more unpopular ; but inflamed the difplaced officers with bitter refentment againft him. The \\ HUDSON. 405 ' The whole fummer having been fpcnt, in examining the eaAern and fouthern extremities of the deep and extenfive bay, which he had difcovered ; in 0(5tober it was too late to re- turn 3 the difcovery was yet incomplete, and he was loth to leave it. He had taken but half a year's provifion from England. It was therefore ncceffary to huiband what was left, and procure more by hunting ; which was done in great plenty, by -reafon of the numer- ous flights of fowl, which fucceeded each other through the winter. > f -■<,■■■■ In November the fhip was frozen up. Soon after the gunner died, and a controverfy took place about dividing his clothes. Hudfon was partid to Henry Green, a young man of a debauched character, whom he had taken on board ; and whofe name was not on the (hip's books. This young man ungeneroufly took part with the difcontented, and loil Hudfon'^ favour. ' ■■ , . V • - They had to ftruggle with a fevere winter, and bad accommodations, which produced fcorbutic and rheumatic complaints. Thefe were relieved by a decoction of the buds of a tree filled with a balfamic juice ^ the liquor was drank, and the buds applied to the fwelled joints. This is fuppofcd to have been Populus balfamifera^ the Bb3 Whea 4o6 HUDSON, When the fpi the birds difap- g came on, pearcd, and their provifions fell fhort* To flill the clamour among the difcontented, liudfon injudicioudy divided the remaining ftores, into equal (hares, and gave each man his portion ; which fome devoured at once ?ind others preferved. -> - The Ihip being afloat, he began to fail to- ward the N. W. to purfue the objedt of his voyage ; when, (June 21, 1611) a confpira- cy which had been fometime in fermentation, broke out into open mutiny. The difplaced mate and boatfwain, accompanied by the in- famous Green and others, rofe and took com- mand of the fliip. They put Hudfon, his Ion, the carpenter, the mathematician, and five others, moft of whom were fickand lame, into the fhallop ; with a fmall quantity of meal, one g\in and ammunition, two or three fpearS and an iron pot j and then with the mofl: favage inhumanity turned them adrift. This is the lafl account of Hudfon. Wheth- er he, with his unhappy companions, periflied by the fea, by famine, or by the favages, i^ unknown. . .. ■? The confplrators put the fhip about to the eaftward and haflcd to get out of the bay. Near Cape Digges, they met with {even canoes horn they were attacked. ^y I'T""! The HUDSON. 407 The perfidious Gceen was killed^ and three others wounded, of whom two died in a few days. The miferable remnant, purfued their courfe hojneward, and fufFered much by fam- ine ; but ^t length arrived in Ireland, and from thence got to England. u^^^ -^ ; This account of the unfortunate end of Hudfon and the return of the (hip, is taken, from a narraUve written by Abacuc Pricket,* whom the mutineers preferved, in hope that by his connexion with Sir Dudley Digges, one of the owners, they fhould obtain their pardon. ,?: . ^t ^ ^^. r „; _;,. . f The moil aftonifhing circumftance in this horrid adt of cruelty, is the oath, by which the confpirators bound thcmfelves to execute their plot ; the form of it is preferved by Pricket, and is in thefe words. <* You (hall fwear truth, to GOD, your Prince and Country ; you fliall do nothing but to the. Glory of GOD, and the good of the adtion in hand, and harm to no man/* It is to be hoped, that lh& abfurdity, bypoc- rify, and blafphemy of this tranfaftion will ever be unparalleled in the hiflory of humaa depravity I , • Purchas, iv, 5^7, ^■h. - / . tii POSTSCRIP T... . - •• ' ' 'I , - f ■ I 1 HE author is fo much indebted td^ i^AKLUYT and Purchas, that he thinks it ))ut jud to give fome account of