VIRGINIA CARTOGRAPHY. 33 



that of Virginia Farrer, we can easily see how the critic was 

 hasty in criticising John Penington's book. 



In the tract mentioned in the above criticism, called " The 

 discovery of New Brittaine, 1651. By Edward Bland," I find in 

 the British Museum catalogue mention of two copies, with the 

 following notes attached to each title: "The map in this copy, 

 has a portrait of Sir F. Drake at the top," " In the map in this 

 copy the medallion portrait of Sir F. Drake is omitted, and there 

 are other variations." 



We have in this tract evidently run against the Farrer maps 

 of Virginia, and the question is whether they were originally 

 published in this tract or afterward inserted by some one un- 

 known. The Williams and Bland tracts were published the 

 same year, 165 1, and by the same publisher, John Stephenson. 



The following interesting note is taken from the Quaritch 

 catalogue. No. 112, Part 2, May 16, 1891, pp. 158-159: 



"Williams was the author of the book; but Mr. John Farrer, 

 to whom he alludes in the preface, supplied all the material. No 

 map was issued with the first edition nor yet with the second, but 

 Farrcr's MS. design was engraved with slight alterations in 

 165 1, for issue with the third edition in that year." 



" The distortion of geographical truth in the map, taken in 

 connection with the MS. notes (in which the writer complains 

 bitterly that Williams had omitted a good deal of the original 

 matter, so as to serve the interests of the new Carolanians rather 

 than those of the old Virginians), shows that one powerful idea 

 in Mr. Farrer's mind was to unite New Albion (California) with 

 Virginia. In fact, he says that a small expedition would be able 

 to march in eight, ten, or fourteen days from the Virginia settle- 

 ments to New Albion, by which he meant the New Albion 

 (Upper California) of Sir Francis Drake (1578) on the Pacific 

 coast. The MS. notes and the printed text itself prove that 

 something had been heard of the great Mississippi river, which 

 it was supposed fell into the South Sea." 



1657- 

 Ouaritch's Catalogue, No. 11, April, 1891, page 15, mentions 

 a manuscript map (now in the Lenox Library, New York), the 

 title of which, and note attached, I copy for obvious reasons: 



