title: The history and antiquities of Boston : the capital of Massachusetts and metropolis of New England from its settlement in 1630 to the year 1770 : also, an introductory history of the discovery and settlement of New England : with notes, critical and illustrative
text: ?. cV^ /aVa\ U^^"^ - --9^' v<^^ « .•«§1^'. -^^^ d V J^ ^^-^K ^'f -ife- ^^/ -A"-. %.** •»• "--/ •^^\ %.^' ^'\ 'Wws 4*'% -.^ir/ /X '-yWJ ** % --^IK-' /'^^^ 1 ^^0^ «5° \ ' ^' ' J'\ «: / ../X ^^ .^^..._ V"-'V^<' ....<t.*'-'\^^ .. V' 7% :/:-^ o • /% ■ •^^0^ '^'^ * - -tt^rS X 5 o^ : >* o. -oi* A /. • V ^"■nc, V •-^afmii?'' o V ** .. >*- '°*'-.^'-/ ^-^'-'/^ V'^^'-/ %'■ >^, "u.c,V •o ^ *; ./x --yws ^^'^% • \ — 'q.. -•.-.- *^ '• r .V o " • ^ ■<^ -^^0^ /.c:^."-o ,^*' .^^:>^ 0^ .- *°o .'. %,^* .' %,^^ <^ ♦T^* G^ » ^ * 'is. * ^^0^ .^^-*. J" \ ' v-'-\^'....\ -^^0^ O^ 'o • v^ .•j^i; <> *'...• <0" \>/ ^ .7* A .-^^ «<».., ^<j.^ "••' ^-^^ ..,. "-^^ '" aV ^ o « • . <^^ rtV , \' 5? 3 ^ fl THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES BOSTON, THE CAPITAL OF MASSACFUSETTS AND METROPOLIS OF NEW BNGLAUD, FROM ITS SETTLEMENT IN 1630, TO THE YEAR 1770. ^n |ntr0htt.t0rg |ist0rs DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF NEW ENGLAND. WITH NOTES, CRITICAL AND ILLUSTRATIVE. By SAMUEL G. DRAKE, A.M., MEMBi?B OP THE ROTAL SOOIETY OF NORTHERN ANTIQUARIES AT COPRNHAfJEN, CORRESPONDING SECRETARY 07 THE NEW ENGLAND HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, AND HONORARY AND CORRESPOND- ING MEMBER OF THE NEW HAMPSHTRR, RHODE ISLAND, CONNECTICtTT, NEW YORK. PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, ETC. ETC. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY LUTHER STEVENS, ISC WA.SniNGTON- STREET. 1856. Entered according to Act of Congress, in numbers, during the years 1852, 1853, 1854, ls65, and 1856, by SAMUEL G. DBAKE, In the Clerk'a Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. Bt.t.ot/p.J ty HOBABT * R0BBIN8. Wm Englud Txpe uid Btereatjp< Fsondetj, BOSTON. QlA^^-^yo PREFACE THE History and Antiquities of Boston, to the year 1770, is now completed, and must abide the judgment of posterity. Whatever that judgment may be, the writer will rest conscious of having performed a service which will prove of some value to those who desire to obtain a knowledge of the rise and progress of the Metropolis of New England. Although above five-and-twenty years have passed since the author began to collect materials for the work, it is but a few years since he determined to draw up a history from them, never before having found a proper time to devote to it. At length, after some changes of circumstances not necessary to be detailed, he was induced, partly through the influ- ence of friends in whose judgment he had much confidence, to enter upon the composition of the work. About four years ago, application was made to the writer to edit an edition of the work of Dr. Caleb H. Snow, and arrangements were accordingly entered into with a bookseller for that purpose ; but, on a cursory examination of the work, it was found to be very far from such a history of the City as ought to be expected at the present day, and that it could not be made at all satisfactory, even by encumbering it with very extensive annotations, owing to the great chasms in the original text. This being represented to the undertaker, he at once changed his plan, and a new History was determined upon. The result is at length before the public, or that part of it previous to, and including a portion of, the year 1770. As unthankful and unprofitable as the task of a local historian is, he cannot always escape the envy of sordid and narrow minds. Even John Stow, the famous Chronicler of England, had his envious tra- ducers ; but it is pleasant to reflect, that, while their names are quite forgotten, that of Stow is becoming more and more renowned IV rrvEFACE. and resplendent. Those who Avould monopolize all knowledge seldom excel in any of its departments, though they may shine for a time with the borrowed lustre of others. Stow was not deterred by threats and intimidations from occupying ground open to all. Had he been, the world would have been deprived of one of its greatest antiquarian treasures. The author of the History and Antiquities of Boston hopes to fare no worse than did his ancient brother, the Chronicler of London, who had the privilege of dying in poverty, notwithstanding "James, by the grace of Grod," gave him high-sounding "Letters Patent," allowing him (" then on the verge of his 80th year ") to sell as many of his books as he could ! Fortunately, in the present undertaking, no " Letters Patent" are necessary to give permission to the author or publisher to dispose of his work. How many persons have had it in contemplation to write a History of Boston is unknown to the author ; but the only one, probably, who, within the last thirty years, has seriously thought of it, was Mr. Alonzo Lewis. That gentleman was very competent for the task, and had he been at liberty to prosecute it, agreeably to his announce- ment about