Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Charles Lodwick Describes Manhattan, May 20, 1692 (Part 2)


Most sorts of Fish are here in aboundance, some not usual in England ; one sort call'd
 
Sheepshead, from its having teeth in its upper and nither jaw not unlike a sheep, and is
 
supposed to eat grass in ye bottom of ye rivers, it is in shape something like a bream, tho'
 
much thicker ; one

will weigh sometimes twelve pound ; they are taken here

by ye sea side in great quantityes, in June, July, and Au-

gust, with netts, and are excellent food ; here is also an-

other Fish called here black-fish, is of tast and shape not

unlike a Tench, and has also teeth like ye Sheepshead, but

not above one 8th part so big, is also a Seafish, and is taken

generally among ye Rocks, where sea grass grows. The

Indians tell us of several medicinall herbs excellent for

green or old sores, but are very sparing of their informa-

tion where they find them ; some that are conversant with

them, pretend to know them ; I have heard of very admi-

rable cures performed by ye Natives with herbs. Shoe-

mach and Saxifras is here in aboundance also, and most

sorts of Trees usual in England ; ye common sorts here are

Canow or white wood, (not unlike Spruce, being soft, but

of a white colour,) Walnutt, red and white Oak ; our wood is

of shorter growth and by far not so durable as in England,

which we find by experience ; a ship built of European

Timber will last thrice as long as one built of this timber,

altho' it is as fair to ye Eye, Doubtless this country has

Gold and Silver, tho' not any thing material yet discover'd,

several Iron Mines are here (of which is made excellent

Iron,) and other ponderous Mineralls, a yellow and a myrry

red clay, very good Marble, Isinglass and several shining

Stones, which are most used here for building. Our har-

bour is made by Long Island Southward of ye Town, where

ye tide flowes South East makes high water att — a clock, at

full or change ; ye usual spring tides rise abt 9 foot, un-

less a strong Easterly wind blow, which considerably

raises ye water, sometimes 2, sometimes 3 foot, or that

a strong Nor-West wind blow which decreases it as

much ; at nip tides ye water rises about 7 foot and 1/2, along

ye coast, and several leagues to ye Eastward, is a con-

tinual currant which runns commonly East, sometimes more

North, or South, ye tide of Flood comes commonly along

Shore from ye East and by South, and ye tide of Ebb runs

again W. by N. nearest ; ye tide is not perceiv'd abt 3 or 4

leagues at most of ye Shore.

 

We have little fishing on our coast of at Sea, (I mean

from ye Government of New York,) altho' here is at ye

Seasons, cod, haddock, herring and mackrell, but plenty

of Fish at our doors makes us less industrious to fetch them

from abroad ; all ye winter we have Perch when ye Ice

hinders not ; in ye Spring, Basse and Shadds, which first

continue generally most of ye Summer, and are taken be-

fore ye Town, going up ye River, into ye fresh water to

spawn : May, June, July and August, we have those black-

fish and Sheepsheads before mention'd, and a Sea Perch,

which is ye only [word omitted] which is taken of ye coast in

8 fathom water. Sturgeon is here in aboundance almost

all ye year, both in Salt and fresh water, but ye greatest

quantity in Spring and Fall, altho' we cannot arrive to that

perfection of curing them as in Danzig, as we lye here

in ye Lat: of 40 Deg: 40 Min:, we should consequently

have but little hard winter, were it not for those many moun-

tains and Lakes of fresh [water] lying north of us, which

engender strong Nor- West winds, which prove extream

boisterous and cold, and produces great Snows and hard

Frosts, and is ye most common wind we have all ye win-

ter long ; Nor-East winds are our Rainy winds. Southerly

and South East blasting, tho' it seldom happens, all ye

Summer long we have little but S. and S. S. E. winds ;

our Sea breazes, which cools and refreshes ye air, and

makes ye heat tollerable ; this country is much subject

to thunder gusts all ye Summer long, rising in ye N. W.

with extream gusts, and rain yet lasts not above 7 or 8

minutes, tho' sometimes half an hour. The Country is

generally healthy, tho' 2 years ago ye Small Pox, which was

very mortal, especially to grown people, a sort of pleurysye,

(not cured but increasing by bleeding,) and violent fevers

took away a great many, v."^ is rather to be lookt upon as

a particular hand of God, than any inclination of ye cli-

mate ; a hott summer, sometimes caused by ye want of our

usual sea breazes, causes violent fevers, yet not generally

mortall ; sweating is counted ye quickest and safest rem-

edy if ye Patient be not too weak ; the Ague has been lately

ryfe amongst us, tho' with much less cold than in Europe,

and ye most common every other day.  

