Chapter 27

For the better Understanding of this Country, I have already drawn a very large and exact Map thereof, as far as any Discoveries have been yet made, either by others or my self, and have spared neither Cost nor Pains, to procure the most correct Maps and Journals thereof, that are extant in Print, or in Manuscript. This Map containing nine Sheets of Imperial Paper, and now fit for engraving, begins at Cape Henry in Virginia, 37 deg. N. Lat. and contains all the Coasts of Carolina, or Florida, with the Bahama Islands, great Part of the Bay of Mexico, and the Island of Cuba, to the Southward, and several Degrees to the Westward of the Messiasippi River, with all the Indian Nations and Villages, and their Numbers, which of them are subject to Carolina, and trade with their People, what Places are convenient Factories and Forts, to increase and secure our Trade on the Messiasippi, and what Forts and Factories the French and Spaniards have gain'd in those Latitudes, especially on the great River and the Neighbouring Streams; all which they illegally possess, since the very Mouth of the River Messiasippi is in the King of England's Grant to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, it falling something to the Northward of 29 Degr. North Lat. whose Claim and Right I question not, but a Peace will adjust, and restore, which every Englishman is bound in Duty and Interest, to wish for; if we consider how advantageously they have seated themselves, whereby to disturb the Peace and Interest of all the English Plantations on the Continent of America.

FINIS.

[Original Advertisement, included for historical context.]

Lately publish'd, in the Collections for December, January, February, and March,

The Discovery and Conquest of the Molucco and Philippine Islands; containing their History, Ancient and Modern, Natural and Political: Their Description, Product, Religion, Government, Laws, Languages, Customs, Manners, Habits, Shape, and Inclinations of the Natives. With an Account of many other adjacent Islands, and several remarkable Voyages through the Streights of Magellan, and in other Parts. Written in Spanish by Bartholomew Leonardo Argensola, Chaplain to the Empress, and Rector of Villahermosa. Now translated into English; and illustrated with a Map and several Cuts.

[End of Original Advertisement.]

Transcriber's Notes to etext:

This book was originally published in London in 1709. This text follows the original spellings, which are somewhat irregular, though still quite readable.

A footnote from William Gilmore Simms' "Life of Francis Marion" (online):

Lawson's "Journal of a Thousand Miles' Travel among the Indians, from South to North Carolina", is a work equally rare and interesting. This unfortunate man fell a victim to his official duties. He was confounded, by the savages, with the government which he represented, and sacrificed to their fury, under the charge of depriving them, by his surveys, of their land. He was made captive with the Baron de Graffenreid. The latter escaped, but Lawson was subjected to the fire-torture.

Simms, however, was never a stickler for details. Other accounts differ as to John Lawson's exact fate, and no one is sure how he died.

Mike Lawson, ([email protected], http://www.mixbooks.com), a direct descendant of the author, contacted me while I was working on putting this book online, and sent me some interesting information, which is summarized below. Baron de Graffenreid = Degraffenreid, etc.

From about 1705 to 1708 John Lawson had lived in Bath Town, NC, where his primary interests were his orchards and vines. When he went to England to have his book published, he was "called upon by the Lord Proprietors to assist DeGraffenreid" who was trying to settle a colony of Palatines in North Carolina. Franz Louis Michel, of Bern, Switzerland, (Lawson refers to him as Francis-Louis Mitchell) had come to America in 1702, and discovered evidence of silver in the mountains. He returned to Europe to start a company to found a colony in America, and met Degraffenreid, who had similar plans, and had already contracted with the city of Bern to remove some Anabaptists to America -- they formed a partnership, and intended to search for silver. After the course of events which included John Lawson's death and a massacre of these colonists, they had a falling out, and that plan never came off.

According to De Graffenreid, some days before the New Bern massacre John Lawson proposed that they go up the Neuse River, where there were plenty of wild grapes. They were assured "that no savages lived on that branch of the river. But to feel safer we took two Indians to guide, which we knew well, with two negroes to row." Two days out, near the village of Coram, they were overtaken by a large number of Tuscaroras, and captured.

