Firing a demiculverine
Firing a demiculverine from a bastion at “James Fort.” (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (From the Bust in the British Museum.)
Jamestown Soldiers
Jamestown soldiers carrying polearms (a halberd and a bill). (conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
A physician bleeding a patient.
A physician bleeding a patient. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) One of the members of the first colony was a surgeon, William Wilkinson by name. As the colony grew, other surgeons, physicians, and apothecaries, emigrated to Virginia. Their lot was not easy, for it appears that they were seldom idle in an island community having more than its share of “cruell diseases, Swellings, Flixes, Burning Fevers, warres and meere famine.” During archeological explorations, drug jars, ointment pots, bleeding bowls, mortars and pestles, small bottles and vials, and parts of surgical instruments were recovered. These, undoubtedly, were used countless times at Jamestown by unknown “chirurgions,” doctors of “physickes,” and apothecaries—men who tried to keep the colonists well with their limited medical equipment and scant supply of drugs.
Jamestown sentry on duty
A Jamestown sentry on duty shouldering his heavy matchlock musket. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Pottery
In 1955 a pottery kiln site was discovered at Jamestown. Nearby were found many utilitarian earthenware vessels of the 1625-40 period—definite evidence that pottery was made in Virginia over 300 years ago. Although made for everyday use, many of the pieces unearthed are symmetrical and not entirely lacking in beauty. The unknown Jamestown potters were artisans, trained in the mysteries of an ancient craft, who first transplanted their skills to the Virginia wilderness.
A Silversmith weighing clipped coins
Making lime from oyster shells in a kiln, about 1625. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Baking Bread
Baking bread in an outdoor baking oven about 1650. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Making 'Trials'
Making “trialls” Of iron. Evidences of an earth oven or small furnace were discovered at Jamestown during archeological explorations. Small amounts of iron may have been smelted in the furnace during the early years of the settlement. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Spinning thread or yarn
Spinning thread or yarn and weaving cloth were endless chores for the women living in the small wilderness settlemenT. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Settlers trading with the indians
Settlers trading with the indians—bartering casting counters and other trade goods for furs. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) One reason why the colonists selected a site for Jamestown some miles up the James River was to develop the Indian trade over an extensive area. During the early years of the colony, trade with the natives was encouraged. It is clear from the early records that the settlers bartered such items as beads, cloth, penny knives, shears, bells, glass toys, whistles, hatchets, pots and pans, brass casting counters, and similar objects in exchange for Indian corn (and other vegetables), fish, game, fruits and berries, and furs.
Making Lime
Making lime from oyster shells in a kiln, about 1625. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Blowing Glass
Blowing glass at Jamestown in 1608. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
A Wharf scene
A wharf scene—arrival of a ship from the mother country. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) During the 17th century, active trade was carried on between the Virginia colony and the mother country. Local commodities of timber, wood products, soap ashes, iron ore, tobacco, pitch, tar, furs, minerals, salt, sassafras, and other New World raw materials were shipped to England. In exchange, English merchants sold to the colonists, tools, farm implements, seeds, stock and poultry, furniture and household accessories, clothing, weapons, hardware, kitchen utensils, pottery, metalware, glassware, and certain foods and drinks. There is also good evidence that some trade was carried on with Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, and the West Indies. Many artifacts unearthed (especially pottery) were made in the countries mentioned. It is believed that certain commodities were acquired by direct trade with the country where made, in spite of the strict laws by which the Colonial Powers sought to monopolize the colonial trade for the benefit of the mother country.
Fishing provided food as well as recreation for the colonists.
Fishing provided food as well as recreation for the colonists. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) When the first settlers planted their small colony at Jamestown, the tidewater rivers and bays and the Atlantic Ocean bordering the Virginia coast teemed with many kinds of fish and shellfish which were both edible and palatable. Varieties which the colonists soon learned to eat included sheepshead, shad, sturgeon, herring, sole, white salmon, bass, flounder, pike, bream, perch, rock, and drum, as well as oysters, crabs, and mussels. Seafood was an important source of food for the colonists, and at times, especially during the early years of the settlement, it was the main source. Those in England who planned to go to Virginia were always advised to provide themselves (among other items) with nets, fishhooks, and lines. During archeological explorations, fishhooks, lead net weights, fish-gigs, and small anchors were uncovered. These are reminders of a day when fish and shellfish were abundant in every tidewater Virginia creek, river, and bay.
Hardwearing clothes
For everyday use the Jamestown settlers wore hardwearing clothes made of homespun cloth. (conjectural sketch by Sidney e. King.)
Harvesting Ice
“Harvesting” Ice, about 1650. Archeological excavations revealed that icehouses were built on the historic island over 300 years ago. (painting by Sidney e. King
Roman Soldiers Leaving Britain
Roman Soldiers Leaving Britain
Hunting Crossbow
Archeological explorations revealed that the colonists enjoyed archery. The iron lever shown, known as a “goat’s foot,” Was used for setting the string of a light hunting crossbow. It was found 4 miles from Jamestown. Illustration showing the use of a “goat’s foot” From Weapons, A Pictorial History by Edwin Tunis.
