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Cornell University Library 1993.VII.
NEW YORK IN 1692.
LETTER FROM CHARLES LODWICK,
MR. FRANCIS LODWICK AND MR. HOOKER,
DATED MAY 20, 1692.
READ BEFORE THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.
[Copied from the original in the British Museum, for Jons Carter Brown, Esq. of Provi-
dence, and by him communicated for publication.]NEW YORK IN 1692.
gSloane MS. No. 3339, Art. 13, p. 93, et seq.; (original paging, 253 et seq.) Ascough’s Catalogue of MSS. uk
British Museum, p.653, No. 3339: 18.]
Mr. Charles Lodwick, his acct. of New Yorke, in a Letter
to his Unkel, Mr. Francis Lodwicke, and Mr. Hookerr
Members of ye Royal Society, dated from New York, May
20, 1692. Reed Sept. 5, A. D. 1692, and read before y®
Royal Society, Nov. 26, 1713.
Hond. Gentlemen:
I have sufficient reasons to beg your pardons for my
neglect; it is now full 4 years since I recd yr commands
to give you what Acc* I was capable, of ye Constitution
of this Country, which indeed had been much sooner
obeyed, had not ye Confusion and Disturbance here among
ourselves wholly impeded even our common Affairs, that for
almost 3 years, we had enough to do to exercise all
our brains to secure our ps’ons, and that little we had,
from ye Cruelty and Tyranny of an ungovernable mobb *
which by ye peculiar mercy of God, and ye extended Fa-
vor of our Prince, we are in part released from.
I have endeavor’d to collect y* Opinions of our gravest
Sages here, where my young experience would not lett me
conclude, and tho’ it be far from what it ought, for where
Mrs of ships are ye chiefest Mathematicians, and ye Na-
tives Geographers, with such tools you must not expect a
good Fabric, especially by ye hands of so unskillfull a work-
man. But I shall wholly forbear makeing any farther ex-
cuses for ye great faults and many impertinencies you will
find; and since it is only design’d for yr private diver-
sions, I doubt not but you will read, and pardon, and in full
assurance of yr Generosities, I take leave to subscribe my-
self, gentlemen,
Yr most obedient, humble serv*,
CHS* LODWICK.
New York, 20th May, 1692,244
NEW YORK IN 1692.
The Citty New York lies in America, in ye Late of 40
Degr: 40 Min: North, on an Island, distant from ye open
Sea about 7 leagues northward, scituate between 2 Riv-
ers, one called Hudson's river, running North by East,
navigable for great ships, near 40 leagues up ; ye other
River runs East by North nearest, and is made by Long
Island, and in a passage to ye Sea betwixt that and ye main
Land. This Island of New York was formerly called by ye
Natives, Manhattens, is ab* 5 leagues in extent, and is an
Island by a runn of water fordable att Low water between
ye 2 forementioned rivers; before ye Town is an excellent
Harbor, Land-Lokt on all sides; ye country woody, but
very pleasant. Our chiefest unhappyness here is too
great a mixture of nations, and English ye least part; ye
French Protestants have in ye late King's reign resorted
hither in great nubers proportionably to ye other nation’s
inhabitants. Ye Dutch, generally ye most frugall and
laborious, and consequently ye richest; whereas most of
y® English are y® contrary, especially ye trading part.
As to Religion, we run so high into all Opinions, that here
is, (I fear,) but little reall; and how justly might ye Right-
eous God pour down his impending Judgments on us; yet
God hath blest us with a healthy Climate, a fruitful Soil,
plenty of all sorts of provisions needful for ye support of
Mankind. We are ye chief granary to most of ye West
India islands. Boston was formerly famous for excellent
Wheat, whereas now ye whole Massatusetts colony can
scarce produce one hundred Bushells, and peas ye same ;
it grows up as fair as any can do, and when it begins to
ear, black spotts ab* ye middle of ye stalk, which hinders
y* sap ascending, ye ear withers and produces nothing
but chaff. None of our wise men here can assign any
natural reason for this, when but just out of ye Massatu-
setts, in Conecticut colony, grows as fair corn as any in
America. A small worm does often destroy our peas here
while they grow, tho’ seldom any other grain. It is [in] my
Opinion wholly uncertain if not improbable, that this Main
of America should have overflowed since ye Deluge, by
reason of ye extrea high land generally, nor have I been
able to observe any signs of a second Deluvium; many
Shells of Oysters and other shell fish are found upon high
hills as well as valleys, and sometimes two or three foot
within ye Earth, but are supposed to have been brought
there by ye Natives, ye fish having served them for food,NEW YORK IN 1692.	245
and ye shells rotting, serve for dung to thier land, which is
common in these parts now among ye Christians.
