Although the Pilgrims were the first Europeans to establish a permanent
colony in northeastern North America, they did not come to an unknown
land. As early as 1605, Samuel de Champlain had mapped Plymouth Harbor,
in the course of a three-year expedition during which he explored the
coast from Nova Scotia to Martha’s Vineyard. The quality of his detailed
and accurate observations on the land and people appears in this map,
and in his notes on the visit: “There came to us two or three canoes,
which had just been fishing for cod and other fish which are found there
in large numbers. These they catch with hooks made of a piece of wood,
to which they attach a bone in the shape of a spear and fasten it very
securely. The whole has a fang-shape, and the line attached to it is
made out of the bark of a tree. They gave me one of their hooks, which I
took out of curiosity. In it the bone was fastened on by hemp, like that
in France, as it seemed to me, and they told me that they gathered this
plant without being obliged to cultivate it, and indicated that it grew
to the height of four or five feet. This canoe went back on shore to
give notice to their fellow inhabitants, who caused columns of smoke to
arise on our account. We saw eighteen or twenty savages, who came to the
shore and began to dance. Our canoe landed in order to give them some
bagatelles, at which they were greatly pleased. Some of them came to us
and begged us to go to their river. We weighed anchor to do so, but were
unable to enter on account of the small amount of water, it being low
tide, and were accordingly obliged to anchor at the mouth. I went
ashore, where I saw many others, who received us very cordially. I made
also an examination of the river, but saw only an arm of water extending
a short distance inland, where the land is only in part cleared. Running
into this is merely a brook not deep enough for boats except at full
tide. The circuit of the bay is about a league. On one side of the
entrance to this bay there is a point which is almost an island, covered
with wood, principally pines, and adjoins sandbanks, which are very
extensive. On the other side, the land is high. There are two islets in
this bay, which are not seen until one has entered, and around which it
is almost entirely dry at low tide. This place is very conspicuous from
the sea, for the coast is very low, excepting the cape at the entrance
to the bay. We named it the Port du Cap. St. Louis...”.
[Illustration: map]
Reproduced is a copy from a first edition of _Les Voyages du Sieur de
Champlain_ (Paris, 1613), now in possession of the John Carter Brown
Library.