A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia [by Thomas Harriott]
The First Part, Of Marchantable Commodities
Silke of grasse or grasse Silke :Here is a kind of grasse in the countrey vppon the blades where of there groweth very good silke in forme of a thin glittering skin to bee stript of. It groweth two foote and a halfe high or better: the blades are about two foot in length, and half inch broad. The like groweth in Persia, which is in the selfe same climate as Virginia, of which very many of the silke workes that come from thence into Europe are made. Here of if it be planted and ordered as in Persia, it cannot in reason be othewise, but that there will rise in shorte time great profite to the dealers therein; seeing there is so great use and vent thereof as well in our countrey as els where. And by the means of sowing & plating in good ground, it will be farre greater, better, and more plentifull then it is. Although notwithstanding there is great store thereof in many places of the countrey growing naturally and wilde. Which also by proof here in England, in making a piece of silke Grogran, we found to be excellent good.
[Though this sample does not prove the case, it amazes me that Virginia was better known than I had thought. Of course, I grew up thinking it all began in 1607 but the book tells us that Virginia had been explored in some depth by then. The spelling here is a shock to us but someday others may think we were atrocious spellers. The one word above that may be prove to be a puzzle is 'vent' and I take it that it means 'selling' as in 'vending'. What I cannot do readily is show the use of the long "esses" which look like "f's". ( Note here from the Webmaster: The German "s" that John is describing is "ƒ" in German .) They tend to slow down the reading. For example, 'alfo' is to be read as 'also'. Also, one tends to get the feeling of the King James Bible with all of those 'groweths'.]
(Continuing...)
Oyle :There are two sortes of Walnuttes both holding oyle, but the one farre more plentifull than the other. When there are milles & other deuises [?] for the purposes, a commodity of them may be raised because there are infinite store. There are also three several kinds of Berries in the forme of Oke akornes, which also by the experience and use of the inhabitantes, wee finde to yeelde very good and sweete oyle. Furthermore the Beares of the countrey are commonly very fatte, and in some places there are many; their fatnesse because it is so liquid, may be termed oyle, and hath many speciall uses.
[Other sections talk about Flaxe and Hempe; Allum; Wapeih; Pitch, Tarre, RoZen and Turpentine; Sassafras; Cedar; Wine; Furres; Deare skinnes; Ciuet cattes; Iron; Copper; Pearle; Sweet Gummes; Dyes of Diuers kindes; Oade; and Sugar Canes.]
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.