An Account of Virginia, its Scituation, Temperature, Productions, Inhabitants and their manner of planting and ordering Tobacco &c., Communicated by Mr. Thomas Glover an ingenious Chirurgion that hath lived some years in that Country, by Thomas Glover

Published: Oxford, England, 1904, by Horace Hart, printer to the University, reprinted from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, June 20, 1676

Reprinted from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, June 20, 1676, and sold by B. H. Blackwell, at his Shop in Broad Street Oxford, over against the Sheldonian Theatre, MCMIV.

Two Hundred & Fifty copies only of this reprint of a Paper communicated to the Royal Society in 1676 are issued, in the hope that this Account may interest Collectors of Americana, and others who would be unlikely to meet with it in the Transactions of which it forms a part.

The type used is contemporary with the Tract, being that cast under the direction of Dr. John Fell, who was Bishop of Oxford in 1675, and presented by him to the University.

E. G. Allen & Son
Oxford: Horace Hart Printer to the University

Virginia being a part of the Continent of America, is distant from the Lizard or Lands-end of England a thousand Leagues, and is bounded on the East with the main Ocean, on the West with the Appal-lean Mountains, on the North with De la wares-bay and River, and on the South with the River of Roanock; the Countrylieth within a Bay called the Bay of Chisepeek; the mouth or entrance whereinto is due west, being about fix leagues in breadth, and runneth up into the Country North and by East about one hundred Leagues, continuing the forementioned bredth a great part of the way, but narroweth by degrees towards the upper end about one half: The water in the Channel is for the most part nine fathom, but in some places not above seven: The Southernmost Cape of this Bay lieth in 37 degrees and odd minutes

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North-latitude, and within the same are divers little Islands, upon some of which there are Plantations.

Into this Bay do issue so many large, pleasant and commodious Rivers, as I verily believe no space of ground of equal dimensions in the whole world can boast of the like: The most eminent of these are, James River, York, Rapa-han-nock, Poto-mack, Potuxen, and Choptanck; the four last retain their Indian names. At the head of the Bay do enter three large Rivers, one whereof is called Sus-ca-han-nah, from a Nation of Indians so called, bordering on the same; the names of the other two I do not well remember. Besides these, there are twice as many as navigable as these, but by reason they run not above thirty or forty miles, I shall forbear inserting any of their names. Potomack, the largest of all the rest, is at the mouth ten miles broad, and continueth that bredth for twenty miles up; from which place it is fix miles broad, and continueth that bredth for thirty miles higher, and is in length about two hundred miles. This River lieth about the middle of the Bay, and divideth the Government between my Lord of Baltamore and Sr. Will. Bartlet; the other Rivers, whose names are here inserted, are

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most of them two Leagues broad at the mouth, and some of them a hundred and fifty, others a hundred and twenty miles in length.

The Tides are scarce discernible, when the winds hold at North-west; but at other times they flow as they do in England, only they appear not so large; the reason whereof may be, because the Tide diffuseth it self into so many spacious Rivers; neither is it needful, in regard the Bay and Rivers are deep enough without the help of the Tide to receive the biggest Ship in the world; only it is helpful to bring in refills when the winds are small or opposite.

In the Rivers are great plenty and variety of delicate Fish; one kind whereof is by the English called a Sheepshead, from the resemblance the eye of it bears with the eye of a Sheep: This fish is generally about fifteen or sixteen inches long, and about half a foot broad; it is a wholesom and pleasant fish, and of easie digestion. A Planter does oftentimes take a dozen or fourteen in an hours time, with hook and line.

There is another sort which the English call a Drum; many of which are two foot and a half

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or three foot long. This is likewise a very good fish, and there is great plenty of them. In the head of this fish there is a jelly, which being taken out and dried in the Sun, then beaten to powder and given in broth, procureth speedy delivery to women in labour.

At the heads of the Rivers there are Sturgeon, and in the Creeks are great store of small fish, as Perches, Crokers, Taylors, Eels, and divers others whole names I know not. Here are such plenty of Oysters as they may load ships with them. At the mouth of Elizabeth River, when it is a low water, they appear in rocks a foot above water. There are also in some places great store of Muscles and Cockles; there is also a fish called a Stingray, which much resembleth a Skate, only on one side of his tayl grows out a sharpbone like a bodkin about four or five inches long, with which he strikes and wounds other fish, and then preys upon them.

