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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

^n Account
ofY'irgirm., its Scit nation. Tempera
ture, VroduBions, Inhahitants
and their manner of -plant
ing and ordering
Tobacco
Communicated by Mr. Thomas Glover
an ingenious Chirurgion that hath
lived fame years in that
Country

i

Reprinted from the Philosophical Trans aBions
of the Royal Society., June ao, i (> 7<f , and fold hy
B. H. Blackwell, at his Shop in Broad Street
Oxfordj over againft the Sheldonian Theatre

Two f/undred & Fifty copies only of this reprint of
a Paper communicated to the Royal Society in
1676 are issued, in the hope that this .Account may
interest Collectors of Americana, and others who
would be unlikely to meet with it in the Transac
tions of which it forms a part.
The type used is contemporary with the Tract,
being that cast under the direction of Dr. John Fell,
who was Bishop of Oxford in 167 j, and presented
by him to the University.

Oxford: Horace Hart
Trinter to the Univerfty

(L/fn zAccount of Virginia
&c.
Virginia being a part of the Continent of
./America, is diftant fro m the Lizard or Lands-
end oi England -k thoufand Leagues, and is bounded
on the Eaft with the main Ocean, on the Weft
with the Appal-lean Mountains, on the North
with De la wares-hTLy and River, and on the South
with the River ofjRoanock; the Countrylieth with
in a Bay called the Bay of Chifepeek ; the mouth
or entrance whereinto is due weft:, being about fix
leagues in breadth, and runneth up into the Coun
try North and by Eaft about one hundred Leagues,
continuing the forementioned bredth a great part
of the way, but narroweth by degrees towards the
upper end about one half: The water in the Chan
nel is for the moft part nine fathom, but in fome
places not above feven : The Southernmoft Cape
of this Bay lieth in 37 degrees and odd minutes North-

(4)
North-latitude, and within the fame are divers little
Iflands, upon fome of which there are Plantations.
Into this Bay do iflue fo many large, pleafant
and commodious Rivers, as I verily believe no fpace
of ground of equal dimenfions in the whole world
can boaft of the like : The moft eminent of thefe
cLTC, James 'River, Tork, Rapa-han-noci,Poto-mach,
Potuxen, and Choptanck ; the four laft retain their
Indian names. At the head of the Bay do enter
three large Rivers, one whereof is c-H^&^Suf-ca-han-
«<?^,fromaNationof/«rfir««j-fb called, borderingon
the fame ; the names of the other two I do not well
remember. Befidesthefe, there are twiceasmany as
navigable as thefe, but by reafon they run not above
thirty or forty miles, I fhall forbear inferting any of
their names. Potomack, the largeft of all the reft,
is at the mouth ten miles broad, and continueth
that bredth for twenty miles up; from which place
it is fix miles broad, and continueth that bredth
for thirty miles higher, and is in length about two
hundred miles. This River lieth about the middle
of the Bay, and divideth the Government between
my Lord oi Baltamore zridiST .ff^ill. Bartlet ; the
other Riversj whofe names are here inferted, are
moft

(:r)
moft of them two Leagues broad at the mouth, and
fbmeof them a hundred and fifty, others ahundred
and twenty miles in length.
TheT/Vfj-arefcarcedifcernib^when the winds
hold at North-weft ; but at other times they flow
as they do in England, only they appear not fb
large; the reafon whereof may be, becaufe the
Tide diffufeth it felf into fo many fpacious Rivers;
neither is it needful, in regard the Bay and Rivers
are deep enough without the help of the Tide
to receive the biggeft Ship in the world; only it
is helpful to bring in veflels when the winds are
fmall or oppofite.
In the Rivers are great plenty and variety of
delicate Fifh ; one kind whereof is by the Englifh
called a Sheepfhead, from the refemblance the eye
of it bears with the eye of a Sheep : This fifh is
generally about fifteen or fixteen inches long, and
about half a foot broad; it is a wholefbm and plea
fant fifli, and of eafie digeftion. A Planter does
oftentimes take a dozen or fourteen in an hours
time, with hook and line.
There is another fort which the Englifh call
a Drum ; many of which are two foot and a half or

