The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations, Part 3

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823
Publication date: 1837
Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver
Number of Pages: 1062

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 3

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* Mod. Univ. Hist., vol. 40, p. 419. Oldmixon's British Empire in America, vol. 1, p. 325.

+ This assertion I find made by Oldmixon in the place just above cited from him, and as it seems to be well founded, it is here adopted. But see a further discussion of this subject in note (B) at the end of this volume.

# See note (C) at the end of the volume.

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SECT. I. and provisions ; ordered his people to attend the Spaniards, 1520. wherever they had a mind to visit the country, and made them rich presents of gold, plates of silver, and pearls. The Span- iards, having learned all they could concerning the country, wa- tered and re-victualled their ships, and inviting a large number of their generous landlords on board, after plying them with liquor, they weighed anchor and sailed off with them. This scheme, however, had not all the success its perpetrators expect- ed. Most of the unhappy savages either pined themselves to death, or were lost in one of the ships that foundered at sea; so that only a very few survived for the purposes of slavery. Vas- quez, notwithstanding his loss, having acquired some reputation from the expedition, renewed, in the years 1524 and 1525, his attempts to carry on a slave trade from that part of the continent. But, one of his ships being wrecked near St. Helena, and two hundred of his men being cut off by the natives, he was so dis- couraged, that he returned to Hispaniola and died, it is said, of a broken heart .*

Some schemes for discovery and settlement in America, ap- pear to have been now again revived in France. After a lapse 1524. of about fifteen years from the expedition of Aubert to Canada, Verazzini's in 1508, before mentioned, and the accession of Francis the first voyage. to the throne of France, that excellent monarch, the restorer of letters, (as he is styled by some French writers,) with the hon- orable ambition natural to great minds, resolved to partake in the glory of other European monarchs in making discoveries in America. With this view he fitted out in the year 1523, Gio- vanni (or"John) Verazzini, a Florentine,¡ to prosecute discoveries "in the northern parts" of America. History has recorded but little worth mentioning of any of the three several and succes- sive expeditions undertaken by him, except the considerable ex-

*Mod. Univ. His. vol. 40, p. 379.

+ Although what is published in Hakluyt's Voyages purports to be-"The re- lation of John De Verazzano, a Florentine," &c, yet I have ventured to alter the orthography of his name to Verazzini, upon the authority of Roscoe in his Pontificate of Leo Xth. It is most probable that Hakluyt obtained a copy of Ver- razzani's letter to the French king from some French publication; and the title prefixed to the letter, to wit: "The relation of John De Verrazzano, a Floren- tine," &c., is evidently not a part of Verazzini's letter, but a title or head of the pa- per prefixed to it by some French or English editor. Few Englishmen have made themselves so well acquainted with the Italian language as Roscoe. His mode of writing the name, Verazzini, may be therefore followed with greater safety. It may be observed, moreover, that Italian names have not commonly the preposition De prefixed to the surname.

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tent of his second voyage, or that made by him in 1524, which SECT. I. was along the coast of North America. His discoveries are said 1524. to have laid the foundation of the French claims to a considerable part of the continent of North America,* and this his second voy- age has therefore become an object of notice. The knowledge we have of it, is altogether derived from his own letter to the French king, which appears to have been written immediately on his re- turn from that voyage to Dieppe, and bears date "the eighth of July, 1524." As much of his letter is occupied in remarks on the behaviour and appearances of the different savages he met with on the coast, with but an obscure description of some places he touched at, seldom mentioning the latitudes of those places, his "Relation" has become for the most part, but the subject of con- jecture, and different writers have drawn different inferences con- cerning its topography. His own words, in the most material passages of his letter are therefore here preferred .- "The 17 of January, the yeare 1524} by the grace of God, we departed from the dishabited rocks by the isle of Madeira, appertaining to the king of Portugal, with 50 men, with victuals, weapons, and other ship munition very well prouided and furnished for eight months; and sailing westward with a faire easterly winde, in 25 days we ran 500 leagues, and 20 of Februerie, we were ouertaken with as sharpe and terrible a tempest as euer any saylers suffered, whereof with the diuine helpe and merciful assistance of Almighty God, and the goodnesse of our shippe, accompa- nied with the good happe of her fortunate name,* we were de-

* Williamson's Hist. of North Carolina, vol. 1, p. 15. The inference may be drawn also from Charlevoix's Hist. Nouv. France, as cited in Holmes' Annals, sub anno, 1524.

t As the letter was evidently written after his voyage, and bears date as above mentioned, July 8th, 1524, it follows that January, 1524, was in the first part of that year, and not in the latter part of it agreeably to Old Style in England.

