USA > Maryland > The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations > Part 16
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SEC. VII. next yeare for 8 or 10 dayes of ill weather, other 14 dayes would be as sommer.
1608.
" The windes here are variable, but the like thunder and light- ning to purifie the ayre, I have seldome either seene or heard in Europe. From the south-west came the greatest gusts with thunder and heat .* The north-west winde is commonly coole and bringeth fair weather with it. From the North is the great- est cold, and from the east and south-east as from ths Bermudas, fogs and raines.
"Sometimes there are great droughts, other times much raine, yet great necessitie of neither, by reason we see not but that all the raritie of needful fruits in Europe, may be there in great plentie, by the industrie of men, as appeareth by those we there planted.
"There is but one entrance by sea into this country, and that is at the mouth of a very goodly bay, 18 or 20 myles broad. The cape on the south is called Cape Henry, in honour of our most noble prince. The land white hilly sands like unto the Downes, and all along the shores great plentie of pines and firres.
"The north Cupe is called Cape Charles, in honour of the worthy Duke of York. The isles before it, Smith's isles, by the name of the discoverer. Within is a country that may have the prerogative over the most places knowne, for large and pleasant navigable rivers, heaven and earth never agreed better to frame
to what Smith has stated above, this severe frost was recompensed with as mild a winter with them the next year."
* This does not seem to be exactly correspondent to the well known fact at this day in Maryland, and for these fifty years past; inasmuch as our "greatest gusts" most commonly come from the north-west, at least in the summer season. Theoretically speaking, however, Smith is herein somewhat correct. Accord- ing to Volney's theory of our summer-gusts, (and he seems to have bestowed peculiar attention to our climate and winds, and herein appears to be highly plausible and ingenious,) they result from a meeting or counteraction of the south-west and north-west or north-east winds on the west side of the Allegany mountains. The south-west wind, in this case, is a kind of trade-wind, which, sweeping from the gulf of Mexico, traverses up the basins of the Mississippi and Ohio, loaded with warm and moist vapours. Meeting there with a north- west or north-east wind, it is there checked in its further progress ; until these winds, by their joint or antagonist action against each other, accumulate their vapours so as to surmount their natural mound-the Allegany mountains ; when, rushing over its summits, this combined fluid, according to the laws of gravity, descends, like a torrent, upon the valley of the Atlantic States. Our summer- gusts may, therefore, be said to come originally or in part from the south-west, as Smith states ; but certainly not as he meant-perceptibly to the eye. Perhaps indeed about James-town, which is more towards the southern point of the Al- legany ridge, and where he was most conversant in Virginia, they may rise more to the southward than in Maryland.
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HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
a place for man's habitation ; were it fully manured and inhabit- SEC. VII. ed by industrious people. Here are mountaines, hils, plaines, 1608. valleyes, rivers, and brookes, all running most pleasantly into a faire bay, compassed but for the mouth, with fruitfull and de- lightsome land. In the bay and rivers are many isles both great and small, some woody, some plaine, most of them low and not inhabited. This bay lyeth north and south, in which the water floweth neare 200 myles, and hath a channell for 140 myles of depth betwixt 6 and 15 fadome, holding a breadth for the most part 10 or 14 myles. From the head of the bay to the north- west, the land is mountainous, and so in a manner from thence by a south-west line; so that the more southward the farther off from the bay are those mountaines .* From which fall certaine brookes which after come to five principall navigable rivers. These run from the north-west into the south-east, and so into the west side of the bay, where the fall of every river is within 20 or 15 myles one of the other.
"The mountaines are of divers natures: for at the head of the bay the rockes are of a composition like mill-stones. Some of marble, &c. And many peeces like christall we found, as throwne downe by water from those mountains. For in winter they are covered with much snow, and when it dissolveth the waters fall with such violence, that it causeth great inundations in some narrow valleys, which is scarce perceived being once in the rivers. These waters wash from the rocks such glistering tinc- tures, that the ground in some places seemeth as guilded, where both the rocks and the earth are so splendent to behold, that bet- ter judgments than ours might have beene perswaded, they contain- ed more than probabilities. The vesture of the earth in most places doth manifestly proue the nature of the soyle to be lusty and very rich. The colour of the earth we found in diverse places, resembleth bole armoniac, terra a sigillata, and lemnia, fuller's earth, marle, and divers and other such appearances. But generally for the most part it is a blacke sandy mould, in some places a fat slimy clay, in other places a very barren gravell. But the best ground is knowne by the vesture it beareth, as by the greatnesse of trees, or abundance of weeds, &c.