twenty-five years ago, it would have rendered this under- taking unnecessary. Respecting those persons who have specially aided the author, by the loan of documents, suggestions, or otherwise, it is very difficult to speak without incurring the charge of partiality, and he would therefore observe that nothing can be further from his intention than to give the slightest ground for such a charge. Several of the gen- tlemen hereafter named, having, perhaps, too much confidence in the author's ability for the undertaking, strongly recommended to him the preparation of a new work, instead of spending time upon one neces- sarily very defective, and which could not be made such a History of Boston as the present time required. These were honest convictions and valid arguments, the author acknowledged, and all without any intention of disparagement to the works which had hitherto appeared upon the historical and descriptive condition of the City ; those works being presumed to have been all that the times would warrant in which they were produced. The names of several of the gentlemen to whom allusion has been made, as encouragers of this work, the author does not feel at liberty to omit, namely, William Whiting, Esq., President of the New Eng- land Historical and Genealogical Society ; the Hon. Timothy Farrar, Vice-President of the same society ; the Hon. Francis Brinley, /.<' PllEFACE. V Recording Secretary of the same ; Mr. John. Dean, its Treasurer ; Hon. George S. Ilillard, Frederic Kidder, Esq., Mr. John W. Parker of Roxbury ; the Hon. David Sears, Mr. John F. Eliot, Mr. Edward Tuckerman, I\Ir. William B. Trask, Dr. William Jenks, Dr. Charles Lowell, Nathaniel I. Bowditch, Esq., T. L. Turner, M.D., Mr. James S. Loring, and William Gr. Brooks, Esq. From these, and likewise from many others, much kindness has been received in vari- ous ways ; and, for their approval and commendation of the work from time to time, as portions of it have appeared, the author tenders to them, one and all, his unfeigned gratitude. To one of those above named, however, a more special acknowledgment is due, namely, to Mr. John Dean, by whose. quick perceptions and ready memory the author has been much benefited throughout his labors. The valuable aid of the friends referred to, although in almost every instance ten- dered unsolicited, is not the less appreciated by the author. Nor should the laborious services of Mr. Isaac Child, upon the extensive Index to this work, be passed over without particular acknowledg- ment. As the work has appeared in parts, or numbers, it may be of use to specify the time of the appearance of those parts, in the event that questions may arise as to the work in which certain facts first appeared. The following statement is therefore given, which can easily be verified by the books of the publisher: Part I., including pages 1 to 48, was issued Sept. 1st, 1852 ; pages 49 to 96, Jan. 6th, 1853 ; 97 to 144, March 22d, 1853 ; 145 to 192, May 26th, 1853 ; 193 to 240, July 25th, 1853 ; 241 to 288, Sept. 23d, 1853 ; 289 to 336, Dec. 10th, 1853 ; 337 to 384, March 17th, 1854 ; 385 to 432, June 13th, 1854 ; 433 to 480, Sept. 18th, 1854 ; 481 to 528, Dec. 12th, 1854 ; 529 to 576, March 13th, 1855 ; 577 to 624, June 11th, 1855 ; 625 to 672, Nov. 14th, 1855 ; 673 to 720, Feb. 11th, 1856 ; 721 to 768, April 2d, 1856. Some account of the materials used in compiling the work may be expected ; but, as justice cannot be done to that subject within the compass of a Preface, it is thought best to pass it by with only a remark or two. The Town Records, from the time of their com- mencement in 1634, are the most important, being full and perfect from that date to the present time. To these the author has had free access, granted, in the most obliging manner, by the Mayors of the City for the time being, the City Clerk, and others connected with his office. Beyond the Records in the keeping of the City Clerk, and the author's own collections, very little assistance has been received VI PREFACE. besides that for which due acknowledgment is given in the notes to the work. It will readily be perceived that to give an account of the materials consulted by the author, which have been collected by him through a period of more than a quarter of a century, would be a task not easily performed. As one item, however, his series of pamphlets may be mentioned. These alone number above five thousand, con- sisting of Town and City Documents, Reports of Societies, Historical Discourses, Hand-Bills, and, in short, everything of a fugitive char- acter, which might in any way illustrate the History of the Town and City. To these, and a large collection of Newspapers, which have been laboriously consulted, the author is much indebted. Respecting the works of the late Dr. Snow, printed and manuscript, put into the author's hands by the original undertaker, it is proper to remark that, having laid aside the plan of a new edition of that author's History of Boston, those materials have been of but very little service in this work. The