And now it comes into my mind, I shall here insert an account of a very strange Fish or rather a Monster, which I happened to see in Rapa-hannock River about a year before I came out of the Country; the manner of it was thus:

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As I was coming down the forementioned River in a Sloop bound for the Bay, it happened to prove calm; at which time we were three leagues short of the rivers mouth; the tide of ebb being then done, the sloop-man dropped his grap-line, and he and his boy took a little boat belonging to the sloop, in which they went ashoar for water, leaving me aboard alone, in which time I took a small book out of my pocket and sate down at the stern of the vessel to read; but I had not read long before I heard a great rushing and flashing of the water, which caused me suddenly to look up, and about half a stones cast from me appeared a most prodigious Creature, much resembling a man, only somewhat larger, standing right up in the water with his head, neck, shoulders, breast, and waste, to the cubits of his arms, above water; his skin was tawny, much like that of an Indian; the figure of his head was pyramidal and slick, without hair; his eyes large and black, and so were his eye-brows; his mouth very wide, with a broad, black streak on the upper lip, which turned upwards at each end like mustachoes; his countenance was grim and terrible; his neck,

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shoulders, arms, breast and wast, were like unto the neck, arms, shoulders, breast and wast of a man; his hands, if he had any, were under water; he seemed to stand with his eyes fixed on me for some time, and afterward dived down, and a little after riseth at somewhat a farther distance, and turned his head towards me again, and then immediately falleth a little under water, and swimmeth away so near the top of the water, that I could discern him throw out his arms, and gather them in as a man doth when he swimmeth. At last he shoots with his head downwards, by which means he cast his tayl above the water, which exactly resembled the tayl of a fish with a broad fane at the end of it.

On the Bay and Rivers feed so many wild fowl, as in winter time they do in some places cover the water for two miles; the chief of which are wild Swans and Geese, Cormorants, Brants, Shieldfowl, Duck and Mallard, Teal, Wigeons, with many others.

There likewise keep in the Rivers Bevers and Otters; the Bevers have their teeth so strong and sharp, that they gnaw down trees, wherewith

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they make damms cross the waters, under which they keep, which are usually called Bever-damms, and in some places serve in the room of foot-Bridges.

The original springs, that make all these Rivers, arise at the foot of the Appa-lean Mountains; but the Cataracts or falls of the Rivers are sixty or seventy miles distant from the Mountains.

These Mountains have their beginning Northward at the Lake of Canada, and run along the back of the Country to the South-west as far as the lake Usherre, which is some hundreds of Leagues.

There was one Colonel Catlet, that was a good Mathematician, who with some other Gentlemen took a Journey to make some further discoveries of the Country to the Westward, and arriving at the foot of the Mountains early in the morning, they left their horses, and endeavoured to gain the tops of the Mountains, which they accomplished about four of the clock in the afternoon, and then looking further forward they discovered other Mountains, whereof they took the altitude and judged them inaccessible; which discouraged them from any further attempts, their design being

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chiefly to discover whether there were any Rivers that ran into the South-ocean.

Above five years since there was a German Chirurgeon, who obtained a Commission from Sr. Will. Bartlet to travel to the South-west of Virginia, and to make discovery of those parts: He went along the foot of the Mountains as far as the Lake of Usherre, and discovered them to be passable in two places, and he gives a relation, that, while he was in an Indian town adjacent to the Mountains, there came four Indians on an Embassie to the King of that town, from a King that lived on the other side of the Mountains, who by the commandment of the King on this side were all strangled, with which barbarous usage he was much abashed, fearing the like cruelty; but they proved more civil to him, permitting him to depart in safety.

At his return he brought an Emerauld, and some Spanish mony, which he said he had of due Indians bordering on the Lake of Usherre, which caused some to think that some Spaniards are seated near upon the back of the Mountains.

