These things that follow in this ensuing Relation are certified by divers Letters from Virginia, by men of worth and credit there, written to a Friend in England, that for his owne, and others satisfaction, was desirous to know these particulars, and the present estate of that Countrey. And let no man doubt of the truth of it, there be many in England, Land and Seamen that can beare witnesse of it. And if this Plantation be not worth Encouragement, let every true Englishman judge.

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1

Hat there are in Virginia about fifteene thousand English, and of Negroes brought thither, three hundred good

servants.

2 That of Kine, Oxen, Bulls, Calves, twenty thousand, large and good, and they make plenty of Butter and very good Cheese.

3 That there are of an excellent raise, about two hundred Horse and Mares.

4 That of Asses for burthen and use, there is fifty but daily increase.

5 That for Sheepe they have about three thousand, good wooll.

6 That for Goates there number is five thousand, thrive well. 7 That for Swine both tame and wilde (in the Woods) innumerable; the flesh pure and good, and Bacon none better. 8 That for Poultry, Hens, Turkies, Ducks, Geese, without number.

9 That they yearly plow and sow many hundred Acres of Wheat, as good, and faire, as any in the world, and great increase.

10 That they have plenty of Barley, make excellent Mault. 11 That they have Six publike Brewhouses, and most brew their owne Beere, strong and good,

12 That their Hopps are faire and large, thrive well.

13 That they sell their Beefe at two pence halfe penny a pound, Pork at three pence a pound, plentifully.

14 That their Cattell are about the prices in England, and most of the Ships that come yearly hither, are there Victuall'd. 15 That they have thirty several sorts of Fish, River and Sea, very excellent good in their kinds, plentifull and large.

16 That they have five and twenty sundry sorts of Birds and Fowles, Land and Water abundance, and for food not amisse.

17 That they have twenty kinde of Beasts, whereof Deere abundance, most sorts to be eaten; creeping Creatures many also.

18 That they have fifteene kinds of Fruits, pleasant and good, and with Italy they will compare for delicate Fruits.

19 That they have five and twenty sorts of Trees, large, good and fit for Shipping, Housing, and other uses.

20 That they have Roots of severall kindes, Potatoes, Sparagus, Carrets, Turnips, Parsnips, Onions, and Hartichokes. 22 For Herbes they have of all kinds for Garden, and Physicke Flowers.

23 That their Maize or Virginia Corne, it yeelds them five hundred for one, increase, ('its set as we doe garden Pease) it makes good Bread and Furmitie, will keep seven years, and maults well for Beere, and ripe in five Moneths, set in April or May.

24 That they have store of Indian Pease, better then ours, Beans, Lupines, and the like.

25 They have store of Bees in their Woods, make plenty of honey and wax, and also tame Bees in hives about their Houses.

26 Indico begins to be planted, and thrives wonderfully well, growes up to a little tree, and rich Indico made of the leaves of it, all men begins to get some of the seeds, and know it will be of ten-times the gaine to them as Tobacco (and gaine now carries the Bell;) their hopes are great to gaine the Trade of it from the Mogulls Countrey, and to supply all Christendome, and this will be many Thousands of pounds in the yeare.

27 Their Tobacco is much vented and esteemed in all places, yet the quantities so great that's made, that the price there is but three pence a pound. A man can plant two Thousand waight a yeare of it, and also sufficient Corne and Rootes, and other provisions for himselfe.

28 They begin to plant much Hempe and Flax which they find growes well and good, onely hands are wanting to this and

other workes.

29 Iron Ore and rich Mine are in abundance in the Land, fit

streams and waters to erect Iron Mills, woods never to be destroy'd to burne Coale, and all this lye on great Rivers bankes, easie for transportation of Wood and Ore, and there is Stone fit to build the Furnaces with; triall hath been made of this Iron Ore, and not better and richer in the World; his work Erected would be as much worth as a Silver Mine, all things considered: not onely to make all Instruments of Iron for the Plantations Uses, but for Building, Shipping, there being wanting in that Countrey no other Materialls to that Worke; Then the casting of Ordnance, and making them, will abound to serve all the World; so of Mussquets, Armour, all kinde of Tooles, and Manufacture of Iron Workes will be produced in abundance, so that it would become speedily the Magazine of Iron Instruments in every kinde, and at cheape rates; so that no Nation could afford them halfe so cheape, and all men know, that Iron will command better Mines.

29 Skilfull Iron-men for the Works sent out of England, with the assistance of as many more able labourers there in Virginia, housing and victuall ready provided for them; (fitting places for Erecting, the Mills found out already, and Oxen for draught at hand,) the Worke in sixe Moneths time would be effected, and foure hundred pound charge to transport the twenty men to Virginia, with all tooles and necessaries for the Worke would doe it and these Men for their incouragement to have halfe the gaine made of the Iron to be yearly divided betwixt the Undertakers and Workemen, the profit and gaine would be to the inriching of all.

30 They have 4 Wind-mills, and 5 Water-mills to grind their Corn; besides many Horse-mills of several kinds, and Handmills for several uses: A Sawing mill for Boards is much wanted; one mill driven by water, will do as much as 20 Sawyers, &c.