author has been earnestly urged by numerous friends to con- tinue his work to the present time, and his inclination is to do so ; but, as yet, no definite arrangement has been made for that purpose. It may be said to be in the hands of the public. An immense outlay has been made to produce the present volume, for which no adequate return has yet been realized. To bring the History down to near the present time, another volume of the same size as the present would be required, the materials for which are abundant. As the work has been upwards of three years in passing through the press, some of its patrons may have become impatient to see the end of it, and some may have been misinformed as to the time it would take to complete it. It is therefore proper to state that no time for its completion was set, nor could it be with any degree of cer- tainty. This it is thought necessary to bear in mind, because some of the agents engaged in its distribution may have made promises without any authority. In presenting the History and Antiquities of Boston to the public, the author is far from presuming that it will be found perfect. All he pretends is, that he has endeavored to make it as near so as the nature of the undertaking, and the limits prescribed, allowed. He is well aware that numerous facts exist of much interest, of which notice could not be taken, notwithstanding there may be those who will wonder that so much has been found, and others may be disposed to complain of the unwieldy size of the volume. To them it may be PREFACE. VII said that the increase in the size of the Histories has not kept pace with the growth of the City, and that it cannot be doubted, but, by the end of another quarter of a century, one will be required much larger than the present. Most readers of local history of the present age are not satisfied with general statements; they want minute details, those which will bring scenes and events home to their minds, and awaken associations enlivened by their own experience. As it respects the commission of errors, the author would expressly state that he is well aware that many exist in his work ; and that, however many, others may detect, he feels quite sure that no one can discover as many as himself. But, at the same time, he believes his work to be quite as free from them as any other historical work of the same magnitude. There are those who sometimes acquire among the superficial a reputation for knowledge and accuracy by carping at every error, or supposed error, pointed out to them in works of this kind ; while the same individual could not produce a single octavo page without such blemishes. Who ever saw a perfect book, — one free from errors ? Curious stories are told about immaculate typog- raphy and amateur printers. Dr. Cotton Mather, in his Magnalia, has some very good hints for those who would have it understood that errors in a book are unpardonable sins. It may incur the charge of vanity for an author to append to his name his honors or titles ; but if a long period of labor in historical fields can be any excuse, that may be offered in this instance ; for it is above thirty years since the writer commenced his historical and antiquarian labors, and he has now reached the fifty-seventh of his age. This may be considered an unnecessary apology for adopting an ancient custom, especially as there are some instances, at the present time, of ostentatious displays of this kind to names in works to which even a claim to editorship may be questionable. ■ ENGRAVINGS. Portraits ^ Autographs, |g* Others ifL Whole number, 298 Adams (arms), 675 Adams, Matthew (autograph), 675 Adams, Samuel (rt«<05rra;) A),. .613 Adams, Samuel (portrait), 671 Addington, Isaac (autograph), 472 Andros, Edmund (autograph), 477 Appleton (arms), 765 Appleton, Samuel (autograph), 411 Aspinwall, William (autograph), • 225 Author (ar7ns), in Author (autograph), vn Belcher (arms), 607 Belcher, Jonathan (portrait), 685 Belcher (autoi/rapli), 607 Belliii-liam (arms), 178 Bellinirham, Ricliard (autograph), 257 Bernard, Francis (autograph), 654 Bilboes, 114 Blackstone's Residence, 97 Boyle, Hon. Robert (portrait), 317 Boylston, Zabdiel (autograph), 726 Boys, Antipas (autograph), 340 Bradford (arms), 231 Bradford, William (autograph), 132 Bradstreet (arms), 446 Bradstreet, Anne (autograph), 446 Bradstreet, Simon (autograph), 446 Bradstreet, Simon (portrait), 512 Brattle (arms), 369 Brattle-street Church, 519 Brattle, Thomas (autograph), 388 Brenton (arms), 328 Brinley (arms),. Hutchinson, Thomas (autograph), |i^| Hutchinson, Thomas (/(ortraiO, Indians, first interview with, Indian Fort, -oi Indians visit Boston, ^ ,» Indian Wigwam, Jacklene, Edmund (autograph), ^ Jacltson, Edmund (autograph), ^* Johnson, Isaac (autograph), .„ Johnson, James (autograph), ^ Joyliffe (arms), ° King's Chapel, *'" Knollys, Hanserd (portrait), ■'''* Lake, Thomas (autograph), |^^ Leverett, John (portrait), ^ ■Loom, ^.a Lowell (arms), '^. Lynde (arms), °„ Lynde, Joseph (autograph), • °''" Mather, Cotton (autograph), Mather, Cotton (portrait),.  