Having hitherto discoursed of the Bay, Rivers, and Mountains, I shall now make some entrance

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into the Land; and first of the shores, which all along the Bay and Rivers are for the most part sandy, but only in some points there is some shingle cast up: but the Earth affordeth very few Stones, and those that are there, are almost all of them hard & transparent. I have taken up several stones, that would cut glass as well as any Diamond. Sr. Henry Chichely had a stone, that was taken up by the Rivers side, which he put into a Ring, for which Ring he hath been profer'd fifteen pounds; and I do verily think, that there are some stones gathered there that do abate the price of Diamonds; for I have seen several Rings of Virginia stones, which in my judgment have equalled Diamonds in lustre.

The Chiefs of all the Rivers are full of great veins of Iron-mine, and in some places of the Countrey I have seen Rocks of the same to lye a foot above the Earth; and generally all the high Lands under the mould are a meer Rock of Iron; the consideration where of together with the infinite plenty of wood did cause me with admiration to enquire, why they did not endeavour the improvement of that advantage which God and

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Nature had put into their hands, by running of this Mineral; but I was answer'd, That an Ironwork would cost three thousand pounds, and the Countrey being generally poor, were discouraged from the attempt by reason of the charge. I believe the true reason is, their being so intent on their Tobacco-Plantations that they neglect all other more Noble and advantageous improvements whereof the Countrey is capable, which without doubt are many. For in their planting Tobacco they find greatest encouragement from England, by reason of the vast revenue it brings into the Exchequer.

They distinguish their soil into three sorts, viz. High, low and marshy Land; all which have some sand mix'd in them, that makes their Land warmer than ours is in England. Their high Lands are most sandy, but do notwithstanding bear very good Crops of Tobacco; only it does not hold its strength so long as the low ground, which is very rich, being a blackish mould about a foot deep, or somewhat more, and will hold its strength for seven or eight Crops successively without manuring. Their Marshlands bear sedges and rushes after

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the manner of ours; and of these they have not endeavoured any improvement as yet. Their Land in general is as good and fertile as the Land of England; when the strength of their ground is worn out they never manure it to bring it in heart, but let it lie for pasture for all Mens Cattel to grase upon, and clear more ground out of the Woods to plant in.

As to the Timber of this Countrey, there are divers kinds; four several forts of Oak, very tall and smooth. There is also another sort of Timber called Hickery, that is harder than any Oak. There are also very large and tall Poplars; and in some parts of the Countrey great store of Pines, fit for Masts of Ships: There is likewise black Walnut, Cipress, Cedar, Dogwood, Ash, Elm, Gumtree, Locust, Chesnut, Hasel, Sassafras, Holly, Elder, with several others.

As to the Fruit-Trees of the Countrey, it affords great plenty: For there are few Planters but that have fair and large Orchards, some whereof have twelve hundred Trees and upward, bearing all sorts of English Apples, as Pear-mains, Pippins, Russetens, Costards, Marigolds, Kings-apples, Magitens,

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Batchelours, and many others, of which they make great store of Cider.

Here are likewise great Peach-Orchards, which bear such an infinite quantity of Peaches, that at some Plantations they beat down to the Hoggs fourty bushels in a year.

Here are also great store of Quinces, which are larger and fairer than those of England, and not so harsh in taste; of the juice of these they also make Quince-drink.

Here are likewise Apricocks, and some sorts of English Plums, but these do not ripen so kindly as they do in England.

There are some sorts of Pears, but at very few Plantations; I have seen the Bergamy, Warden, and two or three other sorts, and these are as fair, large and pleasant as they are in England.

Here grow as good Figgs, as there do in Spain, but there are few planted as yet.

Those that take the pains to plant Goose-berries, have them; but I never saw any of our English Currants, (Riberries) there, and it is observ'd, that Oranges and Limons will not grow there, though they do in more Northern Countries.

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I had almost forgot to mention their Mulberry-Trees, whereof they have good store about their Houses; these were planted at first to feed Silkworms, but that design failing, they are now of little use amongst them.

The meanest Planter hath store of Cherries, and they are all over Virginia as plentiful as they are in Kent. The Cherry-Trees grow more large generally than they do in England, and bear more plenfully (sic) without any pains-taking of digging about them, or pruning them.

There groweth wild in some places of the Woods a Plum some what like our Wheat-Plum, but it doth exceed it, being much more succulent.