There was a trial of sorts, where their intentions were examined, and Mr. Lawson was charged with being too severe, and for selling their land. After a lengthy debate, it was decided that they should be released the next day, but the following morning, one Cor Tom reproached Mr. Lawson, and they quarrelled. "I made every effort to get Lawson to quit quarrelling. I did not succeed. All at once three or four Indians fell upon us in a furious manner. . . . They took our hats and periwigs and threw them into the fire, and a council of war being held we were immediately sentenced to death." One of the Indians, a relation of King Taylor, from whom De Graffenreid had bought the land for New Bern, appealed in his behalf. "The Indians whispered in my ear that I had nothing to fear, but that Lawson would die, what affected me much. They also liberated my negro, but I never saw him since. . . . As to his death, I know nothing. Some said he was hung, some said he was burnt. The Indians kept that execution very secret."

The Tuscaroras then informed De Graffenreid that they were going to war, but would not harm Chattooka (New Bern), but that the people of New Bern ought to stay in the town -- unfortunately, there was no way to inform the people of New Bern. Several days later prisoners were brought back, and De Graffenreid tells of recognizing some of them as his tenants, including a boy who reported that his whole family had been killed. After six weeks imprisonment at Catechna, he was released, and returned to New Bern, where the people were surprised to find him alive.

(The relevant passages from De Graffenreid's journal were printed in the North Carolina Booklet, Vol. I, No. 2, June 10, 1901, `Colonial New Bern', by Mrs. Sara Beaumont Kennedy, pp. 7-13. Issued by the North Carolina Society of the Daughters of the Revolution. Raleigh: Capital Printing Company, 1901.)

Due to the age of this book, there are a number of nonstandard spellings, and the font used in the original, with the s's much like f's, has surely led to an error or two in the transcription, though every effort was made to minimize this factor. The standards of printing at the time were also somewhat low, and combine all this with those instances where Indian names and words are given, and some of the material is doubtless inaccurate -- though Lawson's comments on zoology should make that quite clear. Nonetheless, this account remains one of our best sources for information on the Indians of North Carolina in and about the year 1700.

Sidenotes, throughout, are presented in squiggly brackets. {As here.} Where the sidenote precedes a paragraph, it is given on a separate line.

Corrections:

(p. 11) [ and become Cripples all ther Life-time; ] changed to: [ and become Cripples all their Life-time; ]

(p. 13) [ to satisfy the Apppetite of the Rich alone. ] changed to: [ to satisfy the Appetite of the Rich alone. ]

(p. 14) [ so we got that Night to Mons. Gallian's the elder, ] changed to: [ so we got that Night to Mons. Galliar's the elder, ] As the difference between "n" and "r" is significant, other evidence (William Dobein James) suggests the real name was Gaillard, and "Mons. Galliar's, jun'," is mentioned on the next page.

(In giving the background of Marion, in his "Life of Gen. Francis Marion", Judge William Dobein James quotes from "A New Voyage to Carolina", and in his footnotes gives some additional commentary on the area in relation to Lawson's description. This text is online.)

(p. 19) [ which was s Parrade of all Nations, ] changed to: [ which was a Parrade of all Nations, ] and: [ most Natious of the known World. ] changed to: [ most Nations of the known World. ]

(p. 21) [ about it is hung Gourds Feathers, and other such like Trophies, ] changed to: [ about it is hung Gourds, Feathers, and other such like Trophies, ]

(p.28) [ for tho' this most bears a Seed in a Sort of a small Cod, ] changed to: [ for tho' this Moss bears a Seed in a Sort of a small Cod, ]

(p. 44) [ the Sinnagers, or Troquois. ] changed to: [ the Sinnagers, or Iroquois. ]

(p. 47-48) [ At that, time these Toteros Saponas, and the Keyauwees, ] changed to: [ At that time these Toteros, Saponas, and the Keyauwees, ]

(p. 73) [ on the 6th of February, 166(3/4) came to an Anchor ] changed to: [ on the 6th of February, 1664, came to an Anchor ]

(p. 75) [ to more Certainty, and greater Anvantage; whereby they might arrive ] changed to: [ to more Certainty, and greater Advantage; whereby they might arrive ]

(p. 80) [ to leave the more Northerly Platations, and sit down under ] changed to: [ to leave the more Northerly Plantations, and sit down under ]

(p. 87) [ In the Year 1707. we had the severest Winter ] changed to: [ In the Year 1707, we had the severest Winter ]

(p. 91) [ and dry it in the Sun. to keep for Use. ] changed to: [ and dry it in the Sun to keep for Use. ]

(p. 111) [ {Plum.} ] inserted before: [Damson, Damazeen, and a large round black Plum are all I have met withal ] (This follows the paragraph on Apricots ["Apricock"], and the absence of this or similar side-note seems to be accidental.)

