Chap. III. of the ENGLISH in A M E R I C A. 
Help of which they went at a great rate. About the middle 
of June they had compleated the Freight of their Bark^ 
which they fent home before them into England. After 
her Departure, they made all the Difpatch they could in 
loading their own Veffei ; for which they procured a very 
valuable Cargo of Skins and Fursj in exchange for the 
Commodities they carried. On the pth of Juguji they 
quitted the Coaff of Virginia., and failed for England., ar- 
riving in the Mouth of the Channel in five Weeks •, but 
nieeting therewith contrary Winds, they could not reach 
KingJ-Road before the 2d of Odiober \ but they had the 
Satisfadtion of finding that their Bark was fafely arrived 
a Fortnight before them. 
There was another Attempt made the fame Year, up- 
on the fame Account, which, however, did not end fo 
fortunately. This Voyage was performed by the Eliza- 
beth of London., a Bark of fifty Tons, commanded by 
Capt. Bartholomew Gilbert, who had been the Year before 
at Virginia with Capt. Gofnold. They departed from 
Plymouth the loth of May, and in their Paflage traded 
at St. Lutia, Dominica, and Mews, at the latter of which 
they cut about twenty lYns of Lignum-vitae. The third 
Cf July they fet fail from thence for the Coaft of Virginia, 
and particularly for Chefepeak Bay, which Capt. Gilbert 
was very defirous of failing to, that he might make 
fome Enquiry after the People near thofe Parts. On the 
25th they came near the Mouth of that Bay. 
But the Wind blowing hard, with a high Sea, though 
thejr beat about for two or three Days, they could not 
make it, and were obliged to bear more to the eaftward. 
The 29th, being not far from Shore, the Captain with 
four of his belt Men landed in their Boat, and, being 
provided with Arms, marched fome way up the Coun- 
try j but in this March, being fet upon and overpowered 
by the Inhabitants, they were all killed; and it was not- 
without Difficulty that the Boat, with two young Men 
who were left in her, reached the Ship again to brino- 
the News. They, being now in all but eleven Men and 
Boys in the Ship, were afraid to venture the Lofs of any 
more of their fmall Company; and their Provifions 
growing ffiort, the Mafter, He?iry Sute, who had taken 
the Command, refolved, though they were in ex- 
treme Want of Wood and Water, to return home- 
wards, which they did, and arrived in the River of 
fhames about the End of September. 
The Peace being concluded vsith. Spain,m 1 604, removed 
feveralObftacles that ftood in the way of the Britijh Trade ; 
and at the fame time opened to our Ships a free Accefs to 
many Iflands, Countries and Ports, to which they had 
not before reforted ; which occafioned a great Increafe in 
our Exportations, and gave much Encouragement to fuch 
as were employed in the different Branches of the Woollen 
Manufadlure. As for the Bufinefs of fettling and plant- 
ing on the northern Continent of America, that too was 
laid open, by the Attainder of Sir Walter Raleigh, which 
happened at the beginning of this Reign, on account of 
a Plot, which appeared very improbable then, and with 
refpedl to him efpecially, very ridiculous ever fince. The 
Reports made by thofe who were concerned in the three laft 
Voyages being very favourable to the Country, and the 
Profits made by them being very confiderable, induced 
feveml Perfons of Diftindtion to think ferioufiy of pro- 
moting thefe Difeoveries, infomuch that fome of the No- 
bility refolved to engage in an Undertaking of this kind. 
2. Accordingly Henry WriotheJly Earl of Southampton, 
and Lhoma.s Loedi Arundel, of War dour, refolved to fit 
out a Ship for this Expedition. This Veffei was called 
the Archangel, and was commanded by Capt. Gecr<re 
Weymouth,^ an experienced and fidlful Seaman, who 
failed on me laft Day oE March., 1605, from Dartmouth, 
and met with nothing of confequence, till fuch time as 
they judged themfelves to be very near the Coaft of Virgi- 
nia-,^ but the Winds carrying them to the northward, in the 
Eatitude of 41^^ go', and their Wood and Water begin- 
mng to grow extremely ffiort, they grew very defimus 
° Land. By their Charts they had reafon to ex- 
pect it, and therefore bore diredtly in with it, according 
to thar InftruCtions, yet they found none in a Run of 
r ^ Leagues. After much Expedtation, on the 
1 6th ot May they obtained Sight of an Ifland, of no 
great confequence, and very woody along the Shore 3 
but by the Fruits they found it appeared no barren nor deft 
picableSpot, more efpecially as there were Streams of freih 
Water running down the Cliffs in great plenty, vaft num- 
bers of Fowls, and Fiffi enough all along the Shore. This 
Ifland is now called Long-Ifand, and it was upon the eafl:em 
Parts of it they fell, to their great Satisfadlion, From 
hence they could difeern a great many other Iflands, and 
the main Land ftretching from the Weft-fouth-weft, to 
the Eaft-north-eaft. Several of the Iflands adjoining to 
the Continent they vifited, and found very fiill both of 
Timber and Fruit-trees, of feveral Sorts. 