In the Woods there are abundance of Vines, which twine about the Oaks and Poplars, and run up to the top of them; these bear a kind of Claret- grapes,* of which some few of the Planters do make Wine, whereof I have tasted; it is somewhat smaller than French Claret; but I suppose, if some of these Wines were planted in convenient vine-yards, where the Sun might have a more kindly influence on them, and kept with diligence and seasonable

Of the Indians themselves.

The Indians are generally well proportioned as to their stature, being somewhat tall, but no waies corpulent; their hair black, usually hanging

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right down; their eyes also black, their skin tawny, inclining to blackishness; they live together in Towns, and every town is under a several King: At the first coming of the English divers Towns had two or three thousand Bowmen in them; but now, in the Southern parts of Virginia, the biggest Indian Town hath not above five hundred Inhabitants; many Towns have scarce sixty Bow-men in them, and in one Town there are not above twenty, and they are so universally thinned in the forementioned Southern part, that I verily believe there are not above three thousand left under the whole government of Sir Will. Bartlet; but in my Lord of Baltimores territories at the head of the Bay, where the English were later seated, they are more numerous, there being still in some Towns about three thousand Indians. But these being in continual wars with each other, are like shortly to be reduced to as small numbers as the former.

Instead of Cloaths they wear a Deer-skin tacked about their middle, and another about their shoulders, and for Shoes they have pieces of Deer-skin tied about their feet.

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Their habitations are Cabins, about nine or ten foot high, which are made after this manner: They fix Poles into the ground, and bring the tops of them one within another, and so tie them together: the outside of these poles they line with bark to defend them from the Injuries of the weather, but they leave a hole on the top, right in the middle of the Cabin for the smoak to go out; round the inside of their Cabins they have banks of Earth cast up, which serve instead of stools and beds; they have no kind of houshold-stuff but Earthen-pots, Wooden bowls, and thin Mats to lie on; all which they make themselves.

Their diet is Indian Corn, Venison, wild Turkies, Oysters, and all kind of Fish the Rivers afford; and all kind of wild Beasts of the Woods.

They are prohibited the keeping either Cows, Sheep or Hoggs, by the English, lest they should make bold with more than their own.

They did formerly catch their fish after an odd manner before the English came amongst them, which was thus: At the head of their Canoes they fixed a Hearth, on which in a dark night they would make a blaze with fire put to the shivers

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of Pine tree; then they would paddle their Canoes along the shoar in shoal- water; the fish feeing the light would come as thick as they could swim by each other about the head of the Canoes; then with sticks that were pointed very sharp at the ends, they would strike through them and lift them up into the Canoe: But now they have learned of the English to catch fish with hook and line, and sometimes the English do use their way in dark nights, only they strike with an Instrument of Iron somewhat like Mole-tines.

As to their Worship, I know little of it; only they have Priests which are generally thought to be Conjurers; for, when they have great want of Rain, one of their Priests will go into a private Cabin, and by his Invocations will cause abundance to fall immediately, which they call making of Rain.

They offer the First fruits of all things; the first Deer they kill after they are in season, they lay privately on the head of a Tree near the place where they killed it, and they say, no good luck will befal them that year if they do not offer the first of every thing.

They burn the Bodies of the dead; and sow up

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the ashes in Matts, which they place near the Cabbins of their Relations.

Some of them say, that the God of the English is a good God, and gives them good things; but their God is an angry God, and oftentimes beats them.

Almost every Town differs in language, and yet not any of their languages copious; as may be seen by their frequent expressing their meaning to each other by signs.

Their mony is of two sorts, one whereof is made of a white kind of shell, which being divided into small parts, they put them on a string after the manner of Beads; this they call Peacke: The other is of a blew shell ordered in the same manner, which they call Rounda; this last is the meaner sort, about half a yard whereof is of equal value with our nine pence. The chief of the Indians do wear some of this on the Deer-skins about their bodies, laid on like lace.

They have nothing to trade with but Deerskins, and some Bever, which they exchange with the English for Guns, Gunpowder, Shot and Brandy; having nothing before but Bows and Arrows,

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wherewith they killed their Deer and other wild Beasts.

They have no other account of Time but by the changes of the Moon.

Their Winter is usually in November, December and January.

They are very revengful; for, if any one chance to be slain, some of the Relations of the slain person will kill the murtherer or some of his family, though it be two or three generations after, having no justice done amongst them in this respect but what particular persons do themselves; if that may be termed justice.

