"For the charge of this voyage of two or three thousand pounds, we have not received the value of an hundred pounds. And for the quartred boat to be borne by the souldiers over the falles, Newport had 120 of the best men he could chuse. If he had burnt her to ashes, one might have carried her in a bag, but as she is, five hundred cannot, to a navigable place above the falles. And for him at that time to find in the South Sea a mine of gold; or any of them sent by Sir Walter Raleigh: at our consultation I told them was as likely as the rest. But during this great discovery of thirtie myles (which might as well have been done by one man, and much more, for the value of a pound of copper at a seasonable tyme) they had the pinnace and all the boats with them, but one that remained with me to serve the fort. In their absence I followed the new begun works of pitch and tarre, glasse, sope ashes and clapboard, whereof some small quantities we have sent you. you rightly consider what an infinite toyle it is in Russia and Swethland, where the woods are proper for naught els, and though there be the helpe both of man and beast in those ancient commonwealths, which many an hundred yeares have used it, yet thousands of those poore people can scarce get necessaries to live, but from hand to mouth. And though your factors there can buy as much in a week as will fraught you a ship, or as much as you please; you must not expect from us any such matter, which are but as many of ignorant miserable soules, that are scarce able to get wherewith to live, and defend ourselves against the inconstant salvages: finding here and there a tree fit for the purpose, and want all things els the Russians have. For the coronation of Powhatan,-by whose advice you sent him such presents, I know not; but this give me leave to tell you, I feare they will be the confusion of us

But if

all ere we heare from you agane.* At your ship's arrival: the salvages' harvest was newly gathered, and we going tc buy it, our owne not being halfe sufficient for so great a number. As for the two ships loading of corne Newport promised to provide us from Powhatan, he brought us but fourteen bushels, and from the Monacans nothing, but the most of the men sicke and neare famished. From your ship we had not provision in victuals worth twenty pound, and we are more than two hundred to live upon this: the one halfe sicke, the other little better. For the saylers (I confesse) they daily make good cheare; but our diet is a little meale and water, and not sufficient of that. Though there be fish in the sea, foules in the aire, and beasts in the woods, their bounds are so large, they so wilde, and we so weake and ignorant, we cannot much trouble them. Captain Newport we much suspect to be the author of those inventions. Now, that you should know, I have made you as great a discovery as he, for lesse charge than he spendeth you every meale; I have sent you this mappe of the bay and rivers, with an annexed relation of the countries and nations that inhabit them, as you may see at large.† Also two barrels of stones, and such as I take to be good iron ore at the least; so divided, as by their notes you may see in what places I found them. The souldiers say many of your officers maintaine their families out of that you scnt

* Already, before the ink was dry on Smith's letter, we find it writ. en-"Master Scrivener was sent with the barges and pinnace to Werowocomoco, where he found the salvages more readie to fight than trade," &c.

+ Already referred to. A remarkably well executed chart, singularly correct, considering the difficulties and disadvantages of the explorer; and an admirable proof of the equal zeal, courage and abilities of our adventurer. The accompanying narrative is equally valuable and remarkable.

us and that Newport hath an hundred pounds a yeare for carrying newes. For every master you have yet sent can find the way as well he, so that an hundred pounds might be spared, which is more than we have all, that helps to pay him wages. Capt. Radcliffe is now called Sicklemore, a poore counterfeited imposture. I have sent you him home, least the company should cut his throat What he is now, every one can tell you: if he and Archer returne againe they are sufficient to keepe us alwayes in factions. When you send againe I entreat you rather send but thirty carpenters, husbandmen, gardiners, fishermen, blacksmiths, masons and diggers up of trees' roots, well provided, than a thousand of such as we have; for except we be able both to lodge them and feed them, the most will consume with want of necessaries before they can be made good for any thing. Thus if you please to consider this account, and the unnecessary wages to Captaine Newport, or his ships so long lingering and staying here (for notwithstanding his boasting to leave us victuals for 12 months, though we had 89 by this discovery lame and sicke, and but a pint of corne a day for a man, we were constrained to give him three hogsheads of that to victual him homeward), or yet to send into Germany or Poleland for glasse men and the rest, till we be able to sustain ourselves, and releeve them when they come,-it were better to give five hundred pound a tun for these grosse commodities in Denmarke than send for them hither, 'till more necessary things be provided. For in over toyling our weake and unskilful bodies, to satisfie this desire of present profit, we can scarce even recover ourselves from one supply to another. And I humbly intreat you hereafter, let us know what we should receive, and not stand to the saylers courtesie to leave us what they please, else you may charge us what you will, but

we not you with any thing. These are the causes that have kept us in Virginia from laying such a foundation, that ere this might have given much better content and satisfaction; but as yet you must not looke for any profitable returne: So I humbly rest."

CHAPTER VIIL

66

THIS bold and manly letter was dictated by a sense of suffering and injustice, and somewhat by a consciousness of exigency. It has devolved upon our Captaine,” as we have seen, on almost all occasions, to procure and to provide, at the hazard of his own repose and life, the greater portion of the food by which the hungry mouths of the colony were satisfied. The ships had brought him consumers, and nothing more. The stores which they furnished were soon exhausted, equally by their own waste, and by the new colonists whom they brought. Seventy

persons came with Newport on his last voyage, and were left as burdens to the colonists, who, as Smith states in his letter, was compelled to supply the ship's crew returning home with a portion of their slender store of provision. Of the new comers, thirty were gentlemen, fourleen were tradesmen, twelve were laborers, two were boys, eight were Dutchmen and Poles, sent out to make potashes; and there were two women, "Mistresse Forrest, and Anne Burras, her maide." The latter was, shortly after her arrival, married to John Laydon, a carpenter, who had been in the colony from the beginning; and this was the first marriage of Europeans that ever took place in Virginia. With this new and numerous supply of gentlemen, added to the already large proportion of the same unproductive sort of population, our Captain might well become. affrighted at the new charge upon the feeble resources of the colony. The tone of his letter is enlivened by the sense of wrong done to the really industrious and adven.