secondly, the Dutch || [gave] such bad titles to lands, together with their exacting of the tenths of all which [men] produced off their lands, that did much hinder the populating of it; together || with that general || dislike the English have of living under another government; but since the reducement of it || there are several towns of a considerable greatness begun and settled by people out of New England, and every day more and more come to view and settle. To give some satisfaction to people that shall be desirous to transport themselves thither, (the country being capable of entertaining many thousands,) how and after what manner people live, and how land may be procured, &c., I shall answer, that the usual way is [for a] company of people to join together, either enough to make a town, or a ||3lesser|| number. [These] go, with the consent of the Governor, and view a tract of land, there being choice | [enough,] || and finding a place convenient for a town, they return to the Governor, who, upon [their] desire, admits them into the Colony, and gives them a Grant or Patent for the said || land, || for themselves and their associates. These persons, being thus qualified, settle ||5 the [place,] || and take in what inhabitants to themselves they shall see cause to admit of, till their town | be || full. These associates, thus taken in, have equal privileges with themselves, and they make [a] division of the land, suitable to every man's occasions, no man being debarred of such quantities as he hath occasion for. The rest they let lie in common, till they have occasion for a new division, never dividing their pasture lands at all, which lie in common to the whole || town. The best commodities for any to carry with them is clothing, the country being full of all sorts of cattle, with which they may furnish themselves at an easy rate. Thus a true description of the country about New York was thought necessary to be published as well for the encouragement of || many || that may have a || ® desire to remove themselves thither, as for a [satisfaction to others that would make a trade thither.] " NOTES. HARRIS 1848 25 AND Page 8, note a. Sebastian Cabot was born at Bristol, England, in 1467. His father, John Cabot, was a Venetian, and is said to have been “a man perfectly skilled in all the sciences requisite to form an accomplished mariAmple notices of father and son may be found in Belknap's American Biography, (8vo. Boston, 1794 & 1798,) i. 149-58, and in that invaluable work, "Biographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne." ner." LbAND Page 9, note a. Jacques Cartier, or Quartier, was a native of St. Malo, a seaport in the Department of Ille-and-Vilaine, France. See Belknap, i. 159-84; Biographie Universelle. 29 AND Page 10, note a. This word has been substituted for beseamers in the former edition on two considerations; first, because I do not believe that beseamers was the correct reading of the MS.; and even if it were, I should be inclined to consider it a blunder of the transcriber; for it must be remembered that we have not the original manuscript of Hubbard, but only a copy. In the second place, we have the testimony of Brereton and Archer, who accompanied Gosnold on this voyage, and of Captain John Smith, as to the persons who were presumed to have visited the New England coast. Brereton, in his account of Gosnold's voyage, (Mass. Hist. Coll. xxvIII. 85) says: "And standing fair along by the shore, about twelve of the clock the same day, we came to an anchor, where eight Indians in a Basque-Shallop with mast and sail, an iron grapple, and a kettle of copper, came boldly aboard us It seemed by some words and signs they made, that some Basques or of St. John de Luz have fished or traded in this place, being in the latitude of 43 degrees." Gabriel Archer, in his relation of this same voyage, (Mass. Hist. Coll. XXVIII. 73) says: "From the said rock came towards us a Biscay shallop with sail and oars, having eight persons in it, whom we supposed at first to be Christians distressed. But approaching us nearer, we perceived them to be savages. One that seemed to be their commander wore a waistcoat of black work, a pair of breeches, cloth stockings, shoes, hat and band, one or two more had also a few things made by some Christians; these with a piece of chalk described the coast thereabouts, and could name Placentia of the Newfoundland; they spoke divers Christian words, and seemed to understand much more than we, for want of language, could comprehend." In Captain John Smith's General History of Virginia, New England, &c., (fol. Lond. 1632,) there is "A briefe Relation" of Gosnold's voyage, wherein we read as follows. Comming to an Anchor, 8 Indians in a Baske Shallop, with mast and sayle came boldly aboord us. It seemed VOL. VI. SECOND SERIES. 