2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. »2 



" Now sitting upon the banck by the overfall beholding the same, 

 he began to tell us of the tedyous travell we should have if wee pro- 

 ceeded any further, that it was a Daye and a halfe lorney to Mona- 

 nacah, and if we went to Quiranck, we should get no vittailes and 

 be tyred, and sought by all means to Disswade our Captayne from 

 going any further : Also he tolde us that the Monanacah was his 

 Enmye, and that he came Downe at the fall of the leafe and invaded 

 his Countrye .... But our Captayne out of his Discreyton (though 

 we would faine have scene further, yea and himself e as desirous 

 also) Checkt his intentyon and retorned to his boate." ' The party 

 returned safely to Jamestown where they arrived June 22. 



On this, the first journey to the falls, the inhabitants of all the 

 many native villages encountered were allies, but the colonists heard 

 of others beyond, to the westward, who were enemies of the allied 

 tribes. This is the earliest known reference to the Monacan. 



Early in the spring of 1608 another expedition was projected " to 

 discover and search the commodities of Monacans countrie beyound 

 the Falles," but the exploration was not attempted as events at James- 

 town made it necessary for all to remain near by. However, during 

 the autumn of the same year Captain Newport, having just returned 

 from England, " with 120 chosen men .... set forward for the dis- 

 covery of Monacan." The expedition appears to have been quite 

 successful, although scant records of the happenings have been pre- 

 served. One narrative tells how *' Arriving at the Falles, we marched 

 by land some fortie myles in two dayes and a halfe; and so returned 

 downe the same path we went. Two townes we discovered of the 

 Monacans, called Massinacak and Moivheuicnchouch; the people 

 neither used us well nor ill, yet for our securitie we tooke one of 

 their petty Kings, and led him bound to conduct us the way." '^ This 

 is the earliest known record of the entering of the Monacan territory 

 by Europeans. 



The region beyond the bounds of the Powhatan confederacy, up 

 the valley of the James from the falls, was regarded by Indian and 

 colonist alike as a separate and distinct land. This is suggested by a 

 statement contained in a letter written by George Yardly to Sir Henry 

 Payton in London, dated " James town, this XVHI of November, 

 1610," in which he referred to an expedition planned by the Governor, 

 who intended going " up unto a famous fall or cataract of waters, 

 where leaving his pinnasses & Boates safe riding, so purposely to 

 loade up go into the Land called the Monscane." ' 



' Archer Relation. In .Smith, Arber ed., pp. xlv-xlvi. 



" Smith, Arber ed., p. 438. 



' Bodleian Library, Oxford. MSS. Eng. Hist., C. 4. fol- 3- 



