Great Epochs in American History, Volume 2: The Planting of the First Colonies: 1562—1733
History
Great Epochs in American History, Volume 2: The Planting of the First Colonies: 1562—1733
United States -- History
The reception of the newcomers was discouraging. More than a quarter
part of their predecessors at Salem had died during the previous
winter, and many of the survivors were ill or feeble. The faithful
Higginson was wasting with a hectic fever, which soon proved fatal.
There was a scarcity of all sorts of provisions, and not corn enough
for a fortnight's supply after the arrival of the fleet. "The
remainder of a hundred eighty servants," who, in the two preceding
years, had been conveyed over at heavy cost, were discharged from
their indentures, to escape the expense of their maintenance. Sickness
soon began to spread, and before the close of autumn had proved fatal
to two hundred of this year's emigration. Death aims at the "shining
mark" he is said to love. Lady Arbella Johnson, coming "from a
paradise of plenty and pleasure, which she enjoyed in the family of a
noble earldom, into a wilderness of wants," survived her arrival only
a month; and her husband, esteemed and beloved by the colonists, died
of grief a few weeks after. "He was a holy man and wise and died in
sweet peace."
[1] From Palfrey's "History of New England." By permission of and
by arrangement with the authorized publishers, Houghton, Mifflin
Co. Copyright, 1873.
LORD BALTIMORE IN MARYLAND
(1633)
BY CONTEMPORARY WRITERS[1]
On Friday the 22 of November 1633, a small gale of winde comming
gently from the Northwest, weighed from the Cowes, in the Ile of
Wight, about ten in the morning; & (having stayed by the way twenty
dayes at the Barbada's, and fourtene dayes at St. Christophers, upon
some necessary occasions,) wee arrived at Point-Comfort in Virginia,
on the 24. of February following, the Lord be praised for it. At this
time one Captaine Claybourne was come from parts where wee intended to
plant, to Virginia, and from him wee vnderstood, that all the natiues
of these parts were in preparation of defence, by reason of a rumour
somebody had raised amongst them, of sixe ships that were come with a
power of Spanyards, whose meaning was to driue all the inhabitants out
of the Countrey.
On the 3. of March wee came into Chesapeake Bay, and made sayle to the
North of Patoemeck river, the Bay running betweene two sweete lands in
the channell of 7. 8. and 9 fathome deepe, 10 leagues broad, and full
of fish at the time of the yeere; It is one of the delightfullest
waters I euer saw, except Potoemeck, which wee named St. Gregories.
And now being in our own Countrey, wee began to give names to places,
and called the Southerne Pointe, Cape Saint Gregory; and the Northerly
Point, Saint Michaels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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