DOCUMENTS
1. Letters of Thomas Newe from South Carolina, 1682
These letters were used by Professor Charles M. Andrews in his Colonial Self-Government, and it was he who called the managing editor's attention to them; but they have not hitherto been printed. They are to be found in MS. Rawlinson D. 810 in the Bodleian Library. MS. Rawlinson D. 810 is a volume of miscellaneous collections partly transcribed from collections of Hannibal Baskerville, of Bayworth, Berks, but chiefly written by his son Thomas, relative to their family, their friends, and the University of Oxford, of the most varied and interesting nature. Thomas Newe's letters are imbedded in the description of Exeter College, as follows:
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Exeter College. … This Colledge is Capacious and large enough to entertaine and lodge 120 people (so saith Mr. Crabb and Mr. Oliver Schollers in't) but my friend Mr. Newe the present Butler saith it is capacious enough for 150 people. …
The Gentlemen which I can remember that have been and now are of my acquaintance in this Colledge are these … Mr. Newe my loving friend and Butler of this Colledge as aforesaid, who had an ingenous son sometimes a Scholler of this House; who went one of the earliest Planters to Carolina whose loss, with his dear father I do much lament as being deprived by his death of further intelligence from those parts; yet to make him live what we can in our Memory take here an account of that plantation, as it came in letters from him before any narrative of that place was put in print:
May the 17th, 1682, from Charles town on Ashley River by way of Barbadoes in the Samuel.
Most Honourd Father:
The 12th of this instant by the providence of God after a long and tedious passage we came to an Anchor against Charles town at 10 in the night in 3½ fathom water, on the sixth we made land 60 miles to the South of Ashley River against which we came the 8 but could not get in by reason of contrary winds sooner then we did. We had little or nothing observable in the whole voyage, but the almost continual S.W. winds. God be thanked I had my health very well except a day or two of Sea sickness but most of the other passengers were much troubled with the scurvy; Of 62 that came out of England we lost 3, two of them
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