CCLXXXV. George Sandys. "Letter to Mr. Farrer by the
Hopewel"[13]
March, 1622/3
Manchester Papers, No. 318
Document in Public Record Office, London
Autograph letter signed
List of Records No. 415
Worthy Sr, be this my excuse, that I in particular write not to ye generalty:
I haue nothinge wherewth to palliat there humors; who, I too well perceaue,
will both iudge and condimne whatsoeuer succedes not to theire desires,
wthout either enquiry of the truth or necessity of or actions. But we,
whom the hand of heauen hath humbled, professe the inability of ye best
Counsel[l] & indeauors that are not supported by ye diuine assistance,
neither haue theire assertions much trubled vs. yt are confirmed wth
innocency and habituall patience.
Sr Will͠m Nuce arrived here about the beginninge of October, wth a very
few of weake and vnseruiceable people, ragged, and wth not aboue a
forthnights prouision: some bound for 3 yeares, a few for 5, and most
vppon wages of all his goods hee hath made a deede of guift to the owners
of ye shippe for ye security of her hire, wch though they were sould at
excessiue rates, would hardly discarge yt ingagement. Aftr his death 11
men were all that remained for the Company, whom for want of prouision I
was enforced to sell. Three I sold to Captaine Wilcocks for 600 waight
of Tobacco to bee paide this yeare but two of Them dyed before hee could
get to his Plantation: two to Capt: Smyth for 400 waight, halfe to bee
paide this yeare and halfe ye next, one to Capt: Tucker for an hundred in
hand, and two more the next croppe if hee liued soe longe, and an other to
Capt: Croshaw for 200 Fower yt were left one my handes, I was fayne to
send to my owne plantation; two of these a little aftr ran away (I am afraide
to ye Indians) and noe doubt the other two [2] would haue consorted wth
theire companions if sicknes had not fettered them. For ye 5 men wch Sr
Will͠m Nuce should haue deliuered me here, I was glad to take his page
(dead before deliuered) & an other little boy hardly worth theire victuals.
But of all that came ouer wth him I haue sent you here inclosed a list of
theire names and how they are disposed of. I haue receaued your booke
of debts; in the gatheringe whereof there shall be noe fault in my indeauor:
although I am affraid there bee little Tobacco left wch the Magazin hath
not receaued, or the marchants & seamen not gleaned for theire sackes &
stronge waters. 60000 waight beinge the most yt this yeares crop hath
produced. As for ye Deuty Boyes, they thinke much to be brought to a
backe reconinge: since they paid as much as was demaunded for thē &
receaued acquitances. Yet Sr George Yardly will pay the ouerplus for
those wch he reserued to himselfe: the like offer was made by Capt. Will͠m
Powell (who is now wth God) but yt they are not able at this time to dis-
charge it. Sr George complaines not wthout cause who I beleiue hath lost
this yeare two thirdes of his estate: & to giue him his dew he hath behaued
himselfe very nobly in ye seruice of ye Country to his great expenses. But
what I can I will doe & send you the accomptes by the Abigall.
Concerninge ye Shipwrights (ye best proiecte for ye Country & most
profitable for ye Aduenturers) hath fayled wth ye rest in this generall decay:
wherein, if you blame vs, you must blame the hand of God, that hath taken
away Capt: Barwicke & 6 or 7 of his principall §worke§ men. A hard man,
yet not a little toutched in conscience that he hath conuerted the releif of
his men to his particular benefit: But out of yt wch is his (whereof I haue
[3] made a stay) satisfaction vppon proofe shalbe giuen. Those yt remaine
shall imploy theire time to your best aduantage.
The ill successe of ye glasse workes is allmost equall vnto this: first the
coueringe of ye house, ere fully finished, was blowne downe, by a tempest
noe sooner repaired but ye Indians came vppon vs, wch for a while deferd
ye proceedinges. Then they built vp ye furnace, wch after one forthnight
yt ye fire was put in, flew in peeces: yet ye wife of one of ye Italians (whom
I haue now sent home, haueinge receaued many wounds from her husband
at seuerall times, & murder not otherwise to bee p̢uented, for a more
damned crew hell never vomited) reueald in her passion yt Vincentio
crackt it wth a crow of iron: yet dare wee not punish theise desperat
fellowes, least ye whole dessigne through theire stubbornesse should p̱ish.
The sum̄er cominge on, Capt: No§r§ton dyed wth all saueinge one of his
seruants, & hee nothinge worth: The Italians feel extremely sicke: yet
recoueringe in y
e beginninge of y
e winter, I hyred some men for y
t seruice,
assisted thẽ w
th mine owne, rebuilt the furnace, ingaged my selfe for
prouisions for them, & was in a mann
r a seruant vnto them. The fier
hath now beene six weekes in y
e furnace, and yett nothinge effected. They
complaine y
t y
e sand will not run. (though themselues made choise thereof,
and likt it then well enought) & now I am sendinge vp y
e riuer to prouide
thẽ w
th better, if it bee to bee had. but I conceaue that they would gladly
make the worke to appeare vnfeasable, y
t they might by y
t meanes be
dismissed for England. Much hath beene my truble herein, and not a
little my patience (f haueinge beene called rascall to my face for reprouinge
them of theire ryot, negligence & dissension) but, for the debt w
ch I am in,
for theire sustentation I hope y
e aduenturers will see it discharged.