* The course of the Allegany "mountaines" is, for the most part, nearly from the north-east to the south-west. The Chesapeake, as Smith has observed above, runs nearly north and south. Hence the "mountaines" appear to recede from the bay towards its mouth.
VOL. I .- 18
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SEC. VII. "The country is not mountenous, nor yet low, but such plea- 1608. sant plains, hils, and fertile valleyes, one prettily crossing ano- ther, and watered so conveniently with fresh brookes and springs, no lesse commodious, than delightsome. By the rivers are many plaine marishes, containing some 20, some 100, some 200 acres, some more, some lesse.
"Other plaines there are few, but onley where the salvages in- habit, but all overgrowne with trees and weeds, being a plaine wildernesse as God first made it."
Smith next herein proceeds to describe the rivers, and the par- ticular tribes of Indians seated thereon, on the western shore of Virginia; but as his account thereof has no particular connex- ion with a history of Maryland, it is here omitted.
"The fourth river is called Patawomeke, 6 or 7 myles in breadth. It is navigable 140 myles, * and fed as the rest with many sweet rivers and springs, which fall from the bordering hils. These hils many of them are planted,t and yield no lesse plentie and varietie of fruit, then the river exceedeth with abun- dance of fish. It is inhabited on both sides. First on the south side at the very entrance is Wighcocomoco, and hath some 130 men, beyond them Sakacawone with 30. The Anawman- ient with 100. And the Patawomekes more than 200.} Here doth the river divide itselfe into 3 or 4 convenient branches. The greatest of the least is called Quiyough, § trending northwest, but the river itselfe turneth northeast, and is still a navigable streame. On the westerne side of this bought is Tauxenent with 40 men. || On the north of this river is Secowocomoco with
* This nearly corresponds with the actual distance, measured with the wind- ings of the channel of the river from the mouth thereof to the city of Washing- ton, where the falls impede further navigation.
t Smith could mean here only, that they were planted ; that is, settled or cul- tivated by the Indians ; for no plantation of Europeans had been as yet seated on the Patowmack.
# The scites of these Indian towns have been before stated in the account of Smith's first tour up the Chesapeake.
§ Undoubtedly the Acquia creek, as herein before stated.
|| Mr. Jefferson has stated this Indian town, called Tauxenent, to have been in Fairfax county, Virginia, "about Gen. Washington's."-The word "bought," in the text above, though apparently obsolete, means the bend of the river oppo- site to Mount Vernon. It is explained in Johnson's Dictionary, as being synoni- mous to the words "twist" and "flexure," and is so used by Milton in his Allegro :
" In notes, with many a winding bout, Of linked sweetness long drawn'out."
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40 .* Somewhat further Potopaco with 20.t In the east part is SEC. VII. Pamacacack with 60 .¿ After Moyowance with 100. And 1608. lastly, Nacotchtanks with 80.§ The river above this place maketh his passage downe a low pleasant valley overshaddowed
* The distance of Secowocomoco or Cecomocomoco, from the mouth of the river Patowomeke, as laid down by Smith, on his map, is about ten leagues. Accounting three miles to the league, this will nearly correspond with the dis- tance of the mouth of the Wicomoco river from that of the Patowmack; which Wicomoco river divides St. Mary's and Charles counties, in Maryland, from each other, on the north side of the Patowmack. This Indian town called Secowo- comoco, in the text, but Cecomocomoco on Smith's map, was most probably, therefore, situated on the same Wicomoco river last mentioned.
