The Fish is good, salted; for store against the winter, as well as fresh, and to be accounted a good Commodity.

Sturgeon.

This Sturgeon in England is regalis piscis. every man in New England may catch what he will, there are multitudes of them, and they are much fatter then those that are brought into England from other parts, in so much as by reason of their fatnesse, they doe not looke white, but yellow, which made a Cooke presume they were not so good as them of Roushea: silly fellow that could not understand that it is the nature of fish salted, or pickelled, the fatter the yellower being best to preserve.

For the taste I have warrant of Ladies of worth, with choise pallats for the commendations, who liked the taste so well, that they esteemed it beyond the Sturgeon of other parts, and sayd they were deceaved in the lookes: therefore let the Sturgeon passe for a Commodity.

Salmon.

Of Salmons there is greate abundance and these may be allowed for a Commodity, and placed

in the Catallogue.

Herrings.

Of Herrings, there is greate store, fat, and faire: and (to my minde) as good as any I have seene, and these may be preserved, and made a good commodity at the Canaries.

Great plenty of
Eeles.

Of Eeles there is abundance, both in the Saltwaters, and in the fresh and the fresh water Eele there (if I may take the judgement of a London Fishmonger) is the best that hee hath found in his life time. I have with jieele potts found my howse hold, (being nine persons, besides doggs) with them, taking them every tide, (for 4. moneths space,) and preserving of them for winter store: and these may proove a good commodity.

Smelts.

like sives.

taken to dunge

ground.

Of Smelts there is such abundance, that the Salvages doe take them up the rivers with baskets,

There is a Fish, (by some called shadds, by Shadds or Allizes some allizes) that at the spring of the yeare, passe up the rivers to spaune in the ponds; and are taken in such multitudes in every river, that hath a pond at the end, that the Inhabitants doung their ground with them. You may see in one towneship a hundred acres together, set with these Fish, every acre taking 1000. of them: and an acre thus dressed will produce and yeald so much corne as 3. acres without fish: and (least any Virginea man would inferre hereupon, that the ground of New England is barren, because they use no fish in setting their corne, I desire them to

be remembred, the cause is plaine in Virginea) they have it not to sett. But this practise is onely for the Indian Maize (which must be set by hands) not for English graine: and this is therefore a commodity there.

Turbut or

Hallibut.

There is a large sized fish called Hallibut, or Turbut some are taken so bigg that two men have much a doe to hale them into the boate; but there is such plenty, that the fisher men onely eate the heads, and finnes, and throw away the bodies: such in Paris would yeeld 5. or 6. crownes a peece: and this is no discommodity.

There are excellent Plaice and easily taken. They (at flowing water) do almost come ashore, so

Plaice.

that one may stepp but halfe a foote deepe, and prick them up on the sands: and this may passe with some allowance. Hake is a dainty white fish, and excellent vittell

Hakes.

fresh; and may passe with other commodities, because there are multitudes.

Pilchers.

There are greate store of Pilchers: at Michelmas, in many places, I have seene the Cormorants in length 3. miles feedinge upon the Sent.

Lobsters.

Lobsters are there infinite in store in all the parts of the land, and very excellent. The most use that I made of them, in 5. yeares after I came there was but to baite my Hooke for to catch Basse, I had bin so cloyed with them the first day I went a shore.

This being knowne, they shall passe for a commodity to the inhabitants; for the Salvages will meete 500, or 1000. at a place where Lobsters come in with the tyde, to eate, and save dried for store, abiding in that place, feasting and sporting a moneth or 6. weekes together.

There are greate store of Oysters in the entrance of all Rivers they are not round as those of Eng

Oysters.

land, but excellent fat, and all good. I have seene an Oyster banke a mile at length.

Mustles there are infinite store, I have often

gon

Mustles.

to Wassaguscus; where were excellent Mustles to eate (for variety) the fish is so fat and large.

Clames.

Clames is a shellfish, which I have seene sold in Westminister for 12. pe. the skore. These our swine feede upon; and of them there is no want, every shore is full, it makes the swine proove exceedingly, they will not faile at low water to be with them. The Salvages are much taken with the delight of this fishe; and are not cloyed (notwithstanding the plenty) for our swine we finde it a good commodity.

Raser fish.

Freele.

Raser fishes there are.

Freeles there are, Cockles, and Scallopes, and divers other sorts of Shellfishe, very good foode.

Now that I have shewed you what commodities are there to be had in the Sea, for a Market; I will shew what is in the Land also, for the comfort of the inhabitants, wherein it doth abound. And because my taske is an abstract, I will discover to them the commodity thereof.

Fresh fish,
Trouts, Carpes,

Roches, Perches,
Tenches, and

Eeles.

There are in the rivers, and ponds, very excellent Trouts, Carpes, Breames, Pikes, Roches, PerBreames, Pikes, ches, Tenches, Eeles, and other fishes, such as England doth afford, and as good, for variety; yea many of them much better; and the Natives of the inland parts, doe buy hookes of us, to catch them with, and I have knowne the time, that a Trouts hooke hath yeelded a beaver skinne, which hath bin a good commodity to those that have bartered them away.

