Chap. III. of the ENGLISH 
In the Midft of thefe Feuds, however^ they fell, to 
planting, fowing, building, and fortifying ; but, above 
all, they carried on a very advantageous Trade with the 
Natives. They might neverthelefs have made much greater 
Gains of it, and managed it more to the Satisfaction of 
the Indians^ as well as to the great Eafe and Security of 
themfelves, if they had been under any Rule, or fubjedl 
to any Method in Trade, and not at liberty to out-bid 
one another. By this they not only lelfened their own 
Profit, but created Jealoufies and Difturbances among the 
Indians^ by letting one have a better Bargain than another ; 
for they being unaccuflomed to barter, fuch of them as 
had been hardefl dealt by in their Commodities thought 
themfelves cheated and abufed. Thence they conceived 
a Grudge againft the Englifh in general, and made it a na- 
tional Quarrel, which feems to have been the original 
Caufe of moft of their fubfequent Misfortunes from the 
Indians. Thefe Indians proved much the fame as they 
had been found to be in other Places, fair and friendly at 
firft, but treacherous and deceitful in the fequel. How- 
ever, it was chiefly by the help of their Provifions that 
the Englifd fubfifted till the Return of their Ships. 
The next Year two Veffels were fent thither full 
freighted with Men and Provifions for the Supply of the 
Plantation : One of them arrived direftly ; but the other, 
being beat off to the Carihbee IJlands^ did not arrive till 
the former was failed back for England. But what gave 
the greateft Interruption to their Trade was, an Objedl 
which drew their Eyes and Thoughts entirely not only 
from that, but even from taking the necelTary Care for 
their Prefervation, and for the Support of their Lives, 
which was this : They found, in a Neck of Land on the 
Back of James-Town Ifland, \ frefh Stream of Water, 
Ipringing from a fmall Bank, which waflied down with 
a yellow fort of Drift Ifing-glafs, which, being cleanfed by 
the frefh ftreaming of the Water, lay fhining at the Bot- 
tom, and ftirred up in them an unreafonable Defire after 
Riches ; for they, taking all to be Gold that glittered, 
ran into the utmoft Diftraftion, neglecling both the ne- 
eeffary Defence of their Lives from the Indians^ and the 
Support of their Bodies by fecuring Provifions, abfolute- 
ly relying upon the Power of Gold, and thinking that, 
where this was plenty, nothing could be wanting. Nay, 
they began to be fo infatuated with the Hopes of Moun- 
tains of Wealth, that they defpifed the Mines of Peru 
and Mexico, in comparifon of their own ineftimabie 
Stream. 
They foon, however, grew fenfible of their Error, 
and found that, if this gild^ed Dirt had been really Gold, 
it could then have been of no Advantage j for, by their 
Negligence, they were reduced to an exceeding Scarcity 
of Provifions, and that little they had was loft by the 
burning of their I'own, while all Hands were employed 
about this imaginary golden Trealure; fo that they were 
obliged to live, for fome time, upon the wild Fruits of 
the Earth, and upon Crabs and Mufcles, and fuch like, 
not having a Day’s Provifion beforehand. By this Ne- 
gledr, likewife, they, many of them, became a Prey to 
the Cruelty of the Indians, and the reft durft not ven- 
ture abroad, and fo were forced to be content with what 
they could get. In this miferable Condition they were, 
when the firft of the two Ships arrived from England to 
their Afiiftance. They neither thought or fpoke of any 
thing but Gold ; and therefore they put into this Ship 
all the yellow Dirt they had gathered, and what Skins 
and Furs they had bartered for, and, filling her up with 
Cedar, fent her away. When the other Ship arrived, 
they flowed her likewife with this imaginary Gold Duft, 
and filled her up with Cedar and Clapboard. 