The silkewormeseede yt came in these last shipps, are well conditioned for
the most p̱t. I haue deliuered them to ye Frenchmen least they might
miscarry out of our want of skill: but when ye [4] time of the yeare shall
come, I will distribute of them to such as haue the most desire & the best
meanes to cherish them. Many Mulbery trees the last yeare were planted,
& many vines; but the later came to nothinge out of ye trouble of ye times,
or want of art & perhaps ye badness of ye cuttings: for they all grow on
old stocks, and are yearely burnt downe by ye firyinge of ye woods: but the
neglect of tendinge them I beleiue is ye cheife. Wherefore now wee haue
taken an other order; that every plantation, (who are bonde vnto it by
indenture) shall imploy§ale§ two acres of grounde, and imploy the sole
labor of 2 men in yt busines, for ye terme of 7 yeares enlarginge ye same 2
acres more, wth a like increase of labore: in wch they are to build a large sto
house of 2 storyes, well seiled, for silkewormes. by this meanes I hope
this worke will goe really forwarde, & ye better if good store of Spanish or
French vines, may be sent vs.
I haue hired a ship to cary ye Colledge men to theire plantation, wch is
now vnder sayle, I pray god it succeede well; but I like not this strange-
linge: & if all had beene of my minde, I would rather haue disobayed
your com̄aunds, then subiected ye Collony to such disorder and hazards.
For how is it possible to gouerne a people so dispersed; especially such as
for ye most part are sent ouer? how can they repaire to diuine seruice,
except euery plantation haue a Minister? how can wee raise soldiers to
goe vppon the enimy or workemen for publique imploiments, w
th out
weakeninge them to much, or vndoeinge them by draweinge thẽ frõ their
labors? whereas if wee had planted together wee could haue borne out
one anothers labors, & giuen both strength and beuty to y
e Collony &
all though they goe forth in sufficient numbers, what certainety is
there in y
t, when p̱haps 10 of 60 will not stand to theire health [5] and a
number of them dye? whereof this yeare wee haue had a miserable
experience. The other day a party went vp to seat on y
e Kinge of Apo-
matuckes townes, but before they could get thither, they were soe de-
minished by death, and weakened by sickenes, that they were fayne to
giue it ouer. Such a pestilent feuer rageth this winter amongst vs: neuer
knowne before in Virginia, by the infected people y
t came ouer in y
e
Abigall, who were poisened w
th stinkinge bere all fallinge sike & many
dyinge; euery where dispersinge the contagion. The fore runninge
Sum̄er hath bene alsoe deadly vnto vs; I for my part, haueinge lost 19
by sickenes & 4 by y
e Indians. You may ges in what a pore condition
I am, but the extreame sickenesse I haue sufferde, the heart-breakinge to
see the ill successe of your affayires, want of all thinges necessary for
life, my debts in supplyinge youre scant prouisions, the Companyes not
performeinge there contractes & approatchinge pouerty, I shou[ld] esteeme
as nothinge, if our incessant toyle & best indeauors could but p̢serue
your good opinions: but since all wee can doe can purchase vs but vnde-
seruerued infamy.
Vltra Saromatas hinc libet fugere et glacialem Oceanum.
wch is oft in my minde and all most in my resolution.
It remaines yt somethinge I should write of Virginia, whereof (be not
offended yt I speake ye truth) you know but little, & wee not much more,
(for what can be discouered wthout meanes, or wth such an handfull of
people soe dispersed?) but this I must defer vntill a time of more leasure,
beinge now wholy taken vp wth full fillinge of your com̄aunds: wherefore I
pray you excuse me to my particular freindes yt I write not vnto them.
As for yr priuate affayres, I will make them myne owne, & aduance them
wth my best industry: but wth all aduize you, yt you aduenture not to
much in ioynt stockes, nor in those proiectes wch ever fayle by ye death
of ye com̄aunder & principall workemen; for ye life of one in euery family
§faculty§ is not to be relied vppon: such is ye state of this country. As
for o
r other crosses & the comeinge soe far short of y
r expectations, I had
rather other should screch them, then y
t they should proceede from my
pen, but both you and wee must submitt o
rselues to y
e iudgments of god,
to whose protection I com̄ende you, & rest.
Yours most assured,
G: S:
[Indorsed:] The Coppy of my Letter sent to Mr Farrer by the Hopewel.