* Her name, as he mentions it in the first paragraph of his letter which pre- ceded what is above, was "the Dolphin." Dr. Miller, in his discourse before the New York Historical Society, on the 4th of September, 1809, (published in the first volume of the collections of that society,) has called this vessel "the Dau- phin." It it true, that by old English writers the Dauphin of France, (the heir apparent,) was often written the Dolphin of France ; but as the word Dolphin in English signifies a particular species of fish, and a name of that origin is often appropriated to sea vessels, might not "the good happe of her fortunate name," allude to her similitude to that species of fish in her excellent qualities in her natural element, the sea? It may be added, that the title of Dauphin given to the oldest son of the king of France, is said by some, to have originated from one of those princes bearing a figure of the fish called a Dauphin in his coat of arms ; and the word Dauphin in French signifies the sea-fish called a Dolphin, as well as the oldest son above mentioned.

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SECT. I. livered, and with a prosperous winde followed our course west 1524. and by north. And in other 25 dayes we made above 400 leagues more, where we discouered a new lande, neuer before seene of any man either anciente or moderne, and at the first sight it seemed somewhat low, but being within a quarter of a league of it, we perceived by the great fires that we saw by the sea-coast, that it was inhabited, and saw that the land stretched to the southwards." It may be here remarked, that Verazzini thus far gives no certain data, from which it may be ascertained with any tolerable precision at what part of the American continent this "new lande," thus discovered

by him, was situated. Forster (in his Collection of Voy- ages,*) supposes that "it was that part of the American coast, where the town of Savannah now stands ; " which is in about 32° of north latitude. Williamson, in his history of North Car- olina, says, "He touched the continent near the thirtieth degree of north latitude, and called the country Mocosa, taking posses- sion of it in the name of the king of France."t Dr. Miller, in his discourse before cited, says :- "About the middle of March he arrived on the American coast, in latitude 34º north ; of con- sequence near that part of North Carolina on which Wilming- ton now stands." But not one of the assertions are clearly warranted by Verazzini's letter. It is true, that Verazzini, fur- ther along in his letter, says-"This land is in latitude 34º." But he here refers to land seen by him after he had traversed "fifty leagues" of the coast, and not the "new lande" first seen by him. It must be acknowledged, however, that circumstan- ces corroborate Dr. Miller's conjecture. The place of Verazzi- ni's departure, (one of the Desertas contiguous to Madeira,) lies in about 31° 30' north latitude. For the first twenty-five days he appears to have run a due west course, "with a faire easterly winde," (the trade winds) 500 leagues; which we may suppose to have been somewhat more than half the dis- tance across the atlantic ; during which run he most probably

* See Holmes' Annals, vol. 1, p. 68.

+Williamson's Hist. of N. Carolina, vol. 1, p. 15. Although this historian is judi- cous enough in his remarks, yet, agreeably to the fashion of many American his- torians, he never deigns to cite any authorities for the facts set forth by him. Ve- razzini's letter to the French king, containing the "relation" of his voyage in 1524, makes no mention of any country called Mocosa, nor of his touching at the thirtieth degree of latitude. The author must have derived these facts from some other source.

HISTORY OF MARYLAND.

