HISTORICAL REFERENCES: MASSACHUSETTS. 719 



portion. All y c soiiier ther was no wante. And now begano to come in store of foule, as winter aproached, of which 

 this ]>!;HV did abound when they came first ^but afterwards decreased liy degrees)."' 



A letter from Edward Winslow to a- friend, under date of December 11, 1621, says: " For fish and fowl we have 

 great abundance. Fresh end in the summer is but coarse meat with us. Our bay is full of lobsters all the summer, 

 and aftordcth variety of other fish. In September wo can take a hogshead of eels in a night, with small labor, and 

 can dig them out of their beds all the winter. We have mussels and others at our doors. Oysters we have none near, 

 but can have them brought by the Indians when wo will."- 



SCARCITY OF FOOD i.\ 1622. One of the excursions made by Mr. Winslow "was by sea to Monahigou, an island 

 near the mouth of Peuobscot Bay, to procure a supply of bread from tho fishing vessels, who resorted to the eastern 

 coast in the spring of 1622. This supply, though not large, was freely given to tho suffering colony, and, being pru- 

 dently managed in the distribution, amounted to one-quarter of a pound for each person till the next harvest." 3 



Freeman states that, "In the mouth of May, 1622, the provision of the settlers at Plymouth being spent, Mr. 

 Bradford records, 'A famine begins to pinch us, and we look hard for a supply, but none arrives.' From some fishing 

 vessels on the coast bread was obtained to the amount of a quarter of a pound per day for each person till harvest, 

 and this the governor caused to be dealt out daily, ' or some had starved. The want of bread had abated the strength 

 and flesh of some, and had swelled others, and had they not been where are divers sorts of shell-fish they must have 

 perished.'" 1 



Winslow's " Geod News from New England," printed in London in 1624, says : " In the end of August [1622] came 

 other two ships into our harbor. The ono, as I take it, was called the Discovery, Captain Jones having the com- 

 mand thereof; the other was that ship of Mr. Westou's, called the Sparrow, which had now made her voyage of fish 

 and was consorted with the other, being both bound for Virginia. 



(i j-ipj. our owu p ar t 8; onr ca s e was almost the same with tbeirs [Massachusetts Bay Colony], having but 

 a small quantity of corn left, and were enforced to live on ground nuts, clams, mussels, and such other things as 

 naturally the country afforded, and which did and would maintain strength, and were easy to be gotten; all which 

 things they had in great abundance, yea, oysters also, which we wanted; and therefore necessity could riot be said 

 to constrain them thereunto." 6 



THE FISHERIES DECLARED FREE. Governor Bradford thus mentions the arrival of the Paragon: "About y e later 

 end of June [1623] came a ship, with Captaine Francis West, who had a comission to be admirall of New England, to 

 restraine interlopers, and shuch fishing ships as came to fish & trade without a licence from y ! Counsell of New Eng- 

 land, for which they should pay a round sume of money. But he could doe no good of them, for they were to stronge 

 for him, and he found y c fisher men to be stuberue fellows. And their owners, upon complainte made to y e Parle- 

 uiente, procured an order y' fishing should be free." 6 



NEED OF FISHING APPARATUS. Winslow gives the following good advice: "I will not again speak of the abun- 

 dance of fowl, store of venison, and variety offish, in their seasons, which might encourage many to go in their per- 

 sons. Only I advise all such beforehand to consider that as they hear of countries that abound with the good creatures 

 of God, so means must be used for the taking of every one in his kind, and therefore not only to content themselves 

 that there is sufficient, but to foresee how they shall be able to obtain the same. Otherwise, as he that walketh 

 London streets, though he be in the midst of plenty, yet, if he wants means, is not the better, but hath rather his 

 sorrow increased by the sight of that he wautcth. and cannot enjoy it, so also there, if thou want art and other neces- 

 saries thereunto belouging, thou mayest see that thou wautest and thy heart desireth, and yet be never the better for 

 the same. Therefore, if thou see thine own insufficiency of thyself, then join to some others, where thou mayest in 

 some measure enjoy the same; otherwise, assure thyself thou art better where thou art." 7 



FISHING WITH A NET. Bradford thus tells of tho struggles of the colonists in 1623: 



"They haveing but one boat left and she not over well fitted, thoy were divided into severall companies, 6. or 7. 

 to a gaugg or company, and so went out with a uett they had bought, to take bass and such like fish, by course, every 

 company knowing their turne. No sooner was y e boate discharged of what she brought, but y e next company tooke 

 her and weuto out with her. Neither did they returne till they had cauight something, though it were 5. or 6. days 

 before, for they knew ther was nothing at home, and to go homo emptio would be a great discouragemeute to y" rest. 

 Yea, they strive who should doe best. If she stayed long or got litlo, then all went to seeking of shell-fish, which at 

 low-water they digged out of y e sands. And this was their living in y e somer time, till God sente y m beter; & in 

 winter they were helped with ground-nuts and fonle. Also in y e somer they gott now and then a dear; for one or 2. 

 of y e fitest was apoynted to range y woods for y' end, & what was gott that way was devided amongst them." 8 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO PERSEVERE. In a general letter written to the Plymouth settlers, and brought from England 

 on the ship Ann in 1623, is this noble sentiment: 



"If y c laud afford you bread, and y e sea yeeld you fish, rest you a while contented, God will one day afford you 

 better faro. And all men shall know you are neither fugetives nor discontents. But can, if God so order it, take yi 

 worst to yourselves, with content, & leave y best to your neighbours with cherfnilness. Let it not be greeveous unto 

 you y' you have been instrument to bieake y ise for others who come after with less difficulty, the honour shall be 

 yours, to y e worlds end, &c." a 



SALT WORKS AND FISHING SHALLOPS IJUILT. " lu 1024 Plymouth contained thirty-two dwelling houses, and about 



1 Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc., vol. iii, 4th series, p. 105. "Coi Mass. Hist. Soc., vol. iii, 4th series, p. 141. 



2 Young's Chronicles of tho Pilgrim Fathers. Boston, 1844, p. 233. Good News from Kcw England, in Young's Chronicles, p. :i72. 

 ' U-lkliap, op. cit., p. 04. 8 Coll. ^!ass. Hist. Sor.. \ -ol. iii, 4th srri<-s, p. 11:7. 



J Fivcman's llist.of Ciipu Cod. Boston. 1802, vol. i, pMOI. * Ibid., p. Ml. 



'Young, op. clt., i>p. 2.1S, K9. 