gjjjji^,^^',^ g; „'' Sailing of the First Colony, 56 Sailing of the Mary and John, '» Sailing of the Second Colony, »" Saltonstall, Nathaniel (autograph), ^ Savage (arms), fi. Savage, Thomas (autograph), *";^ Scotto, Joshua (autograph), f*^ Scottow (arms), 'i*r Sears (arms), *^, Second Church, ^:}^ Sergeant, Peter (flM^offrapA), ol^ Sewall, Samuel (autograph), ovi Sewall, Samuel (portrait), a"^ Shawmut, °\ Ship of 1594, .i; Ship of 1620, 11 Shirley (ams), °-' Shirley, AVilliam (portrait), O'iJ Shirley, William (autograph), b/» Shrimpton, Samuel (autograph), oii Shute, Gov. Samuel (autograph), 5&7 Smith, Capt. John (portrait), i^ Spinning wheel, f''^ Spinningwheel, o60 Stamp (CotowtflOi , at,-. Stamp of the Stamp Act (half-penny), 689 Stamp of the Stamp Act (Jive shillings), 71o Meeting-house, First, Meeting-house, * "" Miantonimo's execution, -'* Monument to Yen, ' Mountfort (arms), .^a Mosley (arms), • .^^ Mosley, Samuel (autograph), *"^ Mylom, John (autograph), ^^^ Negus, Jonathan (autograph), Nelson, John (autograph), New North Church, New South Church, Nmigret (portrait), Old South Church, Old State House, Old Store, Dock Square, ^ Oliver (arms), ooq qao Oliver, James (au<o£?raM), ^ 'tli Oliver, John (autograph), j*^ Oliver, Peter (autograph), ^*^ Otis (arms), Otis, James (portrait), 350 667 Stationer's Sign, . . - St. Botolph's Church,  ooj Stoughton, William (portrait), 524 Paddy, William (autograph), Parker, Richard (autograph), Parsons (arms), Pateshall, Robert (autograph), Penn, James (autograph), -•'- Pequot Fort, stormed, ^"° Philip (King) (autograph), |»' Philip, King (portrait) 2q? PUlory, *:?| Poole, Jonathan (autograph), *^i- Poole, William (autograph), ^*^ Pownall (arms), ^ ^^* Pownall, Gov. Thomas (autograph), oo* Pownall, Gov. Thomas (portrait), 644 Powning, Henry (autograph), ^*i Prat, Benjamin (autograph) i^ Pratt, Phinehas (autograph), *| Primitive House, °^ Prince (arms), °^7 Prince, Thomas (autograph), ioo Prince, Thomas (portrait), 64b Printer, James (autograph), 422 Printing Press, ^j Protestant Costume, 104 Purcliis, Oliver (autograph), 371 Pynchon, John (autograph), 454 Pynchon, William (autograph) _^90 Pyramid, 722 Qumcy (arms). Randolph, Edward (autograph), 443 Raynsford, Edward (autograph) 335 Rhode Island Captives, 276 Rowe, Owen (autograph), 194 Russell (arms), 354 Russell, Richard (autograph), 355 Tailer, William (autograph), 551 Thacher (arms), ^°^ Thomas, Eva.n,(autograph), oVJ Townsend, Peun (autograph), 48b Traske, William (autograph), o7 Triangular Warehouse, 174 Trimountain, ^^ Trinity Church °°^ Turen, George (autograph), ^*^ Turner (arms), J^^ Turner, William (autograph), 41° Tuttell, Richard (autograph), 243 340 747 Underhill (arms), ^ Upsall, Nicholas (autograph), Usher, Hezekiah (autograph), Vane (arms), ^^8 Vane, Sir Henry (portrait), loo Verazzani, John (portrait), * View of Boston 1630, 1?^ View by Pownal, View by Revere, View in 1853, to face title. View in 1853, of vicinity, to face p. I. Walking in great boots, 321 Warren (arms), 707 Wendell (arms), ^}^ West Church, ^nc Wheeler, Thomas (autograph), 40b Wheelwright (arms), *^^ -Wheelwright, John (autograph), 220 Whiting (arms), 3o2 Willard (arms), 1%^ Willard, Samuel (portrait), oo6 William and Mary (portraits), do5 Williams, Roger (autograph), 117 Willis, Nicholas (autograph), 243 Willoughby, (arms), 375 Winslow (arms), 339 ■Winslow, Edward (autograph), ^10 Wilson, John (autograph), 93 Wilson, John (portrait), 98 Winter Scene at Shawmut, 101 Winthrop (arms), l-** Winthrop, John (autograph), Winthrop, John (portrait), Winthrop, John Jr. (autograph), Winthrop, John, Jr. (portrait), Witches, Wussausmon(au«og'ra;)A), 70 THE HISTORY OF BOSTON. CHAPTER I. Boston, the Metropolis of a vast Country. — Events which led to its Settlement. — Cabot's Discoveries — Influence of Columbus. — Spanish and French Enterprise. — Cortereal. — Aubert. — Verazzani'a Discoveries — Their Importance. — Cartier. — DeMont's Discoveries. — Hawkins. — Hoare. — Frobisher. - Ilakluyt. — Robert Thorn. — School of Discovery. — Overthrow of the Spanish Ar- mada. — Enghsh Energy transferred to America. The vast tract of country, of whiich Boston is the most important place or metropolis, if New York be excepted, seems first* to have been known to the French with far greater accuracy than to the people of any other European nation. It is true the Cabotsf were before the French in the American seas, in point of time, or the seas of this New World, (for it was before Americus had con- ferred his name upon the continent), but there is no evidence that they ever landed anywhere on the North American coast, although it is probably true that Sebastian Cabot, in his voyage of 1498, by some means not now known, secured two or three of the natives of the north- ern parts, supposed to be Newfoundland, whom he conveyed to England. § Upon Cabot's discoveries, it may gratify the curious reader to see a SHIP OF 1594. t * It requires more credulity, in the opinion of the •RTiter, than a historian should be pos- Bessed