University of Virginia Library

Chapter XXVI.
The first planting of the Barbados.

THE Barbados lies South-west and by South, an hundred leagues
from Saint Christophers,

threescore leagues West and South
from Trinidado, and some fourescore leagues from Cape de Salinos,
the next part of the maine. The first planters brought thither by Captaine
Henry Powel, were forty English, with seven or eight Negros;
then he went to Disacuba in the maine, where he got thirty Indians,
men, women, and children, of the Arawacos, enemies both to the
Caribes, and the Spaniards. The Ile is most like a triangle, each side
forty or fifty miles square, some exceeding great rocks, but the most
part exceeding good ground; abounding with an infinite number of
Swine, some Turtles, and many sorts of excellent fish; many great
ponds wherein is Ducke and Mallard; excellent clay for pots, wood
and stone for building, and a spring neere the middest of the Ile of
Bitume, which is a liquid mixture like Tarre, that by the great raines
falls from the tops of the mountaines, it floats upon the water in such
abundance, that drying up, it remaines like great rocks of pitch, and
as good as pitch for any use.

The Mancinell apple, is of a most pleasant sweet smell, of the
bignesse of a Crab,

but ranke poyson, yet the Swine and Birds have
wit to shun it; great store of exceeding great Locus trees, two or three
fadome about, of a great height, that beareth a cod full of meale, will
make bread in time of necessity. A tree like a Pine, beareth a fruit so
great as a Muske Melon, which hathalwayes ripe fruit, flowers, or
greene fruit, which will refresh two or three men, and very comfortable;
Plumb trees ∥ many, the fruit great and yellow, which but
strained into water in foure and twenty houres will be very good
drinke; wilde figge trees there are many; all those fruits doe fat the
hogges, yet at some times of the yeare they are so leane, as carrion;
Gwane trees beare a fruit so bigge as a Peare, good and wholsome;
Palmetaes of three severall sorts; Papawes, Prickle Peares good to
eat or make drinke; Cedar trees very tall and great; Fusticke trees
are very great and the wood yellow, good for dying; sope berries, the
kernell so bigge as a sloe, and good to eat; Pumpeons in abundance;
Goards so great as will make good great bottles, and cut in two peeces
good dishes and platters; many small brooks of very good water;
Ginni wheat, Cassado, Pines and Plantaines; all things we there
plant doe grow exceedingly, so well as Tobacco; the corne, pease,
and beanes, cut but away the stalke, young sprigs will grow, and so
beare fruit for many yeares together, without any more planting; the
Ile is overgrowne with wod or great reeds, those wods which are soft
are exceeding light and full of pitch, and those that are hard, are so
hard and great, they are as hard to cut as stone.

Master John Powell

came thither the fourth of August 1627.
with forty five men, where we stayed three weeks, and then returning,
left behind us about an hundred people, and his sonne John Powell
for his Deputy, as Governour; but there have beene so many factions
amongst them, I cannot from so many variable relations give you
any certainty for their orderly Government: for all those plenties,
much misery they have endured, in regard of their weaknesse at their
landing, and long stay without supplies; therefore those that goe
thither, it were good they carry good provision with them; but the
Ile is most healthfull, and all things planted doe increase abundantly:
and by this time there is, and now a going, about the number of
fifteene or sixteene hundred people.

Sir William Curtine, and Captaine John Powell, were the first
and chiefe adventurers to the planting this fortunate Ile;

which had
beene oft frequented by men of Warre to refresh themselves, and set
up their shallops; being so farre remote from the rest of the Iles, they
never were troubled with any of the Indies. Harbours they have
none, but exceeding good Rodes, which with a small charge might
bee very well fortified; it doth ebbe and flow foure or five foot, and
they cannot perceive there hathever beene any Hericano in that Ile.

From the relations of Captaine John White,
and Captaine Wolverstone.