lonies were made
by particular names, those names for a long time served only to
distinguish them as so many parts of Virginia; and until the plantations
became more familiar to England, it was so continued. But in process of
time, the name of Virginia was lost to all except to that tract of land
lying along the bay of Chesapeake, and a little to the southward, in
which are included Virginia and Maryland; both which, in common
discourse, are still very often meant by the name of Virginia.

The least extent of bounds in any of the grants made to Virginia, since
it was settled, and which we find upon record there, is two hundred
miles north from Point Comfort, and two hundred miles south, winding
upon the sea coast to the eastward, and including all the land west and
northwest, from sea to sea, with the islands on both seas, within an
hundred miles of the main. But these extents, both on the north and
south, have been since abridged by the proprietary grants of Maryland on
the north, and Carolina on the south.

Sec. 2. The entrance into Virginia for shipping is by the mouth of
Chesapeake bay, which is indeed more like a river than a bay; for it
runs up into the land about two hundred miles, being everywhere near as
wide as it is at the mouth, and in many places much wider. The mouth
thereof is about seven leagues over, through which all ships pass to go
to Maryland.

The coast is a bold and even coast, with regular soundings, and is open
all the year round; so that, having the latitude, which also can hardly
be wanted upon a coast where so much clear weather is, any ship may go
in by soundings alone, by day or night, in summer or in winter, and need
not fear any disaster, if the mariners understand anything; for, let the
wind blow how it will, and chop about as suddenly as it pleases, any
master, though his ship be never so dull, has opportunity, (by the
evenness of the coast,) either of standing off and clearing the shore,
or else of running into safe harbor within the capes. A bolder and safer
coast is not known in the universe; to which conveniences, there is the
addition of good anchorage all along upon it, without the capes.

Sec. 3. Virginia, in the most restrained sense, distinct from Maryland, is
the spot to which I shall altogether confine this description; though
you may consider, at the same time, that there cannot be much difference
between this and Maryland, they being contiguous one to the other, lying
i