of, to recount in his text the vague sto- ries of the discoveries and possessions of the Scandinavians or Northmen along the shores of New England. If they deserve notice anywhere, it should not be in a work of higher pretensions than one which might be well entitled ' ' Specu- lative History." I In 1497, John Cabot and his son Sebastian, at their own expense, discovered land far to the north. Neither Columbus nor Vespucius had yet seen North America. Thus did this voyage of the Cabots give England its original claim to the New World, such as it was. But it was in a second voyage that Sebastian Cabot ranged this coast from about 57° north, to the latitude of the " Fretum Herculeum," according to Peter Martyr ; that is, to about 36° N. lat. See, also, Stow's Chronicle, 805, ed. 1600 ; or p. 480, ed. 1631. J This is a perfectly correct representation of an armed ship of the armada age, as published in Blundevile's treatise on " Nauigation," 4tc 1594. ^ Lord Bacon, at the end of his " History of the Reign of Henry the Seventh," devotes two pages to ' The Remarkable Occurrences " in that reign. "This year, the seventeenth of this king's reign [which chronology is erroneous], Sebastian Cabot brought three Indians into Eng land. They were clothed in beasts' skins, and eat raw flesh. Two of them were seen two years after, dressed like Englishmen, and not to be distinguished from them." See, also, Pur- chas, 738, ed. 1614. Robert Fabian in Hakluyt, 515, ed. 1589. Works, Hakluyl Soc for 1850. p. 23. HISTORY OF BOSTON. [1497. fow other particulars in this place SEBASTIAN CABOT. they therefore follow, as Sebastian himself related them : * " When my father," he writes, "departed from Venice many yeeres since to dwell in England, to follow the trade of merchandizes, he tooke me with him to the citie of London, while I was very yong, yet hailing, neuerthele»se, some knowledge of letters, of humanity, and of the sphere. f And when my father died in that time when newes were brought that Don Christofer Colonus Genuese [Co- lumbus] had discovered the coasts of India, whereof was great talke in all the court of king Henry the Seventh, who then raigned, inso- much that all men with great admiration affirmed it to bee a thing more diuine than humane, to saile by the West into the East where spices growe, by a way that was neuer known before ; by this fame and report there increased in my heart a great flame of desire to attempt some notable thing. And vnderstanding by reason of the Sphere, that if I should saile by way of the Northwest winde, I should by a shorter tract come into India, I thereupon caused the king to be aduertised of my deuise, who immediatly commaunded two Caruels| to bee furnished with all things appertaining to the voiage, which was, as farre as I remember, in the yeere 1496, in the begining of Sommer. § I began therefore to saile toward the Northwest, not thinking to find any other land than that of Cathay, and from thence to turne towards India, but after certaine dayes I found that the land ranne towards the North, which was to me a great displeasure. Neuerthelesse, sailing along the coast to see if I could find any gulfe that turned, I found the land still continued to the 56 deg. vnder our pole. And seeing that there the coast turned toward the East, despairing to find the passage, I turned back again, and sailed down by the coast of that land towards the Equinoc- tiall (ever with intent to find the said passage to India), and came to * To Galeacius Butrigarius, the Pope's Le- gate in Spain, in Hakluyt, 512, od. 1589. But it must be borne in mind that the passage ex- tracted in the text is somewhat erroneous in several particulars, but not affecting our pur- pose. See Biddies Mem. of Sebastian Cabot, ch. i. f Thomas Lanquct, in his Chronicle, says, Sebastian Cabot, son of a Genoese, born in Bris- towe, professing kno\vlcdgo in the circuit of the earth, was sent from Bristowe, to discover strange countryes, and ho fyi'ste founde out Newfoundelande in 1498. — Barrett'' s Hist, of Bristol, 172. X Caravel or Carvel, a kind of light, round ship, with a square poop, rigged and fitted out like a galley, holding about six score or seven score tun : These are accounted the best sail- ers on the sea, and much used by the Portu- gueses. — Phillips and Kersey' s World of Words ^ " Jn the year 1498, on St. John's day," as it is in a manuscript in my possession, "was Newfoundland found by Bristol men, in a ship called the Matthew."— ^arre/i's Hist, of Bris- tol, 172. 1497-1508.] CABOT CORTEREAL AUBERT. 