A. JE. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 435 



As far back as 1629, there is a record of one Thomas Emmet having 

 been paid 50 lbs. of tobacco for digging out the month of the chan- 

 nel. At that time, and long after, tobacco was the regular currency 

 of the colonists. 



Not far beyond Flatts Village the road passes Shelly Bay, named 

 for Mr. Henry Shelly, one of the party shipwrecked on the islands 

 with Sir George Somers, in 1609, by whom it was discovered. It 

 abounded with fish at that time. It has a broad crescent-shaped 

 beach of white sand, but the bay itself is very shallow and full of 

 rocky reefs. In bright weather its waters are beautifully tinted 

 with emerald green. It has considerable scientific interest, because 

 long after its discovery it became obstructed with sand-dunes which 

 were eventually covered with vegetation. But about 1807, these 

 sand-dunes were rapidly swept away again by the wind and sea, thus 

 quite changing its form and size (see Physiography and plate lxviii). 



Going farther eastward, the north road passes through Bailey's 

 Bay Village, which has been a favorite place for several scientific 

 parties and many other visitors.* 



At this place there is a very large and handsome Tamarind tree, 

 about six feet in diameter, by the residence of Doctor T. A. Outer- 

 bridge. In the yard of Mr. J. D. Seon, there is a Cycad of unusu- 

 ally large size, said to be over 60 years old. This village has two 

 small bathing beaches of white shell-sand. Such beaches are but 

 few on the north side of the islands. 



In the shore cliffs, a little east of Bailey's Bay, there are two grot- 

 toes of considerable size, side by side, which can only be entered at 

 low tide, and by the aid of a boat. 



Several roads diverge from Bailey's Bay, and connect around 

 Harrington Sound with all the roads to Hamilton. Another goes 

 east to the long causeway and St. George's. 



Traveling eastward from Hamilton, the middle and south roads 

 unite at the western end of Harrington Sound into a road that skirts 

 its entire southern and eastern shores. This road has many attractive 

 features, but is somewhat hilly. It affords many beautiful views of 

 Harrington Sound, with its islets and headlands. This sound is a 

 fine expanse of pure transparent water, and is as completely land- 

 locked and surrounded by hills as a lake. It has but very little 



* My party of 1898 had its headquarters here at " Seaward," the home of Mr. 

 J. D. Seon. We found the situation, owing to its central position, a very favor- 

 able one for visiting the islands and reefs of Bailey's Bay, Castle Harbor, and 

 Harrington Sound. 