But being at length perfuaded that they might apply 
themfelves to other Labours as profitable, as well as 
more necefiary than colledling yellow Sand, v/hich, fup- 
pofing It valuable, would be always in their Power, if 
they tooK care to fortify themfelves effedlually, they be- 
gan^to beftir themfelves for that Purpofe, and, by the 
good Management and Direftion of Capt. Smith, they 
made leveral Difcoveries in James-River, and up Chefe- 
peak-Bay ; and, in the Year 1608, they firft gathered 
Indtan Corn of their own planting. While Capt. Smith 
VoL. II. Numb. 84,, 
AMERICA: 12^, 
was out on his Expedition among the Savages, he wa^ 
treacheroufiy fallen upon by three hundred of the Indians^ 
under the Command of one of their Kings, called Pa-^ 
matinkee, who put all his Men to Death, and taking him 
Prifoner, carried him to Powhatan^ their chief King^ 
who would have put him to Death, had he not been 
faved at the Interceffion of Powhatan\, Daiighterji 
Pacahunta. 
Being releafed he returned to James-fown, where Mr: 
refigning his Prefidentfhipj he was unanimouf- 
ly delired to accept of that Office. While thefe Difco- 
veries were making by Captain Smith, Matters run again 
into Confufion in James-Tc^von and feveral uneafy People, 
taking Advantage in his Abfence, attempted to defert 
the Settlement and to run away with the fmall Veffel which 
was left to attend it ; for Captain Smith was the only Man 
among them who could manage Difcoveries with Suc- 
cefs, or v/ho could keep the Settlement in any Order. 
Neverthelefs, amidft all thefe Inconveniencies which they 
brought upon themfelves, the Plantation being increaf- 
ed to near five hundred Men, they made two other Set- 
tlements, one at Nanfamond in James-River, above thirty 
Miles below James-fown ; and the other at Powhatan, 
fix Miles below the Falls of James-River ; which laft 
was bought of Powhatan for a certain Quantity of 
Copper, each Settlement confifting of one hundred and 
twenty Men ; and foon after they made a fourth Settle- 
ment at Kiguotan, near the Mouth of James-River. Cap- 
tain Smith obferved that two thirds of the Adventurers 
came over with a View of having every thing provided 
to their Hands, without any Care or Labour of their 
own, and were fubfifted by the Labours of the other In- 
duftrious third, until he compelled them all to take 
Share in the Work ; and then he foon planted Ground 
enough to fubfift the Colony in Plenty, and, by moderate 
Exercife and good Food, faw them not only reftored to 
their Healths, but in a very flourifhing Condition ; and, 
as there was now no longer Neceffity of procuring Food 
from the Indians by Violence, they lived and trafficked 
very amicably together, and Powhatan buffered him to 
make feveral other Settlements in the Country. 
When their Affairs were in this profperous Situation 
there arrived fix or feven Ships from England, with be- 
tween three and four hundred Planters, and fuch ample Sup- 
plies of Ammunition and Provifion, as would have ena- 
bled the Colony to have made an entire Conqueft of Vir- 
ginia, or, at leaft, to have procured what Terms they 
faw fit of the Indians, if they had been under any Com- 
mand *, but as things were managed, this Supply only 
brought the Colony into Confufion. Upon Report of which 
the Company in England, imagining the Divifions among 
the Council in Virginia, in whom the Government there 
was lodged, were the Occafion of moft of tihe Mifma- 
nagem.ents that had happened, procured a new Patent 
from King James, whereby they were impowered to ap- 
point, a Governor with a more ample Authority than 
they had by the preceeding Patent ; and prevailed on 
the Lord de la War to accept of the Government of their 
new Colony ; who thereupon made Sdifhomas Gates, Sir 
George Summers, and Captain Newport, his Deputies, un- 
til his Arrival ; and thefe Gentlemen fet fail for England 
with nine Ships and five hundred Men, in the Month of 
May 1609. : 
All the three Deputy-Governors, being embarked in 
one Ship, were unfortunately caft away on the Hands of 
Bermudas, being then uninhabited, but they and all the 
People efcaped to the Shore ; where, finding Plenty of 
Provifions, they took Poffeffion of thefe Hands for the 
Crown of England, and from Sir George Summers they 
have been ever fince called the Summer Iflands. In the 
mean Time the reft of their Fleet arrived fafe in the Bay 
of Chefepeak, with the Reinforcement above mentioned ; 
where they found Captain Smith Prefident •, but both old 
and new Planters gave out they were not obliged to obey 
him, for there was another Commiffion granted which 
had fuperfeded his, and they expelled the Arrival of the 
Deputy-Governors every Day. 
But notwithftanding thefe Jars, Captain Smith made a 
M m m ffiift 
