Description
Very little is known about these three men, who appeared before crowds of thousands as they practiced their canoe skills on the Thames. That they were called “Virginians” does not necessarily mean they were from the place that we now call Virginia; they could be from almost anyplace along the east coast of North America. What happened to them is unclear, although we know from other sources that there was a plague raging in London that year, and it is possible that the three succumbed to disease. Meanwhile, their canoe ended up in the “curiosity” collections of Sir Walter Cope, where it could be seen for some time after the three men’s performances on the river.
Bibliographic sources
Thrush, Indigenous London, 58. Image of Powhata in a longhouse at Werowocomoco engraved by William Hole – Detail from: Image:Virginia map john smith large.jpg (replaced by File:Virginia map 1606.jpg) . Virtual Jamestown – http://www.virtualjamestown.org/jsmap_large.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=388554