them and their, writings. - Richard Hakluyt, Prebendary of Weftminfter, was born in Hcrfefot-dfhire, 1553. He early turned his attention to' geo-^ graphy, and read Icdures in that fcience at Oxford, where he \vas ' educated, and ^yhere he introduced maps and globes, into the pub- lic fchools. In 1^82 he published a fmall colledion of voyages and difcoveries y and going tvyo years after as chaplain to Sir Ed- ward Stafford ambaflador to France, he there met with and publiflied a M. S. entitled,' I'be Nofcihle Hijiory of Florida, hy Laudon-. nierre and other Adventurers, He returned to England in 1538, when he applied himfelf to collcdl, tranflate ai^d diged all the voyages, journals and letters that he could procure, which he publiflied firft in one volume, 1589, \6 which be afterward added two others, and reprinted the firft in 1599, and 1600. He was a man oi indefatigable diligence and great integrity ; much in favour with Qucea jplizabeth's miniftry, and largely converfan^ with •T 4tf^ with feamen. He died in 1616, ind his ma- nufcripts fell into the hands of Mr. ParchaSb ; [Wood and Northouck.] ' A complete fet of Hakluyt's Voyages is in the library of the MafTachufetts Hiftorical Society. Samuel Purchas was born at Thack- fteadin EfTex, 1577, and educated at Cam- bridge. He was firft vicar of Eaftwood in Eflex, then redor of St. Martin's London. He publifhed a folio vplume entitled, Purchas his Pilgrimage t or Relations of the World and the Religions obferved, in all Ages and Places ^ &c. The ^/6/r^ edition of it, is dated 1617. When Mr. Hakluyt's papers fell into his hands he compiled four other volumes, which were printed 1625 ; they are entitled, Purchas his Pilgrims. Part i, ii, iii, iv. The whole makes a fet of five volumes. They confift of journals, letters, narratives, tranflations and abridgements, comprehending all the travels^ tind difcoveries made in all parts of the world, ' and are, with Hakluyt's work, the largeft and moft authentic coUedion of the kind, extant for that time. By the publifliing of this vol- uminous work, Purchas brought himfelf into debt; 410 V • in • t ■? debt J and it has been faid that he dkd in prifon i but Northouck fays he died in own houfe in London, 1628. A complete fct of Purchas's Pilgrims is in the library of Harvard College. Jin -u {*-• • .j*i Hl> f.'IV I ) *♦ * " " ERRATA. ' - Page ^. note ^ read — failing tveflward faw ihc f.tsrUUff fun on the right hand. — 3 S', dele the marginal note. — 186, line 4, fiom bottom, for heard mi herd. — 190, line 6, for N|abille read Mobille. — 108, note, line /}, for about, read a boat. — 220, line 4, from bottom, dele the firft of. ",22, line 6, after weed infert in. — ^363, line 6, from bottom, read imitate. • - - ' ■A I7je X. - '" TA D. / .1 ist.j. rai Delaware Bay, difcovercd, Dermer Tbomas, Drogio, Dutch, intrude into the Fur Trade, I , complained of as Intruders, — — , pollefs Fludfoii's River, E. Eclipfe Lunar, fortunate to Columbus, Kgg, fet on its Imalleft £nd, Elizabeth Ifland, Eflotiland, Eudoxus, his Voyage, > Fog Banks, Fortifications, antique, Frifland, Fontede, Stiait of, Fuca John dc, — — , Strait of, defcribed. r. G. Galpe, Bay of, difcovercd, Gilbert Humphrey, > ■ ■ , takes poffeflion of Newfoundland, — — — , is loft at Sea, Gorges Ferdinando, ) his Pcrfeverance, — — — , his Defence before the Commons, , his Complaint againii the Dutch, , his Expenfe ana Lofs, , his Misfortunes aad DeatR, Gorges Thomas, Gorges Robert, Gorges John, Gorges Ferdinando, ad. Golnold Bartholomew, his Voyage, , his Death, Grenville Richard, , his Voyage to Virginia, » , his Death, Greenland, difcovercd, Guanahana, difcovered, Cuadaloupe, difcovered, 4iS 96, 107 m X06 361 70 387 875 St -•■•(■ ' . • > 'ft 67» 75 s«4 225, 228 16a — 196 soo S46 853 870 ,.