ll Collony, hunger & sickness not permitting any great
matters to bee donne that yeare.

The second supplie was a ship called the Mary Margett, which arrived
here nine months after, about the time of Michaellmas, in her sixty
persons, most gentlemen, few or no tradesmen, except some Polanders to
make Pitch, tarre, potashes, &c., to be retorned for present gaine, soe
meanly likewise were these furnished forth for victualles, that in lesse
then two monthes after their arrivall, want compelled us to imploye our
time abroad in trading with the Indians for corne; whereby though for a
time we partly relieved our necessities, yet in Maye followinge we weare
forced (leavinge a small guarde of gentlemen & some others about the
president at James Towne) to disperse the wholl Collony, some amongst
the Salvadges but most to the Oyster Banks, where they lived uppon
oysters for the space of nine weekes, with the allowance only of a pinte
of Indian corne to each man for a week, & that allowance of corne
continued to them but two weekes of the nine, which kinde of feeding
caused all our skinns to peele off, from head to foote, as if we had
beene flead. By this time arrived Captaine Samuell Argall in a small
Barque, with him neither supplie of men nor victualls from the Company;
but we understandinge that he had some small provisions of bread and
wine, more then would serve his owne companie, required him and the
master of the Barque to remaine ashoare whilst we might bring his sailes
ashoare the better to assure us of his ship & such provisions as coulde
be spared, whereunto he seemed willingly to condescend. Those
provisions, at a small allowance of Biskett, cake, and a small measure
of wine or beere to each person for a Daye some what relieved us for the
space of a month, at the end of which time arrived the thirde supplie,
called Sir Thomas Gates, his fleet, which consisted of seaven shippes &
neere five hundred persons with whom a small proportion of victuall, for
such a number, was landed; howses few or none to entertain them, so that
being quartered in the open feilde they fell uppon that small quantitye
of corne, not beinge above seaven acres, which we with great penury &
sufferance had formerly planted, and in three days, at the most, wholly
devoured it.

These numbers, thus meanly provided, not being able to subsist and live
together weare soone after devided into three parties and dispersed
abroad for their better reliefe. T