HISTORICAL SKETCHES. 161 



tribes of Indians, and says also that the island was 

 " covered with forest trees, mostly oaks." This is all 

 doubtless true ; and it is also the compiler's firm be- 

 lief (and there is everything to substantiate it) that 

 all the islands lying to the south of Massachusetts — 

 "Nantican," " Caparrock," u Tuckanuckett," etc. — 

 had been visited frequently, and were well known to 

 the English long before 1641. 



On page 324 of Drake's u Nooks and Corners of the 

 New England Coast " will be found the following: — 



" The first Englishman to leave a distinct record of 

 it was Capt. Dermer, who was here in 1620, though 

 Weymouth probably became entangled among Nan- 

 tucket Shoals in May, 1605. The relations of Archer 

 and Brereton render it at least doubtful whether this 

 island was not the first on which Gosnold landed, and 

 to which he gave the name of Martha's Vineyard. The 

 two accounts are too much at variance to enable the 

 student to bring them into reciprocal agreement; yet 

 that of Archer, being in the form of a diary, in which 

 each day's transactions are noted, will be preferred to 

 the narrative of Brereton, who wrote from recollection. 

 To these the curious reader is referred. (Note Purchas, 

 iv. ; reprinted in Mass. Hist. Colls., hi., viii.) lean- 

 not give space to those points that confirm my view, 

 but they make a strong presumptive case. It has been 

 alleged that De Poutrincourt landed here after his con- 

 flict with the Indians of Cape Cod. So far from land- 

 ing on the island they saw, Champlain says 'they 

 named it " La Soupconneuse," from the doubts they 

 had of it. Lescarbot adds that c; they saw an island six 

 or seven leagues in length, which they were not able 

 11 