or three foot long. This is likewife a very good
fifh, and there is great plenty of them. In the
head of this fifh there is a jelly, which being taken
out and dried in the Sun, then beaten to powder
and given in broth, procureth fpeedy delivery to
women in labour.
At the heads of the Rivers there are Sturgeon,
and in the Creeks are great ftore of fmall fifh, as
Perches J Crokers, Taylors, Eels, and divers others
whofe names I know not. Here are fuch plenty
of 0/sters as they may load fhips with them. At
the mouth of Edizabeth River, when it is a low
water, they appear in rocks a foot above water.
There are alfb in fome places great ftore ofMuf-
cles and Cockles ; there is alfb a fifh called a Sting
ray, which much refembleth a Skate, only on one
fide of his tayl grows out a fharpbone like abodkin
about four or five inches long, with which he fbrikes
and wounds other fifh, and then preys upon them.
.^ And now it comes into my mind, I fhaU here
infert an account of a very ftrange Fifh or rather
a Monfter, which I happened to fee in Rapa-han-
nock River about a year before I came out of the
Country ; the manner of it was thus : As

(^;) p^H-.r<'4^,

As I was coming down the forementionedRiver
in a Sloop bound for the Bay,it happened to prove
calm ; at which time we were three leagues fhort
of the rivers mouth ; the tide of ebb being then
done, the floop-man dropped his grap-line, and
he and his boy took a little boat belonging to
the floop, in which they went afhoar for water,
leaving me aboard alone, in which time I took
a fmaU book out of my pocket and fate down at
the ftern of the veflel to read ; but I had not read
long before I heard a great rufhing and flafhing
of the water, which caufed me fuddenly to look
up, and about half a ftones eaft from me appeared
a moft prodigious Creature, much refembling a
man, only fbmewhat larger, ftanding right up in
the water with his head, neck, fhoulders, breaft,
and wafte, to the cubits of his arms, above water;
his skin was tawny, much Hke that of an Indian;
the figure of his head was pyramidal, and flick,
without hair ; his eyes large and black, and so
were his eye-brows ; his mouth very wide, with
a broad, black ftreak on the upper lip, which
turned upwards at each end like muftachoes ; his
countenance was grim and terrible; his neck,
fhoulders.

(8)
1 fhoulders, arms, breaft and waft, were like unto
the neck, arms, fhoulders, breaft and waft of
^3L man; his hands, if he had any, were under
water ; he feemed to ftand with his eyes fixed on
me for fome time, and afterward dived down, and
a little after rifeth at fbmewhat a farther diftance,
and turned his head towards me again, and then
immediately falleth a little under water, and fwim-
raeth away fb near the top of the water, that I
could difcern him throw out his arms, and gather
them in as a man doth when he fwimmeth. At
laft he fhoots with his head downwards, by which
means he eaft his tayl above the water, which ex-
a6lly refembled the tayl of a fifh with a broad
fane at the end of it.
On the Bay and Rivers feed fb many wild fowl,
as in winter time they do in fome places cover
the water for two miles; the chief of which are
wild Swans a.nd Geese,Cormorants, Brants ^Shield-
fowl, Duck and Mallard, Teal, Wigeons, with
many others.
There likewife keep in the Rivers Bevers and
Otters; the Bevers have their teeth fo ftrong and
fharp, that they gnaw down trees, wherewith they