t As this place, Potopaco, is stated to have been " somewhat further" up the Patowmack, on the north side thereof, then Secowocomoco, or Wicomoco, it would appear to have been the same as that now called Port Tobacco. Smith's location of it on his map, is in conformity to this supposition. Our early Eng- lish colonists of that part of Maryland, who were tobacco-planters, would very naturally and aptly convert the Indian name, Potopaco, although it probably had originally a different meaning, into Port-Tobacco,-a haven convenient to them for the exportation of that produce, and therefore an appellation more appropri- ate as well as more familiar to them. Smith has laid down on his map two or three other Indian towns, or " ordinary howses," as he calls them, next in suc- cession above Potopaco and on the same (Maryland) side of the river, which he has not mentioned in the text above. Immediately above Potopaco he has laid down on his map two of these towns, or " ordinary howses," to which he has not affixed any name; but, a little above these, a third one he calls Nushemouck. There is no name in Griffith's map of Maryland, which corresponds in sound with this, at least in that part of Charles county, but from its location on Smith's map, it would appear to have been somewhere about Nanjemy river. Three other towns, or " ordinary howses," Smith has located on the Maryland side of the river ; one just above Nushemouck, and two others in the great bend direct- ly opposite to the town of the Patowomekes and the mouth of the Quiyough or Acquia creek, but without affixing to them any names. Next above these, and about four or five miles above the Acquia, was Nussamek, on the Maryland side, denoted as a "king's howse." Next above Nussamek, and on the Maryland side, was Mataughquamend, which evidently seems to be the same as the creek now called Matawoman. The distance on Smith's map from the mouth of the Quiyough to the town and creek of Mataughquamend corresponds very nearly with the distance on Griffith's map of Maryland from the mouth of the Acquia to the mouth of the Matawoman creek or run in Charles county, about eight miles.
# There appear on Smith's map two places on the Patowmack denominated Pamacacack ; one on the Virginia side of that river, opposite to Nassamek, just before mentioned ; and another on the Maryland side just above Mataughqua- mend. From the expression in the text above,-"In the east part, &c." the place thereby meant must have been a place of that name just above the Ma- taughquamend or Matawoman creek, in what is now called Maryland.
§ The Moyowance above mentioned, appear to be the same as the Moyaones before mentioned by Smith, in the account of his first tour up the Chesapeake ; where also the scite of the Nacotchtanks is stated.
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INTRODUCTION TO A
SEC. VII. in many places with high rocky mountaines ; from whence dis- till innumerable sweet and pleasant springs .*
. 1608.
"The fift river is called Pawtuxunt, of a lesse proportion than the rest; but the channell is sixteen fadome deepe in some places. Here are infinit skuls of divers kindes of fish more than elswhere. Upon this river dwell the people called Acquinta- nacksuah, Pawtuxunt and Mattapanient. Two hundred men was the greatest strength that could be perceived. But they inhabit together, and not so dispersed as the rest. These of all other we found most civill to give intertainement.t
* This part of Smith's description of the Patowmack seems to afford some proof, that he sailed up that river as high as it was navigable for his vessel-to where the city of Washington, or rather Georgetown, now stands ; and here ter- minated the extent of his exploration of that noble river. As there are a few places, however, on the Maryland side of that river, from the "falles" thereof to its mouth, which he has not mentioned in the text of his History, although he has denoted them on his map, a few supplementary remarks thereon may not be altogether improper. About mid-way between the Moyaones and the Nacotch- tanks, on the Maryland side of the Patowmack, he has laid down a small creek, emptying into the Patowmack, and has denoted thereon two or three small towns, or "ordinary howses," to which creek he has affixed the name of Tessa- matuck. From a comparison with a modern map, this place seems to have been somewhere about Oxen-creek, in Prince George's county. A few miles below the Moyaones, on the Maryland side, he has denoted also a small creek and town, to which he has affixed the name of Cinquactack, and which seems to cor- respond with that now called Piscataway. Considerably lower down the river also, and on the Maryland side, he has laid down on his map, but not mentioned in his book, a small town which he calls Monanauk, about eighteen or twenty miles from the mouth of the river. This place appears to correspond in the dis- tance from the mouth of the river, as just mentioned, with that of Britton's bay or Clement's branch, in St. Mary's county. To which may be here added, in conclusion of his description of the Patowmack, that the north point or cape at the mouth of that river, now called Point-Look-out, is denoted by him as " Sparke's poynt."