These things I offer to your consideration (curteous Reader) and require you to shew mee the like in any part of the knowne world if you can.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the goodnes of the Country and the Waters.

Foode, and
Fire.

N°

Ow since it is a Country so infinitely blest with foode, and fire, to roast or boyle our Flesh and Fish, why should any man feare for cold there, in a Country warmer in the winter, than some parts of France and neerer the Sunne: unles hee be one of those that Salomon bids goe to the Ant and the Bee.

Noe Boggs.

Perfumed aire

There is no boggy ground, knowne in all the Country, from whence the Sunne may exhale unwholsom vapors: But there are divers arematicall herbes, and plants, as Sassafras, Muske, Roses, Violets, Balme, with sweet herbes. Lawrell, Hunnisuckles, and the like, that with their vapors perfume the aire; and it has bin a thing much observed that, shipps have come from Virginea where there have bin scarce five men able to hale a rope, untill they have come within 40. Degrees of latitude, and smell the sweet aire of the shore, where they have suddainly recovered.

of Waters.

And for the water, therein excelleth Canaan by much; for the Land is so apt for Fountaines, a man cannot digg amisse, therefore if the Abrahams and Lots

of our times come thether, there needs be no contention for wells.

Besides there are waters of most excellent vertues, worthy admiration.

At Ma-re-Mount, there was a water (by mee The Cure of meldiscovered) that is most excellent for the cure of lancully at MaMelancolly probatum.

remount.

rennesse.

At weenasemute is a water, the vertue whereof The cure of Baris, to cure barrennesse. The place taketh his name of that Fountaine which signifieth quick spring, or quickning spring probatum.

a dead sleepe.

Neere Squantos Chappell (a place so by us call- Water procuring ed) is a Fountaine, that causeth a dead sleepe for 48. howres, to those that drinke 24. ounces at a draught, and so proportionably. The Salvages that are Powahs at set times use it, and reveale strang things to the vulgar people by meanes of it, So that in the delicacy of waters, and the conveniency of them, fountaines. Canaan came not neere this Country.

New England excels Canaan in

supplied.

As for the Milke and Hony which that Canaan Milke and Hony flowed with, it is supplyed by the plenty of birds; beasts and Fish, whereof Canaan could not boast her selfe.

Yet never the lesse (since the Milke came 4 plain paralell by the industry of the first Inhabitants,) let the to Canaan. cattell be cherished that are at this time in New England, and forborne but a litle, I will aske no long time; no more, but untill the Brethren have converted one Salvage, and made him a good Christian, and I may be bold to say, Butter and cheese will be cheaper there, then ever it was in Canaan. It is cheaper there then in old England at this present, for there are store of Cowes; considering the people: which (as my intelligence gives) is 12000. persons, and in gods name let the people have their desire, who writes to their freinds, to come out of Sodome, to the land of Canaan, a land that flowes with Milke and Hony.

The Request for

the Nomination

of New Canaan.

And I appeale to any man of judgement whether it be not a Land, that for her excellent indowments of Nature may passe for a plaine paralell to Canaan of Israell, being in a more temporat Climat, this being in 40. Degrees and that in 30.

A

The Soyle.

CHAP. IX.

A Perspective to view the Country by.

S for the Soyle, I may be bould to commend the fertility thereof, and preferre it before the Soyle of England, (our Native Country) and I neede not to produce more then one argument for proffe thereof, because it is so infallible.

The grouth of
Hempe.

Hempe is a thing by Husband men in generall ageed upon, to prosper best, in the most fertile Soyle and experience hath taught this rule, that Hempe seede prospers so well in New England, that it shewteth up to be tenne foote high and tenne foote and a halfe, which is twice so high as the ground in old England produce it, which argues New England the more fertile of the two.

The aire.

As for the aire, I will produce but one proffe for the maintenance of the excellency thereof; which is so generall, as I assure myselfe it will suffice.

No cold Cough

or murre.

No man living there; was ever knowne to be troubled with a cold, a cough, or a murre, but many men comming sick out of Virginea to New Canaan, have instantly recovered with the helpe of the purity of that aire; no man ever surfeited himselfe either by eating or drinking,

The plenty of

the Land.

As for the plenty of that Land, it is well knowne that no part of Asia, Affrica, or Europe; affordeth deare that doe bring forth any more then one single faune; and in New Canaan the Deare are accustomed to bring forth 2. and 3. faunes at a time.

Besides there are such infinite flocks of Fowle, and Multitudes of fish both in the fresh waters, and also on the Coast, that the like hath not else where bin discovered by any traveller. The windes there are not so violent as in England; which is prooved by the trees that grow in the face of the winde by the Sea Coast, for there they do not lean from the winde as they doe in England, as we have heard before.

Windes.

Raine.

The Raine is there more moderate then in England, which thing I have noted in all the time of my residence to be so.

The Coast.

The Coast is low Land, and not high Land: and hee is of a weake capacity that conceaveth otherwise of it, because it cannot be denied, but that boats