(p)
they make damms crofs the waters, under which
they keep, which are ufually C2Si&d Bever-damms,
and in fome places ferve in the room of foot-
Bridges.
The original fprings,that make all thefe Rivers,
arifeat thefbotoftheyf^/>«-/M« Mountains; but the
Catara6ls or falls of the Rivers are fixty or feventy
miles diftant from the Mountains.
Thefe Mountains have their beginning North
ward at the Lake of Canada, and run along the
back of the Country to the South-weft as far as the
lake UJherre, which is fome hundreds of Leagues.
There was one Colonel Catlet, that was a good
Mathematician, who with fome other Gentlemen
took a Journey to make fome further difcoveries
of the Country to the Weftward, and arriving at
the foot of the Mountains early in the morning,
they left their horfes, and endeavoured to gain
the tops of the Mountains, which they accom-
plifhed about four of the clock in the afternoon,
and then looking further forward they difcovered
other Mountains, whereof they took the altitude
and judged them inacceffible ; which difcouraged
them from any further attempts, their defign being
chiefly

(io)
chiefly to difcover whether there were any Rivers
that ran into the South-ocean.
Above five years fince there was a German
Chirurgeon, who obtained a Commiffion from
Sr. Will. Bartlet to travel to the South-weft of
Virginia, and to make difcovery of thofe parts :
He went along the foot of the Mountains as far as
the Lake of UJherre, and difcovered them to be
paflable in two places, and he gives a relation, that,
while he was in an Indian town adjacent to the
Mountains,therecamefour Indians on anEmbaffie
to theKingof thattown,from a King that lived on
the other fide of the Mountains, who by the com
mandment of the King on this fide were aU ftran-
gled, with which barbarous ufagehe was much aba-
fhed,fearingthe like cruelty; but they proved more
civil to him, permitting him to depart infafety.
At his return he brought an £meraaZ/, and fome
Spanifh mony, which he faid he had of the Indians
bordering on the Lake of Ufherre, which caufed
fome to think that fome Spaniards are feated near
upon the back of the Mountains.
Having hitherto difcourfed of the Bay, Rivers,
and Mountains, I fhall now make fome entrance into

(IX)
into the Land ; and firft of the fhores, which all
along the Bay and Rivers are for the moft part
fandy,but onlyin fome pointsthereisfome fhingle
eaft up : but the Earth affordeth very few Stones,
and thofe that are there, are almoft all of them
hard&tranfparent. I have takenupfeveralftones,
that would cut glafs as well as any Diamond. Sr.
Henry Chichely had a ftone, that was taken up
by the Rivers fide, which he put into a Ring, for
which Ring he hath been profer'd fifteen pounds;
and I do verily think, that there are fome ftones
gathered there that do abate the price of Diamonds;
for I have feen feveral Rings ofVirginta ftones,
which in my judgment have equalled Diamonds
in luflre.
The Chiefs of all the Rivers are full of great
veins of Iron-mine, and in fome places of the
Countrey I have feen Rocks of the fame to lye
a foot above the Earth; and generally all the high
Lands under the mould are a meer Rock of Iron ;
the confideration whereof together with the in
finite plenty of wood did caufe me with admira
tion to enquire, why they did not endeavour the
improvement of that advantage which God and
Nature

(12)
Nature had put into their hands, by running of
this Mineral ; but I was anfwer'd,That an Iron
work would coft three thoufand pounds, and the
Countrey being generally poor, were difcouraged
from the attempt by reafon of the charge. I be
lieve the tnie reafon is, their being fb intent
on their Tobacco- Plantations that they negle6l:
all other more Noble and advantageous improve
ments whereof the Countrey is capable, which
without doubt are many. For in their planting
Tobacco they find greateft encouragement from
England, by reafon of the vaft revenue it brings
into the Exchequer.
They diftinguifh their foil into three forts, w.3.
High, low and marfhyLand; all which have fome
fand mix'd in them, that makes their Land warmer
than ours is in England. Their high Lands are
moft fandy, but do notwithftanding bear very
good Crops of Tobacco ; only it does not hold its
ftrength fo long as the low ground, which is very
rich, being a blackifh mould about a foot deep, or
fomewhat more, and wiU hold its flrength for
feven or eight Crops fucceffively without manur
ing. Their Marftilands bear fedges and ruflies after the