Most sorts of European Animalls thrive here very well,
tho’ ye Country before ye discovery was not known to have
produced any of those usual sorts of Beasts, as horses, cows,
sheep, hoggs, or goats; Sheep would increase here and do
very much,—English or clover grass agreeing very well
with ye land, yet ye stature of ye cattle seem rather to
decrease here, wch might doubtless in a great measure
be helpt by care and good husbandry: An Ox shall ordi-
narily wiegh here six hundred wieght, rarely one thousand;
whither it be occasioned by ye use of too young bulls, one
can scarce keep a bull till 2 years old without cutting,
they grow so fierce and mischievous, or whither ye pier-
cing heat and sometimes great drought in ye summer, may
not be instrumental to hinder thier growth, besides here is
a mischievous insect call’d a musqueta, or small little fly,
which extreamly vexes ye cattle, and is often observ’d to
make ym grow lean, hindering thier feeding.
We are not so careful here, nither, of ye breed of horses
as in Europe, which without doubt be much mended by in-
dustry ; they commonly turn thier spare horses into ye woods,
where they breed and become wild; and as they have occa-
sion they catch up ye colts, and break them for thier use ; all
sorts of cattle are now in aboundance and increase dayly;
a horse is sold from 2 to 6 pound, an ox or cow from 2 to
5 pound, this country money, wch is 25 per cent, worse
than sterling.
Most fruit trees grow here and thrive, especially Apples,
Pears, Cherries and Peaches, &c. Of ye last ye country
abounds of most sorts usual in England ; they grow com-
monly along ye high ways, and in such quantity that they
become fruit to ye hoggs ; Apricocks are very rare, they not
being able so well to endure our sharp frosts as ye others
do, and no doubt all vegetables will grow here if not of
too tender a root; all garden herbs are here in aboundance,
and will grow in half ye time they do in England, tho’
our Spring beginns here not so soon as in England, yet
when it beginns goes on with greater vigour; we generally
observe most fruits lessen in bigness every year ; a large
bean planted here shall bear a bean scarce half so big as
ye seed was.
Rosemary will not endure our Winter at all; Artichoak
and Colly flowers will grow, but are very tender, and bear
a fruit no bigger than a good apple.im
NEW YORK IN 1692.
Those animalls which are ye natural product of this coun-
try are Elks, Deer, Bears, Bevers, Otters, Foxes, Racoons,
Maters, Minks, Woodshocks, Waterratts or Musquash, and
Wolves, which latter prove very mischievous to our cattle,
are in aboundance, and are supposed to increase dayly; here
are also most sorts of birds usual in England, except ye
Magpye and house-sparrow, tho’ several of differing col-
ours from any in England; ye most rare is a small bird we
call a humming bird, which is not so bigg as ye first joint
of an ordinary man’s little finger, but of a curious change-
able colour ; it has a long bill or trunk as long as its body,
with which it sucks its nourishment from blossoms and
flowers, and is supposed to have no other sustenance;
where it generates I could never be informed, it being only
visible here in ye Summer; we have also ye mocking bird,
tho’ rares I never observ’d ye nightingales, tho’ some
affirm they are here; we have most sorts of hawks wild ;
we are not yet so genteel to tame any for our use;
wild pidgeons are here in aboundance; they breed up ye
country some hundreds of miles of from us Northward,
and come flying in great quantity in ye Spring, and pass
to ye Southward, and return to us about ye time our corn
is ripe, and settle in ye Trees and on ye corn Lands in
great numbers; here are several sorts of venemous snakes;
ye most rare is ye rattle snake, whose poyson is not in
its toungue, but in a small bladder within ye teeth, which
breaks when it bites ; a wound from this snake cause ex-
quisite Torments and raving madness, and has been thought
incurable till ye Natives informed us of an herb call’d
thence snake root, of which there are two sorts, one white,
ye other red; it grows in many places, and mostly where
these snakes haunt most; :
y® other sort like a strawb<
ye hurt, and bruised and applyed outwardly to ye wound,
expells presently ye pain, and ye patient is well in a day’s
time; ye Indians make nothing of a bite from these snakes;
they will not willingly hurt a man or beast, but fly from
them, unless accidentally trod on. I have killed several;
they have a sort of a scarf that grows on their tails, and is
divided sometimes into 8 or 9 parts, ab* a \ of an inch
broad, which they shedd, (probably with their skinns,) and
being loose makes a noise like a rattle, as they move
their bodyes, from whence they take ye name of Rattle-
Snake*
ye white ye best, if takenNEW YORK IN 1692.
24?
