No. 2. THE FIRST VOYAGE MADE TO THE COASTS OF AMERICA, WITH TWO BARKS, WHEREIN WERE CAPTAINS M. PHILIP AMADAS AND M. ARTHUR BARLOWE,. WHO DISCOVERED PART OF THE COUNTRY NOW CALLED VIRGINIA. WRITTEN BY ONE OF THE SAID CAPTAINS, AND SENT TO SIR WALTER RALEIGH, KNIGHT, AT WHOSE CHARGE AND DIRECTION THE SAID VOYAGE WAS SET FORTH. [This is a reprint from Hakluyt, vol. 3, page 246, and, as far as we are informed, the narrative is not to be found in any other publication, except in the form of a reprint, in Pinkerton. Barlowe was the author of it, as we learn from the story itself. He thus writes, "Then the master and the pilot of the admiral, Simon Fernando, and the captain, Philip Amadas, myself, and others, rowed to the land," &e. As the title shows it to have been "written by one of the captains," and this passage proves that it was not Amadas, Barlowe must have been the writer]. [ADDRESSED TO SIR WALTER RALEIGH], THE 27th day of April, in the year of our redemption, 1584, we departed from the west of England, with two barks well furnished with men and victuals, having received our last and perfect directions by your letters, confirming the former instructions. and commandments delivered by yourself at our leaving the river of Thames. And I think it a matter both unnecessary for the manifest discovery of the country, as also for tediousness' sake, to remember unto you the diurnal of our course, sailing thither and returning, only I have presumed to present unto you this brief discourse, by which you may judge how profitable this land is likely to succeed, as well as to yourself (by whose direction and charge and by whose servants this our discourse hath been performed), as also to her highness, and the commonwealth, in which we hope your wisdom will be satisfied, considering that as much by us hath been brought to light, as by those small means and number of men we had, could any way have been expected or hoped for. The 10th of May we arrived at the Canaries, and the 10th of June, in this present year, we were fallen into the islands of the West Indies, keeping a more southeastwardly course than was needful, because we doubted that the current of the Bay of Mexico, disemboguing between the Cape of Florida and Havana, had been of greater force than afterward we found it to be. At · which islands we found the air very unwholesome, and our men grew for the most part ill-disposed; so that, having refreshed ourselves with sweet water and fresh victuals, we departed the twelfth day of our arrival there. These islands, with the rest adjoining, are so well known to yourself and many others, as I will not trouble you with the remembrance of them. The second of July we found shoal water, where we smelled so sweet and so strong a smell as if we had been in the midst of some delicate garden abounding with all kinds of odoriferous flowers, by which we were assured that the land could not be far distant; and keeping good watch and bearing but slack sail, the fourth of the same month we arrived upon the coast, which we supposed to be a continent and firm land, and we sailed along the same a hundred and twenty English miles before we could find any entrance or river issuing into the sea. [Had the computation of time in 1584 been as it now is, it would have been a singular coincidence that the first English colony to America should have made our coast on the anniversary of the day since rendered so memorable by more than one event in our history. But the fourth of July, 1584, will not correspond with a similar monthly date, since the change of style made by parliament in 1752. The new or Gregorian style makes a difference in date of twelve days. According to our calendar, the arrival on our coast was on the sixteenth of July.] The first that appeared unto us we entered, though not without some difficulty, and cast anchor about three harquebus-shot within the haven's mouth, on the left hand of the same; and, after thanks given to God for our safe arrival thither, we manned our boats and went to view the land next adjoining and to take possession of the same, in the right of the queen's most excellent majesty, as rightful queen and princess of the same, and after delivered the same over to your use, according to her majesty's grant and letters patent, under her highness' great seal. [The approach of the expedition was from the south, and after making the land, the vessels sailed one hundred and twenty English miles before they found "any entrance or river issuing into the sea." They entered the first that they saw and anchored. The first question that arises is, "What inlet did they enter ?" Certain data are afforded by the narrative itself, from which we may perhaps determine. 1. The ships anchored when they entered "on the left hand" of the inlet, and found, on landing, that they were lying, not alongside of the main land, but of an island, which they found to be "twenty miles long, and not above six miles broad." As they approached from the south, and anchored on the left hand as they entered, they must have been lying off the north end of the island. 2. Barlow subsequently went in his boats, from the place of anchorage, "twenty mile into the river that runneth toward the city of Skicoak, which river they call Occam; and the evening following we came to an island, which they call Roanoke, distant from the harbor by which we entered seven leagues." 