Hello and welcome to a history of the United States.

Episode 28, Letters from a Small Island,

Part 2. Remember that this is a listener-supported podcast. If you'd like to help out,

one of the best ways to do so is to leave a review on iTunes. It gets word out about the show,

and it's quick and easy, nice and simple. Special thanks to

our newest pioneers, listeners Chris and James. Thanks guys, I couldn't do the show without you.

Firstly, I want to apologise about the sudden ending of our last episode. I began to record the episode and then my voice

started to go. I ended the episode at the next convenient point, rather suddenly, and was then

hit by a cold which basically took me out for a week, which is why this episode is also a bit

late. But we're back with the rest of what we were supposed to have, plus a bit more.

All I managed to say last week was that James Shirley managed to gain control of the adventurers,

which is what the group of London merchants backing the expedition called themselves.

He sent a letter informing Bradford of this on board the charity,

a fishing vessel they had sent. We quoted the entirety of this letter, but now I want to get

into what else was on board that ship. There was a letter to from Robert Cushman, who was in

London as the chief agent of the colony, and he explained

the nature of the decision to Bradford. Basically, Cushman felt that a fishing vessel would be of more

use to the pilgrims than comforts such as butter and sugar. This seems fair, but their attempts to get fish out of Plymouth had not met

with much luck before. Goodwin views it as an obsession, writing that the London merchants had

fishing mania, which sounds exactly like the title of the next history channel quote-unquote documentary.

It also had on board a shipmaker who was very well respected.

He would build two shallops and a lighter.

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