CCCXIII. [Sir Nathaniel Rich.] Beginning of Rough Draft of a
Certificate affirming the Truth of Statements of Captain
Butler
Between April and June, 1623
Manchester Papers, No. 350
Document in Public Record Office, London
List of Records No. 442
that they have no sustenance but Corne and of that so little that vnles
they be forthwth releiued by the coming of §a§ Shippe §called the Sea
Flower then§ expected they will be in are in great danger of staruinge.
§This Ship wch was expected to releiue the Colony from staruinge, is now
reported to haue miscarryed at ye Som̃er Ilands, by beeing casually blowne
vp in ye Harbour by firing of her owne powder.§ The price* of a Hogs-
head of Meale by their ɫres appeareth to be 12ɫi and §sometymes 15ɫi§
a bushell of their Indian Corne xx §the price of a Hogg ten pound and a
Hen Hen xvs§ and yet §none of these almost§ not to be made had for
money. §the price a Hogg[97]
§ Insomuch that we find one P. Arundle (who
(as by his ɫres appeareth) hath taken very great paynes of late in erecting
a silke house at his owne charge and in cherishing of silkewormes) whereof
he conceaueth §it seemeth hath some§ good in his ɫre to Mr Jo Farrar
hope complaynes that on the 15 of April last §stet§ he had left little more
then half a bushell of Meale to maynteine him and his people till from
that tyme till Haruest. And many §all the almost all the§ other letters
in generall speake of extreame want §de mortalitie and sicknes§ and
desperate dearth and famine So that it seemes
*M
r Norwoods 2
ɫres speak of these
prices.
Concerning the weakenes and paucitie of the p
wch of all other thinges seemeth to vs most lamentable, and §for§ wch we
res[t] wholie vnsatisfied
So that we must needℯ iustifie §affirme§ that Captaine Butler howsoeu9
much traduced, for the Relation wch he made to yor Mate, concerning the
p̢nt estate of that §e§ Plantac̃on in Virginia, did deale §therein very §
truly informe yor Mate as by a thorough examinac̃on of all the p̱ticulars
branches thereof vppon oath of many credibl[e] Witnesses & by com-
paring their testimonies w
th the Reports made in the letters lately come
from thence we doe certainlie collect §are fully induced to beleaue.§ And
we doe indeed conceave
[Indorsed:] peice of a rough draught of a Certificate [In another
hand:] Rough draught of a Certificate 7[100]
Virg
