PLANTING AND FISHING. 93 



landed his little colony of fourteen men there, with their 

 necessary provision and outfit, to commence a plantation ; 

 then with full cargo of fish he sailed away. 



Mr. White tells in few words, in the " Planters' Plea, a 

 pamphlet published in London in 1630," why this colony 

 was established at Cape Ann. He states, that, " about the 

 year 1623, some western merchants, who had continued a 

 trade of fishing for cod, and bartering for furs, in those 

 parts, for divers years before, conceiving that a colony 

 planted on the coast might further them in their employ- 

 ments, bethought themselves how they might bring that 

 project to effect; communicating their purpose to others, 

 alleging the conveniency of compassing their project with a 

 small charge, by the opportunity of their fishing trade, in 

 which they were accustomed to double-man their ships, that, 

 by the help of many hands, they might despatch their voy- 

 age, and lade their ship with fish while the fishing season 

 lasted, which could not be done with a bare sailing com- 

 pany. Now, it was conceived, that, the fishing being ended, 

 the spare men that were above their necessary sailors might 

 be left behind with provisions for a year ; and, when the ship 

 returned the next year, they might assist them in fishing, as 

 they had done the former year, and, in the mean time, might 

 employ themselves in building, and planting corn, which, 

 with the provisions of fish, fowl, and venison, that the land 

 yielded, would afford them the cliief of their food. This 

 proposition of theirs took so well that it drew on divers 

 persons to join with them in this work ; the rather, because 

 it was conceived that not only their own fishermen, but the 

 rest of our nation that went thither on the same errand, 

 might be much advantaged, not only by fresh victual, which 

 that colony might spare them in time, but, withal and more, 

 by the benefit of their minister's labors which they might 

 enjoy during the fishing season; whereas, otherwise being 

 usually upon those voyages nine or ten months in the year, 

 they were left all the while without any means of instruction 

 at all. Compassion towards the fishermen, and partly some 

 expectation of gain, prevailed so far, that, for the planting 

 of a colony in New England, there was raised a stock of 

 more than three thousand pounds, intended to be paid in 

 five years, but afterwards disbursed in a shorter time."* 



* Babson's History of Gloucester. 



