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 324 Doc2iiuents from Mewis' hither, was cast away upon the Bar, but the men and goods were all saved. This is the first opportunity I have had to write since I came from England but I hope to find more opportunityes here, then I had at Sea, this with my most humble duty to yourself and my Mother, my kind love to my sister and Brothers being all from Your most duetifull and obedient son- Thomas Newe My duty to my Grandmother and my love to all my relations and friends that enquire concerning me. May 29th, 1682, by way of Barbados. Most Honoured Father: The 17th of this Instant by way of Barbados in the Samuel, being t'.-.; l'^' opportunity since my departure from England, I sent you a letter wherein I gave you an account of our safe arrival, but not of the Voyage, that I leave to my Journall which I intend to send by the first Ship that goes directly for England, with my knowledge of the Countrey of which I have not seen much yet, but one thing I understand (to my sorrow) that I knew not before, the most have a seasoning, but few dye of it. I find the Commonalty here to be mightily dissatisfied, the reason is 3 or 4 of the great ones, for furs and skins, have furnished the Indians, with arms and ammunitions especially those with whome they are now at War, for from those they had all or most of their fur, so that trade which 3 or 4 only kept in their hands is at present gone to decay, and now they have armed the next most potent tribe of the Indians to fight the former, and some few English there are out, looking after them, which is a charge to the people and a stop [to] the further setling of the Countrey. The Soyl is generally very light, but apt to produce what- soever is put into it. There are already all sorts of English fruit and garden herbs besides many others that I never saw in England, and they do send a great deal of Pork, Corn and Cedar to Barbados, besides the victualling of severall Vessels that come in here, as Privateers and others which to do in the space of 12 years the time from the i''^' seating of it by the English, is no small work, especially if we consider the first Planters which were most of them tradesmen, poor and wholy ignorant of husbandry and till of late but few in number, it being encreased more the 3 or 4 last years then the whole time before, the whole at presen[t] not amounting to 4000,' so that their whole Business was to clear a little ground to get Bread for their Familyes, few of them having where- withall to purchase a Cow, the first stock whereof they were furnished ' /. c, Nevis. 2 " T. A.," who was in the province from 16S0 to 168::, says in his Carolina (Carroll, I. 82), "At our being there was judged in the Country a 1000 or 1200 Souls; but the great Numbers of Families from England, Ireland. Berbadoes, Jamaica, and the Caribees, which daily Transport themselves thither, have more than doul)led that Number."