Cultivating a small garden in Virginia.
Cultivating a small garden in Virginia. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Brewing Beer
Brewing beer at Jamestown. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
Drawing of Jamestown
Drawing of Jamestown
Roman Soldiers on Bridge of boats
Roman Soldiers on Bridge of boats (From the Trajan Column.)
Jamestown Armour
The early Jamestown settlers were advised to equip themselves with “one armour compleat, light.” (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.)
A family enjoying a meal, about 1650
A family enjoying a meal, about 1650. Many of the eating and drinking vessels portrayed, together with much of the tableware, are types which have been excavated. (conjectural sketch by Sidney e. King.)
Harvesting tobacco at Jamestown, about 1650
Harvesting tobacco at Jamestown, about 1650. (Painting by Sidney E. King.)
William I, surnamed the Conqueror
Had it not been for the impossibility of keeping the English host together, and for the absence of Harold in the north, it is difficult to see how William could ever have effected a landing. As it was, however, his course was perfectly unopposed upon the sea, and a landing was safely effected at Pevensey on September 29th, four days after the battle of Stamford Bridge.
Danish Ships
Danish Ships
Playing a Jew's harp
Playing a Jew’s harp—enjoying a little music in the Virginia wilderness. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) A large assortment of iron and brass Jew’s harps (also known as Jew’s trumps) have been found. This small instrument is lyre-shaped, and when placed between the teeth gives tones from a bent metal tongue when struck by the finger. Modulation of tone is produced by changing the size and shape of the mouth cavity.
Newport Gate, Lincoln
There is another piece of Roman work in the neighbourhood of Newport Gate, which is a piece of wall built with ashlar and binding courses of tile. It is known as the Mint Wall
Enjoying a smoke in a tavern, about 1625.
Enjoying a smoke in a tavern, about 1625. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) The first colonists were quite familiar with the use of tobacco, and it is believed that many of them smoked clay pipes. Evidently there was some demand for tobacco pipes by the early planters as one of the men, Robert Cotten, who reached Jamestown in January 1608, was a tobacco pipemaker. In 1611-12 John Rolfe had experimented with tobacco plants in Virginia (he used Virginia plants as well as varieties from the West Indies and South America), and was successful in developing a sweet-scented leaf. It became popular overnight, and for many years was the staple crop of the infant colony. There was a prompt demand for the new leaf in England, and its introduction there was an important factor in popularizing the use of clay pipes. After 1620 the manufacture of white clay pipes in England increased by leaps and bounds.
Map of England showing the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and Danish Districts
Map of England showing the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms and Danish Districts
Interior of Jamestown house
Interior of Jamestown house The interior of a small Jamestown house, about 1650. Although the painting is conjectural, many items shown - pottery, glassware, fireplace tools and kitchen accessories were unearthed on this historic island.
Building a wharf
Building a wharf, about 1650. (Conjectural sketch by Sidney E. King.) Piers and Wharfs.—In order to accommodate such large sailing vessels, piers and wharfs had to be built at Jamestown. A 1,300-pound iron piledriver was found in the basement of a 17th-century building in 1955. It was probably used three centuries ago for driving piles in the James River during construction of a small wharf.
Bear Cub
Bear Cub
Britons with Coracles
Britons with Coracles
Dunstan rebuking Edwy in the presence of Elgiwa
Dunstan rebuking Edwy in the presence of Elgiwa
Trapping a polar bear
Trapping a polar bear
Stonehenge Restored
Stonehenge Restored (From the Model in the Blackmore Museum, Salisbury, after the Restoration by Dr. Stukeley.)
Ethelwulf's Ring
Ethelwulf's Ring
Stonehenge from the North-West
Stonehenge from the North-West In mechanics they (the Druids) were equally advanced, judging from the monuments which remain to us. Of these, the most remarkable in England are Stonehenge, consisting of 139 enormous stones, ranged in a circle; and that of Avebury, in Wiltshire, which covers a space of twenty-eight acres of land.
The Riot at Dover
Eustace, Count of Boulogne, who had married Edward's sister, having paid a visit to the king, passed by Dover in his return. One of his train being refused entrance to a lodging which had been assigned him, attempted to make his way by force, and in the contest he wounded the master of the house. The inhabitants revenged this insult by the death of the stranger; the count and his train took arms, and murdered the wounded townsman; a tumult ensued; nearly twenty persons were killed on each side; and Eustace, being overpowered by numbers, was obliged to save his life by flight from the fury of the populace.
Bison
Bison (Forest americanus) Fate, which has fallen into the Wisent over the centuries, has affected his one-part relative the Bison, in unbelievable shortness, one could even say in a period of ten years. Before the age of man, millions of these colossal animals crossed amazingly vast tracts of North America;—today, only hundreds of Bisons roam around.
