Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-20
Tuesday, July 20, 1886.
ONE OF TEE PIONEER TRIPS

YEAR. THE SAME TERMS By MAIL.
 Tuesday, July 20, 1886.
 ONE OF THE PIONEER TRIPS Through Long Island sound-Captain
 Thomas Dermer's Letter To His
 Worshipful Friend, NAT. Samuel
 Purchase, Preacher Of the Word At
 The Church Little Within Ludgate,
 London.-Dated At Captain Martyn's
 Plantation, Virginia, 27 December,
 1919, O. s.
 CONCLUDED
 Departing hence, the next place we arrived at was Capaock (Martha's Vineyard), an island formerly discovered by the English, where met with Epihow, a savage that had lived in England and speaks indifferent good English, who four years since, being carried home, was reported to have been slain with divers of his countrymen by sailors, which was false. With him 1 had much confer ence, who gave me very good satisfaction in everything almost I could demand. Time not permitting me to search here, which ! should have done for sundry things Of spe- cial moment, the wind fair, stood away, shaping my course as the course led me, till
 
 coast began to fall away southerly. In hiy way I discovered land about thirty leagues in length, heretofore taken for main, where I feared I had been embayed, but by the help of an Indian I got to the sea again through many crooked and straight pas ssges. let pass many accidents in this journey, occasioned by treachery, where we were compelled twice to go together by the ears; orce the savages had had great advan- tage of us in strait, not above bowshot and where a multitude of Indians let fly at us from the bank; but it pleased God to make us victors. Near unto this we found most dangerous cataract amongst small rocky islands, occasioned by tive unequal tides, the one ebbing and flowing two hours before the otber Here we lost an anchor by the strength of the culren'y but found it deep enough. From hent were we carried in a short space by the tides swiftness into a great bay (to us so appearing), but, indeed, is broken land. which gave us light of the sea. Here, as said, the land tren- deth southerly, In this place talked with many savas es who told me of two sundry passages to the great sea on the west, offered me pilots, and one of them drew me plat with chalk upon a chest, whereby found it great island parted by the two seas. They report the one scarce passable for sholes, perilous currents; the other no question to be made of.
 Having received these directions I hasten to the place of greatest hope, where pro- posed to make trial of God Is goodness towards us, and use my best endeavours to bring the trouth to light; but we were but only showed the entrance, when in seeking to pass, we were forced back with contrary and over blowing winds, hardly escaping with our lives. Being thus overcharged with wither 1 stood along the coast to seek harbour, to attend favourable gale to recover the strait; but being a harbourless coast, for aught we could then perceive, we found no succour till we arrived betwixt Cape Charles and the main, on the east side of the bay Chestapeak, where in a wild (wideD road we anchored; and the next day (the eighth of September) crossed the bay to Kecoughtan, where the first news struck cold to our hearts-the gen. eral sickness was over the land
 Here I resolved with all possible speed to return in pursuit of this business, so that after little refreshing we recovered up the river to James City and from thence to Capt. Wards plantation, where immediately we fell to hewing of boards for a close deck, having found it a most desired course to attempt as before. As we were thus laboring to effect our purposes, it pleased Almighty God (who only disposeth of the times and seasons wherein all works shall be acoomplished) to visit us with his heavy hand, so that at one time there were but two of us able to help the rest; myself sore shaking with burning fever that I was brought even unto deaths door, but at length by Gods assistance, escaped, and have now with the rest almost received my former strength. The wintsr having over taken us Ca time on these coasts especially subject to gusts and fearful storms) have now resolved to choose 8 more temperate season, both for the general good and our own safeties.
 And hsva sa0t vor1 a broIen disoourse though, indeed, very unwilling to have giv- any notice at all till it had pleased God to have blessed me with 8 thorough search that our eyes might have witnessed the truth. I have drawn a plot of the coast which dare not yet to part with for fear of ton of your hopes till can better perform my promise and your desire For what I have spoken I can produce at least mille testes, Ca thousand witnesses,) far separate, of the behind them, and of ships, which | came many days journey from the West, and of the great extent of this sea to the | north and south not knowing any bounds l thereof westward. I cease to trouble you till | a better opportunity offers itself, remem bering my best love, etc. l rest yours to command, THOMAS DERMER.
 The following extract from the brief nar- ration of Sir F. Gorges, quoted above, shows his connection with Dermer. Gorges acted OAA OA SS0AAOAA1 was employed:
 Captain Dermer, being disappointed of his means to come from New -found-land to New England, took shipping for England and came to me at Plymouth 1919, where gave him an account of what I had done and he do me service if I pleased to employ him. Hereupon I conferred his together with mine own I received by sev eral ways, and found them to agree in many particulars of highest consequence and best Whereupon I despatched him away with the company he had gotten together, as fast as my own ship could be made ready for her ordinary employment, sending with him what he thought necessa- ry hoping to have met Captain Rocraft, where he was assigned to attend till he re- ceived further directions from me. But at the ships arrival, they found Cap with all his company, in the barque he had taken, of which before Captain Dermer arriving, and seeing Rograft gone, was much perplexed. Yet so resolved he was, that he ceased not to follow his de sign with the men and means which I had sent him; and so shaped his cruise from in fourty-four degrees to Capa wike (Martha's Vineya1d), being in 410 36, sending me journal of his proceeding, with the description of the coast all along as he passed. Passing by Capawike he continued his course along the coast from harbor to narbor till he came to Virginia, where he expected to meet with Rocraft.
 Smith has the following notice of him: Master Thomas Dermer, an understanding and industrious gentleman that was also with me amongst the Frenchmen, having lived about a year in Newfoundland, re- to Plymouth Eng.), went for New England in this ship and so much approved of this country that he staid there with five or six men in 8 little boat; finding two or three Frenchmen among the savages who had lost their ship, augmented his company, with whom he ranged the coast to Virginia, where he was kindly welcomed ard we'll re- freshed; thence returned to New England again, where having been year in his back return to Virginia he was so wounded by the savages that he died upon it.
 THE COURT RECORD