WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 355 



Schenectady in 1672, was 600 hands of good white wampum. At 

 that time a fathom string varied from five shillings in New England 

 to four guilders, or $1,665 among the Dutch. 



In John Winthrop's Journal, i : 136, is an item of some importance 

 regarding the early use of wampum as money. It is under the date 

 of July 9, 1634. The magistrates of Plymouth came to Boston to 

 consult about the Kennebec country. They had traded there many 

 years, and ''had by this providence, drawn down thither the greatest 

 part of the trade by carrying wampompeage thither, which none of 

 the English had known the use of before." This harmonizes with 

 the statement that the Dutch taught them its use in 1627. Gov. 

 Bradford's words on this seem conclusive as to its introduction into 

 New England at an early colonial day. He was the second gov- 

 ernor of the Plymouth colony, and wrote a history of the plantation. 

 In his record of the year 1628 he speaks of this visit of the Dutch to 

 Plymouth and of the English to Kennebec, but his statement has 

 never before been given and is here quoted nearly in full. 



'' That which turned out most to their profite, in time, was an en- 

 trance into the trade of Wampompeake; for they now bought aboute 

 50^* worth of it of them; and they told them how vendable it was at 

 their forte Orania, [ Aurania, now Albany] and did perswade them 

 they would find it so at Kenebeck; and so it came to pass in time, 

 though at first it stuck, & it was 2 years before they could put of 

 this small quantity, till y® inland people knew of it; and afterwards 

 they could scarcely ever gett enough for them, for many years to- 

 geather. . . And strange it was to see the great alteration it 

 made in a few years amonge y® Indeans themselves; for all the In- 

 deans of these parts, & y® Massachusetts, had none or very little 

 of it; but y® sachems & some spetiall persons that wore a little of it 

 for ornaments. Only it was made & kepte amonge y® Nariganssetts 

 & Pequents, which grew rich & potent by it, and these people were 

 poore & begerly, and had no use of it. Neither did the English of 

 this plantation, or any other in y® land, till now that they had knowl- 

 edge of it from y® Dutch, so much as know what it was, much less y"*^ 

 it was a comoditie of that worth & valew. But after it grue thus 

 to be a comoditie in these parts, these Indeans fell into it allso, and 

 to learne how to make it; for y® Narigansets doe geather y® shells 

 of which y®y make it from their shors. And it hath now continued 

 a current comoditie aboute this 20 years, and it may prove a drugg 

 in time. In y® mean time it maks y® Indeans of these parts rich and 

 power full, and allso prowd therby; and fills them with peeces, 

 powder, and shots, which no laws can restraine. — Bradford, p. 234-35 