(I?)
the manner of ours; and of thefe they have not en
deavoured any improvement as yet. Their Land
in general is as good and fertile as the Land of
England; when the flrength of their ground
is worn out they never manure it to bring it in
heart, but let it lie for pafture for all Mens Cattel
to grafe upon, and clear more ground out of the
Woods to plant in.
As to the Timber of this Countrey, there are
divers kinds ; four feveral forts of Oak, very tall
and fmooth. There is alfb another fort of Tim
ber called Hickery, that is harder than any Oak.
There are alfo very large and tall Poplars ; and
in fome parts of the Countrey great ftore of Pines,
fit for Mafts of Ships : There is likewife black
JValnut, Ciprejf, Cedar, Dogwood, Ajh, Elm, Gum-
tree, Locuft, Chejnut, Hajel, Sajfafras, Holly, Elder,
with feveral others.
As to the Fruit-Trees of the Countrey,it affords
great plenty : For there are few Planters but that
have fair a!nd large Orchards, fome whereof have
twelve hundred Trees and upward, bearing all
forts of Englifh Apples, as Pear-mains, Pippins,
Rujfetens, Cojiards, Marigolds, Kings-apples, Ma-
gitens.

(14)
gitens, Batchelours, and many others, of whichthey
make great ftore of Cider.
Here are likewife great Peach-Orchards,w')aich.
bear fuch an infinite quantity of Peaches, that at
fome Plantations they beat down to the Hoggs
fourty bufhels in a year.
Here are alio great store of §luinces, which are
larger and fairer than thofe oi England, and not io
harfh in tafte ; of the juice of thefe they alfo make
Quince-drink. Here are likewife Apricocks, and fome forts of
Englifh Plums, but thefe do not ripen fo kindly
as they do in England.
There are fome forts of Pears, but at very few
Plantations ; I have feen the Bergamy, Warden,
and two or three other forts, and these are as fair,
large and pleafant as they are in England.
Here grow as good Figgs, as there do in Spain,
but there are few planted as yet.
Thofe that take the pains to plant Goofe-berries,
have them ; but I never faw any of our Englifh
Currants, (Riberries) there, and it is obferv'd, that
Oranges and Limons will not grow there, though
they do in more Northern Countries. I

(I^)
I had almoft forgot to mention their Mulberry-
Trees, whereof they have good ftore about their
Houfes ; thefe were planted at firft to feed Silk
worms, but that defign failing, they are now of
little ufe amongft them.
The meaneft Planter hath ftore oi Cherries, and
they are all over F'irginia as plentiful as they are
in Kent. TheCherry-Trees grow more large gen
erally than they do in England, and bear more
plenfuUy (sic) without any pains-taking of digging
about them, or pruning them.
There groweth wild in fbmeplaces of the Woods
a Plum fbmewhat like oatWheat-Plum,h\xt it doth
exceed it, being much more fucculent.
In the Woods there are abundance oi F'ines,
which twine about the Oaks and Poplars, and run
up to the top of them ; thefe bear a kind oi Claret-
grapes* of which fome few of the » rfce/e r>«w
Planters do make Wine, whereof I ^i-vt very Urge
have tafted ; it is fbmewhat fmaller ¦»<"''"•
than French Claret ; but I fuppofe, if fome of thefe
Wines were planted in convenient vine-yards,
where the Sun might have a more kindly influ
ence on them, and kept with diligence and feafbn- able

(i6)
able pruning, they might afford as good grapes as
the Claret-Grapes of France are.
There is alfo in the Woods a little Shrub which
beareth a Berry like our Elder-berry ,2ccA is a very
pleafant Berry to eat.
I lately made mention of the Chefnut, Walnut
and i%/?/-Tree, which all of them bear their feve
ral Nuts ; and befide thefe, here is another called
^iChincopine, which is like a Chefnut, with a Burry
husk, but lefle by far.
Their Gardens have all forts of Englifh Pot
herbs, and faUets ; they have Cabbages, Colworts,
Colly flowers, Parfnips,Turnips, Carrets, Potatoes,
and Tams; and fuch Herbs as grow wild in Eng
land, and do not grow there, they plant, 2S Worm
wood, Fetherfew, Houfeleek, Carduus BenediEius,
Rue, Coriander, Enula, and the like.
They have likewife in their Gardens Rojes,
CI ffve-Gilli flowers, and variety of other forts of
Flowers. There grow wild in the Woods, Plant ane of all
forts, Tellow-Dock, Bur- Dock, Solomons-feal, Egri-
monf,Centory, Scabious,GroundJel, Dwarf-Elder,
Tarrow, Purjlan, and white Maiden-hair the best
that

