_The Beginning and Proceedings of the new Plantation of St._ Christopher
_by Captain_ Warner.
Master _Ralph Merifield_ and others, having furnished this worthy
Industrious Gentleman, {MN-1} he arrived at St. _Christophers,_ as is
said, with fifteen Men, the 28th of _January_ 1623, _viz. William Tested,
John Rhodes, Robert Bints,_ Mr. _Benifield,_ Sergeant _Jones,_ Mr. _Ware,
William Ryle, Rowland Grascock,_ Mr. _Bond,_ Mr. _Langley,_ Mr. _Weaver,
Edward Warner,_ their Captain's Son, and now Deputy Governour, till his
Father's return, Sergeant _Aplon,_ one Sailor and a Cook: At their
arrival, they found three _French_ Men, who sought to oppose Captain
_Warner,_ and to set the _Indians_ upon us; but at last we all became
Friends, and lived with the _Indians_ a Month, then we built a Fort, and a
House, and planting Fruits, by _September_ we made a crop of Tobacco;
{MN-2} but upon the nineteenth of _September_ came a _Hericano_ and blew
it away, all this while we lived upon Cassada Bread, Potatoes, Plantanes,
Pines, Turtles, Guanes, and Fish plenty; for drink we had _Nicnobby._
* * * * *
{MN-1} 1623.
{MN-2} _A Hericano._
{MN} The 18th March 1624 arrived Captain _Jefferson,_ with three Men
Passengers in the _Hopewell_ of _London,_ with some Trade for the
_Indians,_ and then we had another crop of Tobacco, in the mean time the
_French_ had planted themselves in the other end of the Isle; with this
crop Captain _Warner_ returned for _England_ in _September_ 1625.
* * * * *
{MN} 1624.
In his absence came in a _French_ Pinnace, under the command of _Monsieur
de Nombe,_ that told us, the _Indians_ had slain some _French_ Men in
other of the _Caribbe_ Isles, and that there were six Peryagoes, which
are huge great Trees, formed as your Canoos, but so laid out on the sides
with Boards, they will seem like a little Gally: {MN} Six of those, with
about four or five hundred strange _Indians_ came unto us, we bade them be
gone, but they would not; whereupon we and the _French_ joyned together,
and upon the fifth of _November_ set upon them, and put them to flight:
upon New years Even they came again, found three _English_ going about the
Isle, whom they slew.
* * * * *
{MN} _Their Fight with the_ Indians.
{MN-1} Until the fourth of _August,_ we stood upon our Guard, living upon
the spoil and did nothing. But now Captain _Warner_ arriving again with
near an hundred People, then we fell to work and planting as before;
{MN-2} but upon the fourth of September, came such a Hericano, as blew
down all our Houses, Tobacco, and two Drums into the air we know not
whither, drove two Ships on Shoar that were both split; all our Provision
thus lost, we were very miserable, living only on what we could get in the
wild Woods, {MN-3} we made a small party of French and English to go
aboard for Provision, but in their returning home, eight _French_ Men were
slain in the Harbour.
* * * * *
{MN-1} 1625.
{MN-2} _A Hericano._
{MN-3} _Eight French Slain._
{MN} Thus we continued till near _June_ that the _Tortles_ came in 1627,
but the French being like to starve, sought to surprize us, and all the
Cassado, Potatoes, and Tobacco we had planted, but we did prevent them.
The 26th of _October,_ came in Captain _William Smith,_ in the
_Hope-well,_ with some Ordnance, Shot and Powder, from the Earl of
_Carlisle,_ with Captain _Pelham_ and thirty Men; about that time also
came the _Plow,_ also a small Ship of _Bristow,_ with Captain _Warner's_
Wife, and six or seven Women more.
* * * * *
{MN} 1627.
{MN} Upon the 25th of _November,_ the _Indians_ set upon the French, for
some injury about their Women, and slew six and twenty _French_ Men, five
_English,_ and three _Indians._ Their Weapons are Bows and Arrows, their
Bows are never bent, but the string lies flat to the Bow; their Arrows a
small Reed, four or five foot long, headed some with the poisoned Sting of
the Tail of a Stingray, some with Iron, some with Wood, but all so
poisoned, that if they draw but blood, the hurt is incurable.
