[none]

[Alderton, Philippa]

This is a repost of this message.  I received a message from the system
that it did not get properly sent and am reposting.  My apologies if you
have previosly received this message.
 
>>- 1586: Sir Thomas Herriot introduced potatoes to England from
>>  Colombia.
>
>
>Confirmation, anyone?
>
>
>Alasdair mac Iain
>
>-----------------------------
>James and/or Nancy Gilly
>katiemorag at worldnet.att.net

I don't have any direct reference, but this is possible if Herriot is
connected to Sir Francis Drake.  In February 1586, Drake tried to take
the Spanish treasure fleet at Cartagena, Colombia.  He missed the fleet,
but took the city and reprovisioned his ships.  It is believed by some
scholars that potatoes were among the supplies he seized.

Drake returned to England via Virginia (which may be when the potato was
introduced to North America).  There appears to be a scholarly dispute
whether potatoes were tasted in the English court following this voyage.

There is an English mathematician, Thomas Hariot, who in 1588 wrote A
Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land in Virginia describing
agriculture on Roanoke Island.  To my knowledge, there is no mention of
potatoes in Hariot's account.

Bear

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