(n)
that ever I saw. Upon the fides of the Hills,
Afarum ; and on the Bay-fide, Soldanella or Sea-
Scurvygrajl'va. great plenty.
Here groweth the Radix Serpentaria Nigra,
which was fo much ufedin the laft greatpeftilence,
that the price of it advanced from ten Shillings to
three Tpoundsflerling a pound: Here is alfo an herb
which fome call Dittany, others Pepper-wort; it
is not Dittany of Candia, nor Englifh Dittander;
it groweth a foot or a foot and half high, the
leaves are about the bredth of a groat, and figur'd
like a heart, and fhort out of the ftalk and branches
one of a fide dire£lly oppofite to each other ; it
fmelleth hot like Pepper, and biteth upon the
Tongue. The water of this herb diftill'd out of
a Limbeck, is one of the beft things I know to
drive worms out of the Body ; and an ounce of
this water taken, provoketh fweat plentifiilly.
Here grow two Roots, which fome Phyficians
judg, the one to be Turbith, the other Mechoa-
can ; but whether they be the right or no, I could
not well judg. Both thefe Roots are purging, and
in their operations much like thofe we have at
the Apothecaries, only fomewhat raore forcible ;
the

(18)
the reafon may be, becaufe there we have them
more new and fucculent.
Here groweth a Plant about a foot and half or
two foot in height, the leaves are rugg'd like to
a Borage leaf, but they are longer, and not above
two fingers broad; about the ftalk, where the
leaves grow out, there hang Berries, which being
ripe are yellow : The Englifh call it the Fever
and Ague-root. This Root being newly taken out
of the ground, and a dram and half of it infiifed in
beer or water the fpace of twelve hours, purgeth
downward with fome violence, but I have given
a dram of the Root in powder, and then it only
moveth fweat, and that but moderatly . It is a little
bitter in tafte, and therefore fomewhat hot.
There aregreatnumbersofHerbs, whofe names,
nature, virtues and operations are altogether un
known to us in Europe ; neither have there been
any Phyficians in thofe parts that have made it
their bufinefs to underftand much of them; but if
the ufe of them were weU known,it might prove a
great and beneficial addition toxhsMateriaMedica.
\ Now I have done with the Plants, I wiU ren
der fome account of their flocks of Cattel, which are

(Ii))
are greater than ours, confidering the quantity
of People, and might be much larger than they
are, were the Inhabitants as careful in lookings
after them and providing fodder for them as they ^
in England are. AU that they give their Cattel
in winter is only the husks of their Indian Corn,
unlefs it be fome of them that have a little wheat-
flraw ; neither do they give them ainy more of
thefe than wUl ferve to keep them alive, byreafon
whereof they v en ture into theMar fhy grounds and
fwamps for food, where very many are loft.
They have as great plenty of Horfes, and as good
as we have in England.
As to their Sheep, they keep but few,being difcou
raged by the Wolves, which are all over the Coun- -
trey, and do much mifchief amongft their Flocks. I
In the Woods are great ftore oi Deer, and fome •
Rabbets,\j)\\.c!Q. are generally miftaken for Hares.
There are alfo feveral forts of ravenous Beafts,
as Wolves, Racoons , Wild cats , P off urns, Monacks,
Flying Squirrels, with two other forts ; and in the
Northern moft parts of the Countrey fome Bears.
The Fowls that keep the Woods are, wUd Tur-
kies, Turkic Buzzards, Turtle-Doves, Partridges, Hawks