3 that part of this firme land which is now called Florida,* w^here my vict- uals failing, I departed from thence and returned into England, where I found great tumults among the people, and preparation for warres in Scotland : by reason whereof there was no more consideration had to this voyage." In another account f it is said that " one Sebastian Cabot with three hundred men directed hia course so farre toward the North Pole, J that even in the mooneth of July he founde monstrous heapes of Ise, swim- ming on the Sea, and in a manner continual day lyght." " Thus seying suche heapes of Ise before him, he was enforced to tourne his sayles." It is even doubtful whether Cabot saw any of the promontories on the coast of what is now New Eiigland,§ and all that can be gathered Avith certainty is that he did sail along the coast to a point not far from Roan- oke Inlet, and then bore away for England. Nevertheless he gave the name Baccalaos 1| to the country along which he sailed, "because that in the seas thereabout hee found so great multitudes of certaine bigge fishes much like vnto Tunnies (which the inhabitants call Baccalaos), that they sometimes stayed his shippes." From this notice of Cabot, it is evident that the expeditions of Colum- bus had kindled " a great flame " for discoveries in England, and not only in England but likewise in France, as will appear. Owing, how- ever, to intestine wars and commotions, little was done for many years by any of the English nation ; yet the French and Spaniards were not idle in the mean time, and the Portuguese took some part in western discoveries. One, of the nation last named, Gaspar Cortereal, in the year 1500, visited all the coast of Newfoundland, and a considerable part of Labrador. But he** did little more than Cabot, and in a second voyage he was lost, as was his brother in an attempt to find him. In 1508, Thomas Aubert, of Dieppe, made a voyage to Newfound- land, and was the first European who sailed up the St. Lawrence. On his return to France, he carried thither several of the Indians, which were the first ever seen in that country. * The limits of Florida must not be consid- ^lls reconnurent I'isle de Terre-Neuve et ered as they have since existed. The northern une partie du continent voisin. Onajoutememe boundary was not defined for several ages. It qu'ils ramenerent a Londres quatre sauvages de suited the parallel cutting Roanoke Inlet, and ces contrees ; inais de bons auteurs ont ecrit the straits of Gibraltar. qu'ils n'avoient debarque en aucun endroit, ni f Martyr's Decades, chap. vi. Dec. 3, as trans, de I'isle, ni du continent. — Charlevoix, His- by Lok. — HaJdui/t, v. 282-3, ed. 1812. toire Gen. Nouv. France, i. 4, ed. G T. 12^^. |Vntillhe came, the 11 of June, 1498, to || The Baccalaos are certaine lies lying against the septentrionall latitude of 67^ degrees, and the influxe of Canada, nigh vnto Corterialis, finding the seas still open, said, that he might and owe their first discovery vnto Sebastian and would haue gone to Cataia, if the enimity Cabot. — Heylyn's Mikrokosmos, 805, ed. 1631. of the master and mariners had not beene. — ** A la verite on ne sgauroit nier qu'il n'ait Stowe, Chronicle, 805, ed. 1600, or p. 480, ed. mis pied a terre en plusieurs endroits, et im- 1631. " There is a strong presumption in favor pose des noms, dont quelques-uns subsistent en- of Cabot's having actually discovered Hudson's core. — Charlevoix, i. 4. And the same may be Straits, and gained the 67th degree, through said at this day, as it regards the names of Fox's Channel." — /. Winter Jones, in Works places. of Hakluyt Soc. HISTORY OF BOSTON. [1523. JOHK VERAZZANI. The next voyage of importance to that of Cabot was performed by John Vcrazzani, by birth a Florentine. He was in the employ of Fran- cis I., who fitted him out in 1523, and the following year, as he him- self related to his master, * as fol- lows : On " the 17 of January, by the grace of God, wee departed from the dishabited Rocke by the Isle of Madera, with fiftie men, well pro- uided for eight moneths : And sayl- ing westwards with a faire Easterly winde, in 25 dayes wee ranne 500 leagues, and the 20 of Februarie we were ouertaken with as sharpe and terrible a tempest as euer any saylers suffered : whereof with y^ diuine helpe and mercifull assistance of Almightie God, and the goodnesse of our ship, accompanied with the good hap of her fortunate name,t wee were deliuered, and with a prosperous wind followed our course West and by North, and in other 25 dayes wee made aboue 400 leagues more : where we discouered a newe land, neuer before seen of any man, either ancient or moderne." This " newe land" was, very probably, no other than the coast of South Carolina. Verazzani hove his little ship to, had intercourse with the natives, and was delighted with the countiy ; and, after " seeking some convenient harborough whereby to come a lande," and finding none, he lay along the coast southward, " fiftie leagues invaine." The Dolphin was then headed to the north, and by July he had looked all along upon the coast of New England, and attained the 50th degree of northern latitude. Thence he returned to France. J Verazzani probably saw nothing of the land of Massachusetts, except its promontories, and possibly some of the hills of its more interior parts, yet no other European had seen as much, nor had any Englishman then set foot on any part of it. That part of the continent discovered during this voyage was called Norumbega, § which name has since been applied, sometimes to a