The Climate is very healthful, and agreeable with English Constitutions; but New-comers have most of them heretofore had the first year of their Planting there in July and August, a Sickness, which is call’d there A Seasoning, but is indeed no other than an Ague, with cold and hot Fits, whereof many heretofore us’d to die for want of good Medicines, and accommodations of Diet and Lodging, and by drinking too much Wine and Strong-waters; though many, even in those times, who were more temperate, and that were better accommodated, never had any Seasonings at all; but of late years, since the Countrey hath been more open’d by the cutting down of the Woods, and that there is more plenty of English Diet, there are very few die of those Agues, and many have no Seasonings at all, especially those that live in the higher parts of the Country, and not near to the Marshes and Salt-water.
In Summer, the heats are equal to those of Spain, but qualifi’d daily about Noon, at that time of the Year, either with some gentle Breezes, or small Showres of Rain: In Winter there is Frost and Snow, and sometimes it is extremely cold, insomuch, that the Rivers and the Northerly part of the Bay of Chesapeack are Frozen, but it seldom lasts long; and some Winters are so warm, that People have gone in half Shirts and Drawers only at Christmas: But in the Spring and Autumn, (viz.) in March, April, and May, September, October, and November, there is generally most pleasant temperate Weather: The Winds there are variable, from the South comes Heat, Gusts, and Thunder; from the North or North-West, cold Weather; and in Winter, Frost and Snow; from the East and South-East, Rain.
The Soyl is very fertile, and furnish’d with many pleasant and commodious Rivers, Creeks, and Harbors.
The Country is generally plain and even, and yet distinguish’d with some pretty small Hills and Risings, with variety of Springs and Rivulets: The Woods are for the most part free from Underwood, so that a Man may Travel or Hunt for his Recreation.
The ordinary entrance by Sea into this Country is between two Capes, distant each from the other about seven or eight Leagues; the South Cape is call’d Cape Henry; the North, Cape Charles; within the Capes you enter into a fair Bay, Navigable for at least two hundred Miles, and is call’d Chesapeack Bay, stretching it self Northerly through the heart of the Countrey, which adds much to its Fame and Value: Into this Bay fall many stately Rivers, the chief whereof is Patomeck, which is Navigable for at least a hundred and forty Miles: The next Northward, is Patuxent, at its entrance distant from the other about twenty Miles, a River yielding great Profit as well as Pleasure to the Inhabitants; and by reason of the Islands and other places of advantage that may Command it, both fit for Habitation and Defence: Passing hence to the Head of the Bay, you meet with several pleasant and commodious Rivers, which for brevity we here omit to give any particular account of: On the Eastern Shore are several commodious Rivers, Harbors, Creeks, and Islands; to the Northward whereof you enter into another fair Bay, call’d Delaware Bay; wide at its entrance about eight Leagues, and into which falls a very fair Navigable River.
The natural Commodities of the Countrey.
This Countrey yields the Inhabitants many excellent things for Physick and Chyrurgery; they have several Herbs and Roots which are great Preservatives against Poyson, as Snake-Root, which presently cures the bitings of the Rattle-Snake, which are very Venomous, and are bred in the Countrey; others that cure all manner of Wounds; they have Saxafras, Sarsaparilla, Gums and Balsoms, which Experience (the Mother of Art) hath taught them the perfect use of.
An Indian seeing one of the English much troubled with the Tooth-ach, fetch’d a Root out of a Tree, which apply’d to the Tooth, gave ease immediately to the Party; other Roots they have fit for Dyers, wherewith the Indians Paint themselves as Pacoone (a deep red,) &c.
The Timber of these parts is good and useful for Building of Houses and Ships, the white Oak for Pipe-staves, the red for Wainscot; there is likewise black Wall-Nut, Cedar, Pine, and Cypress, Chest-nut, Elme, Ash, and Popelar, all which are for Building and Husbandry: Fruit-trees, as Mulberries, Persimons, with several kind of Plumbs, and Vines in great abundance.
Of Strawberries there is plenty, which are ripe in April, Mulberries in May, Rasberries in June, and the Maracok, which is something like a Lemon, is ripe in August. In Spring time there are several sorts of Herbs, as Corn-sallet, Violets, Sorrel, Purslane, and others which are of great use to the English there.