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Full Text of Robert Juet's Journal

From the collections of the New York Historical Society, Second Series, 1841

Friday, Aug. 28.

Fair and hot weather, the wind at south-south-west. In the morning at six o'clock we weighed, and steered away north twelve leagues till noon, and came to the point of the land; and being hard by the land in five fathoms, on a sudden we came into three fathoms; then we bore up and had but ten foot water, and joined to the point. Then as soon as we were over, we had five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twelve and thirteen fathoms. Then we found the land to trend away north-west, with a great bay and rivers. But the bay we found shoal; and in the offing we had ten fathoms, and had sight of breaches and dry sand. Then we were forced to stand back again; so we stood back south-east by south three leagues. And at seven o'clock we anchored in eight fathoms water; and found a tide set north-west, and north-north-west, and it rises one fathom and flows south-south-east. And he that will thoroughly discover this great bay, must have a small pinnace, that must draw but four or five foot water, to sound before him. At five in the morning we weighed, and steered away to the eastward on many course, for the more norther land is full of shoals. We were among them, and once we struck, and we went away; and steered away to the south-east. So we had two, three, four, five, six, and seven fathoms, and so deeper and deeper.

August 29.

Fair weather, with some thunder and showers, the wind shifting between the south-south-west, and the north-north-west. In the morning we weighed at the break of day, and stood towards the northern land, which we found to be all islands to our sight, and great storms from them, and are shoal three leagues off. For we coming by them, had but seven, six, five, four, three, and two and a half fathoms, and struck the ground with our rudder, we steered off south-west one glass, and had five fathoms. Then we steered south-east three glasses, then we found seven fathoms, and steered north-east by east, four leagues, and came to twelve and thirteen fathoms. At one o'clock, I went to the top-mast head, and set the land, and the body of the islands did bear north-west by north. And at four o'clock, we had gone four leagues east-south-east, and north-east by east, and found but seven fathoms, and it was calm, so we anchored. Then I went again to the top-mast head, to see how far I could see land about us, and could see no more but the islands. And the southern point of them did bear north-west by west, eight leagues off. So we rode till midnight. Then the wind came to the north-north-west, so we weighed and set sail.

Sunday, August 30.

In the morning between twelve and one, we weighed and stood to the eastward, the wind at north-north-west, we steered away and made our way east-south-east. From our weighing till noon, eleven leagues. Our soundings were eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen fathoms till day. Then we came to eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and to twenty-six fathoms by noon. Then I observed the sun, and found the height to be 39 degrees 5 minutes, and we saw no land. In the afternoon, the wind came to north by west; so we lay close by with our fore-sail, and our mail-sail, and it was little wind until twelve o'clock at midnight, then we had a gale a little while. Then I sounded, and all the night our soundings were thirty, and thirty-six fathoms, and we went little.

August 31.

Fair weather and little wind. At six'o'clock in the morning we cast about to the northward, the wind being at the north-east, little wind. At noon it fell calm, and I found the height to be 38 degrees 39 minutes. And the streams had deceived us, and our sounding was thirty-eight fathoms. In the afternoon I sounded again, and had but thirty fathoms. So that we found both by our observations and our depths. From noon till four o'clock in the afternoon, it was calm. At six o'clock we had a little gale southerly, and it continued all night, some times calm, and sometimes a gale; we went eight leagues from noon to noon, north by east.

Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Fair weather, the wind variable between east and south, we steered away north-north-west. At noon we found our height to be 39 degrees 3 minutes. We had soundings thirty, twenty-seven, twenty-four, and twenty-two fathoms, as we went to the northward. At six o'clock we had twenty-one fathoms. And all the third watch till twelve o'clock at mid-night, we had soundings twenty-one, twenty-two, eighteen, twenty-two, twenty-one, eighteen, and twenty-two fathoms, and went six leagues near hand north-north-west.

Sept. 2.

