392 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 7 



vnto which is the river Kuscarawaock. Vpon 

 which is seated a people with 200 men. After 

 that, is the river Tants VViahcocomico, and on it 

 a people with 100 men. The people of those rivers 

 are of little stature, of another language from the 

 rest, and very rude. But they on the river Aco- 

 hanock with 40 men, and they of Accomack 80 

 men, doth equalize any of the territories of Pow- 

 hatan, und sjieake his language, who over all 

 those doth rule as king. 



Southward we went to some parls of Chawo- 

 nock and the Mangoags to search for them left by 

 Mr. White. Amonirst those people are thus 

 many severall nations of sundry lanijuages, that 

 environ Powhatans territories. The Chawonockes, 

 the Mangoags, the Monacans, the Mannahokes, 

 the Masawomekes, the Powhatans, the Sasquesa- 

 hanocks, the Atquanachukes, the Tockwoghe.=5, 

 and the Kuscarawaockes. All those not anv one 

 vnderstandeth another but by interpreters. Their 

 feverall habitations are more plainly described by 

 this annexed mappe, which will present to the eye, 

 the way of the mountaines, and current of the 

 rivers, with their severall turnings, bayes, shoules, 

 isles, inlets, and creekes, the breadth of the wa- 

 ters, the distances of places, and such like. In 

 which mappe obserue this, that as far as j'ou see 

 the little crosses on rivers, mountaines, or other 

 places haue beene discovered; the rest was had by 

 information of the salvages, and are setdowne ac- 

 cording to their instructions. 



Thus fiaue I walkt a wayless way, with vncouth pace. 



Which yet no christian man did ever trace: 



But yet I know this notaliects the minde, 



Which eares doth lieare; as that which eyes doe finde. 



Of such things lohich are naturally in Virginia, 

 and how they vse them. 



Virginia doth afibrd many excellent vegetables, 

 and lining creatures, yet grasse there is little or 

 none, but what growelh in low marishes: for all 

 the countrey is overgrowne with trees, whose 

 droppings continually turneth their grasse to 

 weeds, by reason of the rancknes of the ground, 

 which would soone be amended by good husband- 

 ry. The wood that is most common is oke and 

 walnut ; many of their okes are so tall and straight, 

 that they will beare two Ibote and a hallij square 

 of good timber tor 20 yards long. Of this wood 

 there is two or three severall kinds. The acornes 

 of one kinde, whose barke is more white then the 

 other, and somewhat sweetish, .which being boyled, 

 at last affords a sweet oyle, thai they keepe in 

 gourds to annoint their heads and ioynts. The 

 fruit they eate made in bread or otherwise. There 

 is also some elme, some blacke walnut tree, and 

 some ash: of ash and elme they make sope ashes. 

 If the frees be very great, the ashes will be good, 

 and melt to hard lumps, but if they be small, it will 

 be but powder, and not so good as the other. Of 

 walnuts tlicre is 2 or 3 kindes; there is a kinde of 

 ^yood we called cypres, because both the wood, the 

 fruit, and leafe did moat resemble it, and of those 

 trees tfiere are some neare three fadome about at 

 the foot, very straight, and 50, 60, or 80 loot with- 

 out a branch. By the dwelling ol the salvaires 

 are some great mulbery trees, and in some parts 

 of the countrey liiey are found growing naturally 

 in prettic grouee. There was an assay made to 



make silke, and surely the wormes prospered ex- 

 cellent well, till the master workeman fell sicke; 

 during winch time they were eaten with rats. 



In some parts were ibund some chesnuts whose 

 wild fruit equalize the best in France, Spaine, 

 Germanv, or Italy. Plums there are of three 

 sorts. The red and white are like our hedire 

 plums, but the other, which they call pittchamins* 

 grow as high as a palmeta: the" fruit is like a med- 

 ler; it is first greene, then yellow, and red when it 

 is ripe; if it be not ripe, it will draw a mans mouth 

 awry, with much torment, but when it is ripe it is 

 as delicious as an apricot. 



They haue cherries, and those are much like a 

 damson, but for their tastes and colour we called 

 them clierries. We saw some few crabs, but very 

 small and bitter. Of vines great abundance in 

 many parts that climbe the toppes of highest trees 

 in some places, but these beare but fiiw grapes. 

 Except by the rivers and salvage habitations, 

 where they are not overshadowed from the sunne, 

 they are covered with fruit, though never pruined 

 nor manured. Of those hedge grapes we made 

 neere twentie gallons of wine, which was like our 

 French Brittish wine, but certainly they would 

 proue good were they well manured. There is 

 another sort of grape neere as great as a cherry, 

 this they call messamiris, they lie fi\tte, and the 

 iuyce thicke. Neither doth the taste so well please 

 when they are made in wine. They haue a small 

 fruit growing on little trees, husked like a chesnut, 

 but the fruit most like a verj^ small acorne. This 

 they call chechinquamins, Avhich they esteeme a 

 great daintie. They haue a berry much like our 

 gooseberry, in greatnesse, colour, and tast; those 

 they call ravvcomens, and doe eat them raw or 

 boyied. Of these naturall fruits they line a great 

 part of the yeare, which they vse in this manner: 

 the walnuts, chesnuts, acornes, and chechinqua- 

 mins are dryed to keepe. When they need wal- 

 nuts tliey breake them between two stones, yet 

 some part of the shels will cleaue to the fruit. 

 Then doe they dry them againe vpon a mat over 

 a hurdle. Alter they put it into a morter of wood, 

 and beat it very small: that done, they mixt it with 

 water, that the shels may sinke to the bottome. 

 This water will be coloured as milke, which they 

 call pawcohiccora, and keepe it lor their vse. 

 The fruit like medlers they call putchamins, they 

 cast vpon hurdles on a mat, and preserue them as 

 pruines. Of their chesnuts and chechinquamins 

 boyled, they make both broath and bread for their 

 chieie men, or at their greatest feasts. Besides 

 those fruit trees, there is a while popular, and an- 

 ather tree like vnto it, that yeeldeth a very cleare 

 and an odoriferous gunuiie like turpentine, which 

 some called balsoin. There are also cedars and 

 saxatras trees. They also yeeld gummes in a 

 small proportion of themselues. Wee tiyed con- 

 clusions to extract it out of the wood, but nature 

 allbrded more then our arts. 



Ill the watry valleyes growelh a berry which 

 they call ocoughianamnis very much like vnto ca- 

 pers. These they dry in sommer. When they 

 eat them Ihey boiie them neare halfe a day; for 

 otherwise. the\' diflijr not much ii'om poyson. Mat- 

 toum growelh as our bents. The seed is not 

 much vniike to rie, though much smaller. This 

 they vse for a daintie bread buttered with deare suet. 



Persimmons. Ed. 