(20)
Hawks of feveral forts, which {sic) many others
of lefs note.
j There are alio divers kinds of fmaU Birds, where
of the i^of/^/«^-^/V</, the .^if^-^/n/, and Humming-
\ird, are the most remarkable; the firft, for variety
and fweetnefs of notes, the fecond for his colour,
and the laft for the fmalnefs of his body. As to the
Mocking-bird,heiidts his own natural notes,which
are many and pleafant, he imitateth aU the birds in
the woods, from whence he taketh his name ; he
fingeth not only in the day, but alfb at aU hours
in the night, on the tops of the Chimneys ; he is
ftrangelyantick in his flying, fometimes fluttering
in the air with his head right down and taU up,
other times with his tail down and head up ; being
kept tame, he is very docible. The Red bird, as I
hinted before, taketh his name from his colour,
being aU over of a pure blood-red. Th.&Humming-
\ bird ta.keth. his name from the noife he makes in
iflying: This is of divers colours, and not much
Ibigger than a Hornet, and yet hath aU the parts of
ja bird entire.
? There are five or fix forts of Snakes, amongft
•|vhich the Rattle-Snake is moft remarkable, being about

(ai)
about the bignefs of a mans legg, and for the moft \
part a yard and a half long ; he hath a Rattle at J
the end of his Tail, wherewith he maketh a noife
when any one approacheth nigh him, which feem-
eth to be a peculiar providence of God to warn
people to avoid the danger ; for this Creature is
fb venemous, that the bite of it is of moft danger
ous confequence, unlefs they fpeedily make ufe
of the proper antidote; of which I fhaU take occa-
fion to fpeak fbmewhat hereafter. There are alfb
long black Snakes, fhort and thick black Snakes;
this latter fbrt often times fiicksthe Cows, and caufes
them to give bloody mUk. There is another fbrt
caUed the Corn-Snake, becaufe he is ufuaUy found
in Corn-fields ; this is near as big as the Rattle-
Snake. There are alfb Ibme other forts of Land-
Snakes, aU of which are more or lefs venemous;
befides there are very many Water-Snakes, that
keep the Springs and Rivers.
Of the Indians themfelves.
The Indians are generaUy weU proportioned
as to their flature, being fomewhat tall, but no
waies corpulent; their hair black, ufuallyhanging right

(22)
right down; their eyes alfo black, their skin
tawny, inclining to blackifhnefs ; they live to
gether in Towns, and every town is under a
feveral King : At the firft coming of x!a& Englifh
divers Towns had two or three thoufand Bow
men in them; but now, in the Southern parts of
Virginia, the biggeft Indian Town hath not above
five hundred Inhabitants; many Towns have
fcarce fixty Bow-men in them, and in one Town
there are not above twenty, and they are fo uni-
verlally thinned in the forementioned Southern
part, that I verily believe there are not above three
thoufand left under the whole government of Sir
Will. Bartlet; but in my Lord oi Baltimores ter
ritories at the head of the Bay, where ^e Englifh
were later feated, they are more numerous, there
being ftill in fome Towns about three thoufand/«-
dians. But thefe being in continual wars with each
other, are like fhortly to be reduced to as fmaU
numbers as the former.
Infteadof Cloaths they wear a2?^i!'r-skin tacked
about their middle, and another about their fhould
ers, and forShoes they have pieces ofZ)f<fr-skintied
about their feet. Their

(^3)
Their habitations are Cabins, about nine or
ten foot high, which are made after this manner :
They fix Poles into the ground, and bring the tops
of them one within another, and fb tie them to
gether : the outfide of these poles they line with
bark to defend them from the Injuries of the
weather, but they leave a hole on the top, right
in the middle of the Cabin for the fmoak to go
out ; round the infide of their Cabins they have
banks of Earth eaft up, which ferve inftead of
ftools and beds ; they have no kind of houfhold-
ftuff but Earthen-pots, Wooden bowls, and thin
Mats to lie on ; aU which they make themfelves.
Their diet is Indian Corn, Venifon, wild Tur-
kies,Oyfters,and all kind of Fifh the Rivers afford;
and aU kind of wUd Beafts of the Woods.
They are prohibited the keeping either Cows, \
Sheep or Hoggs, by the Englifh, left they fhould I
make bold with more than their own. |
They did formerly catch their fifh after an odd
manner before the Englifh came amongft them,
which was thus : At the head of their Canoes they
fixed a Hearth, on which in a dark night they
would make a blaze with fire put to the fhivers of