kept in the same parallel of latitude as the place of his depar- SECT. I. ture near Madeira. He then goes on to say, (after mentioning 1524. their "delivery from the terrible tempest,") -- "and with a pros- perous winde followed our course west and by north. And in other 25 dayes we made about 400 leagues more, where we dis- couered a new lande," &c. Having altered his course in the last 25 days, to west and by north, with a prosperous wind, he must necessarily have made some northing in his run for the last 25 days, especially when we take in also the well known effect of the gulf stream in setting all vessels near the coast to the northward. So that about three or four degrees would be as small an allow- ance as could be admitted ; which would make the "new lande" first seen by him to have been in about 34° of north latitude, as Dr. Miller supposes ; the line of which intersects the small is- land lying between Shoal and Cabbage inlets on the coast of North Carolina. "In seeking some convenient harborough, wherein to anchor, and to have knowledge of the place, we sayled fiftie leagues in vaine, and seeing the lande to runne still to the south- wards,* we resolved to return backe againe towards the north, where we found ourselves troubled with the like difficultie. At length, being in dispaire to find any porte, we cast anchor upon the coast and sent our boat to shore, where we saw great store of people which came to the sea side." Verazzini then pro- ceeds to give a description of the conduct, manners, dress and appearance of the natives, none of which is very interesting to us at this day. Passing that over we may proceed to the next part of his letter, which throws any light upon the location of the coast, where he was at anchor. "We could not learn of this people their manner of living, nor their particular customs, by reason of the short abode we made on the shore, our compa- ny being but small, and our ship ryding farre off in the sea. And not farre from these we found another people,t whose liv- ing we think to be like unto theirs (as hereafter I will declare unto your majestie) shewing at this present the situation and

*English and French marine leagues being the same, "fifty leagues," as above mentioned, measured from 34º north latitude "to the southwards," would bring the voyagers down to the southern coast of South Carolina, somewhere between Port Royal harbor and Savannah sound .- See a scale of British and French sea leagues in Hitchin's "Map of the British dominions in America, according to the treaty of 1763."

tIt would appear from this, that he now moved farther towards the north from where he anchored and sent the boat ashore; but, as he says "not farre," a few miles may satisfy the expression.

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SECT. I. nature of the foresayed land. The shoare is all covered with 1524. small sand, and so ascendeth upwards for the space of 15 foote, rising in form of little hills, about 50 paces broad. And sayl- ing forwards,* we found certaine small rivers and armes of the sea, that fall down by certaine creeks, washing the shoare on both sides as the coast lyeth. And beyond this we saw the open country rising in heighth above the sandy shoare, with many faire fields and plaines, full of mightie great woods, some very thick, and some thinne, replenishing with divers sorts of trees as pleasant and delectable to behold, as is possible to imagine. And your Majestie may not thinke, that these are like the woods of Hercynia or the wilde deserts of Tartary, and the northern coasts, full of fruitlesse trees : but they are full of palme trees, bey trees, and high cypresse trees, and many other sorts of trees unknown in Europe," &c. "This land is in latitude 34º," &c. Although Verazzini apparently expresses himself, as if he meant that the woods or land, where he found palm trees, was in 34º north latitude, yet Dr. Miller (in his discourse before quoted) seems to think, that the palm trees mentioned by him, must have been seen "in the southern part of what is now the State of Georgia, to the north of which the palm tree is not found." But may we not hazard a conjecture, that what Verazzini calls the palm tree was what is called the Cab- bage tree (the Corypha of Linneus) according to Mr. William Bartram, whose description of this tree is inserted in Dr. Mease's edition of Willich's Domestic Encyclopedia. Mr. Bartram says, "it is a tall and beautiful species of palm tree, which grows on the sea coast of Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Its stem, or trunk, is erect, and rises 80 or 90 feet. There are six species of the palm Carolina and Florida." This seems to establish the fact, that the Cabbage tree was the same tree mentioned by Verazzini under the denomination of the "palm tree," which evidently growing in South Carolina takes away the necessi- ty of his descending to the latitude of the southern part of Georgia. It is possible also, that, as the latitude of 34° is but a little to the north of South Carolina, the cabbage or palm tree might have been found in that part of North Caroli- na, at the time of Verazzini's voyage, before any European had

*This indicates also, that he kept his progress gradually to the north from the place where he last anchored.