t The Acquintanacksuah town, or " king's howse," called by Smith on his map Acquintanacksuck, is there denoted by him, as situated on the right bank or south side of the Patuxent, about twelve miles from the mouth of that river. A small creek, about two miles and a half above a place called Cole's Inspection- house, in St. Mary's county, seems to correspond with Smith's location of this tribe. The town of the Pawtuxunts, (the most considerable one upon this river, as we may suppose, from its having either received its name or given it to the river,) denoted also by Smith as a "king's howse," appears, from his location of it, to have been on the north side or left bank of the river, in Calvert county, and nearly opposite to Acquintanacksuck. No town or place of the name of Mattapanient is laid down by Smith on his map ; so that the exact scite or situa- tion of it cannot be ascertained by us. It is certain, however, that one of the hundreds, or civil divisions of St. Mary's county, was, soon after its settlement by Lord Baltimore's colony, denominated Mattapanient hundred ; as will herein- after appear. It would seem also, that this hundred lay in that part of the coun-
141 1
HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
" Thirtie leagues northward is a river not inhabited, yet navi- SEC. VII. gable : for the red clay resembling bole armoniack we called it bo- lus. At the end of the bay where it is 6 or 7 myles in breadth, 1608. it divides itselfe into 4 branches, the best commeth north-west from among the mountaines, but though canows may goe a dayes journey or two up it, we could not get two myles up it with our boat for rockes. Upon it is seated the Sasquesahanocks, neare it north and by west runneth a creeke a myle and a halfe : at the head whereof the Eble left us on shore, where we found many trees cut with hatchets. The next tyde keeping the shore to seeke for some salvages ; (for within thirtie leagues sayling, we saw not any, being a barren country,) we went up another small river like a creeke, 6 or 7 myle. From thence returning we met 7 canowes of the Massawomeks, with whom we had con- ference by signes, for we understood one another scarce a word: the next day we discovered the small river and people of Tock- whogh trending eastward .*
ty which bordered on the Patuxent, and towards the mouth thereof. Supposing, therefore, that this hundred took its name from the above mentioned ancient Indian town, the scite of this town was most probably in some part of this hun- dred and situated somewhere on the Patuxent between its mouth and Cole's In- spection-house. The circumstance above mentioned by Smith, that "they inhabit together, and not so dispersed as the rest," seems to indicate, that the Mattapanient town was situated also not far from the other two; probably near the Acquintanacksucks, being on the same side of the Patuxent. These three places, being the residences of the Werowances, or kings, on the Patuxent, are all that Smith has thought proper to describe in his General History. He has, however, laid down on his map a considerable number of little towns, or " ordi- nary howses," as he there calls them, seated on the shores of the Patuxent. But, as we have no accounts of any thing relating to them, the bare mention of their names, in the order in which they are seated on both sides of that river, seems to be sufficient. Immediately above the Acquintanacksucks, and on the same side of the river, is Wasmacus, then Acquaseack, (which last possibly is a place · now called Acquases, in Prince George's county,) Wasapekent, Macocanaco, Pocatamough, Quotough, Wosamens and Matpanient, which last is denoted as the highest seated up the river on the south and west side thereof, and seems to cor- respond with the creek now called Mattapany. Nearly opposite to Matpament, and on the north or east side of the Patuxent, near the little town called Cuac- tataugh, then next below was Wepanawomen, then next in order, still descending the river, were Tanskus, Waseacup, and Onnatuck, which last was just above the great town of the Pawtuxunts, above mentioned. Next below Pawtuxunt was Quemocac, and lastly, Opament, which seems to have been about eight or nine miles from the mouth of the river. Further mention of some Indian towns on the Patuxent will be made, when we come to state the excursion or visit made to the Patuxent by John Pory, secretary of Virginia, in the ycar 1621.
* What is contained in the preceding paragraph, has been commented on be- fore, where Smith's second tour up the Chesapeake is stated.