(h)
oi Pine tree; then they would paddle their Canoes
along the fhoar in flioal-water ; the fifh feeing the
light would come as thick as they could fwim by
each other about the head of the Canoes; then with
flicks that were pointed very fharp at the ends,
they would ftrike through them and lift them up
into the Canoe: But now they have learned of the
Englifhto catch fifh with hook and line, and fome
times the Englifh do ufe their way in dark nights,
only they ftrike with an Inftrumentof Iron fome
what like Mole-tines.
AstotheirWorfhip,Iknowlittleofit;onlythey
have Priefts which are generaUy thought to be Con
jurers ; for, when they have great want of Rain,
one of their Priefts wiU go into a private Cabin,
and by hislnvocations will caufe abundance to faU
immediately, which they caU making of Rain.
They offer the Firft fruits of aU things; the firft
.ZJffr they kiU after they are in feafon, they lay pri
vately on the head of a Tree near the place where
they killed it, and they fay, no good luck wiUbefal
them that year if they do not offer the firft of
every thing.
They burn the Bodies of the dead; and fbw up
the

(^:r)
the afhes in Matts, which they place near the Cab-
bins of their Relations.
Some of them fay, that the God of the Englifh
is a good God, and gives them good things; but
their God is an angry God, and oftentimes beats
them. Almoft every Town differs in language, and yet
not any of their languages copious; as may be feen
by their frequent expreffing their meaning to each
other by figns.
Their mony is of two forts, one whereof is
made of a white kind of fheU, which being divided
into fmaU parts, they put them on a firing after
the manner of Beads ; this they caU Peacke :
The other is of a blew fhell ordered in the fame
manner, which they caU Rounda ; this laft is the
meaner fbrt, about half a yard whereof is of equal
value with our nine pence. The chief of the In
dians do wear fome of this on thei?(fer-skins about
their bodies, laid on like lace.
They have nothing to trade withbut2)(?(frskins,
and fome Bever, which they exchange with the
Englifh ioT Guns, Gunpowder, Shot and Brandy;
having nothing before but Bows and Arrows,
wherewith

(^6)
wherewith they kiUed their Deer and other wUd
Beafts. They have no other account of Time but by the
changes of the Moon.
Their Winter is ufually m November, December
and January.
Theyareveryrevengful; for, if any one chance
to be flain,fbme of the Relations of the flain perfbn
wiUkill the murtherer or fome of hisfamily, though
it be two or three generations after, having no
juftice done amongft them in this refpedl but what
particular perfons do themfelves; if that may be
termed juftice.
The Indians being a rude fbrt of people ufe no
Curiofity in preparing their Phyfick ; yet are
they not ignorant of the nature and ufes of their
plants, but they ufe no corre6lives to take away
the flatuous, naufeous, and other bad qualities of
them. They either powder, juyce, infufe or boyl
them, tiU the decodlion be very ftrong.
Their ufual way of cure for moft inward dif
tempers is by deco61ion, which they make partly
peroral, partly fudorifick ; thefe they caufe the
fick to drink, the quantity of half a pint at a time, two