cer- * Divers Voyages, in Works, Hakluyt Soc.,55-6. t Which name " happened " to be the Dol- phin. X In the fancy of some modem writers, Veraz- zani is made to look miserly for mineral wealth upon the hill-tops of New Jersey, and to be struck with the conveniences of the harbor of New York ; and, altliough he lay at anchor many days in the harbor of Newport, nothing is said about his having even seen the wonder of the place — the " stone mill." ^ Or Nurumbega, as appears by the follow- ing passages, from a piece entitled " Discorso d'un gran Capitano di Mare Francese,^' in- serted by Ramusio in his Collection, vol. iii., p. 425, edit. 1565 : " Delia terra di Norumbega." . ..." La terra e dette da paesani suoi Nu- rumbega," etc. According to Michael Lok's map, and also that of Ovtelius and some other geographers, Nurumbega comprised the district between the river and gulf of St. Lawrence and the Hudson River. Cluverius, however, in his Inlroduclio ad Universam Gcographiam, p. 552, Amstel. 1697, says : " Pars tamen ejus [Nova Francia], quo ad mare accedit Norum- bega ab urbe cognomine dicta." And this cor- 1534-41.] DISCOVERIES OF VERAZZANI CARTIER. tain tract of country now included in Maine, and sometimes to another in that region, by which writers about it have confused themselves as well as their readers. Fishermen and traders to those parts, in after years, had probably heard something of a place called Norumbega, and may have confined it to a much smaller tract of country than it origin- ally included, while in reality it embraced all New England.* It is necessary, in the next place, to notice the three voyages of Car- tier, performed between the years 1534 and 1541. From the time of these voyages a constant inter- course appears to have been kept up between Europe and America. James Cartier performed a great service by these voyages. He led the way into the heart of Norum- bega, by ascending the St. Law- rence to Hochelaga, to which he gave the name of Montreal. He spent the Avinter of 1535-6 in Canada, and returned to France in the spring. He returned again, and spent another winter in Can- ada, in the service of Roberval who had made vast outlays to es- tablish a colony in New France ; but the severe winters and the provoked Indians had probably not a very inconsiderable effect in bringing to an end the hopes and lofty projects of a nobleman of the mild and sunny fields of France. Indeed, proof is abundant that, from near the time of Cabot's voyage, numerous vessels were upon the coast of New England continually. In 1527, an English captain found, in the harbor of St. John, Newfound- land, eleven sail of Normans, one Breton, and two Portuguese, engaged in the fishery.f In 1585, Queen Elizabeth sent some of her ships of JAMES CARTIER. responds with the map in Ramusio (vol. iii., p. 424, edit. 1565), where Nurumbega appears to comprise the southern portion of that district, from Long Island Sound to the Bay of Fundy. — /. Winter Jones in Works of Hak. Soc. * On Dr. Peter Heylyn's exceeding rude map of America, dated 1656, " Norumbega " is the first name north of Cape Cod ; but whether in- tended for the Massachusetts Bay, or the coun- try from this cape to the Bay of Fundy, there is nothing to certify. But in his Mikrokosmos, before cited, he describes Nurumbega, as hav- ing " on the north Nova Francia, on the south Virginia. . . . The chiefe towne is called Norum- bega, and is possessed by the French." p. 786. There is a " Mappe of the World " in a copy ofBoterus Relations of the WorZrf, 1630, in my I, on which " New France " extends north from the parallel of 40°. north lati- tude, to " New England," which extends south from 50° north ; and Virginia extends from 40° north latitude to the peninsula of Flori- da. In his work, p. 62, he says, " America Septentrionalis contains the Provinces of Estoti- landt, Terra de Labrador, Terra de Baccaleos, Nova Francia, Norimbega, Florida, Nova His- pania, and others ; " saying nothing of New Eng- land in this connection. But near the end of his book, p. 636, he says : " The Northerne parts of Virginia be called New England, better discovered and inhabited. Both Plantations have severall Townes and forts of the English upon them." ■f Hall cf Grafton'' s Chronicle, as cited by Purchas, 747, ed. 1614. 6 HISTORY OF BOSTON. [1 530-1 G05. war into the New England seas, to drive away vessels which might be found fishing here, contrary to the rights of her subjects. Many were found, and some were captured and carried prisoners into England. Ten years before this, one hundred and fifty French vessels were at Newfoundland in a season ; and, in 1604, a man named Savalet, an old mariner who frequented Canseau, had made no less than forty-two voy- ages to those parts.