The musqueta, a small sort of fly, is also venemous, has
a small body not much bigger than ye head of a pin, 6
long leggs, and a trunk almost \ of an inch long, by wch
it sucks blood from Man and Beast, and wherever it bites,
that part swells immediately itching extreamly, which by
scratching often proves a venemous sore, but if lett alone
it vanishes quickly.
Most sorts of Fish are here in aboundance, some not usual
in England; one sort call’d Sheepshead, from its having
teeth in its upper and nither jaw not unlike a sheep, and
is supposed to eat grass in ye bottom of ye rivers, it is in
shape something like a bream, tho’ much thicker; one
will weigh sometimes twelve pound ; they are taken here
by ye sea side in great quantityes, in June, July, and Au-
gust, with netts, and are excellent food; here is also an-
other Fish called here black-fish, is of tast and shape not
unlike a Tench, and has also teeth like ye Sheepshead, but
not above one 8th part so big, is also a Seafish, and is taken
generally among ye Rocks, where sea grass grows. The
Indians tell us of several medicinall herbs excellent ag*
green or old sores, but are very sparing of their informa-
tion where they find them ; some that are conversant with
them, pretend to know them ; I have heard of very admi-
rable cures performed by ye Natives wth herbs. Shoe-
mach and Saxifras is here in aboundance also, and most
sorts of Trees usual in England ; ye common sorts here are
Canow or white wood, (not unlike Spruce, being soft, but
of a white colour,) Walnutt, red and white Oak; our wood is
of shorter growth and by far not so durable as in England,
which we find by experience ; a ship built of European
Timber will last thrice as long as one built of this timber,
altho’ it is as fair to ye Eye. Doubtless this country has
Gold and Silver, tho’ not any thing material yet discover’d,
several Iron Mines are here (of which is made excellent
Iron,) and other ponderous Mineralls, a yellow and a myrry
red clay, very good Marble, Isinglass and several shining
Stones, which are most used here for building. Our har-
bour is made by Long Island Southward of ye Town, where
ye tide flowes South East makes high water att—a clock, at
full or change; ye usual spring tides rise ab* 9 foot, un-
less a strong Easterly wind blow, which considerably
raises ye water, sometimes 2, sometimes 3 foot, or that
a strong Nor-West wind blow which decreases it as
much; at nip tides ye water rises about 7 foot and J, along
y€ coast, and several leagues to ye Eastward, is a con-248
NEW YORK IN 1692.
tinual currant which runns commonly East, sometimes more
North, or South, ye tide of Flood comes commonly along
Shore from ye East and by South, and ye tide of Ebb runs
again W. by N. nearest; ye tide is not perceiv’d ab* 3 or 4
leagues at most of ye Shore.
We have little fishing on our coast of at Sea, (I mean
from ye Government of New York,) altho’ here is at ye
Seasons, cod, haddock, herring and mackrell, but plenty
of Fish at our doors makes us less industrious to fetch them
from abroad ; all ye winter we have Perch when ye Ice
hinders not; in ye Spring, Basse and Shadds, which first
continue generally most of ye Summer, and are taken be-
fore ye Town, going up ye River, into ye fresh water to
spawn: May, June, July and August, we have those black-
fish and Sheepsheads before mention’d, and a Sea Perch,
which is ye only [word omitted] which is taken of ye coast in
8 fathom water. Sturgeon is here in aboundance almost
all ye year, both in Salt and fresh water, but ye greatest
quantity in Spring and Fall, altho’ we cannot arrive to that
perfection of curing them as in Danzig, as we lye here
in ye Lat: of 40 Deg: 40 Min:, we should consequently
have but little hard winter, were it not for those many moun-
tains and Lakes of fresh [water] lying north of us, which
engender strong Nor-West winds, which prove extream
boisterous and cold, and produces great Snows and hard
Frosts, and is ye most common wind we have all ye win-
ter long; Nor-East winds are our Rainy winds, Southerly
and South East blasting, tho’ it seldom happens, all ye
Summer long we have little but S. and S. S. E. winds;
our Sea breazes, wch cools and refreshes ye air, and
makes ye heat tollerable; this country is much subject
to thunder gusts all ye Summer long, rising in ye N. W.
with extream gusts, and rain yet lasts not above 7 or 8
minutes, tho’ sometimes half an hour. The Country is
generally healthy, tho’ 2 years ago ye Small Pox, which was
very mortal, especially to grown people, a sort of pleurysye,
(not cured but increasing by bleeding,) and violent fevers
took away a great many, wch is rather to be lookt upon as
a particular hand of God, than any inclination of ye cli-
mate ; a hott summer, sometimes caused by ye want of our
usual sea breazes, causes violent fevers, yet not generally
mortall; sweating is counted ye quickest and safest rem-
edy if ye Patient be not too weak ; the Ague has been lately
ryfe amongst us, tho’ with much less cold than in Europe,
and ye most common every other day.249
YORK IK 1692.