(p. 118) [ This Beast is the greatast Enemy to the Planter, ] changed to: [ This Beast is the greatest Enemy to the Planter, ]

(p. 120) [ There Fore-Feet are open, like a Dog's; ] changed to: [ Their Fore-Feet are open, like a Dog's; ]

(p. 120) [ great Gust in September. 1700. brought ] changed to: [ great Gust in September, 1700. brought ]

(p. 134) [ and make Euquiries therein, when, at least, ] changed to: [ and make Enquiries therein, when, at least, ] (the ol' upside-down "n" error.)

(p. 136) (from the list of Water Fowl) [ Whifflers. ] changed to: [ Whistlers. ] (in accordance with the text about them that follows.)

(p. 137) (from the list of Water Fowl) [ Men. ] changed to: [ Mew. ] (in accordance with the text about them that follows.)

(p. 151) [ {Swaddle-Bills.} ] inserted before: [ Swaddle-Bills are a sort of an ash-colour'd Duck, ] (This follows the paragraph on Tutcocks, precedes that on Mew, and the absence of this or similar side-note seems to be accidental.)

(p. 165) [ although their be Water enough for as large Ships ] changed to: [ although there be Water enough for as large Ships ]

(p. 189) [ Their Remedies area great Cause of this Easiness ] changed to: [ Their Remedies are a great Cause of this Easiness ]

(p. 194) [ and so strung, as Beds are, and a Cubit ] changed to: [ and so strung, as Beads are, and a Cubit ]

(p. 203) [ that is common amongst them, If they are caught in theft ] changed to: [ that is common amongst them. If they are caught in theft ]

In "An Account of the Indians of North-Carolina", the side-notes do not always perfectly match the text in the original. In this edition, an attempt has been made to match them to the relevent text. The most notable changes are:

p. 204, side note {Get Fire.} has been omitted, as at the end of p. 203 there is the note {Get Fire how.} which refers to the same text, which is only broken by the turn of a page. The second note appears to serve no other purpose than continuity, which is no longer needed.

p. 207, the side note {Moss Match.} actually refers to text that begins at the end of p. 206, and in this edition the side note has been inserted at the beginning of the relevant text.

(p. 208) [ others (where they find a Vein of white Clay, fit for their purpose, ] changed to: [ others (where they find a Vein of white Clay, fit for their purpose) ] (Closing parenthesis was missing.)

(pp. 212-213) Throughout the book, a curious device is used -- at the end of each page, on a separate line, and right-justified, appears the first word of the next page. This does not generally need comment, but at the junction of pages 212 and 213, an error occurs, in that at the bottom of page 212 the next-word-to-come is given as "being", but the first word on page 213 is "because". The latter is retained, and the former omitted, as seeming best to fit the context. It is a possibility that both should have been retained, i.e., "being because".

(p. 214) [ is a great Man or hath good Frieds, the Doctor is sent for. ] changed to: [ is a great Man or hath good Friends, the Doctor is sent for. ] also: [ keeps sucking. till he has got a great Quaatity of very ] changed to: [ keeps sucking, till he has got a great Quantity of very ]

(p. 220) [ girded him as hard for a great while) as if he had ] changed to: [ girded him as hard for a great while, as if he had ] (No opening parenthesis.)

(p. 226) [ Mif-kis-'su ] changed to: [ Mis-kis-'su ] as Lawson notes the Indian languages have no "f" sound, and the old `s' and `f' are very similar in shape.

