[The “Rock” seems to have become the established landing place of the Pilgrims, from the time of the first visit of the third exploring party on December 11/21.  The absurdity of the claims of the partisans of Mary Chilton, in the foolish contention which existed for many years as to whether she or John Alden was the first person to set foot upon the “Rock,” is shown by the fact that, of course, no women were with the third exploring party which first landed there, while it is also certain that Alden was not of that exploring party.  That Mary Chilton may have been the first woman to land at Cape Cod harbor is entirely possible, as it is that she or John Alden may have been the first person to land on the “Rock” after the ship arrived in Plymouth harbor.  It was a vexatious travesty upon history (though perpetuated by parties who ought to have been correct) that the Association for building the Pilgrim Monument at Plymouth should issue a pamphlet giving a picture of the “Landing of the Pilgrims, December 21, 1620,” in which women are pictured, and in which the shallop is shown with a large fore-and-aft mainsail, while on the same page is another picture entitled, “The Shallop of the may-Flower,” having a large yard and square-sail, and a “Cuddy” (which last the may-FLOWER’S shallop we know did not have).  The printed description of the picture, however, says:  “The cut is copied from a picture by Van der Veldt, a Dutch painter of the seventeenth century, representing a shallop,” etc.  It is matter of regret to find that a book like Colonel T. W. Higginson’s ‘Book of American Explorers’, intended for a text-book, and bearing the imprint of a house like Longmans, Green & Co. should actually print a “cut” showing Mary Chilton landing from a boat full of men (in which she is the only woman) upon a rock, presumably Plymouth Rock.]

Thursday, Dec. 21/31
                              At anchor, Plymouth harbor.  Wet and
                              stormy, so the Planters could not go ashore
                              as planned, having blown hard and rained
                              extremely all night.  Very uncomfortable
                              for the party on shore.  So tempestuous
                              that the shallop could not go to land as
                              soon as was meet, for they had no victuals
                              on land.  About eleven o’clock the shallop
                              went off with much ado with provision, but
                              could not return, it blew so strong.  Such
                              foul weather forced to ride with three
                              anchors ahead.  This day Richard
                              Britteridge, one of the colonists, died
                              aboard the ship, the first to die in this
                              harbor.