THE FIVE MONACAN TOWNS IN VIRGINIA, 1607 



By DAVID I. BUSHNELL, JR. 



(With 14 Plates) 



Late in April, 1607, three small ships sent out from England passed 

 the Virginia Capes, entered Chesapeake Bay, and soon sailed a short 

 distance up the James. These were the Godspeed, Discovery, and 

 Sarah Constant, bearing colonists destined to form the first permanent 

 English settlement in the New World. On May 14, they had come to 

 anchor off a chosen site where Jamestown was soon to be established. 



The spirit of adventure which had inspired many to undertake the 

 long and tedious voyage across the Atlantic continued to dominate 

 their acts, and within the following year they had reconnoitered much 

 of the surrounding region, then a vast wilderness claimed and occupied 

 by native tribes. 



So venturesome were the colonists, and so desirous were they of 

 becoming acquainted with the country and its primitive inhabitants 

 that on May 21, one week after landing, a party of 23, one of them 

 Captain John Smith, left Jamestown to explore the river. They con- 

 tinued up the stream, made rapid progress, and two days later arrived 

 near Powhatan's village, not far from the eastern bounds of the 

 present city of Richmond. The English desired to continue up the 

 valley beyond the falls, and endeavored to persuade Powhatan to 

 furnish guides to accompany them, but in this they were not success- 

 ful. To quote from a narrative prepared by a member of the party: 

 " Dynner Done we entred into Discourse of the Ryver how far it 

 might be to the head therof, where they gat their Copper, and their 

 Iron, and how many dayes loryne it was to Monanacah, Rahozvacah 

 and the Mountains Quirank: requesting him to have guydes with us 

 also in our intended March ; for our Captaine Determyned to have 

 travelled two or 3 dayes lornye a f oote up the Ryver : but without 

 gyving any answer to our Demaundes, he shewde he would meete 

 us himselfe at the overfall and so we parted. This Nauiraus ac- 

 companyed us still in the boate. According to his promyse he 

 (Pazvatah) mett us; where the fellow whome I have called our kinde 

 Consort, he that followed us from Turkey lie, at the Coming of 

 Pawatah made signe to us we must make a shoute, which we Dyd. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 82, No, 12 