(p. 227) (In the Dictionary of Indian terms, the translations for "Minx" [Mink]) [ Min ] changed to: [ Minx ] (in accordance with context and the preferred spelling in the text)

(p. 231) [ settled America so easily, at they have done, ] changed to: [ settled America so easily, as they have done, ]

(p. 246) [ into any other Countries, either of our Dominins or foreign, ] changed to: [ into any other Countries, either of our Dominions or foreign, ]

(p. 248) [ such Ports only, as shall be erected and constitued by the said ] changed to: [ such Ports only, as shall be erected and constituted by the said ]

(p. 253) [ To Give and Grant unto such Person any Persons, Inhabiting, ] changed to: [ To Give and Grant unto such Person and Persons, Inhabiting, ]

(p. 257) [ to the Westward of of the Messiasippi River, ] changed to: [ to the Westward of the Messiasippi River, ]

I am unable to match all of Lawson's spellings with modern versions, especially when it comes to the names of people, places, and tribes.

However, quite likely:

Tuscarora: Tuskeruro, and probably Turkeiruro also. Roanoke: Ronoack. Neuse River: Neus-River. Falls-of-Neuse (north of Raleigh): Falls of Neus-Creek. Deep River: Sapona-River (possible -- given as the West Branch of Cape Fair). Cape Fear: Cape Fair. Haw River: Hau River. Congaree: Congeree Wateree: Waterree Catawba: Kadapau (possible -- the location seems correct) Waxhaw: Waxsaw Seneca: Sinnager

"Rocky-River" is probably still "Rocky River", but there are two by that name in North Carolina, and the one in question is doubtless the larger one, situated between Haw River and Deep River.

Other non-standard spellings follow, but first some notes on how nonstandard items were handled in the text:

1. It seems as if "off" is occasionally spelled "of", but almost always in conjunction with "far" or the like: i.e., "not far of", "when farthest of". On p. 128, "when cut of" may also be an example. In all these examples, though, "of" *could* be the correct word, if used in the sense of "from". If is difficult to ascertain if the difference is spelling or usage. 2. Where modern English would always use "than", Lawson sometimes uses "that". This instance is repeated, so it is not conclusively an error. One example is on p. 119, "larger that a Panther". 3. Abbreviated words often end with an apostrophe, rather than a period, which is now the standard. "Through" is usually abbreviated as "thro'". 4. Italics have been kept throughout, with these notable exceptions: in the original, every case of "&c." was italicized; the side-notes were entirely italicized, except those words generally italicized in the text, which were rendered in normal type -- this has been reversed. (Where "&c." appeared in an italicized section, it was presented in normal type. This too was ignored.) 5. Printing was not as exact an art in 1709 as it is now, and this should be kept in mind throughout the text. As spelling was also not as standardized as it is now, it is difficult to tell sometimes whether a word has an old spelling, has a typographical error, or refers to something entirely different from what the first impression would suggest. In addition to this, there is a problem of battered type, which seems especially common in italic text -- which, unfortunately, is commonly used here for words in Indian languages, which makes reading the text extremely difficult at times. And even without broken type, as in Lawson's dictionary entry for "A Rundlet" (perhaps a Roundlet, a small round object?) he gives `Ynpyupseunne' as the Woccon term, which remains unclear on several accounts, as `u' and `n' were not infrequently accidentally inverted in old texts -- i.e., it might be `Yupyupseunne', but where can we check it? No exact answers can be given here, but all these factors should be kept in mind when attempting to read this text. Also in Lawson's Dictionary, occur the Indian words Pulawa and Mif-kis-'su -- the latter has been rendered Mis-kis-'su, as the old `s' and `f' were nearly identical, and were probably inadvertently switched -- which according to his own notes on p. 231, cannot happen, there being no `l' or `f' sounds in the languages. (In this old type, `s' has an f-like appearance in most cases, but a modern `s' was used if it was the last letter in a word, which follows a similar usage with the `s' sound in the Greek alphabet.) It is much harder to guess what Pulawa ought to have been.

Modern Spelling is listed first: alternate spelling(s) follow: (More or less in the order they appear in the text.)

1. When multiple spellings in text include the modern spelling, it is not noted. 2. Any word ending in -ed, such as "viewed", may end in -'d, as "view'd". This gets a little complicated in such cases as "accompany'd" (accompanied), "try'd" (tried), "supply'd" (supplied), "carry'd" (carried), "hurry'd" (hurried), and the like. Also cases where the root word originally ended with an "e", such as "us'd" and "continu'd". These cases are not always noted.