31 There comes yearly to trade with them above 30 saile of ships, and in these not so little as seven or eight hundred Mariners employed, (some say above a thousand, this is a considerable thing) and they return laden home in March, (this is a good seminary for Mariners.)

32 The Commodity these ships bring, is Linnen Cloth of all sorts, and so of Woollen Cloth, Stockins, Shooes, and the like things.

33 Most of the Masters of ships and chief Mariners have also there Plantations, and houses, and servants, &c. in Virginia; and so are every way great gainers by Fraight, by Merchandize, and by Plantation and Pipe-staves, Clap-board, choice Walnut-tree-wood, Ceader-tree-timber and the like, is transported by them if Tobacco is not their full lading.

34 They have in their Colony Pinnaces, Barkes, great and small Boats many hundreds, for most of their Plantations stand upon the Rivers sides or up little Creeks, and but a small way into the Land so that for transportation and fishing they use many Boates.

35 They make Pitch and Tarre, (and there is materials in the Woods for abundance.) Also for Pot and Sope-ashes, Woods most proper and store: hands want.

36 That for Mulbery-trees, the natural and proper food for Silk-wormes, they have abundance in the woods, and some so large that one tree contains as many leaves as will feed Silkewormes that will make as much Silk as may be worth five pounds sterling money, this some French men affirme. And now they desire Silk-wormes-seed which is sent them, and their hopes are good of the thriving of it: A Commodity that may soon enrich them all with little labour, care or pains; all Materials so plentiful and at hand, the food in abundance, the Climate warm, and the work done in five weeks time, and within doors, by women and children as well as men, and at that time of the year in May, that it hinders not any other work or planting, sowing, or the like employments; such an advantage, that had the Dutch the like in any of their Plantations, they would improve it to the certaine gaine in the trade of Silke from Persia and China, which we fetch with great charge and expence and hazard, and inrich Heathen and Mahumetans greatly; but to these things lack Publick and State encouragements to begin the work: but more of this in an other place, it deserves a full handling.

37 Vines in abundance and variety, do grow naturally over all the land, but by the birds and beasts, most devouted before they come to perfection and ripenesse; but this testifies and declares, That the Ground, and the Climate is most proper, and the Commodity of Wine is not a contemptible Merchandize; but some men of worth and estate must give in these things example to the inferiour inhabitants and ordinary sort of men, to shew them the gain and Commodity by it, which they will not believe but by experience before their faces: And in Tobacco they can make 201. sterling a man, at 3d a pound per annum ; and this they find and know, and the present gain is that, that puts out all endeavours from the attempting of others more Staple, and Sollid, and rich Commodities, out of the heads and hands of the Common people: So as I say, the wealthier sort of men must begin and give the example, and make the gain of other Commodities as apparent to them, by the effecting them to perfection, or it will not (as it hath not hither unto) go forward.

38 That they have health very well, and fewer die in a yeer

there, according to the proportion, then in any place of England; since that men are provided with all necessaries, have plenty of victual, bread, and good beer, and houseing, all which the Englishmen loves full dearly.

39 That the Passengers also come safe and well: the seamen of late years having found a way, that now in 5, 6, and 7 weeks they saile to Virginia free from all Rocks, Sands, and Pirats; and that they return home again in 20 dayes sometimes, and 30 at most the Winds commonly serving more constantly, being Westerly homeward, the Easterly outward bound.

40 That the mouth of the two Capes of Land, Cape Henry on the South, and Cape Charles on the North; the entrance in is in 37 degrees: that the first River up the West is James River, where most of the Plantations are setled and Towns: the second is Charles river on the North of it; and the third called by the Indian name Tapahanuke, the 4 river Patawoenicke, the 5 river Patuxant, the 6 Bolus, the 7 Saquisahanuke: at the head of the great Bay of Chespiacke, into which Bay these 7 rivers from the West side of it do all enter and run into, and so the mouth of the Bay issueth out due East into the main Sea between the two aforesaid Capes: the Bay lies North and South, and hath a Channel in draught of 140 miles, and in depth between 5, 6, and 15 fathomes in some places. The widenesse of the Bay is from the West side which is the great Land, to the East side of the Land which joynes upon the Sea called the Acamake-shore; the widenesse and breadth of this Bay I say, is about 9, 10, and 14 miles broad in some places of it; and these 7 Rivers have their mouths into the Bay, not above 20 miles, each River is distant from the other: But this in Smiths Map is more at large described.

41 That some English about a thousand are seated upon the Acamake-shore by Cape Charles, (where Captaine Yeardly is chief Commander) now called the County of Northampton.

42 That they have Lime in abundance made for their houses, store of Bricks made, and House and Chimnies built of Brick, and some Wood high and fair, covered with Shingell for Tyle, yet they have none that make them, wanting workmen; in that trade the Brickmakers have not the art to do it, it shrinketh.

43 That since the Massacree, the Savages have been driven far away, many destroyed of them, their Towns and houses ruinated, their cleer grounds possessed by the English to sow Wheat in and their great King Opechaukenow (that bloody Monster upon 100 years old) was taken by Sir William Berkely the Governour.

44 All kinds of Trades-men may live well there, and do gaine