TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND RIGHT WORTHY ADVENturers, to all Plantations and Discoueries, their friends and well-willers, especially of Virginia and New England.

Right Ho.

I

Confesse it were more proper for me doing what I say, then writing what I know: but that it is not my fault, there is many a hundreth can testifie, if they please to remember what paines 1 haue taken both particularly and generally to make this worke knowne, and procure meanes to put it in practise. What calumniations, doubts, or other mispritions hath opposed my endeavours, I had rather forget then remember, but still to expresse my forwardnesse, to the consideration of your fauorable constructions I present this short discourse of the proceeding and present estate of New England: if you please to peruse it, and make vse of it, I am richly rewarded, though they be but the collections and obseruations of a plaine souldier, yet if you please to grace them with your countenance and good acceptance, 1 shall therein thinke my selfe happie, and hope that those labours may in time returne you such fruites as hereafter may persuade you to pardon this boldnesse, and accept them to be your honest seruants.

Yours to command,

lo. Smith.

C

SENT ESTATE.

Oncerning the description of this Countrey, six yeares ago I writ so largely, as in briefe I hope this may suffice you to remember, that New England is a part of America, betwixt the Degrees of 41. and 45. the very meane betwixt the North Pole and the Line. From 43. to 45. the coast is mountainous, rockie, barren and broken Iles that make many good harbours. The water is deepe, close to the shore; there are many ríuers and fresh springs: few Saluages, but an incredible abundance of fish, fowle, wilde fruits, and good timber. From 43. to 41. & a half, an excellent mixed coast of stone, sand and clay, much corne, many people, some Iles, many good harbours, a temperate aire, and therein all things necessary for the building ships of any proportion, and good merchandize for their fraught, within a square of 12 leagues: 25 harbours I sounded; 30 seuerall Lordships I saw, and so neare as I could imagine, 3000 men. I was vp one riuer fortie miles, crossed the mouths of many, whose heads are reported to be great lakes; where they kill their Beuers; inhabited with many people who trade with those of New-England, and them of Canada.

The benefit of fishing, as Mr. Dee reporteth

in his British Monarchie.

He saith that it is more then 44 yeares ago, and it is more then 40 yeares since he writ it, that the Herring Busses out of the Low-countries, vnder the King of Spaine, were 500. besides 100 Frenchinen, and three or foure hundred saile of Flem

The coasts of Wales and Lancashire was vsed by 300 saile of strangers.

Ireland at Baltemore fraughted yearely 300 saile of Spaniards, where King Edward the sixt intended to haue made a strong Castle, because of the strait, to haue tribute for fishing.

Blacke Rocke was yearely fished by three or foure hundred saile of Spaniards, Portugals & Biskiners.

Mr. Gentleman and many Fisher-men and Fish Mongers with whom I haue conferred, report,

The Hollanders raise yearely by Herring, Cod, and Ling, 3000000 pounds.

English and French by Salt-fish, poore Iohn, Salmons and Pilchards, 300000 pounds.

Hambrough and the Sound, for Sturgion, Lobsters and Eeles, 100000 pounds.

Cape Blanke for Tunny and Mullit, by the Biskiners and Spaniards 30000 pounds.

But diuers other learned experienced Obseruers say,
though it may seeme incredible,

That the Duke of Medina receiueth yearely tribute of the fishers for Tunny, Mullit and Purgos, more then 10000 pounds. Lubeck hath 700 ships: Hambrough 600: Embden lately a fisher towne, 1400. whose customes by the profit of fishing hath inade them so powerfull as they be.

Holland and Zeland, not much greater then Yorkshire, hath thirtie walled townes, 400 villages, and 20000 saile of shippes and hoyes; 3600 are fishermen, whereof 100 are Doggers, 700 Pinckes and Welbotes, 700 Frand botes, Britters and Todebotes, with 1300 Busses, besides three hundred that yearely fish about Yarmouth, where they sell their fish for gold; and fifteene yeares ago they had more then 116000 sea-faring men.

These fishing ships do take yearely 200000 Last of fish, twelue barrels to a Last, which amounted to 3000000 pounds by the Fishermens price, that 14 yeares ago did pay for their tenths 300000 pound; which venting in Pumerland, Sprussia, Denmarke, Lesland, Russia, Swethland, Germany, Netherlands, England, or elsewhere, &c. make their returnes in a yeare about 7000000 pounds; and yet in Holland they haue neither matter to build ships, nor merchandize to set them

foorth; yet by their industrie they as much increase, as other Nations decay. But leauing these vncertainties as they are, of this I am certaine,

That the coast of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the North Sea, with Ireland and the Sound, New-found land and Cape Blanke, do serue all Europe, as well the land Townes as Ports, and all the Christian shipping, with these sorts of Staple fish which is transported, from whence it is taken, many a thousand mile, viz.

Herring. Salt-fish. poore Iohn. Sturgion. Mullit. Tunny. Porgos. Caviare. Buttargo.

Now seeing all these sorts of fish, or the most part of them, may be had in a land more fertile, temperate, and plentifull of all necessaries for the building of ships, boates and houses, and the nourishment of man; the seasons are so proper, and the fishings so neare the habitations we may there make, that New England hath much aduantage of the most of those parts, to serue all Europe farre cheaper then they can, who at home haue neither wood, salt, nor food, but at great rates; at Sea nothing but what they carry in their ships, an hundred or two hundred leagues from their habitation.

But New Englands fishings is neare land, where is helpe of wood, water, fruites, fowles, corne, or other refreshings needfull; and the Terceras, Mederas, Canaries, Spaine, Portugale, Prouance, Sauoy, Sicilia, and all Italy, as conuenient markets for our dry Fish, greene Fish, Sturgion, Mullit, Cauiare, and Buttargo, as Norway, Swethland, Littuania, or Germany, for their Herring, which is here also in abundance for taking; they returning but wood, pitch, tarre, soape-ashes, cordage, flaxe, waxe, and such like commodities: we, wines, oyles, sugars, silks and such merchandize as the Straits affoord, whereby our profit may equalize theirs; besides the increase of shipping and Mariners. And for proofe hereof:

Proofe 1. 1614.

With two ships sent out at the charge of Captain Marmaduke Roydon, Captain George Langam, M. Iohn Buley and W. Skelton, I went fro the Downes the third of March, and ariued in New England the last of April, where I was to have stayed but with ten men to keep possession of those large territories. Had the whales proued, as cu→ rious information had assured me and my aduentures, (but those things failed.) So having but fortie fiue men and boyes, we built seuen boates, 37 did fish; my selfe with eight others ranging the coast, I tooke a plot of what I could see, got acquaintance of the inhabitants; 1100 Beuer skins, 100 Martins and as many Otters. 40000 of drie fish we sent for Spaine