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SEC. VII. " Having lost our grapnell among the rocks of Sasquesahanocks, 1608. we were then neare 200 myles from home, and our barge about two tuns, and had in it but twelve men to performe this disco- very, wherein we lay about 12 weekes upon those great waters in those unknowne countries, having nothing but a little meale, oatmeale and water to feed us, and scarce halfe sufficient of that for halfe that time, but what provision we got among the sal- vages, and such rootes and fish as we caught by accident, and God's direction; nor had we a mariner nor any had skill to trim the sayles but two saylers and myselfe, the rest being gentlemen, or them were as ignorant in such toyle and labour. Yet neces- sitie in a short time by good words and examples made them doe that that caused them ever after to feare no colours. What I did with this small meanes I leave to the reader to judge, and the mappe I made of the country, which is but a small matter in regard of the magnitude thereof. But to proceed, 60 of these Sasquesaha- nocks came to us with skins, bowes, arrows, targets, beads, swords, and tobacco pipes for presents. Such great and well- proportioned men are seldom seene, for they seemed like giants to the English, yea and to the neighbours, yet seemed of an ho- nest and simple disposition, with much adoe restrained from adoring us as Gods. These are the strangest people of all these countries, both in language and attire ; for their language it may well become their proportions, sounding from them, as a voyce in a vault. Their attire is the skinnes of beares, and wolves, some have cossacks made of beares heads and skinnes, that a mans head goes through the skinnes neck, and the eares of the beare fastened to his shoulders, the nose and teeth hanging downe his breast, another beares face split behind him, and at the end of the nose hung a pawe, the halfe sleeves comming to the elbowes were the neckes of beares, and the armes through the mouth with pawes hanging at their noses. One had the head of a wolfe hanging in a chaine for a jewell, his tobacco- pipe three quarters of a yard long, prettily carved with a bird, a deare, or some such devise at the great end, sufficient to beat out ones braines: with bowes, arrowes, and clubs, sutable to their greatnesse. These are scarce knowne to Powhatan. They can make neare 600 able men, and are pallisadoed in their townes to defend them from the Massawomekes their mortall enemies. Five of their chiefe Werowances came aboord vs and crossed the bay in their barge. The picture of the greatest of them is sig-
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HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
nified in the mappe. The calfe of whose leg was three quar- SEC. VII. ters of a yard about, and all the rest of his limbes so answerable 1608. to that proportion that he seemed the goodliest man we ever be- held. His hayre, the one side was long, the other shore close with a ridge over his crowne like a cocks combe. His arrowes were five quarters long, headed with the splinters of a white christall-like stone, in forme of a heart, an inch broad, and an inch and a halfe or more long. These he wore in a woolues skinne at his backe for his quiver, his bow in the one hand and his clubbe in the other, as is described.
"On the east side of the bay is the river Tockwhogh,* and upon it a people that can make 100 men, seated some seaven myles within the river : where they have a fort very well palli- sadoed and mantelledt with barkes of trees. Next them is Ozi- nies with sixty men .¿ More to the south of that east side of the
* That this is the same river as that now called the Sassafras, we have endea- voured herein before to shew, in our comments on Smith's second voyage up the Chesapeake.
t This is the obsolete mode of spelling the word mantled ; which, according to Johnson in his dictionary, sometimes signifies covered or cloked : for which he cites Shakspeare.
# The author of the anonymous History of Maryland, before mentioned, states-that " the Osinies probably dwelt on the modern Sassafras river." As he appears to have been erroneous in his location of the Tockwhoghs, so is he also in that of the Osinies .- If we have succeeded herein before in our endeavours to shew, that the Tockwhogh river of Smith was " the modern Sassafras river," it will necessarily follow, according to Smith's map, that the Ozinies must have been seated on the next river below the Tockwhogh. But Smith has laid down no river on the Eastern Shore below the Tockwhogh and above the three isles, called by him Winstone's Isles, evidently thereby the Isle of Kent, &c. He has, however, made on his map a small indentation, indicating his supposition of a river there just above these isles, and directly opposite to the mouth of his Bo- lus river,-the Patapsco ; and on this indentation in his map he has denoted the scite of the Ozinies by his mark of " king's howses," and the name of the Ozi- nies annexed thereto. This location of the Ozinies, by Smith, on an opening to the bay on the Eastern Shore, which opening he supposed to be a river, but not fully delineated by him as such on his map, inasmuch as he had not explored it, being directly opposite to the Patapsco river, and above the Isle of Kent, de- monstrates, that this indentation or opening on the Eastern Shore was intended for the river now called the Chester, the mouth of which could not have been passed unobserved by Smith in his ascending and descending the bay; and that the Ozinies lived on it he probably had from the Tockwhoghs or some other In- dians .- That an Indian settlement, of some considerable size, was formerly si- tuated on the Chester river, is evident from some very remarkable remains still visible on a peninsula in Queen Ann's county formed by the Corsica creek and the Chester river. The gentlemen, to whom I believe this peninsula belongs, has informed me by letter, that " within the area of this peninsula there are two hundred acres of land covered deep with oyster-shells, among which have often
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