-J 875 • 879 ' ™ 3J9 «o^ 374 390 390 23* «39 ' ao6 213 221 48 lOl 26, 104 Hanae, *«al •INDEX. II. /•'? H»nno, his Voyage, Hifpatiiola, (lifcovcicd, Homony, defcribed, Hudfun Henry, • 's River, difcovered, » i' . i 's Bay, difcovered, . his Misfortunes and Death, . ""- Jamaica, difcovered, •"" •i— , Columbus Wrecked on, James-town, Jefuils Introduced to Port Royal, iodependence of the Colonies Sufpe£le4) K. Kirk. David, takes Quebeck, *^« Laconia, defcribed, Lane Ralpii, Governour of Virginia, iiBwrencc St^ Bay and River difcovered, 'Line of Demarkation, Liflion, Columbus puts in at, M. - ■ , Madoc, Prince of Wales, Maine, Province of| , its Plan of Government* -— ^i , protcfted by MafTachufctts, - . - , J purchafed by Maffachufetts, Mafon John, connected with Gorges, , his Plantation at Pifcataqua, , his great Expenfe and Lofs, Maffachufetts Colony Eilablifhed, Mermaid fcen, Monfoons, known to the PhenicianSj Mentreai, difcovered and named, Monts de, ' ' , •— ^., his Patent for Acadia, ■ — — — , his Fort at St. Croix, — , auits Acadia, JMorell William, ftrft Epifcopal Clergyman in New England N. fNecho, his Voyage round Africa, " " ' ' 'Newfoundland, difcovered, .'' *< , its Productions, ' ; , State of its Fifhery, ' J Poireffed by the Englifh, Newport Chriiiopher, his Voyages, •4 21t 394 399 404 406 106 119 255 340 38 1 343 376" 214 163 103 »39 ?• 385 386 390 392 37^ 378 379 3^0 39^ 172 320 323 320 339 368 >97 200 973, 288 Norombega, INDEX. Norombega, Normans, their Navigation, O. Opecankanow, Kingof Pamaunky, Ovando, Governour of Hifpaniola, , his Cruelty to Columbus, T*aria, Gulf of, difcovered, 'Piaul the Phyfician, his Letters to Columbu% Peftilence among the Indians, 'Phenicians, the F irll Navigators, ; - ■ . , conflruftion of iheir Ships, — — — , their Mercantile Jealouly, Plymouth, Council of, EUabliQied, — , embarralTed — , diflblved, ■^ , Colony EQabllflicd, '^Pocahontas, £aves Captain Smith, •— — — , entertains him with a Dance, ' ■ - ' , reveals her father's Treachery, •i- , her Voyage to England, -^ , her Death, ^t'orland, •Port Royal, Plantation at, Poulrincourt, .ai; 'Powhatan, ■*^ -, his Coronation, 'Quebeck, named, , Fort built, •_^u_- — J taken by the Englifli, , reflored to the Franeh, 'Raleigh Walter, ■ , his D«atb, Roanoke, difcovered, Roldan, his Mutiny, Q. R. S. Sable, Ifland, flocked with Cattle, — , conviQs landed at, Sagadahock, Colony at, Scurvy, Remedy for, Skralinffs, Smith John, , his Encounter with the Turks, ' , fold as a Slave, —————, his Efcape, 328 47 119, ^^l 110 141, »47 383 384 «, 365 270 284 307 310 81 325 320 256 887 323 34» 343 344 206 sat «o8 112 209, 204 321 350 176 51 240 247 a49 250 Smith » '♦' I-, « 4»6 INDEX. £mitb JoHhj his Voyage to South Virginia, .— — • ) taken by the Indians, ', faved by Pocahontas, •————, rcleafed, ^ , his Difcoverics, _ \ ' , made Prefident of Virginia, , his Fame among the Indians, — ^ , his Singular Difcipline, I " , . i his Retarn to England, " ■ ) " " , his VoJ'age to North Virginia, ■ * • • , his Writings, ,. '— > , his Dfcath, Soto Ferdinando de, his Adventures in Florida, , his De'iith, > ; Tobacco firft known, — , carried to England, Trinidad, Ifland difcovered. *§3 265 270 271 277, zoo 281 294 290, 296 303 i . 305 .» , 3»5 __ 3i9 185 ?9a V. Vineyard Martha s, difcovered irgmia name(|, «--j , its Topography by Herlof, * • «! •< ' ■■ , firft Child born in, j-^- , Company, their Miftakes, V- ^ fecond Patent, ' — *- , divided into North and South, W. ^White John, Governour of Virginia, ' Winland, difcovered, X. IXerxes, his order* to fail round Africa, Z. 2«no, ZoBes, Do£lrine oft .,\ 173 22a 110 «34 212 si8 srSfi, 289 300 . 348 217 S, 19 67 »7 , £;ti . 1 ■j'^ -ifc \ ye*! f !^. ' 1% v 9 s (.■ e END OF VOL. I, i . *. 265 270 Z'Jt 281 294 , 296 303 305 316 3«9 185 ?9a »73 223 110 «34 212 si8 ,289 300 348 217 5« ># »9 67