32 BISCAYNERS HARRIS by their signes and such things as they had, some Biskiners had fished there: being about the latitude of 43." Les Basques, or French Biscay, is a district of France included in the Department of the Lower Pyrenees. The inhabitants, called Basques, use a dialect, supposed to be a variety of the Celtic, and resembling that of the Spanish Biscayans. St. Jean de Luz is a seaport of France, situated on the Bay of Biscay, ten miles southwest of Bayonne. Page 11, note a. "July ends, the bark goes homeward laden with Sassafras, and arrives safe. August 8th or 9th, the ship sets sail, and arrives at King Road again October 2d." Purchas, in Prince's New England Chronology, (8vo. Boston, 1826,) p. 102. Page 13, note a. This passage was copied by Hubbard from Smith's General History of Virginia, New England, &c., and advantage has been taken of that circumstance to supply the deficiencies of the text. Page 13, note b. Here the MS., in its present state, begins, the word "famous" being the first word of the first line of what is numbered as the ninth page. Eight folio pages then are lost, probably beyond recovery; and of these eight, six have disappeared since the History was first printed in 1815! See page vi., note. Page 15, note a. "By the treaty of peace concluded at Breda July 31, 1667, between England and Holland, New Netherlands were confirmed to the English." Holmes's American Annals, (2d ed., 8vo. Cambridge, 1829,) i. 346. Page 15, note b. This name was probably given in honor of Sir Thomas and Sir Robert Mansel, sons of Sir Edward Mansel, of Margam in Glamorganshire, Chamberlain of Chester. Sir Thomas is mentioned by Smith, (General History of Virginia, p. 135,) as an "Adventurer for Virginia;" he died Dec. 20, 1631. Sir Robert, also an Adventurer for Virginia, was one of those to whom King James granted the Great Patent for New England. He was Vice-Admiral of the Fleet under James I., was continued in the office by Charles I., and lived to a good old age, "much esteemed for his great integrity, personal courage, and experience in maritime affairs." See page 217; Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies (2d. ed., 8vo. Lond. 1811,) p. 339; Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, (8vo. Lond. 1812,) ii. 205-17. Page 15, note c. Nothing satisfactory has resulted from the attempt to identify this "learned civilian," and conjectures are hazardous nowadays. Page 17, note a. "Charles River is navigable to the bridge leading to Brookline, for vessels of ninety tons, and for lighters to Watertown." Thus wrote Dr. Holmes' in the year 1800, cautiously measuring the • navigableness of the stream by his own observation and the past experience of others. But it is now a matter of every day occurrence for vessels averaging 125 tons, (by measurement,) and drawing from fourteen · to fifteen feet of water, to pass up the river as far as Brighton Village, two miles above "the bridge leading to Brookline." 2 In September, 1847, arrived at the College Wharf3 the Barque Medora, · 1 History of Cambridge, (8vo. Bost. 1801,) p. 2. 2 Be it remembered that this is the average tonnage, by measurement, of those vessels which ascend the river to Brighton Village; but they vary in size from 80 to 170 tons. 3 Situated about fifty rods east of Dr. Holmes's "bridge leading to Brookline, "now known as Brighton bridge. of Portland, with a cargo of about 300 tons (weight) of Red-Ash Stove Coal, from Philadelphia. As this is said to have been the first threemasted vessel ever seen at this distance up the river, it has been deemed advisable to preserve, in this connection, the following statistics with relation thereto, in the hope that they may be of interest to the future historian. The following is a statement of the "amount of business" on the river for the year 1847. (Amount $370,000) received in 358 vessels, giving employment to three hundred men, and support to nine hundred persons.1 Page 24, note a. John Gerard, an eminent botanist, was a native of Namptwich, or Nantwich, in Cheshire, England. He died in 1607, aged 62. Lempriere's Universal Biography, (Lord's ed., 8vo. New York, 1825.) Page 24, note b. Thomas Johnson, a native of Selby, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was brought up to the business of an apothecary in London. By his unwearied assiduity he became the best herbalist of his age in England. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the royal garrison of Basing-House, in Hampshire, where he died in September, 1644, in consequence of a wound in the shoulder received on the 14th of that month. He was created Bachelor of Physic, by the University of Oxford, Jan. 31, 1642, and received a Doctorate May 9, 1643. Wood's Fasti Oxonienses, (Bliss's ed., 4to. Lond. 1815 & 1820,) ii. 34, 67. Page 26, note a. The usual spelling of this name is Ahithophel. See 2 Samuel, xv. 12, 31; xvi. 20, 21, 23; xvii. 1, 6, 7, 14, 15, 21, 23. Page 26, note b. As "Mr. Mede's opinion" is probably but little, if at all, known to the students of American history, it is here given in full, as contained in a correspondence with the celebrated Dr. Twiss, published in "The Works of The Pious and Profoundly-Learned Joseph Mede, B. D. I cannot close this note without expressing my obligations to Mr. William T. Richardson, the gentlemanly superintendent of the College Wharf, to whose kindness I am indebted for most of the particulars above given. Sometime Fellow of Christ's Colledge in Cambridge," (fol. Lond. 1672,) pp. 798-800, 809. 66 In Dr. Twise his Fourth Letter to Mr. Mede," dated" Newbury, March 2, 1634," is the following passage. "Now, I beseech you, let me know what your opinion is of our English Plantations in the New World. Heretofore I have wondered in my thoughts at the Providence of God concerning that world, not discovered till this old world of ours is almost at an end; and then no footsteps found of the knowledge of the true God, much less of Christ. And then considering our English Plantations of late, and the opinion of many grave Divines concerning the Gospel's fleeting Westward; sometimes 1 have had such thoughts, Why may not that be the place of New Jerusalem? But you have handsomely and fully clear'd me from such odd conceits. But what? I pray, shall our English there degenerate and joyn themselves with Gog and Magog? We have heard lately divers ways, that our people there have no hope of the Conversion of the Natives. And the very week after I received your last Letter, I saw a Letter written from New Eng land, discoursing of an impossibility of subsisting there; and seems to prefer the confession of God's Truth in any condition here in old England, rather than run over to enjoy their liberty there; yea, and that the Gospel is like to be more dear in New England than in Old and lastly, unless they be exceeding careful, and God wonderfully merciful, they are like to lose that life and zeal for God and his Truth in New England which they enjoyed in Old; as whereof they have already woful experience, and many there feel it to their smart. W. TWISSE." 66 : Mede's reply touching the first Gentile Inhabitants, and the late Christian Plantations, in America," is as follows. "Sir, Concerning our Plantation in the American World, I wish them as well as any body; though I differ from them far, both in other things, and in the grounds they go upon. And though there be but little hope of the general Conversion of those Natives in any considerable part of that Continent; yet I suppose it may be a work pleasing to Almighty God and our Blessed Saviour, to affront the Devil with the sound of the Gospel and Cross of Christ in those places where he had thought to have reigned securely and out of the dinne thereof; and though we make no Christians there, yet to bring some thither to disturb and vex him, where he reigned without check. For that I may reveal my conceit further, though perhaps I cannot prove it, yet I think thus; That those Countries were first inhabited since our Saviour and his Apostles' times, and not before; yea, perhaps, some ages after; there being no signs or footsteps found amongst them, or any Monuments of older habitation, as there is with us. That the Devil, being impatient of the sound of the Gospel and Cross of Christ in every part of this old world, so that he could in no place be quiet for it, and foreseeing that he was like at length to lose all here, bethought himself to provide him of a seed over which he might reign securely; and in a place, ubi nec Pelopidarum facta neque nomen audiret. That accordingly he drew a Colony out of some of those barbarous Nations dwelling upon the Northern Ocean, (whither the sound of Christ had not yet come) and promising them by some Oracle to shew them a Countrey far better than their own, (which he might soon do) pleasant, large, where never man yet inhabited, he conducted them over those desart Lands and Islands (which are many in that sea) by the way of the North into America; which none would ever have gone, had they not first been assured there was a passage that way into a more desirable Countrey. Namely, as when the world apostatized from the Worship of the true God, God called Abram out of Chaldee into the Land of Canaan, of him |