Among thofe Iflands they met with a Flarbour, in 
which Ships of any Burthen might lye, defended from 
all Winds, in fix to ten Fathom Water, upon a tough 
Clay Ooze. This they called PentecoJl-EIarbour, becaufe 
it was about WLitfuntide they difeovered it. The Fir- 
trees, which were in great numbers on thefe Elands, 
yielded an exceeding fweet Turpentine ; and the Mufcles^ 
which they found about the Rocks, afforded fmail Pearl 
in abundance, and fome that were large and orient ; 
and the Shell of thefe Pearls on the Infid e refembled 
Mother-of-pearl ; but they wanted properTackle to dredge 
for them, and therefore could not take any confiderable 
Qiiantity. The Natives from the Continent came oft in 
their Canoes to trade with them while they lay in this ex- 
cellent Harbour, their Commerce being much the fame 
as in former Voyages, all forts of Skins and Furs in ex- 
change for Knives, Beads, and fuch like Trifles : And 
fo good Chapmen were they at that time, that they 
would give the Value of ten or twelve Pounds in their 
Goods, for five Shillings-worth of Englijh Iron Ware. We 
ffiall not enlarge on the Manners, Habits and Cuftorns, 
(Ec. of the Natives, which were the fame we have al- 
ready feen. Their Bows, Arrows, and Canoes, had no- 
thing in them but what was comimon among other Sa- 
vages. Their Tobacco-Pipes were fometimes made of 
Clay, and fometimes the Claw of a Lobfter only, but al- 
ways of a Capacity to hold as much as ten or twelve of ours. 
They grew pretty familiar with thofe People, but 
found, as others had done, that, amidft all their fpeci- 
OLis Shews of Friendffiip, they were very treacherous, 
and fought every Opportunity of betraying them. Of 
this they had one yery evident Proof; when thofe Savages, 
having invited them on Shore to traffic, had very near 
drawn them into an Ambuffi of near three hundred 
Men, armed after their Manner, with Bows and Ar- 
rows ; but they difeovered their Treachery in time, and 
efcaped the Snare. But the moft extraordinary Difeovery 
made in this Voyage was that of a River, efteemed by 
thofe who found it the moft beautiful in America. They 
went up it with their Ships feveral Leagues, and gave 
this Account of it ; that as it runs up the Main, it keeps 
a good Breadth for forty Miles together, in moft Places 
a Mile, in fome three Quarters, but never lefs than half 
a Mile : It flows fixteen or eighteen Feet ; at low Water 
it is from fix to ten Fathom deep ; it has abundance 
of Harbours for Ships of all Burthens, and will fe- 
cure them better from W^ind and W^eather than any 
known in Europe. On both Sides there are, at a fmall 
Diftance one from another, many fine Coves, fome of 
them capable of containing more than an hundred Sail, 
where the Ground is foft Ooze; with a tough Clay un- 
derneath for Anchor-hold. Nature alfo has made feveral 
convenient Places, likeDocks, to grave and careen Ships of 
all Burthens, and fecure them from all Winds ; the neigh^ 
bouring Land trends along on both Sides in a fmooth 
I dne, and, inftead of Rocks and Cliffs, is bordered 
with green Grafs, and tall Trees of different Sorts. After 
they had remained here about fix Weeks, and during all 
that 1 ime carried on a very profitable Trade with*^ the 
Natives, _ they thought of returning to England-, v/itli 
wnich View they hoifted Sail June the i6th, and arrived 
that Day Month in Sight of the L.and’s-End of England. 
'This profperous Voyage induced many Perfons of 
hign Rank, and many more of great Fortune, to defire to 
fee this new Tiade tnoroughly eftabliffied,vffio applied to 
the^ Crown for fuch legal Authorities as were neeeflary 5 
which Defire of theirs was very foon complied with, and 
two Companies formed for fettling this large 'Tra6t 
9f 
