FOr Information of such who desire to Adventure or Plant there, I shall now lay downe a Discription of the Situati­on of the Island of Assada (as presented to me.) This Island lyeth Thirteene degrees in the Latitude of Barbadoo's, and is a­bout that bignesse and goodnesse, and reported by them who have beene upon it, to be good Land, and to afford large Sugar-Caines, Rice, Corne and Cattle upon it, with store of Fruits, Fish, &c. and whatsoever will grow upon Barbadoo's is likely to grow there, being all the yeare summer, and at one and the same time the Trees doe beare Buds, greene and ripe Fruits, it hath small hills and vallies, with fresh running waters and ly­eth about nine miles from the great Island of Madagascar, and there are not above fifty or sixty poore people upon the island, which the King left to tend Cattle, to Fish and Plant Sugar­Caines, which at time of the yeare they may carry to [...] Bay, to sell to the Arabians; about ten yeares since there [...] foure or five hundred people gotten from Madagascar, and [...] ­volted from the King, they made Warre with him divers [...] [Page 3]and pillaged the Arabian Junks, in which time an English Ship touching there, the King offered them, if they would helpe him to carry his men over to the Island, he would give them the Island, and halfe the people to be their servants: but they refu­sing it, he having no Boats, but some few Canoes, which would carry not above 3. or 4. men at once in them, and not knowing how to get 40. men over to the Island, made rafts of Timber and so wafted them over to the Island, subdued the re­volters, leaving but the number as aforesaid: so that my inten­tions is to buy this Island of the King for the Accompt of the Adventurers, and to give him full conrent and satisfaction for it, He having first freed and promised it, or any other place in his Country to the English, we shall desire to promote his Trade and benefit which he is desirous of; And those which have been with him assures me, we need not question a free saile of our cōmodities, at a reasonable value: neere this Island are di­vers small Islands without any people inhabiting them, which may be usefull to us.

This Island for bignesse is reckoned 16. miles square, and hath a good Harbour, where we intend by Gods blessing to build a Fort and Towne, and there to set down our selves: It is beleeved that this Island would maintain neere a hundreth thou­sand people in way of Trade and Plantation, if once well plan­ted, having enough besides, for above 200. Sugar works, be­sides other Commodities.

The Commodities we hope to raise, are Sugar, Indico, ginger, cot­ton wooll, Tobacco, Rice, and Pepper, &c. And for provisions, Corne; Cattle, Hoggs, Poultry, Rice, Gravances, Potatoes, Oringes, Lem­mons, and Pines, with other fruits, very usefull and at farre easier Rates, then at Barbadoes, (as for instance,)

So that the proportion will hold for a greater or lesser work of Sugar, Indico, Cotton, Ginger, and Tobacco, &c. And whereas at Barbadoes they relate they plant 16. hund. or 20. hund. of Sugar, each servant, 160. l. or 200. l. of Indico, 1000. l. of Cotton-wooll, 20. hund, weight of Ginger, 1500. weight of Tobacco, in a yeare, its hopefull to raise those Commodities farre Cheaper then at Barbadoes: we hope to build small Vessels, to trade to our Neighbouring Countries, and vend the same at as good rates as they are like to be worth at London for ready money, and other Commodities which are usefull to vend in India: And by that meanes preserve the Coyne of this Nation, and in a short time, when once setled, may invest our selves at our Returnes with East India Commodities, bringing home thence as much com­modities as usually came to this Nation, and save the sending out of a 1000 l. per annum of Silver, fully providing our selves of men from Arabia Madagascar, Africa, and India, to Plant some to be free men, others servants. One English man will go­verne ten of those Nations: thus may Men, Women, and chil­dren be bred up in the knowledge of God, and in time this Island lying so well for Trade, may be a scale of Trade to the English, for those parts of the World, as Batavia is to the Dutch, and God to the Portingalls, who have 20, times their number of Strangers live amongst them, and under their Go­vernment.

The Island of Madagascar, which lyeth in sight of this Island of Assada, is 900 miles long, it hath seven Kings in it, the chief [Page 5]lives at the North end, the Commoditie it affords, is R [...]i Ambergreese, Iron, Tortle shels, Landall-wood, Ibony wood, Druggs, &c. Augustine Bay where our English usually touch to water and buy Cattell, is the worser part of the Island, in regard there is usually no Trade with any other Nation: nor any Townes, nor provisions for Planting, their being but a small number of peo­ple which are Cow-keepers, &c.

Whereas at Assada, Bay, an English Ship putting in there in her Voyage to India, found a small Towne called Antasia, where the Arabians lades divers Junks of Rice, yearly in exchange for Cullivers, Knives, and India Commodities, from thence our English travelling up to the Kings Town, about 20. miles up in the Land, passed through two Villages about a mile long, well inhabited with people, there being about them fields of Rice, and Sugar Caines, with hundreds of Cattell; their build­ings are of Timber two stories high, open to walke in the hot weather, the upper Roomes to lodge in. The people naturally are very kinde and courteous, the North part for 2 hundred miles in length, is governed by a King, whom they went unto, to obtain licence to trade, he and his women dwelling in a Pal­lace about a quarter of a mile round, at the end of which is a small Towne, like a Parke in it, about 500. Oxen feeding, the people are generally his slaves, he useth our English court­eously, shewed them his Treasure, which was a Massy Silver Staffe, some peeces of Eight, peeces of cloth of Gold, of Sattin and silke stuffes, Arabian Coates, which the Arabians brought from India, being bought of them for Ambergreese, Tortle-shels, which are his owne Commodities.

He invited our men to come againe, and promised all his Country should be at their command.

So that notwithstanding the dissolving of the Plantation at Augastines Bay, where those that know it dare say, there is nei­ther good fresh water, nor wood to build withall, nor Provi­sion, nor Gardens for mans use: But it is a Marsh ground, like Sandwitch [...]ownes in Kent, not sit for Plantation, which is an en­couragemen [...] to [...] to proceed in this designe.

Thus you have heard in part what is related to me, by those who have been neare 8. Mone [...]e upon the place, men of honest [Page 6]conversation, who I beleeve deales truly with me, and the same is confirmed in the generall in Print by English and Portugall writers, for those fellow Souldiers, Country men and dearest friends of mine, that resolve to travell, I doe beleeve, by Gods blessing, that not any part of the World is more advantagious for a Plantation, bring every way as well for pleasure as well as profit, in my estimation. And for those that have either little or much to adventure, they may imploy it this way, and those which have nothing, if they come over, for foure yeares as ser­vants to their Adventurers, they shall have Meate Drinke and Apparell provided, and at the end of the terme in recompence of their service, have as much Land to Plant on as they can im­ploy, with six Moneths provisions, and three Negros servants, which at Barbadoo's were worth a 100. pound, which if endu­striously imployed, may raise their Fortunes every yeare as much.

And to my Honourable and worthy Adventurers, my humble sute is, that you would take care of sending me timely supplyes of men, that I may be more enabled to goe on with those de­signes proposed; which I forbeare to mention in publique, untill a more convenient time for the some,: And by the blessing of God I doubt not of a good issue.