[End of Original Advertisement.]
Notes to etext:
This book was originally published in London in 1709.
This text follows the original spellings, which are somewhat irregular,
though still quite readable.
A footnote from William Gilmore Simms' "Life of Francis Marion" (online):
Lawson's "Journal of a Thousand Miles' Travel among the Indians,
from South to North Carolina", is a work equally rare and interesting.
This unfortunate man fell a victim to his official duties.
He was confounded, by the savages, with the government which he represented,
and sacrificed to their fury, under the charge of depriving them,
by his surveys, of their land. He was made captive
with the Baron de Graffenreid. The latter escaped,
but Lawson was subjected to the fire-torture.
Simms, however, was never a stickler for details. Other accounts differ
as to John Lawson's exact fate, and no one is sure how he died.
Mike Lawson, (MIKE_LAWSON@intertec.com, http://www.mixbooks.com),
a direct descendant of the author, contacted me while I was working
on putting this book online, and sent me some interesting information,
which is summarized below. Baron de Graffenreid = Degraffenreid, etc.
From about 1705 to 1708 John Lawson had lived in Bath Town, NC,
where his primary interests were his orchards and vines.
When he went to England to have his book published, he was "called upon
by the Lord Proprietors to assist DeGraffenreid" who was trying to settle
a colony of Palatines in North Carolina. Franz Louis Michel,
of Bern, Switzerland, (Lawson refers to him as Francis-Louis Mitchell)
had come to America in 1702, and discovered evidence of silver
in the mountains. He returned to Europe to start a company
to found a colony in America, and met Degraffenreid, who had similar plans,
and had already contracted with the city of Bern to remove some Anabaptists
to America - they formed a partnership, and intended to search for silver.
After the course of events which included John Lawson's death
and a massacre of these colonists, they had a falling out,
and that plan never came off.
According to De Graffenreid, some days before the New Bern massacre
John Lawson proposed that they go up the Neuse River,
where there were plenty of wild grapes. They were assured
"that no savages lived on that branch of the river. But to feel safer
we took two Indians to guide, which we knew well, with two negroes to row."
Two days out, near the village of Coram, they were overtaken
by a large number of Tuscaroras, and captured.
There was a trial of sorts, where their intentions were examined,
and Mr. Lawson was charged with being too severe, and for selling their land.
After a lengthy debate, it was decided that they should be released
the next day, but the following morning, one Cor Tom reproached Mr. Lawson,
and they quarrelled.