The Indians being a rude sort of people use no Curiosity in preparing their Physick; yet are they not ignorant of the nature and uses of their plants, but they use no correctives to take away the flatuous, nauseous, and other bad qualities of them. They either powder, juyce, infuse or boyl them, till the decoction be very strong.

Their usual way of cure for most inward distempers is by decoction, which they make partly pectoral, partly sudorifick; these they cause the sick to drink, the quantity of half a pint at a time,

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two or three times a day; but they give nothing to procure vomiting in any distempers, as a bad omen that the diseased will die; neither did I ever know them to use any waies of Blooding or Cupping.

If they have any Wounds, Ulcers or Fractures, they have the knowledge of curing them. I did once fee an Indian whose arm had been broken, and viewing the place, I found the bones to be as smoothly consolidated, and as well reduced, as any English Chirurgion could have done it.

All Indians carry a Powder about them to cure the bites of Snakes, and in almost every Town this powder hath a different composition, and every composition is certainly effectual to the correcting the malignity of the Venom. Neither was it ever known to us, that any Indian suffered much harm by these bites, but in a daies time he would be as well as if he had never been bitten: Whereas some of the English for want of a speedy remedy have lost their lives.

The Indians are frequently troubled with Violent Colicks, which oftentimes terminate in Palsies.

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The manner of planting and ordering Tobacco.

In the Twelve-daies they begin to sow their seed in beds of fine Mould, and when the Plants be grown to the bredth of a shilling, they are fit to replant into the Hills; for in their Plantations they make small hills about four foot distant from each other, somewhat after the manner of our Hop-yards; These hills being prepared against the plants be grown to the forementioned bigness (which is about the beginning of May,) they then in moist weather draw the plants out of their beds, and replant them in the hills, which afterwards they keep with diligent weedings. When the plant hath put out so many Leaves as the ground will nourish to a substance and largeness that will render them Merchantable, then they take off the top of the plant; if the ground be very rich, they let a plant put out a dozen or fixteen leaves before they top it; if mean, then not above nine or ten, and so according to the strength of their soyl, the top being taken if the plant

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grows no higher; but afterwards it will put out suckers between their leaves, which they pluck away once a week, till the plant comes to perfection, which it doth in August. Then in dry weather, when there is a little breez of wind, they cut down what is ripe, letting it lie about four hours on the ground, till such time as the leaves, that stood strutting out, fall down to the stalk, then they carry it on their shoulders into their Tobacco-houses, where other Servants taking of it, drive into the stalk of each plant a peg, and as fast as they are pegg'd, they hang them up by the pegs on Tobacco-sticks, so nigh each other that they just touch, much after the manner they hang Herrings in Yarmouth; thus they let them hang five or six weeks, till such time as the stem in the middle of the leaf will snap in the bending of it; then, when the Air hath so moistned the leaf as that it may be handled without breaking, they strike it down, strip it off the stalk, bind it up in bundles, and pack it into Hogsheads for use.

Sometimes they are forced to plant their hills twice or thrice over, by reason of an Earth-worm which eats the root, and when the plant is well

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grown they suffer damage by a Worm that devours the leaf, called a Horn- worm (an Eruca or Caterpillar) which is bred upon the leaf; if these worms be not carefully taken off, they will spoil the whole Crop.

In the Year. 1667 in August there happened all over Virginia a gust or storm of Wind and Rain, which continued for three daies with such violence that the like was hardly ever heard of, it began and continued blowing at East with such fierceness, that above one half of the crop of their Tobacco which was then standing in their fields was blown away and torn a pieces; the Trees in the Woods all over the Country were blown up by the roots in an innumerable quantity: The Waters in the Bay in some places were drove a great way into the Woods, and the greatest part of those that housed Tobacco, had their Tobacco-houses blown down and their Tobacco spoiled; so that there was not fully one part of three saved of what would have been made that year.

The Planters houses are built all along the sides of the Rivers for the conveniency of Shipping; they build after the English manner, whiting the inside

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side of their houses with Mortar, made of burnt Oyster-shells instead of lime. They have pure and wholesom water, which they fetch wholly from Springs, whereof the Country is so full, that there is not a house but hath one nigh the door.