Information about drought http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_james.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980428075409.htm

Trading

George Percy, “A True Relation” (1609-1612)

To the right honourable the Lorde Percy

My Lorde

This Relacyon I have here sente your Lordshipp is for Towe respectts. The one to Sheowe how mutche I honnor you and desyre to doe you service. The other in Regard thatt many untrewthes concerneinge Theis proceedeinges have bene formerly published wherein The Auther hathe nott Spared to Apropriate many desertts to himselfe wch he never Pformed and stuffed his Relacyons wth so many falseties and malicyous detractyons nott onely of this Pte and Tyme wch I have selected to Treate of Butt of former ocurrentes Also So thatt I coulde nott conteine my selfe butt expresse the Trewthe unto your Lordshipp concerninge Theis Affayers. And all wch I ayme att is to manyfeste my selfe in all my Actyons bothe nowe and Always To be

Your Lordshipps humble and

faithfull Servante

G. P.

A Trewe Relacyon of the Pcedeinges and Ocurrentes of Momente wch have hapned in from the Tyme Sr was shippwrackte uppon the BERMUDES ano 1609 untill my depture outt of the Country wch was in ano Dñi 1612

If we Trewley Consider the diversety of miseries mutenies and famishmentts wch have Attended upon discoveries and plantacyons in theis our moderne Tymes we shall nott fynde our plantacyon in Virginia to have Suffered Aloane.

Page 267 I caused them to be executed. Then haveinge fedd uponn horses and other beastes as long as they Lasted we weare gladd to make shifte wth vermine as doggs Catts Ratts and myce All was fishe thatt came to Nett to satisfye Crewell hunger as to eate Bootes shoes or any other leather some colde Come by And those being Spente and devoured some weare inforced to searche the woodes and to feede upon Serpents and snakes and to digge the earthe for wylde and unknowne Rootes where many of our men weare Cutt off of and slayne by the Salvages. And now famin begineinge to Looke gastely and pale in every face thatt notheinge was spared to mainteyne Lyfe and to doe those things wch seame incredible As to digge up dead corpses outt of graves and to eate them and some have Licked upp the Bloode wch hathe fallen from their weake fellowes And amongste the reste this was moste Lamentable Thatt one of our Colline murdered his wyfe Ripped the childe outt of her woambe and threw itt into the River and after chopped the Mother in pieces and salted her for his foode The same not beinge discovered before he had eaten Pte thereof for the wch crewell and inhumane factt I aiudged him to be executed the acknowledgmt of the dede beinge inforced from him by torture haveinge hunge by the Thumbes wth weightes att his feete a quarter of an howere before he wolde confesse the same.

Virtual Jamestown, Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia, http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/jamestown-browse?id=J1063

John Smith, A TRUE RELATION OF SUCH OCCURRENCES AND ACCIDENTS OF NOTE, AS HATH HAPNEDIN VIRGINIA, SINCE THE FIRST PLANTING OF THAT COLLONY, WHICH IS NOW RESIDENT IN THE SOUTH PART THEREOF, TILL THE LAST RETURNE.

“Finding this colde comfort, I anchored before the Town, and the next day returned to trade, but God (the absolute disposer of all heartes) altered their conceits, for now they were no lesse desirous of our commodities then we of their Corne, and force, to houses: which weell understanding with foure shot I visited them. With fish, oysters, bread, and deere, they kindly traded with me and my men, being no lesse in doubt of my intent, then I of theirs; for well I might with twentie man have fraighted a Shippe with Corne: The Towne conteineth eighteene houses, pleasantly seated upon three acres of ground, uppon a plaine, halfe invironed with a great Bay of the great River, the other parte with a Baye of the other River falling into the great Baye, with a little Ile fit for a Castle in the mouth thereof, the Towne adjoyning to the maine by a necke of Land of sixtie yardes.

With sixteene bushells of Corne I returned towards our Forte: by the way I encountred with two Canowes of Indians, who came aboord me, being the inhabitants of waroskoyack, a kingdome on the south side of the river, which is in breadth 5 miles and 20 mile or neare from the mouth: With these I traded, who having but their hunting provision, requested me to returne to their Towne, where I should load my boat with corne: and with near thirtie bushells I returned to the fort, the very name wherof gave great comfort to our desparing company.” Full text at: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer- new2?id=J1007.xml&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag= public&part=2&division=div1

Arthur Barlowe, First Voyage to Virginia (1584)

“A day or two after this, we fell to trading with them, exchanging some things that we had, for Chamoys, Buffe, and Deer skins: when we showed him all our packet of merchandise, of all things that he saw, a bright tin dish most pleased him, which he presently took up and clapt it before his breast, and after made a hole in the brim thereof and hung it about his neck, making signs that it would defend him against his enemies arrows: fort hose people maintain a deadly and terrible war, with the people and King adjoining. We exchanged our tin dish for twenty skins, worth twenty Crowns, or twenty Nobels: and a copper kettle for fifty skins worth fifty Crowns. They offered us good exchange for our hatchets, and axes, and for knives, and would have given anything for swords: but we would not depart with any.”