Dromedary
The Camel derives its food exclusively from the plant kingdom and is not at all picky. It is safe to say that the sobriety of this animal is its greatest virtue: it is satisfied with the worst food. It can live for weeks on the thirst and driest plants of the desert. In some cases it seems an old dish or mat, woven from the long palm fronds of the date palm, into a tasty dish.
The Polar, or great white bear
The Polar, or great white bear
Polar Bear cleaning itself
Polar Bear cleaning itself
Anlaff entering the Humber
he Danes by this time had formed settlements in Ireland as well as England, and we are told that one of their kings, named Anlaff, whom some think to be identical with Anlaff, the son of Sithric, others a different person, arrived from Ireland with many ships, and was joined by Owen of Cumberland, and Constantine, the king of the Scots. According to a late, and not very trustworthy, account of the campaign, it would appear that it was arranged so secretly that Anlaff entered the Humber with a fleet of six hundred sail, and invaded Northumbria before Athelstan had any intelligence of his landing; and with such forces, and the assistance of the Danes settled there, he easily became master of several small ill-guarded towns.
Polar Bear coming out of hibernation
Polar Bear coming out of hibernation
Bear
Bear
Polar Bear in boat
Polar Bear in boat
Maternal affection
Whilst a ship on a voyage of discovery to the North Pole was locked in the ice, one morning the man at the masthead reported that three bears were making their way towards the ship. They had, no doubt, been invited by the scent of some blubber of a sea-horse which the crew was burning on the ice at the time of their approach. They proved to be a she bear and her two cubs; but the cubs were nearly as large as the dam. They ran eagerly to the fire, and drew out part of the flesh that remained unconsumed, and ate it voraciously. The crew threw great lumps of the flesh which they had still left upon the ice, which the old bear fetched away singly, laying every lump before the cubs as she brought it, and dividing it, gave each a share, reserving but a small portion to herself. As she was fetching away the last piece, they shot both the cubs dead, and wounded the dam, but not mortally. It would have drawn tears of pity from any but the most unfeeling to have marked the affectionate concern of this poor animal in the dying moments of her expiring young. Though sorely wounded, she crawled to the place where they lay, carrying a lump of flesh she had just fetched away, tore it in pieces, and laid it down before them; when she saw that they refused to eat, she laid her paws first upon one, then upon the other, and endeavoured to raise them up, making at the same time the most pitiable moans. Finding she could not stir them, she went off, and when she had got at some distance, looked back and moaned; and that not availing to entice them away, she returned, and smelling round them, began to lick their wounds. She went off a second time, and having crawled a few paces, looked again behind her, and for some time stood moaning. But her cubs not rising to follow her, she returned, and with signs of inexpressible fondness went round them, pawing them successively. Finding at last that they were cold and lifeless, she raised her head towards the ship, and growled a curse upon the destroyers, which they returned with a volley of musket-balls. She fell between her cubs, and died licking their wounds.
Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear
Polar Bear
Polar Bear
St Mary
St Mary
Two-humped Camel
Two-humped Camel ( Camelus bactrianus ) The Two-humped Camel is bred in all the steppe countries of Central Asia, and is mainly used for the transportation of goods between China and the south of Siberia or Touran. In Bukhara and Turkenia it is gradually being replaced by the Dromedary, which takes its full place where the steppe takes on the characteristics of a desert.
Giraffe, taking something from the bottom
Giraffe, taking something from the bottom All movements of the Giraffe are strange. She presents herself at her best when she goes quietly; she then has a dignified and graceful appearance. Her gait is a slow, measured pace; both legs of one side are moved at the same time. If she wants to move faster, because of the apparent mismatch between the shoulder height and the height in the crotch (and between the height and the length of the torso) she falls into a remarkable stiff, weak and plump gallop, which however, because of the great width of each jump taken separately, it causes the animal to travel a great way in a short time.
Gaur
Gaur (Gaurus Forest) The spread area of the Gaur is very extensive. From the southern rush hour of India to the Himalaja, eastbound by Assam and Tittagong to Burma and the Malaysian Peninsula, den Gaur can be found everywhere, where verboschrich mountain or hill country, however steep.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
Llama
The Lama , actually Llama ( Auchenia lama ), is mainly found in Peru and thrives best on the high plains. It grows a little larger than the Guanaco and is characterized by the calluses on the chest and on the front of the wrist joint. The head is narrow and short, the lips are hairy, the ears short, the soles large. The color offers great differences: there are white, black, variegated, reddish brown and white spotted, dark brown, ocher, flame red and others. The adult animal reaches a height of 2.6 to 2.8 M., measured from the sole to the crown; the shoulder height is approximately 1.2 M.
Sheep-ox
The Sheep-ox or Muscus-ox , the Oemingarok der Eskimos ( Ovibos moschatus ), miraculously combines in itself the characteristics of the Cattle and of the Sheep; it is therefore necessary for us to consider him as a representative of a separate subfamily.