A Library Of American Literature Author:Stedman, Hutchinson Volume: 1 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1888 Subjects: Literary Collections / American / General Literary Criticism / American / General Literary Criticism / Reference Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you... more » buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: EARLY COLONIAL LITERATURE. Captain Born in Lincolnshire, England, 1579. Died in London, 1631. AN ADVENTURE ON THE CHICKAHOMINY. [A True Relation. 1608.] OUR president having occasion to chide the smith for his misdemeanor, he not only gave him bad language, but also offered to strike him with some of his tooles; for which rebellious act the smith was by a Jury condemned to be hanged, but being upon the ladder continuing very obstinate, as hoping upon a rescue: when he saw no other way but death with him, he became penitent, and declared a dangerous conspiracy, for which Captaine Kendall as principal was by a Jury condemned and shot to death. This conspiracy appeased, I set forward for the discovery of the River of Checka Hamania. .... Forty miles I passed up the river, which for the most part is a quarter of a mile broad, and three fatham and a half deep, exceeding oscy, many great low marshes, and many high lands, especially about the midst at a place called Moysonicke, a Peninsule of four miles circuit, betwixt two rivers joined to the main, by a necke of forty or fifty yards, and forty or fifty yards from the high water marke. On both sides in the very neok of the maine, are high hills and dales, yet much inhabited, the He declining in a plaine fertile cornc field, the lower end a low marsh; more plentie of swannes, cranes, geese, duckes, and mallards, and divers sorts of fowles none would desire: more plaine fertile planted ground, in such great proportio...« less