* * * * *
{MN} _Three_ Indians _Slain._
{MN} The next day came in Captain _Charles Saltonstall,_ a young
Gentleman, Son of Sir _Samuel Saltonstall,_ who brought with him good
store of all Commodities to relieve the Plantation; but by reason some
_Hollanders,_ and others had been there lately before him, who carried
away with them all the Tobacco, he was forced to put away all his
Commodities upon trust till the next crop; in the mean time he resolved
there to stay, and imploy himself and his Company in planting Tobacco,
hoping thereby to make a Voyage, but before he could be ready to return
for _England,_ a _Hericano_ happening, his Ship was split, to his great
loss, being sole Merchant and owner himself, notwithstanding forced to pay
to the Governour the fifth part of his Tobacco, and for fraught to
_England,_ three pence a pound, and nine pence a pound custom, which
amounts together to more than threescore pound in the hundred pound, to
the great discouragement of him and many others, that intended well to
those Plantations. Nevertheless he is gone again this present year 1629,
with a Ship of about three hundred Tuns, and very near two hundred People,
with Sir _William Tuffton_ Governour for the _Barbadoes_, and divers
Gentlemen, and all manner of Commodities fit for a Plantation.
* * * * *
{MN} _The arrival of many English Ships._
Captain _Prinn,_ Captain _Stone,_ and divers others came in about
_Christmas;_ so that this last year, there hath been about thirty Sail of
_English, French,_ and _Dutch_ Ships, and all the _Indians_ forced out of
the Isle, for they had done much mischief amongst the _French,_ in cutting
their Throats, burning their Houses, and spoiling their Tobacco; amongst
the rest _Tegramund,_ a little Child, the King's Son, his Parents being
slain, or fled, was by great chance saved, and carefully brought to
_England,_ by Master _Merifield,_ who brought him from thence, and
bringeth him up as his own Children.
{MN-1} It lieth seventeen degrees Northward of the Line, about an hundred
and twenty Leagues from the _Cape de tres Puntas,_ the nearest main Land
in _America,_ it is about eight Leagues in length, and four in breadth;
an Island amongst 100 Isles in the _West Indies,_ called the _Caribbes,_
where ordinarily all them that frequent the _West Indies,_ refresh
themselves; those, most of them are Rocky, little, and Mountainous, yet
frequented with the _Canibals;_ many of them inhabited, as Saint
_Domingo,_ Saint _Mattalin,_ Saint _Lucia,_ Saint _Vincent, Granada,_ and
_Margarita,_ to the Southward; Northward, none but Saint _Christophers,_
and it but lately, yet they will be ranging _Marigalanta, Guardalupo,
Deceado, Mountserat, Antegua, Mevis, Bernardo,_ Saint _Martin,_ and Saint
_Bartholomew,_ but the worst of the four Isles possessed by the
_Spaniard,_ as _Portorico_ or _Jamaica,_ is better than them all; as for
_Hispaniola,_ and _Cuba,_ they are worthy the Title of two rich Kingdoms,
the rest not respected by the _Spaniards,_ for want of Harbours, and their
better choice of good Land, and profit in the main. But Captain _Warner,_
having been very familiar with Captain _Painton,_ in the _Amazon,_ hearing
his information of this St. _Christophers;_ and having made a years trial,
as it is said, returned for _England,_ joyning with Master _Merifield_ and
his Friends, got Letters Patents from King James to plant and possess it.
Since then, the Right Honourable the Earl of _Carlisle_ hath got Letters
Patents also, not only of that, but all the _Caribe_ Isles about it, who
is now chief Lord of them, and the _English_ his Tenants that do possess
them; over whom he appointeth such Governours and Officers as their
affairs require; and although there be a great Custom imposed upon them,
considering their other charges, both to feed and maintain themselves; yet
there is there, and now a going, near upon the number of three thousand
People; where by reason of the rockiness and thickness of the Woods in the
Isle, it is difficult to pass, and such a snuff of the Sea goeth on the
Shoar, ten may better defend, than fifty assault. {MN-2} In this Isle are
many Springs, but yet Water is scarce again in many places; the Valleys
and sides of the Hills very fertile, but the Mountains harsh, and of a
sulphurous composition; all overgrown with _Palmetas, Cotten_ Trees;
_Lignum vitae,_ and divers other sorts, but none like any in Christendom,
except those carried thither; the air very pleasant and healthful, but
exceeding hot, yet so tempered with cool breaths, it seems very temperate
to them, that are little used to it; the Trees being always green, the
days and nights always very near equal in length, always Summer; only they
have in their Seasons great Gusts and Rains, and sometimes a Hericano,
which is an over grown, and a most violent storm.