HISTORY OF MARYLAND.

come to destroy the timber trees of the country. "We depart- SECT. I. ed from this place, still running along the coast, which we found 1524. to trend toward the east, and we saw every where very great fires, by reason of the multitude of the inhabitants. While we rode on that coast, partly because it had no harborough, and for that we wanted water, we sent our boat ashoare with 25 men." Here, by reason of the surf, they could not land, but a young man of the crew, attemping to swim to the shore, was taken by the Indians, treated very civilly, and permitted to swim back to the boat. Supposing the harbor hereafter described by Verazzini, to be that of New York, and counting back or measur- ing the number of leagues mentioned by him, and attending also to the trending of the coast "toward the east," as just mentioned, it will raise a strong presumption that the place where this inci- dent occurred, was on Cove bank between Ocracocke inlet and Cape Look Out. It seems surprising, therefore, that Mr. Forster, in his collection of Voyages,* should suppose it to have happened "somewhere about New Jersey or Staten Island." "Departing from hence, following the shore which trended somewhat to the north," (after passing Cape Hatteras,) "in 50 leagues space we came to another land which shewed much more faire and full of woods, being very great, where we rode at anker; and that we might have some knowledge thereof, we sent 20 men aland, which entered into the country about two leagues, and they found that the people were fled to the woods for feare." If the next station, after a run of one hundred leagues, be the harbour of New York, as it will appear to be when we arrive at that part of Verazzini's "Relation," the end of "the fifty leagues space," here spoken of, would be a little to the north of Currituck inlet, and on the sea coast of Princess Ann county in Virginia. Nothing in Verazzini's description of that part of the country contradicts this supposition. "Having made our aboade three days in this country, and ryding on the coast for want of harboroughs, we concluded to depart from thence trending along the shore be- tween the north and the east,{ sayling only in the day time, and ryding at anker by night. In the space of one hundred leagues sayling we found a very pleasant place situated among certain

*See Holmes' Annals, vol. 1, page 66.

+It will readily be perceived, on an inspection of a map of the United States, that the coast from Cape Hatteras to the mouth of the Chesapeake, is nearly north, and from thence to Sandy Hook, near New York, north east, correspond- ing in a rough estimation, with the courses and distances abovementioned.

VOL. I .- 4

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SECT. I. little steape hils ; from amidst the which hils there ranne down 1524. into the sea an exceeding great streame of water, which within the mouth was very deepe, and from the sea to the mouth of the same with the tide, which we found to rise 8 foote, any great ship laden may passe up. But, because we rode at anker in a place, well fenced from the winde, we would not venture our- selves without knowledge of the place, and we passed up with our boats only into the said river, and saw the country very well peopled." "We entered up the said river into the land about half a league, where it made a most pleasant lake about 3 leagues in compasse, on the which they rowed from the one side to the other, to the number of 30 of their small boats, where- in were many people which passed from one shore to the other to come and see us." From the foregoing description of this harbour, "among certaine little steape hils," and in form "a lake about 3 leagues in compass," we may fairly conclude it to have been the harbor of New York, the circumference of which, in rough estimation, not widely differing from the preceding sup- position. There is no other place on the coast from North Car- olina to New York, that would correspond with the preceding description. The mouths of either the Delaware or Chesapeake bays have nothing similar to it. "And behold, upon the sud- den, (as it is wont to fall out in sayling,) a contrary flaw of winde coming from the sea, we were inforced to returne to our ship, leaving this land to our great discontentment ; for the great com- modity and pleasantness thereof, which we suppose is not with- out some riches, all the hils shewing mineral matters in them. We wayed anker and sayled towards the east, for so the coast trended, and so alwayes for fifty leagues, being in the sight there- of, we discovered an island in form of a triangle, distant from the main land ten leagues, about the bignesse of the island of the Rhodes ; it was full of hils, covered with trees, well peopled, for we saw fires all along the coast; we gave it the name of your Majestie's mother,* not staying there by reason of the wea- ther being contrary." The circumstances here mentioned all conspire in a confirmation of the opinion, that the island here described was that now known by the name of Martha's Vine- yard. The course from Sandy Hook to this island would not vary from a due east course more than a point or thereabout to the north, corresponding to the "trending of the coast to the east,"

* Claudian Island. Claudia was the mother of king Francis.

