We Went Ashoar There,
And Found Several Indians; But Most Of Them Were The Same
Which Had Made Peace With Us Before.
We staid very little at that Place,
but went directly down the River, and came to our Ship, before
Day.
Thursday the 26th of November, the Wind being at South,
we could not go down to the River's Mouth; but on Friday the 27th,
we weigh'd at the Mouth of Hilton's River, and got down
a League towards the Harbour's Mouth. On Sunday the 29th,
we got down to Crane-Island, which is 4 Leagues or thereabouts,
above the Entrance of the Harbour's Mouth. On Tuesday the 1st of December,
we made a Purchase of the River and Land of Cape-Fair, of Wat-Coosa,
and such other Indians, as appear'd to us to be the chief of those Parts.
They brought us Store of fresh Fish aboard, as Mullets, Shads,
and other sorts very good. This River is all fresh Water, fit to drink.
Some 8 Leagues within the Mouth, the Tide runs up about 35 Leagues,
but stops and rises a great deal farther up. It flows at the Harbour's Mouth,
S.E. and N.W. 6 Foot at Neap-Tides, and 8 Foot at Spring-Tides.
The Channel on the East side, by the Cape-Shoar, is the best,
and lies close aboard the Cape-Land, being 3 Fathoms at high Water,
in the shallowest Place in the Channel, just at the Entrance;
But as soon as you are past that Place, half a Cables Length inward,
you have 6 or 7 Fathoms, a fair turning Channel into the River,
and so continuing 5 or 6 Leagues upwards. Afterwards the Channel
is more difficult, in some Places 6 or 7 Fathoms, in others 4 or 5,
and in others but 9 or 10 Foot, especially where the River is broad.
When the River comes to part, and grows narrow, there it is
all Channel from side to side, in most Places; tho' in some
you shall have 5, 6, or 7 Fathoms, but generally 2 or 3, Sand and Oaze.
We view'd the Cape-Land, and judg'd it to be little worth,
the Woods of it being shrubby and low, and the Land sandy and barren;
in some Places Grass and Rushes, in others nothing but clear Sand:
A Place fitter to starve Cattle, in our Judgment, than to keep 'em alive;
yet the Indians, as we understand, keep the English Cattle down there,
and suffer them not to go off of the said Cape, (as we suppose)
because the Country Indians shall have no Part with them;
and therefore 'tis likely, they have fallen out about them,
which shall have the greatest Share. They brought on board our Ship
very good and fat Beef several times, which they sold us
at a very reasonable Price; also fat and very large Swine, good and cheap;
but they may thank their Friends of New-England, who brought their Hogs
to so fair a Market. Some of the Indians brought very good Salt aboard us,
and made Signs, pointing to both sides of the River's Mouth,
that there was great Store thereabouts. We saw up the River,
several good Places for the setting up of Corn or Saw-Mills.
In that time, as our Business call'd us up and down the River and Branches,
we kill'd of wild Fowl, 4 Swans, 10 Geese, 29 Cranes,
10 Turkies, 40 Ducks and Mallards, 3 dozen of Parrakeeto's,
and 6 dozen of other small Fowls, as Curlues and Plover, &c.
Whereas there was a Writing left in a Post, at the Point of Cape-Fair River,
by those New-England-Men, that left Cattle with the Indians there,
the Contents whereof tended not only to the Disparagement of the Land
about the said River, but also to the great Discouragement
of all such as should hereafter come into those Parts to settle:
In answer to that scandalous Writing, We, whose Names are underwritten,
do affirm, That we have seen, facing both sides the River and Branches
of Cape-Fair aforesaid, as good Land, and as well timber'd,
as any we have seen in any other Part of the World, sufficient to accommodate
Thousands of our English Nation, and lying commodiously
by the said River's Side.
On Friday the 4th of December, the Wind being fair, we put out to Sea,
bound for Barbados; and, on the 6th of February, 1664,
came to an Anchor in Carlisle-Bay; it having pleas'd God,
after several apparent Dangers both by Sea and Land, to bring us all in Safety
to our long-wish'd-for and much-desir'd Port, to render an Account
of our Discovery; the Verity of which we do assert.
Anthony Long.
William Hilton.
Peter Fabian.
Thus you have an Account of the Latitude, Soil, and Advantages of Cape-Fair,
or Clarendon-River, which was settled in the Year 1661, or thereabouts;
and had it not been for the irregular Practices of some of that Colony
against the Indians, by sending away some of their Children,
(as I have been told) under Pretence of instructing 'em in Learning,
and the Principles of the Christian Religion; which so disgusted
the Indians, that tho' they had then no Guns, yet they never gave over,
till they had entirely rid themselves of the English,
by their Bows and Arrows; with which they did not only take off themselves,
but also their Stocks of Cattle; And this was so much the more
ruinous to them, in that they could have no Assistance from South-Carolina,
which was not then planted; and the other Plantations were but
in their Infancy. Were it not for such ill Practices, I say,
it might, in all Probability, have been, at this day, the best Settlement
in their Lordships great Province of Carolina.
{Albemarl Sound and Rivers.}
The Sound of Albemarl, with the Rivers and Creeks of that Country,
afford a very rich and durable Soil.
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