Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-08-12
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF DELAWARE.

tnhb MS bhfly hb lDJo, alFoutufbfS anu |
traders haJ visited tho wators now
known as Delaware Bay, IL waa not |
until 1909, when Henry Hudson in tho !
good ship lIalf Moons sailed between
its sandy capes-iust six days before no |
discovered the river which bears hia |
name-that its existence began to be |
generally known to Europeans. The
discovery was made toward the close
of Hudson's third voyage in search Of
that westward passage to Asia for which
40 many ancient marinera had vainly
sailed, and of whose golden possibilities
each medi@val vainly dreamed
Columbus bad died, not the discoverer
of new world, but the pioneer voyager
in new route to the old. Cabot, far
FROM rejoicing as he skirted the shore
OF the strange continent which thereby
became a possession Of the English
crown. fretted at the huge barrier
which seemed 10 10y between himself
and fortune.
But a few months bef-re the Half
Moon entered the Delaware, Capt
John Smith had explored the Chicka-
bominy, thinking the magic strait was
there, and it was his tale of possible
opening below the hesepioock" that
Ia said to have lured his friend Hudson
10 the southern coast.
Disappointed in their quest, the Eng
lish captain and his Dutch crew had
again steered for the north, when,
being hard ny the land," and seeing
1t trend away with a great bay and
river" they for time hoped that their
lahore had been crowned with success,
and that the way to Asia WAS opening
before them. Quick to discover the
truth, yet undiscouraged, they beat their
troubled way into another false dream
OF success; and SO, on and on, from inlet
to inlet yet never disillusioued or dis.
mayed, had sailed the old hero OF the
sea, to the cruel fate reserved for him
and his in the frozen north.
Naturally the most interesting ac-
count of the discovery ut Delaware
River and Bay, is to be- found in the
log book kept by the mate of the Half
Moon.
Friday, Aug. 49, (lGO9)-Fair and hot
weather, wind S. S. W. In the morning, at
. o'clock, we weighed and steered away
north II leagues until noon. and came to the
point of the lard: and being hard by the
land in five fathoms. on sudden we came
into three fathoms. and we bore up and we
had but ten feet water, and Joined to the
point. Then, as soon as we were over, we
had o. u, Z, 8, o. 10. IL, and Is fathoms.
Then we found the land to trend away N
Nltn - great pdN anu TlNGT. IuL Inc
bay we found shoal, and in the oiiing we
found ten fathoms. and had sight of beaches
and dry sands. Then we were forced to
stand back again, so we stood back S. L. by
B.: three leagues, and at Z o'clock we an
chored In eight fathoms of water, and found
tide set n. w. and N. N. W., and il rises
one fathom, and flows 5. s. T. And he that
will thoroughly explore this great bay, must
have small pinnace that must draw but
four or five feet water, to sound before him.
r. In .t... 4
away to the eastward on many courses, for
the most northern land is full of shoals
We were among them and once we struck,
and we went away and steered away to the
S. f., so that We had ., 3. 4, 8. 6. and faith
oms; and SO, deeper and deeper. log book
of Half Moon.
In 1910. Sir Samuel Argall, the kid
napper of Pocahontas, entered the bay
and named it De la Ware, in honor OF
the then governor OF Virginia, Thomas
West, called Lord De Ia Ware, an ances.
tor of Lord Sackville West, recently
British minister to the United States.
Thomas West being younger SOD, 7"
the title Lord De Ia Ware was his only
by courtesy that had long been Gus
tomary in England, where, according 70
the law Of primogeniture. the title de-
scends by right to the eldest son alona.
Although Hudson's report of tho will
lingneHa of the Indians to barter valu.
able furs for worthless trinkets tempted
few venturesome traders to visit the
coast which he had explored, it was not
until l6li that any serious attempt
was made to open up the new country.
Then the States General of Holland,
probably acting under the influence oil
the United Company of Amsterdam
Merchants, organized a short time be.
fore, issued an edict, granting import
ant privileges to all explorers, who,
within ii days after their return home,
would submit to the State "a perti
nent report of their discoveries. -
With somewhat suspicious promptnesq
the Amsterdam Co. sought to avail it
self of these privileges by sending ouI
five ships to complete the exploration.
begun by the Half Moon. and estab
lish trading posts at convenient points
Although this expedition arrived
safely at the island called by tn,
natives Manhattan the ship Fortune
commanded by Capt. Block, the dis
coverer OF Block Island, was wrecked
shortly after. A small yacht, tn,
Unrest. which was built to replace il
was the first vessel constructed b,
Europeans on our North Atlantic coast
1t is probably more than mere coinci
dsnce that this boat but 44la feet long
II feet wide, and of but six tons bur
den, SO closely followed the suggestion
of the mate of the Half Moon that
'small pinnace," drawing "but fuu
or five feet wafer" would be neees
sary to thoroughly explore the grea
bay. At any rate, under Capt Cor
nelius Hendricksun it accompanied
larger vessel commanded by Can't
Mey to the Delaware, now called b.
the Dutch, South River, in distinction
from the present North River. As the,
entered it's mouth the two captain
gave their own names to the capes b.
which they sailed. Cape Cornelius
however, was afterwards named Henlo
pen. probably after Hindlopen, tow
in Friesland.
Capt. Mey soon sailed for deepe
seas, leaving his companion to com
plete alone the work of exploration. Ii
1916, probably within the stipulated /
days after his return to Holland tn,
latter reported TO the States General
that the land along South Bay wa
filled with oaks, hickories and pines
having spots Astounding 10 grapevinoR
"the woods are alive with bucks, does
turkeys and cartridges and the c.imat
is very temperate
AZ the government had already begu
to issue it's conditional land grants t.
the PATRONS, two IIolanders
Godyn and Blommaert, presumabl
members of the Dutch West India Go
since only members Of that cumpan
could become PATRONS. wishing to es