 

The Natives were very numerous att the Christians first

sitting down here, tho' since, their number is much de-

creased, by reports from one hundred to one : ye small

pox took many of them away lately, and they yet dayly de-

crease, some think by  their takeing to drink rum, (a Liquor

we have from Barbadoes, distilled off their sugar canes.)

which they exceedingly covet ; and will not be satisfyed till

they are very drunk with it. As to their Religion, they are

heathens ; and thro' ignorance, are seduced to worship

the Devil, who, as themselves report, often appears to them

in a shape ; they have some blind apprehensions of a supe-

riour being whom they fear, because they think he is able

to do them hurt. I could never observe any sett form of

Worshipp amongst them, or any sett apart for Priests, tho'

when they go to War, or fear some sudden destruction, they

have their pouwaw, which is more properly a conjuration,

where many of them dance in a ring, singing, and some

howling in Antic postures, while others invoke their Mo-

netto, or God, praying him not to hurt or kill them. This

is perform'd generally by their Cap’t and great Man ;

formerly, they sacrificed one another, which has been dis-

used now some years. Their manner of habitt is ye Men

naked except a small peece of Duffetts which comes be-

tween their Legs, and is tyed with a string abt their loyns

to cover their secret parts ; the women have short petty-

coats of duffetts to their knees ; each have a blankett or a

fato length of duffetts abt their shoulders like a mantle;

they have no more in ye coldest wheather ; they anoynt

their bodyes with bears Greece to harden their skinn, that

cold may less penetrate; they are generally healthy, lusty

tall men and women, strong bodyed, rarely one crooked

amongst them, and by what we can understand of them,

(for they can neither read nor write,) some have lived 100

years ; their women bring strong children, tho' not so

many generally as Women in Europe ; they are often de-

liver'd as they travel from one place to another ; if they

find their pains coming, they step aside under a Tree all

alone, and sometimes in less than [ ½] an hour, they follow

their company with their newborn babe, lapp'd up in a

corner of their blankett, having first washt that and them-

selves att ye next brooke of water they come att ; their cheif

food is Maiz, or Indian Corn, which they plant ; it is about

ye bigness of a horse bean, is a very fruitfull grain; one

corn planted often yielding 2000 fold ; Venison dryed in ye

sun without salt, clams and oysters, also dryed, is their

usual food for travelling, tho' they generally eat ye flesh

of what they kill by ye way, and till lately did also eat

mairs flesh, when they took any of their Enemys Prison-

ers. Their houseing where they reside are most Hutts or

Wigwams as they call them, with long thin poles bent,

and both ends stuck in ye ground arch manner, not unlike

our Arbers in England, and these covered with bark, make-

ing their fire under it ; in their travells they only cutt down

a few boughs, sticking them in ye ground to windward,

and makeing a good fire, lye down to sleep on ye bare earth,

covering themselves with ye blanketts ; they generally

carry their utensills with them, ye Man wath his gun,

hatchet, and knife, ye woman a kettle, a small wooden,

dish, and their dryed provision and some maiz ; to grind

their corn they use only 2 stones to pound it, and then

boyl it with water and so eat it ; they are generally of good

natural parts, strong memories and very apprehensive ;

they trouble themselves not about Religion : their languages

are different each nation, as there are, I believe, 10 or

12 ; have their peculiar speech, tho' they have a Lingua

Franca, (as I may call it,) by which they all understand one

another. Their w'omen are obliged to prepare their Land,

and plant their corn ; ye Men hunt and provide provisions,

which ye women again must carry ; they have a sort of

Despotic Government among them by a Sacamaker, who

is over their nation ; his word is a law, tho' in cases of

great consequence, all, both Men and Women, are often

consulted ; they are very cruel in their Warrs, tormenting

and often burning their prisoners in cold blood; if any of

them have lost a friend or Relation in ye Warrs, ye others

offer their Prisoners to such, as if a Man has lost his Son,

a Prisoner is offered to him. If he wall accept ye Prisoner

as his Son, ye loss is supposed to be made up, and ye per-

son so taken is lookt upon in all respects as ye Relation lost,

but if he refuses, ye Prisoner must immediately be burnt,

and this sentence is irrevocable. They labour not much, but

in absolute necessity, are generally lazy, affect not any

Sports, but mostly employ themselves in hunting and fish-

ing, in which they are very dexterous, and as good marks-

men as most Christians ; they have no occasion to preserve

any food unless for their journeys, haveing always game-

enough in ye woods. — finis.


Credit:
Google Book Search
 
Reference:
New York Historical Society


 

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