The Natives were very numerous att the Christians first
Kitting down here, tho’ since, their number is much de-
creased, by reports from one hundred to one: ye small
jpox took many of them away lately, and they yet dayly de-
crease, some think by their takeing to drink rum, (a Liquor
we have from Barbadoes, distilled off their sugar canes,)
which they exceedingly covet; and will not be satisfyed till
they are very drunk with it. As to their Religion, they are
heathens; and thro’ ignorance, are seduced to worship
the Devil, who, as themselves report, often appears to them
in a shape; they have some blind apprehensions of a supe-
riour being whom they fear, because they think he is able
to do them hurt. I could never observe any sett form of
Worshipp amongst them, or any sett apart for Priests, tho*
when they go to War, or fear some sudden destruction, they
have their pouwaw, wch is more properly a conjuration,
where many of them dance in a ring, singing, and some
howling in Antic postures, wThile others invoke their Mo-
netto, or God, praying him not to hurt or kill them. This
is perform'd generally by their Capts and great Men;
formerly, they sacrificed one another, which has been dis-
used now some years. Their manner of habitt is ye Men
naked except a small peece of DufFetts wch comes be-
tween their Legs, and is tyed with a string ab* their loyns
to cover their secret parts; the women have short petty-
coats of duffetts to their knees ; each have a blankett or a
fato length of duffetts ab* their shoulders like a mantle;
they have no more in ye coldest wheather; they anoynt
their bodyes with bears greece to harden their skinn, that ye
cold may less penetrate; they are generally healthy, lusty
tall men and women, strong bodyed, rarely one crooked
amongst them, and by what we can understand of them,
(for they can neither read nor write,) some have lived 100
years; their women bring strong children, tho’ not so
many generally as Women in Europe ; they are often de-
liver’d as they travel from one place to another; if they
find their pains coming, they step aside under a Tree all
alone, and sometimes in less than ^ an hour, they follow
their company with their newborn babe, lapp’d up in a
corner of their blankett, having first washt that and therm-
selves att ye next brooke of water they come att; their cheif
food is Maiz, or Indian Corn, wch they plant; it is about
ye bigness of a horse bean, is a very fruitfull grain; one
corn planted often yielding 2000 fold ; Yenison dryed in ye
sun without salt, clams and oysters, also dryed, is their
SECOND SERIES, VOL. II.	17250
NEW YORK IN 1602.
usual food for travelling, tho’ they generally eat y® flesh
of what they kill by ye way, and till lately did also eat
man’s flesh, when they took any of their Enemys Prison-
ers* Their houseing where they reside are most Hutts or
Wigwams as they call them, with long thin poles bent,,
and both ends stuck in ye ground arch manner, not unlike
our Arbers in England, and these covered with bark, make-
ing their fire under it; in their travells they only cutt down
a few boughs, sticking them in ye ground to windward,
and makeing a good fire, lye down to sleep on ye bare earth,
covering themselves with ye blanketts; they generally
carry their utensills with them, ye Man with his gun,
hatchet, and knife, ye woman a kettle, a small wooden4
dish, and their dryed provision and some maiz; to grind
their corn they use only 2 stones to pound it, and then
boyl it with water and so eat it; they are generally of good
natural parts, strong memories and very apprehensive;;
they trouble themselves not about Religion; their languages
are different each nation, as there are, I believe, 10 or
12; have their peculiar speech, tho’ they have a Lingua
Franca, (as I may call it,) by which they all understand one
another. Their women are obliged to prepare their Land,,
and plant their corn ; ye Men hunt and provide provisions,
which ye women again must carry; they have a sort of
Despotic Government among them by a Sacamaker, who
is over their nation; his word is a law, tho’ in cases of
great consequence, all, both Men and Women, are often
consulted; they are very cruel in their Warrs,tormenting
and often burning their prisoners in cold blood; if any of
them have lost a friend or Relation in ye Warrs, ye others
offer their Prisoners to such,, as if a Man has lost his Son,,
a Prisoner is offered to him. If he will accept ye Prisoner
as his Son, ye loss is supposed to be made up, and ye per-
son so taken is lookt upon in all respects as y® Relation lost,
but if he refuses, ye Prisoner must immediately be burnt*
and this sentence is irrevocable. They labour not much, but
in absolute necessity, are generally lazy, affect not any
Sports, but mostly employ themselves in hunting and fish-
ing, in which they are very dexterous, and as good marks-
men as most Christians; they have no occasion to preserve
any food unless for their journeys, haveing always game
enough in ye woods.—finis.