* Had the French maintained their claim to Norumbega, Boston would have been a French, instead of an English town. They, indeed, claimed it. In 1605, De Monts explored all the coast of New England, from its northern limit to Cape Cod. No minute description remains of his explorations, and if he looked as far into Massachusetts Bay as the peninsula of Shawmut, no account of it has been found. Three years afterwards, De Monts sent over three ships with families, and, under the conduct of Champlain, they effected the first permanent settlement in Canada, at a place called Quebec by the Indians ; ever since the capital of the province. From the expeditions of the Cabots, to the actual colonization of Canada and Virginia, the voyages of the English to the northern coasts of America were much less frequent than those of the French, But the nature of their situation would not admit of their remaining idle, without the natural incentive of rivalry. As early as 1530, Capt. William Hawkins,! of Plymouth, father of Sir John Hawkins, sailed to and from Brazil. One bold enterprise stimulated the undertaking of others ; and "Master Hore, of London," may have naturally enough said, "If Hawkins can go to Brazill, I can go to Newfoundland." This he undertook to do in 1536; being " a man of goodly stature and of great courage and giuen to the studie of cosmographie."J This voyage, so * There was a port named Savalet, hr this among the names of the "divers gentlemen" French captain. De Monts probably gave the vrhom Master Hore " encouraged to accompany name in honor of him; he having fallen in him," are recognized several of those which with him in his progress southward. See Pur- have always been prominent in New England. c/ias, 751. Another port was named Rossi gnol, Although Master liore's company " were about that being the name of an unfortunate captain six score persons, whereof 30 were gentlemen," whose ship was confiscated for trading with the these only are named by Hakluyt : — " M. Indians. •' A poore preferment," says Pur- Wickes a gentleman of the West country of chas, " to leave name to a port by his miserie." five hundred markes by theyeere living. Mas- A harbor and a lake still bear his name ; the ter Tucke a gentleman of Kent. M. Tuckfield, former on the southern coast of Nova Scotia, to M. Thomas Buts the sonne of Sir William Kuts, the south-west of L"Heve ; the latter in the in- knight, of Norfolke, which is yet alive, and from terior of the same province, little known, except whose mouth I wrote most of this relation. to the Indians seventy years ago. Master Hardie, master Biron, master Carter, f He was the first Englishman who made a master Wright, master Rastall Serieant Ras- voyage to Brazil. His wife was Joan, daugh- tail's brother, master Ridley, and diuers oth- tcr of William Trelawney, Esq., of Cornwall, er, which all were in the admirall called the Their son, the celebrated Sir John Hawkins, Trinitie, a ship of seuen score tunnes. In the had a monument erected to his memory by his other shippe whose name was the Minion, went widow, ^Iarj;aret, in St. Dunstan's Church, a very learned and vertuous gentleman, one mas- London, " with a large inscription, giving an ter Armigil Wade, fiither to tlie worshipfuU mas- account of his life and death." He had lived ter William Wade now [1589] clerk of the priue in tlie parish connected with this church " at counsell, Master Oliver Dawbeney merchant of least thirty years." — Magna Britannia, li'i.'ib- London, M. Joy afterward gentleman of the 0. — A copy of this exceedingly rare andvalua- Kings chappell, witli diuers others of good ac- ble work ij in the library of the N. Eng. Hist, count." — Hakluyt, Voyages, 517, ed. 1589. — Gen. Soc. — Six volumes 4to. See N. E. Hist. Gen. Reg. iii, 9. tit may not be unworthy of remark, that, 1588.] FROBISHER THE ARMADA SPAIN. 7 ostentatiously begun, ended in great misery.* Of Master Robert Thome's voyage to Newfoundland, nine years before, Hakluyt, in his day, could find no one to give him any particular information, though he says, " I have made great inquirie of such as by their yeeres and delight in nauigation might giue me any light." He had learned from "master Hall and master Grafton's " chronicle, that Master Thorne had with him " diuers cunning men ;" and though Sir Martin Frobisher had heard the same related, he could not tell Master Hakluyt the name of one of them. That those men who contributed to bring about the settlement of this country, in a very remarkable degree, or that were the prime movers of the great undertaking, should stand out in bold relief on the pages of history, requires no argument to support it. Among those men, Martin Frobisher holds a station in the front rank, but, unfortunately for his fame, his hardships and sufferings to make discoveries in the north were not crowned with any golden returns. Success in those days, as well as in these, it must be allowed, was measured by its immediate pecuniary returns. The great school of discovery was thus opened in the time of Henry the Eighth ; but " the Spaniard," as Spain used then to be termed, was master of the sea. The English were compelled to go stealthily from port to port, and to pay exorbitant tribute for the use of the common highway of nations, and to brook such insults as their haughty lords thought proper to impose. 