A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 49 7 



Aug. 16, 1629, there was so great a storm that the governor and 

 council the next year (1630) ordained a proclamation, setting aside 

 its anniversary as a day of thanksgiving and prayer. In Governor 

 Roger Wood's proclamation, he said that although the Lord had seen 

 fit to destroy their houses and crops, he had spared their lives. 



In the order of the governor and council it is mentioned that : 



" Their buildings and croppes in generall were utterly ruinated by 

 the saide guste, without taking away the life of any man, woeman 

 or childe, which ought never to bee forgotten." 



It was also ordered that the public buildings then blown down 

 should be repaired as soon as possible, namely : — the Courte of 

 Guard ; the Prison ; Warwick Fort ; and Pembroke Fort. 



The ship " Virginia Merchant " was cast away on the south coast, 

 in a severe storm, March 24, 1661, and 1*70 lives were lost. 



In October, 1780, there was also one of the severest hurricanes 

 ever recorded there. Houses were blown down and cedars were torn 

 up by the roots. The tide rose to a great height and much damage 

 and loss to shipping occurred. 



On Monday night and Tuesday morning, Feb. 16 and IT, 1784, 

 according to the Royal Gazette, there was a heavy storm ; trees were 

 torn up ; houses damaged ; boats lost and destroyed. The Assem- 

 bly of the Island, which was to have met at St. George's, could not 

 come out of the country on account of the storm. 



The Bermuda squalls or gales are sudden and violent tempests, 

 occurring particularly in the winter season. Findlay described these 

 gales as follows : 



" As the day closes, the whole horizon becomes obscured by dark 

 and heavy clouds, and the thunder and lightning, which precede the 

 first squall, give notice of its approach. After the commencement, 

 the wind, continually shifting, blows in tremendous gusts at inter- 

 vals of every 20 or 30 minutes, a dead calm intervening ; and the 

 sea, rising in confused and breaking waves, renders the situation of a 

 vessel, particularly a small one, very dangerous. 



The conduct pursued by seamen, and which appears to be the 

 most advisable under such circumstances, is to furl the ' ship's sails, 

 and endeavour to get before the wind ; by which means she may 

 ultimately run clear of these local squalls into a steady breeze." 



A local tornado is recorded as having occurred at Tucker's Town 

 in 1875. It destroyed a small dwelling house and carried the occu- 

 pants some distance, injuring the owner and killing his wife and 

 children. Storms of this character appear to be rare in Bermuda. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 32 May, 1902. 