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along the southern shore of Long Island. Agreeably to the best SECT. I. maps the distance from Sandy Hook to the Vineyard does not 1524. measure much more than fifty English or French marine leagues, or one hundred and fifty English miles. The island, called Martha's Vineyard, is in form also somewhat of a triangle, ac- cording to Carey's map. The distance of the island from the main, that is, from its northermost point to Falmouth in Mas- sachusetts, which is said to be nine miles, does not correspond with Verazzini's computation ; but supposing his ship to have laid at the westermost angle of the island, the distance from thence to the nearest main land-Saconnet Point, in the State of Rhode Island, might be roughly estimated at about 30 miles, or "ten leagues." But, according to geographical trea- tises, the island of Rhodes, in the Mediterranean, must be near- ly double the size of Martha's Vineyard. This, however, might have been an easy and natural mistake in Verazzini .- "And we came to another lande being 15 leagues distant from the is- land, where we found a passing good haven, wherein being en- tred, we found about 20 small boats of the people, which with diuers cries and wondrings came about our ship, comming no neerer than 50 paces towards us; they stayed and beheld the artificialnesse of our ship, our shape and apparel, they then all made a loud shout together, declaring that they rejoyced." He then proceeds to describe the appearance, dress, conduct, and behaviour of the Indians at this place, and therein takes occa- sion to remark ;- "We became great friends with these, and one day we entered into the haven with our ship, whereas before we rode a league off at sea, by reason of the contrary weather. They came in great companies of their small boats unto the ship, bringing us of their victuals ; they made signes unto us where we might safest ride in the haven for the safeguard of our ship, keeping still our company, and after we were come to an anker, we bestowed 15 dayes in prouiding ourselves many necessa- ry things." "This lande is situate in the paralele of Rome in 41 degrees and 2 terees, but somewhat more cold by ac- cidentale causes and not of nature, (as I will declare unto your highnesse elsewhere) describing at this present the situation of the foresaid country, which lieth east and west. I say that the mouth of the haven lieth open to the south halfe a league broad, and being entered within it betweene the east and the north it stretcheth twelve leagues, where it waxeth broader and broader,

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SECT. I. and maketh a gulfe about twenty leagues in compasse, wherein 1524. are five small islands very fruitful and pleasante, full of hie and broad trees, among the which islands any great nauie may ride safe without any feare of tempest or other danger. Afterwards turning towards the south in the entring into the hauen, on both sides there are most pleasant hils, with many rivers of most cleare water falling into the sea. In the middest of this entrance there is a rocke of free stone, growing by nature, apt to builde any castle or fortresse there for the keeping of the haven. The 5th of May being furnished with all things necessarie, we departed from the said coaste, keeping along in the sight thereof, and wee sayled 150 leagues, finding it alwayes after one maner, but the lande somewhat higeer with certaine mountains, all which beare a shew of minerall matter, wee sought not to lande there in any place, because the weather served our turne for sayling; but we suppose that it was like the former, the coaste ranne eastward for the space of fiftie leagues. And trend- ing afterwards to the north, wee found another land, high, full of thick woods, the trees whereof were firres, cypresses, and such like as are wont to grow in cold countreys." From all the circumstances mentioned by Verazzini concerning this "haven," which he here last describes, it seems to be placed beyond a doubt that it must be the "haven," or harbour of Newport, in the state of Rhode Island. High and respectable authorities, however, have applied the preceding description of this haven to the harbor of New York .* Whilst "some difficulties," as Dr. Miller observes, "are to be surmounted in applying Veraz- zini's description to either," those which occur in the application of it to New York appear to be much the most formidable. If this haven be the harbour of New York, and the island spoken of was visited by Verazzini before his entrance into that harbour, where is the island to be found, "fifteen leagues distant" from the harbour of New York, "of a triangular shape," and of even half the size of the isle of Rhodes? How are we to dispose of the harbour "in form of a lake," which he entered after "the

* Dr. Belknap, in his American Biography, vol. 1, p. 33, says, that the harbour which Verazzini entered, "by his description must be that of New York," mean- ing (according to Dr. Miller, in his discourse before cited,) the harbor last de- scribed by Verazzini as above, which we have supposed to be Newport. To the opinion of Belknap, Dr. Miller seems to incline ; though the latter gentleman ac- knowledges difficulties attending it, and mentions, that others have considered the whole account as agreeing better with the harbour of Newport in Rhode Island.

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The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations, Part 3

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823 Publication date: 1837 Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver Number of Pages: 1062

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823
Publication date: 1837
Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver
Number of Pages: 1062