3 1 8 Mijceilmea. Curiofk: Vol. III. 



wards : Even in "J^mes Town Ijland^ which is 

 much what of an OvalJPignre^there's a Swamp 

 runs Diagonal- wife over, the Ifland, whereby 

 is loft at leaft i5oAcres of Land^which would 

 be Meadow, which would turn to as good Ac- 

 count as if it were in England: Befidesit is the 

 great annoyance of theTown,and no doubt but 

 makes it much more unhealthy.If therefore they 

 but fcour'd the Channel, and made a pretty 

 ordinary Trench all along the middle of the 

 Swamp, plac'd a Since at the Mouth, where 

 it opens into the back Creek ^ for the Mouth 

 of the Channel there is narrow^ has a good 

 hard bottom, and is not paft two Yards deep 

 when the Flood is out^ as if Nature had de- 

 iigned it before hand : They might thus drain 

 all the Swamp abfolutely dry, or lay it under 

 Water at their Pleafure. I have talked fe- 

 veral times hereof to Mr. Sherwood^ the owner 

 of tlie Swamp, yet nothing is eflayed in Or- 

 der thereto. And now fince we are fpeaking 

 of James Town give me leave to adjoin fome; 

 Refleftions as to the Situation and Fortifica^ 

 tions of the Place* The Natural Situation 

 of the place is fuch, as perhaps the World 

 has not a more commodious Place for a Town, 

 where all things conlpire for Advantage there- 

 of. 



James Town IJLand is rather a Peninfula^ be- 

 ing joined to the Continent by a fmall Neck 

 of Land, not paft Twenty or Thirty Yards 

 over,and which at Spring-Tides is overflowed, 

 and is then an abfolute Ifland. Now they 

 have built a filly fort of a Fort, that is, a 

 Brick Wall in the ftiape of a Half-Moon, at 

 the beginning of the Swamp, beqaufe the 



Chan- 



