VIRGINIA - Thomas GLOVER (1647-97). An Account of Virginia [from the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society", London], 1676, stitched.

VIRGINIA - Thomas GLOVER (1647-97). [Sectional heading:] An Account of Virginia, its Scituation[sic], Temperature, Productions, Inhabitants, and their manner of planting and ordering Tobacco ... Communicated by Mr. Thomas Glover, an ingenious Chirurgion that hath lived some years in that Country. [Colophon:] London: "Printed for John Martyn, Printer to the Royal Society, at the Bell in St. Pauls Church yard", 1676. Comprising pages 623-636 of "Philosophical Transactions [of the Royal Society]", June 20, 1676. Number 126. 4to (220 x 167mm). Stitched. The other papers included in this issue of "The Transactions" consist of reviews of recently published books of scientific interest, namely: "Advertisement concerning the Quality of a Degree of a Great Circle, in English Measures" (pp. 636-637); "An Account of some Books: I. Elemens de Mathematiques, ou Principes Generaux de toutes les Sciences qui ont les Grandeurs pour Object, par J. P. ..." (pp. 638-642); "II. De l' Art de Parler ..." (pp. 642-644); "III. The manner of raising, ordering and improving Forrest trees ..." (pp. 644-646); "IV and V. The French Gardiner reprinted ..." (p. 646). Thomas Glover's father, Richard Glover, emigrated to America from Gravesend, England, in 1635, on the ship Assurance. He settled in Virginia where he owned plantations. His son Thomas's colourful account of Virginia includes descriptions of the principal rivers, the wildlife, botany and the fish, including a remarkable, and somewhat mystifying, account of a fishing trip on the Rappahannock river in which he encounters "a most prodigious Creature, much resembling a man, only somewhat larger, standing right up in the water with his head, neck, shoulders, breast and waste[sic], to the cubits of his arms, above water ... his countenance was grim and terrible." Also included is a detailed, and largely sympathetic, account of the indigenous population: "The Indians are generally well proportioned as to their stature, being somewhat tall, but no waies corpulent; their hair black, usually hanging right down; their eyes also black, their skin tawny, inclining to blackishness; they live together in Towns, and every town is under a several King ... As to their worship, I know little of it; only they have Priests which are generally thought to be Conjurers; for, when they have great want of Rain, one of their Priests will go into a private Cabin, and by his Invocations will cause abundance to fall immediately, which they call making of Rain ... Some of them say, that the God of the English is a good God, and gives them good things; but their God is an angry God, and oftentimes beats them ..." Provenance: from the Collection of Peter and Margarethe Braune.