(^7)
two or three times a day; but they give nothing
to procure vomiting in any diftempers, as a bad
omen that the difeafed wiU die; neither did I ever
know them toufe any waiesofBloodingor Cupping.
If they have any Wounds, Ulcers or Fra6lures,
they have the knowledge of curing them. I did
once fee an Indian whofe arm had been broken,
and viewing the place, I found the bones to be as
fmoothly confblidated, and as well reduced, as any
Englifh Chirurgion could have done it.
AU Indians carry a Powder about them to cure S
the bites of Snakes, and in almoft every Townf
this powder hathadifferentcompofition, and every I
compofition is certainly effe6haal to the corre£lingl
the malignity of the Venom. Neither was it ever!
known to us, that any Indian luffered much harm!
by thefe bites, but in a daies time he would be as'
weU as if he had never been bitten: Whereas fome
of the Englifh for want of a fpeedy remedy have
loft their lives.
The Indians are frequently troubled with Vio-
lentColicks,which oftentimes terminate inPalfies. The

(28)

The manner of planting and ordering Tobacco.
In the Twelve-daies they begin to fbw their
feed in beds of fine Mould, and when the Plants
be grown to the bredth of a fhiUing, they are fit
to replant into the HUls ; for in their Plantations
they make fmaU hiUs about four foot diftant from
each other, fbmewhat after the manner of our
Hop-yards; Thefe hiUs being prepared agairtft
the plants be grown to the forementioned bignefs
(which is about the beginning of i^^;',) they then
in moift weather draw the plants out of their
beds, and replant them in the hUls, which after
wards they keep with dUigent weedings. When
the plant hath put out fb many Leaves as the
ground wiU nourifh to a fubftance and largenefs
that will render them Merchantable, then they
take off the top of the plant ; if the ground be
very rich, they let a plant put out a dozen or fix
teen leaves before they top it ; if mean, then not
above nine or ten, and fo according to the ftrength
of their foyl, the top being taken if the plant
grows

i^9)
grows no higher ; but afterwards it wiU put out
fuckers between 'their leaves, which they pluck
away once a week, tiU the plant comes to per
fection, which it doth in Auguft. Then in dry
weather, when there is a little breez of wind, they
cut down what is ripe, letting it He about four
hours on the ground, tiU fuch time as the leaves,
that flood ftrutting out, faU down to the ftalk,
then they carry it on their fhoulders into their
Tobacco-houfes, where other Servants taking of
it, drive into the ftalk of each plant a peg, and
as faft as they are pegg'd, they hang them up by
the pegs on Tobacco-fticks, io nigh each other
that they juft touch, much after the manner they
hang Herrings in Tarmouth ; thus they let them
hang five or fix weeks, tUl fuch time as the ftem
in the middle of the leaf will fnap in the bending
of it; then, when the Air hath io moiftned the leaf
as that it may be handled without breaking, they
ftrike it down, ftrip it off the ftalk, bind it up in
bundles, and pack it into Hogfheads for ufe.
Sometimes they are forced to plant their hUls
twice or thrice over, by reafbn of an Earth-worm
which eats the root, and when the plant is well
grown

(3o)
grown they fuffer damage.by a Worm that devours
the leaf, called a Horn-worm (an Eruca or Cater-
piUar) which is bred upon the leaf; if thefe worms
be not carefiilly taken off, they wiU fpoil the whole
Crop. In the Year. 1 66^ in Auguft there happened
all over F'irginia a guft or ftorm of Wind and
Rain, which continued for three daies with fuch
violence that the like was hardly ever heard o^
it began and continued blowing at Eaft with fuch
fiercenefs, that above one half of the crop of their
Tobacco which was then ftanding in their fields
was blown away and torn apieces; the Trees in
the Woods all over the Country were blown up by
the roots in an innumerable quantity: The Waters
in the Bay in fome places were drove a great way
into the Woods, and the greateft part of thofe that
houfed Tobacco, had their Tobacco-houfes blown
down and their Tobacco fpoUed; fb that there was
not fully one part of three faved of what would
have been made that year.
The Planters houfes are built aU along the fides of
the Rivers for the conveniency of Shipping; they
build after the Englifh manner, whiting the in
fide

(31)
fide of their houfes with Mortar, made of burnt
Oyfter-fheUs inftead of lime. They have pure and
wholefom water, which they fetch wholly frora
Springs, whereof the Country is fb full, that there
is not a houfe but hath one nigh the door.

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3 9002 00978 2328

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