The generall historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles with the names of the adventurers, planters, and governours from their first beginning. an⁰: 1584. to this present 1624. With the procedings of those severall colonies and the accidents that befell them in all their journyes and discoveries. Also the maps and descriptions of all those countryes, their commodities, people, government, customes, and religion yet knowne. Divided into sixe bookes. By Captaine Iohn Smith sometymes governour in those countryes & admirall of New England.

The charge of letting forth a ship of 100. tuns with 40. per∣sons, both to make a fishing voyage, and increase the Plantation.

	l.	s.	d.
INprimis, 10000. weight of Bisket at 15. s. a 100. weight.	82.	10.
26 Tun of Beere and Sider at 53. s. 4. d. a Tun.	69.	7.
2 Hogsheads of English Beefe.	10.
2 Hogsheads of Irish Beefe.	5.
10 Fat Hogs salted with Salt and Caske.	10.	10.
30 Bushels of Pease.	6
2 Ferkins of Butter.	3.
200 Waight of Cheese.	2.	10.
1 Bushell of Mustard-seed.		6.
1 Hogshead of Vinegar.	1.	5.
Wood to dresse meat withall.	1.
1 Great Copper Kettle.	2.
2 Small Kettles.	2.
2 Frying-Pans.		3.	4.
Platters, Ladles and Cans.	1.
a paire of Bellowes for the Cooke.		2.	6.
Taps, Boriers and Funnels.	2.
L••cks for the Bread roomes.		2.	6.
100 weight of Candles.	2.	10.
1, 0 quarters of Salt at 2. s. the Ru∣shell.	10.	4.
Mats & dinnage to lie vnder it.	2.	10.
Salt Shouels.		10
Particulars for the 40. persons to keepe 8. fishing boats at Sea, with 3. men in eue∣ry boat, imploies 24. and 500. foot of Elme boords of an inch thicke, 8. s. each one.	2.
2000 Nailes for the 8. Boats, at 13. s. 4. d. a 1000.	1.	6	8.
4000 Nailes at 6. s 8. d. 1000.	1.	6	8.
2000 Nailes at 5. d. 100.		8.
500 weight of pitch at 8. s. 100.	2.
2000 of good orlop nailes.	2.	5.
More for other small necessaries.	3.
A barrell of Tar.		10.
200 weight of black Ocome.	1.
Thrums for pitch Maps.		1.	6.
Bolls, Buckets and Pumps.	1.
2 brazen Crocks.	2.
Canuas to make Boat sailes & small ropes, at 25. s. for each saile,	12.	10.
10 rode Ropes which containe 600. weight at 30 s the 100.	10.
12 dozen of fishing lines.	6.
24 d••z••n of fishing hookes.	2.
for Squid line.		3.
For Pots and liuer maunds.		18.
Iron works for the boats ruthers.	2.
10 Kipnet Irons.		10.
Twine to make kipnets and gagging hooks.		6.
10 good Nets at 26. s. a net.	13.
2 Saynes, a great and a lesse.	12.
200 weight of Sow-lead.	1.
2 couple of ropes for the Saynes.	1.
Dry-fats to keepe them in.		6.
T••ine for store.		5.
Flaskets and bread Baskets.		15.
For haire cloth.	10.
3. Tuns of vinegar caske for water.	1.	6.	8.
1 do••zen of Deale Bourds.		10.
2 Barrels of Oatmeale.	1.	6.
100 weight of Spikes.	2.	5.
2 good Axes, 4. hand Hatchets, 4. Draw∣ers, 2. drawing Irons.		16.
3 yards of wollencloth for cuffs.		10.
8 yards of good Cannasse.		10.
A Grand-stone or two.		6.
1000 of poore Iohn to spend in going.	6.	10.
1 Hogshead of Aquauitae.	4.
4 arme Sawes, 4. Handsawes, 4. thwart Sawes, 3. Augers, 2. Crowes of Iron, 3. Sledges, 4. shod Shouels, 2. Picaxes, 4. Matocks; and 4. Hammers.	5.
The totall summe is	410.	11.	0.