* * * * *
{MN-1} _The Description of the Isle._
{MN-2} _The Springs; Temper; and Seasons._
{MN} In some of those Isles, are Cattel, Goats, and Hogs, but here none
but what they must carry; _Guanes_ they have, which is a little harmless
Beast, like a _Crocodile,_ or _Alligator,_ very fat and good Meat; she
lays Eggs in the Sand, as doth the Land Crabs, which live here In
abundance, like Conies in Boroughs, unless about _May,_ when they come
down to the Sea side, to lay in the Sand, as the other; and all their Eggs
are hatched by the heat of the Sun.
* * * * *
{MN} _A strange hatching of eggs for beasts._
{MN} From _May_ to _September,_ they have good store of Tortoises that
come out of the Sea to lay their Eggs in the Sand, and are hatched as the
other; they will lay half a peck at a time, and near a bushel ere they
have done, and are round like Tenis-balls: This Fish is like Veal in
taste, the Fat of a brownish colour, very good and wholsom. We seek them
in the Nights, where we find them on shoar, we turn them upon their backs,
till the next day we fetch them home, for they can never return
themselves, being so hard, a Cart may go over them, and so big, one will
suffice forty or fifty Men to dinner. Divers sorts of other Fish they have
in abundance, and _Prawenes_ most great and excellent, but none will keep
sweet scarce twelve hours.
* * * * *
{MN} _Fish._
{MN} The best and greatest is a _Passer Flaminga,_ which walking at her
length, is as tall as a Man; _Pigeons_ and _Turtle Doves_ in abundance;
some _Parrots,_ wild _Hawks,_ but divers other sorts of good Sea-fowl,
whose Names we know not.
* * * * *
{MN} _Birds._
{MN} _Cassado_ is a Root planted in the Ground, of a wonderful Increase,
and will make very good White-bread, but the Juce Rank Poyson, yet boyled,
better than Wine; _Potatoes, Cabbages,_ and _Radish_ plenty.
* * * * *
{MN} _Roots._
{MN} Maize, like the _Virginia_ Wheat; we have Pine-Apple, near so big as
an Hartichock, but the most daintiest taste of any Fruit; _Plantains,_ an
excellent and most increasing Fruit; Apples, Prickle Pears, and Pease, but
differing all from ours. There is Pepper that groweth in a little red
Husk, as big as a Walnut, about four Inches in length, but the long Cods
are small, and much stronger and better for use, than that from the _East
Indies._ There is too sorts of Cotten, the silk Cotten as in the _East
Indies,_ groweth upon a small stalk, as good for Beds as Down; the other
upon a shrub, and beareth a Cod bigger than a Walnut, full of Cotten wool:
Anotto also groweth upon a shrub, with a Cod like the other, and nine or
ten on a bunch, full of Anotto, very good for Dyers, tho' wild; Sugar
Canes, not tame, four or five foot high; also Mastick, and Locus-trees;
great and hard Timber, Gourds, Musk-Melons, Water-Melons, Lettice, Parsly;
all places naturally bear Purslain of it self; Sope-berries like a Musquet
Bullet, that washeth as white as Sope; in the middle of the Root is a
thing like a Sedge, a very good Fruit, we call Pengromes; a Pappaw is as
great as an Apple, coloured like an Orange, and good to eat, a small hard
Nut, like a Hazel Nut, grows close to the Ground, and like this grows on
the Palmetas, which we call a Mucca Nut; Mustard-seed will grow to a great
Tree, but bears no seed, yet the Leaves will make good Mustard; the
Mancinel Tree, the Fruit is Poison; good Figs in abundance; but the
Palmeta serveth to build Forts and Houses, the Leaves to cover them, and
many other uses; the juice we draw from them, till we suck them to Death,
(is held restorative) and the top for meat doth serve us as Cabbage; but
oft we want Powder'd Beef and Bacon, and many other needful necessaries.
* * * * *
{MN} _Fruits._
By _Thomas Simons, Rowland
Grascocke, Nicholas Burgh,_
and others.
* * * * *