
FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
|
|
| |
|
|
|
cce
viagra online no prescription zoloft cialia or viagro buy canadian drugs online cialis on line where can i buy propecia without a prescription united pharmacy buy cialis get viagra prescription online viagra usa canadian cialis canadian cialis what is the best online pharmacy for viagra canadian pharmacy no prescription detox from vicodin cialis generic propecia guaranteed online viagra Levitra 10 mg canadian levitra cialis online online-cialis viagra sale canada viagra no prescription canadian levitra buy viagra online canada
0
|
What Martin Pring Was Really After
|
|
|
|
Written by J. Dennis Robinson
|
|
Page 3 of 3
The Search for Sassafras
ring’s account offers brief but exquisite detail of the Natives and of local plant, bird, fish, animal life, plus soil and seed-growing conditions. In the end things went badly. Pring reports that 140 Indians surrounded the English barricade, but were frightened off by a warning cannon blast and by two fierce mastiffs brought from England. We even know the dogs’ names – Foole and Gallant. After packing both Speedwell and Discoverer with the covered sassafras, and after stealing a 17-foot long birch bark canoe from the Indians, Pring and his men departed.
The Bristol merchants who sponsored the trip gained a huge return on their investment. Pring made another trip to the New World, but not to the Piscataqua. The Sassafras crazed quickly faded. The plant, apparently, has some dangerous qualities too. Sassafras tea was banned by the United States Food and Drug Commission in 1976. Pring, for the record, died in 1626, three years after David Thomson became the first white man to officially settle at "Pascataway".
Except in New Hampshire, Martin Pring’s voyage rarely rates more than a paragraph or two in the thick volumes of European explorers before 1620.
His name is lost among others whose trips made deeper dents in the British mind – names like Gosnold, Weymouth, Champlain, Cabot and Smith. If Pring’s voyage proved anything special, according to New England histories, it was that safe, profitable sorties into the New World were possible. Europeans had been fishing successfully off the Grand Bank in Atlantic waters for a century. Historian David B. Quinn estimated that at least 650 European ships had made the transatlantic journey between 1492 and 1612. Pring, among others, proved that there were riches on land as well as in the sea.
Then along came the Puritans. Landing in Plymouth in 1620, perhaps, near the very sight where Pring dug his sassafras, this small band planted the theory that America was settled in a quest for religious freedom. The myth took root and flourishes to this day.
Copyright (c) 2005 by J. Dennis Robinson/ SeacoastNH.com. All rights reserved.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.
Portsmouth Herald
|
Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
|
| Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com |
-
UNH hockey powers past Terriers
DURHAM — The play of the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team special teams looked, well, special, Friday night against Boston University.
-
NFL's premier corner Revis mans up on Moss again
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Darrelle Revis has heard enough about his last matchup with Randy Moss. The New York Jets cornerback just wants to move on to the next one.
-
Father-son coaches creating legacy with Winnacunnet football
HAMPTON — If nothing else, Winnacunnet High School has proven that two Steve Magris are better than one when it comes to coaching football.
-
Bergeron wins it for B's in OT
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
-
Emotional home finale for UNH football
DURHAM — One year ago this week, University of New Hampshire strong safety Terrence Klein intercepted two late passes to preserve a snowy 28-24 win at Maine, more proof that...
-
Carter, Magic drop Celtics
BOSTON — Vince Carter scored 26 points, Rashard Lewis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-78 on Friday night.
-
Portsmouth says stimulus jobs overstated by White House
PORTSMOUTH — While federal stimulus dollars flowing into the city may help both causes and the economy, at least one local project echoes concerns expressed nationwide about the accuracy of...
-
Joseph Popluhar
TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Joseph Popluhar, 71, of Tampa, formerly of Portsmouth, N.H., beloved husband of Marjorie (Hunt) Popluhar, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, in Florida.
-
Turkey Trot 5K in Portsmouth on Thanksgiving morning
PORTSMOUTH — Thanksgiving is one of the most charitable times of the year. If you're in the giving mood, why not get a little exercise, too?
-
Marshwood Middle School parents told 58 of 60 kids accepted unknown Facebook friend
ELIOT, Maine — Marshwood Middle School parents were shocked to learn from Internet expert Jayne Hitchcock Thursday evening that 58 of 60 middle school honors students accepted her as a...
-
Newington tax rate drops, but selectman chides state lawmakers
NEWINGTON — Town taxpayers will pay a lower tax rate for 2009, but the chairman of the Board of Selectmen announced the good news with some concerns for state politicians.
-
Memorial Bridge re-opens
PORTSMOUTH — The Memorial Bridge reopened ahead of schedule on Friday following a month of repairs that forced motorists to seek alternative routes between the city and Kittery, Maine.
-
Bakers bustling for Sunday's pie festival
GREENLAND — Judy Alix laughed excitedly. "Thirty made, only 470 more to go!" she exclaimed.
-
3-car crash on Woodbury Ave.
PORTSMOUTH — A three-car, chain-reaction crash snarled lunch hour traffic Friday on Woodbury Avenue and sent a Maine man to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
-
Thumbs up to preservation, determination
Thumbs up to the heirs of Mary McIntire Davis for selling a 239-acre parcel of salt marsh and forest along the York River to the York Land Trust ,and to...
-
John R. Genthner
HAMPTON FALLS — John Richard Genthner, born Jan. 28, 1943, in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, died peacefully Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, after a long illness. He was surrounded by...
-
Runner's Alley helps racer achieve her goals
I would like to thank Janine and the staff at Runner's Alley for their great work in this community. Their contribution, enthusiasm and encouragement are a shining example of what...
-
New Generation raises $10,000 with golf tourney
The New Generation Golf tournament was held at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. With the help of all those who supported it, we made more than $10,000.
-
Memorial is a N.H. bridge; Herald must act to save it
Sitting a couple of hundred miles up the Maine coast, there isn't anyone who knows or cares about our bridge. They've got their own big-time problems that aren't getting fixed.
-
Robert F. Pucciarelli
WELLS, Maine — Robert Francis "Bob" Pucciarelli, 83, of Wells, formerly of Medway, Mass., died early Thursday morning, Nov. 19, 2009.
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
|
|