The true travels, adventures, and observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, in Europe, Asia, Affrica, and America, from anno Domini 1593. to 1629 His accidents and sea-fights in the straights; his service and stratagems of warre in Hungaria, Transilvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia, against the Turks, and Tartars ... After how he was taken prisoner by the Turks, sold for a slave ... and escaped ... Together with a continuation of his generall History of Virginia, Summer-Iles, New England, and their proceedings, since 1624. to this present 1629; as also of the new plantations of the great river of the Amazons, the iles of St. Christopher, Mevis, and Barbados in the West Indies. All written by actuall authours, whose names you shall finde along the history.

CHAP. XXVI.

The first planting of the Barbados.

THe Barbados lies South-west and by South, an hundred leagues from Saint Christophers, threescore leagues West and South from Trinidado, and some fourescore leagues from Cape de Sali∣nos, the next part of the maine. The first planters brought thither by Captaine Henry Powel, were forty English, with seven or eight Negros; then he went to Disacuba in the maine, where he got thirty Indians, men, women, and children, of the Arawacos, enemies both to the Caribes, and the Spaniards. The Ile is most like a triangle, each side forty or fifty miles square, some exceeding great rocks, but the most part exceeding good ground; abounding with an infinite number of Swine, some Turtles, and many sorts of excellent fish; many great ponds wherein is Ducke and Mallard; excellent clay for pots, wood and stone for buil∣ding, and a spring neere the middest of the Ile of Bitume, which is a liquid mixture like Tarre, that by the great raines falls from the tops of the mountaines, it floats upon the water in such abundance, that dry∣ing up, it remaines like great rocks of pitch, and as good as pitch for any use.

The Mancinell apple, is of a most pleasant sweet smell, of the bignesse of a Crab, but ranke poyson, yet the Swine and Birds have wit to shun it; great store of exceeding great Locus trees, two or three fadome about, of a great height, that beareth a cod full of meale, will m••ke bread in time of necessity. A tree like a Pine, beareth a fruit so great as a Muske Melon, which hath alwayes ripe fruit, flowers, or greene fruit, which will refresh two or three men, and very comfortable; Plumb trees

many, the fruit great and yellow, which but strained into water in foure and twenty houres will be very good drinke; wilde figge trees there are many; all those fruits doe fat the hogges, yet at some times of the yeare they are so leane, as carrion; Gwane trees beare a fruit so bigge as a Peare, good and wholsome; Palmetaes of three severall f••rrs; Pa∣pawes, Prickle Peares good to eat or make drinke; Cedar trees very tall and great; Fusticke trees are very great and the wood yellow, good for dying; sope berries, the kernell so bigge as a sloe, and good to eat; Pumpeons in abundance; Goads so great as will make good great bot∣tles, and cut in two peeces good dishes and platters; many small brooks of very good water; Ginni wheat, Cassado, Pines and Plantaines; all things we there plant doe grow exceedingly, so well as Tobacco; the corne, pease, and beanes, cut but away the stalke, young sprigs will grow, and so beare fruit for many yeares together, without any more planting; the Ile is overgrowne with wod or great reeds, those wods w••ich are soft are exceeding light and full of pitch, and those that are hard, are so hard and great, they are as hard to cut as stone.

Master Iohn Powell came thither the fourth of August 1627. with forty five men, where we stayed three weeks, and then returning, left behind us about an hundred people, and his sonne Iohn Powell for his Deputy, as Governour; but there have beene so many factions amongst them, I cannot from so many variable relations give you any certainty for their orderly Government: for all those plenties, much misery they have endured, in regard of their weaknesse at their landing, and long st••y without supplies; therefore those that goe thither, it were good they carry good provision with them; but the Ile is most health∣full, and all things planted doe increase abundantly: and by this time there is, and now a going, about the number of fifteene or sixteene hundred people.

Sir William Curtine, and Captaine Iohn Powell, were the first and chiefe adventurers to the planting this fortunate Ile; which had beene oft frequented by men of Warre to refresh themselves, and set up their shallops; being so farre remote from the rest of the Iles, they never were troubled with any of the Indies. Harbours they have none, but ex∣ceeding good Rodes, which with a small charge might bee very well fortified; it doth ebbe and flow foure or five foot, and they cannot perceive there hath ever beene any Hericano in that Ile.

From the relations of Captaine Iohn White, and Captaine Wolverstone.

Notes

• A ••eseripu••n•••• the l••••.
• Fruits and tree.
• Their numbers.