ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 315 



tensive savannas, splendid store of useful woods, much 

 fresh water, many bights and bays affording good 

 landing-places and some of them stretching far in- 

 land. 



The Bahama islands were discovered for the second 

 time, in the year 1607, by Captain William Sayle, who 

 established claim to them in the name of England. All 

 these islands were bestowed by the crown on the then 

 Proprietors of Carolina, the lords Albemarle, Craven, 

 Carteret, &c, who only resigned their rights to the 

 crown at the beginning of this century, after they had 

 found by experience that these islands, settled by tur- 

 bulent, stubborn people mostly living by piracy, were 

 under their government falling more and more into 

 decay. Throughout the preceding century these is- 

 lands, and especially Providence, were the resort of 

 men * who lived lawless carrying on piracy, which they 

 called buccaneering, in the West Indian waters and on 

 the coasts of the neighboring Spanish islands. They 

 refused all obedience to the governors sent out by the 

 Proprietors, and at times compelled them to with- 

 draw. In the W r ar of Succession at the beginning of 

 this century, the Spaniards fell upon these islands, 

 destroyed and plundered everything, and took off the 

 greater part of the inhabitants captive; the remnant 

 hid themselves in the woods or were scattered else- 

 where. Shortly after this attack the proprietors gave 



* Histoire des Pirates Anglois depuis leur etablissement 

 dans l'isle de la Providence jusqu'a present, avec la vie & les 

 avantures des deux femmes Pirates Marie Read & Anne 

 Bonny; traduit de l'anglois du Capitaine Charles Johnson. 

 Utrecht. 1725. 8. 