3. Beyond this island was the main land, "and over against this island falleth into this spacious water the great river called Occam by the inhabitants." 4. "Into this river (Occam), falleth another great river called Cipo, in 'which there is found great store of muskles, in which there are pearls ; likewise there descendeth into this Occam another river called Nomopana, on the one side whereof standeth a great town called Chawanook.” 5. "Towards the southwest, four days' journey, is situate a town called Sequotan," and near to this was an out island, unhabited, called Wocokon." 66 6. Adjoining to Sequotan was a country called Pomouik, and next to that, westward, was "the country Newsiok, situate upon a goodlye river called Neus." 7. "Beyond this island, called Roanoak, are many maine islands." When the adventurers arrived they supposed the land they first saw to be the continent; "but after we entered into the haven," (thus they say), "we saw before us another mighty long sea; for there lyeth along the coast a tracte of islands, two hundreth miles in length, adjoining to the ocean sea, and between the islands two or three entrancès : when you are entred between them (these islands being very narrow for the most part, as in most places sixe miles broad, in some places lesse, in fewe more), then there appeareth another great sea, containing in bredth in some places forty, and in some fifty, in some twenty miles over, before you come unto the continent; and in this inclosed sea there are about an hundreth islands of divers bignesses." These are all the portions of the narrative which have reference to localities, and it is by the aid of these chiefly, if at all, we are to discover the inlet by which the vessels entered. Fortunately, some of the places indicated still retain the original native names. Thus, we still have Roanoke island; in Chawan-ook we readily find our Chowan, and "the goodlye river, called Neus," still bears the same name. But what do we now call the Occam, Cipo, and Nomopana of the natives? Where are Sequotan and Wocokon? Taking Roanoak island as a point allowing of no dispute, we will first endeavor to ascertain the inlet by which the vessels must have entered from the ocean. The general opinion seems to be that it, was the present entrance at Ocracoke. This, however, is scarcely reconcilable with the statements of Barlow in the text. The distance from his anchorage to Roanoak island he expressly states to be about seven leagues, and his anchorage was just within the entrance from the ocean, "about three harquebus-shot within the haven's mouth." Now the distance of Ocracoke inlet from the southern end of Roanoak island is more than twice seven leagues. Again, on the voyage from the vessels to Roanoak island, which was made in the ship's boat (for Barlow had but seven men with him on the excursion), he went on the first day twenty miles "into the river, which they call Occam." It is difficult to understand how any one entering Pamlico Sound at Ocracoke would apply the term "river” to the expanse of water before him, which in its narrowest part, visible from that inlet, is fully twenty miles in breadth. The accuracy of Barlow's description of the general aspect of the sound forbids the idea that he called it a 66 river." He says it is "a great sea, containing in bredth, in some places, forty, and in some fifty, in some twenty miles over, before you come to the continent.” But further still, he expressly tells us that this river Occam is "over against this island ;" [Roanoak] and then "falleth into this spacious water," [the sound]. It could not then have been as far south as Ocracoke. Again, Barlow says, speaking of the islands that border the coast, that between them were "two or three entrances." We are inclined to think that Ocracoke was not at that day, 1584, recognized as one of them by this expedition, nor indeed for some time after, because we find the Lords Proprietors, under a charter as long after as 1663, directing Sir William Berkeley, one of their number, and then Governor of Virginia, to procure a vessel of light draught and explore the inlets to the sound, particularly one of which they had heard, near the rivers Neuse and Pamlico. This, as the map will show, must have been Ocracoke. The first published account of Ocracoke as an inlet was by Lawson in 1714, though it probably had been examined some years before that time. We are for these reasons induced to doubt whether the received opinion of the entry of the first expedition at Ocracoke is correct. Where, then, did the vessels enter? We cannot with certainty say, but the probabilities all point to some inlet more north than Ocracoke. It may have been Hatteras inlet, or there may have been an entrance where our modern maps show "New inlet" at the northern end of Chickomicomico banks. This point is just about seven leagues from Roanoak island. And here, too, lies a body of water between the outer banks and a long island parallel to them, which might very well be taken for a “river;" and this water extends up to Roanoak island, and may be the "Occam" spoken of. At any rate, all along the eastern side of the island, and thence down to New inlet, is a narrow strip of water separated from the rest of the sound by the islands there, which strangers might suppose to be a river; and no where else is there anything resembling a river which would take the voyager to Roanoak island. We incline, therefore, to think that this strip of water must be the "Occam" of the natives. |