All these prouisions the Master of Purser is to be accountable what is spent and what is left, with those which shall continue there to plant, and of the 40. thus prouided for the voyage, ten may well be spared to leaue behind them, with 500. weight of Bisket, 5. hogsheads of Sider or beere, halfe a hogshead of Beefe, 4 sides of dry Bakon, 4. bushell of Pease, halfe a ferkin of Butter, halfe 100. weight of Cheese, a pecke of Mustard-seed, a barrell of Vinegar, 12. pound of Candles, 2. pecks of Oa••meale, halfe a hogshead of Aquauitae, 2. copper Kettles, 1. brasse Crock, 1. Frying-pan, a Grindstone, and all the Hatchets, Woodhooks, Sawes, Augers, &c. and all other iron tooles, with the 8. Boats and their implements,

and spare salt, and what else they vse not in a readinesse from yeere to yeere, and in the meane time serued them to helpe to build their houses, cleanse land, and fur∣ther their fishing whilst the ships are wanting.

By his estimation and calculation these 8. Boats with 22. men in a Summer doe vsually kill 25000. fish for euery Boat, which may amount to 200000. allowing 120. fishes to the 100. sometimes they haue taken aboue 35000. for a Boat, so that they load not onely their owne ship, but prouide great quantities for sacks, or other spare ships which come thither onely to buy the ouerplus: if such ships come not, they giue ouer taking any more, when sometimes there hath beene great abundance, because there is no fit houses to lay them in till another yeere, now most of those sacks goeth empty thither, which might as well transport mens prouision and cattle at an easie rate as nothing, either to New-England or New-found land, but either to transport them for nothing or pay any great matter for their liberty to fish, will hardly effect so much as freedome as yet; nor can this be put in practice as before I said, till there be a power there well planted and set∣led to entertaine and defend them, assist and releeue them as occasion shall require, otherwaies those small diuisions will effect little, but such miserable conclusions as both the French and we too long haue tried to our costs. Now commonly 200000. fish will load a ship of 100. tunnes in New-found land, but halfe so many will neere doe it in New-England, which carried to Toloune or Merselus, ••here the custome is small, and the Kintall lesse then 90. English▪pounds weight, and the prise when least, 12. shillings the Kintall, which at that rate amounts to 1320. l. starling; and the ship may either there be discharged or imployed as hath beene said to refraught for England, so that the next yeere she may be ready to goe her fishing voyage againe, at a farre cheaper rate then before.

To this adde but 12. tuns of traine oile, which deliuered in New found land, is 10.l. the tun, makes 120. l. then it is hard if there be not 10000. of Co••••fish, which also sold there at 5. l. the 1000. makes 50. l. which brought to England, in somes places yeelds neere halfe so much more; but ••f at Mers••lus it be sold for 16. d. the Kentall, as commonly it is, and much dearer, it amounts to 1760. l. and if the Boats follow the fishing ••ll the 15. of October, they may take 80000. more, which with their traine in N••w-found land at 4. l. the 1000. will amount to 320. l. which added to 1320. l. with 120. l. for Oile, and 10000. of Cor-fish 50. l. and the ouerplus at Merselus, which will be 440. l. make the totall 2250. l. which diui∣ded in three parts according to their custome, the Victualer hath for the former particulars, amounting to 420. l. 751. l. so all the charge defraied, hee gaines 331. l. 11. s. then for the fraught of the ship there is 751. l. and so much for the Master and his company, which comparing with the voiages hath beene made to New-England, you may easily finde which is the better though both bee good. But now experience hath taught them at New-Plimoth,* 1.1 that in Aprill there is a fish much like a Herring that comes vp into the small Brookes to spawne, and where the water is not knee deepe, they will presse vp through your hands, yea though you beat at them with Cudgels, and in such abundance as is incredi∣ble, which they take with that facility they manure their land with them when they haue occasion; after those the Cod also presseth in such plenty, euen into the very Harbours, they haue caught some in their armes, and hooke them so fast, three men oft loadeth a Boat of two tuns in two houres, where before they vsed most to fish in deepe water.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The facility of the fishing lately obserued.