Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2
1630-05-04
muche winde at S: w: close weather. In the morninge we tacked about 252and stood n: w: and about 10: in the morninge w: n: w: but made litle waye in regard of the head sea.
1630-05-05
The winde w: and b: S: thick foggye weather and raynye, so we stood n: w: b: w at night the Lorde remembred vs, and enlarged the winde to the n: so we tacked about and stood our Course w: and by S: with a merry gale in all our sayles.
1630-05-06
The winde at n: a good gale, and faire weather, we made observation and founde we were in 43: n: lat and ½: n: lat. so we stood full west, and ranne
1630-05-07
May
Three thinges I observed heere. 1: that the declination of the pole starre was muche, even to the vieu, beneathe that it is in England. 2: that the newe moone, when it first appeared, was muche smaller that then at any tyme I had seene it in England. 3: that all the waye we came we sawe fowles flyinge and swimminge, when we had no land neere by 200 Leagues. 4: that wheresoeuer the winde blewe, we had still colde weather, and the sunne did not warme vs not give so muche heat as in England.1
The winde N: and by E: a smale gale verye faire weather, and towardes night a still Calme. This daye our Capt and mr. Lowe dyned abord the Jewell.
"The voyage which we intend is to plant Christian people and religion upon the Northwest countries of America, in places temperate and well agreeing with our constitution, which though the same do lie between 40 and 44 degrees of latitude, under the parallels of Italy and France, yet are not they so hot; by reason that the sun's heat is qualified in his course over the ocean, before he arriveth upon the coasts of America, attracting much vapor from the sea, which mitigation of his heat, we take for a benefit to us that intend to inhabit there; because under the climate of 40 degrees, the same would be too vehement else for our bodies to endure.” John Brereton, A Brief and True Relation (London, 1602) in 3
Collections
, VIII, with the treatise by Edward Hayes, especially ibid., 95.
1630-05-08
All the night Calme. in the morninge the winde S: w: a handsome gale, so so we tacked and stood n: w: and soone after the winde growinge more large we stood w: n: w: with a good gale. about 4: of the Clocke we sawe a whale, who laye iust in our shippes waye (the bunche of his back about a yarde aboue water) he would not shunne vs, so we passed within a stones cast of him, as he laye spoutinge vp water.
1630-05-09
The winde still S: w: a good gale but close weather and some rayne, we heald on our Course w: n: w: about 9: it cleered vp: and towardes night a great fogge; for an howre or 2: we were now in 44: ½. n: lat. and a litle west of Corves.1
Corvo, the northernmost of the Azores, so called, according to Josselyn, “from a multitude of Crowes.” See also Reuben Gold Thwaites, Ed., The Jesuit Relations, 1. (Cleveland, 1896), 147, and 1
Proceedings
, XVIII. 94.