In the morning close weather, the wind at south in the morning; from twelve until two o'clock we steered north-north-west, and had sounding twenty-one fathoms, and in running one glass we had but sixteen fathoms, then seventeen, and so shoaler and shoaler until it came to twelve fathoms. We saw a great fire, but could not see the land, then we came to ten fathoms, whereupon we brought our tacks aboard, and stood to the eastward east-south-east, four glasses. Then the sun arose, and we steered away north again, and saw land from the west by north, to the north-west by north, all like broken islands, and our soundings were eleven and ten fathoms. Then we luffed in for the shore, and fair by the shore we had seven fathoms. The course along the land we found to be north-east by north.From the land which we first had sight of, until we came to a great lake of water, as we could judge it to be, being drowned land, which made it rise like islands, which was in length ten leagues. The mouth of the lake hath many shoals and the sea breaks upon them as it is cast out of the mouth of it. And from that lake or bay, the land lies north by east, and we had a great stream out of the bay; and from thence our sounding was ten fathoms, two leagues from land. At five o'clock we anchored being little wind, and rode in eight fathoms water, the night was fair. This night I found the land to haul the compass 8 degrees. For to the northward off us we saw high hills. For the day before we found not above two degrees of variation. This is very good land to fall in with, and a pleasant land to see.

Sept. 3.

The morning misty until ten o'clock, then it cleared, and the wind came to the south-south-east, so we weighed and stood to the northward. The land is very pleasant and high, and bold to fall withal. At three o'clock in the afternoon, we came to three great rivers. So we stood along the northernmost, thinking to have gone into it, but we found it to have a very shoal bar before it, for we had but ten foot water. Then we cast about to the southward, and found two fathoms, three fathoms, and three and a quarter, till we came to the sourthern side of them, then we had five and six fathoms, and anchored. So we sent in our boat to sound, and they found no less water than four, five, six and seven fathoms, and returned in an hour and a half. So we weighed and went in, and rode in five fathoms, ooze ground, and saw many salmons, and mullets, and rays very great. The height is 40 degrees 30 minutes.

Sept. 4.

In the morning as soon as the day was light, we saw that it was good riding farther up. So we sent our boat to sound, and found that it was a very good harbour; and four and five fathoms, two cables length from the shore. Then we weighed and went in with our ship. Then our boat went on land with our net to fish, and caught ten great mullets, of a foot and a half long a piece and a ray as great as four men could haul into the ship. So we trimmed our boat and rode still all day. At night the wind blew hard at the north-west, and our anchor came home, and we drove on shore, but took no hurt, thanked be God, for the ground is soft sand and ooze. This day the people of the country came aboard of us, seeming very glad of our coming, and brought green tobacco, and gave us of it for knives and beads. They go in deer skins loose, well dressed. They have yellow copper. They desire clothes, and are very civil. They have great store of maize or Indian wheat, whereof they made good bread. The country is full of great and tall oaks.

Sept. 5.

In the morning as soon as the day was light, the wind ceased and the flood came. So we heaved off our ship again into five fathoms water, and sent our boat to sound the bay, and we found that there was three fathoms hard by the southern shore. Our men went on land there, and saw great store of men, women and children, who gave them tobacco at their coming on land. So they went up into the woods, and saw great store of very goodly oaks, and some currants. For one of them came aboard and brought some dried, and gave me some, which were sweet and good. This day many of the people came aboard, some in mantles of feathers, and some in skins of divers sorts of good furs. Some women also came to us with hemp. They had red copper tobacco pipes, and other things of copper they did wear about their necks. At night they went on land again, so we rode very quiet, but durst not trust them.

Sunday, Sept. 6.

In the morning was fair weather, and our master sent John Colman, with four other men in our boat over to the north side to sound the other river, being four leagues from us. They found by the way shoal water two fathoms; but at the north of the river eighteen, and twenty fathoms, and and very good riding for ships; and a narrow river to the westward between two islands. The land they told us were as pleasant with grass and flowers, and goodly trees, as ever they had seen, and very sweet smells came from them. So they went in two leagues and saw an open sea, and returned; and as they came back, they were set upon by two canoes, the one have twelve, the other fourteen men. The night came on and it began to rain so that their match went out; and they had one man slain in the fight which was an Englishman, named John Colman, with an arrow shot into his throat, and two more hurt. It grew so dark that they could not find the ship that night, but laboured to and fro on their oars. They had so great a stream that their grapnel would not hold them.