A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 513 



Capt. John Smith and Governor Butler both state that when a 

 small vessel, the "Garland," of 45 tons, arrived in November, 1619, 

 after a voyage of seventeen weeks, many passengers and sailors had 

 died, and most of those remaining were ill. Most likely this illness 

 was bubonic plague. 



Governor Butler relates that in August, 1620, the magazine ship 

 " Joseph " arrived with a very large number of sick persons on 

 board; many had died, and the crew were so ill and feeble that they 

 were barely able to bring the vessel into port. Twenty to thirty of 

 the passengers and crew had died and been thrown overboard, and 

 others died after they were landed. No quarantine was practised in 

 those days, and scarcely any precautions were used, though the dis- 

 ease was known to be infectious. Governor Butler considered it the 

 genuine plague. He gave the following account of it: — 



"Truly ther could be noe other judgement or censure passed upon 

 this infectious disease than that it was the plaine plague, the purple 

 marcks being plentifully discerned upon many of them. And with- 

 out doubt, had it bin almost in any other place, it would have 

 enlarged itself to a dangerous desolation ; but the exceedinge excel- 

 lent salubritie of the ayre surmounted all thes dangers and difficul- 

 ties, and in a f ewe weekes became such a conquerour as this dreadf ull 

 infection wholy ceased, and the former wonted health of the Hands 

 was fully recovered." 



In this connection he also mentions that "in shypeing times" dis- 

 eases had many times been brought into the islands and " thus 

 recouvered."* 



He relates that in consequence of his boats being employed in 

 taking the sick ones ashore, some of the crews and others took the 

 disease, and also mentions that many of the laborers sent out by the 

 company were of the lowest classes, ten of the men having been 

 taken from Newgate prison and some of the women from Bridewell, 

 and intimates that the infection was thought to be due to this class 

 of persons. But the wonder is that every vessel was not infected in 

 those pestilent years, for we read of no disinfecting or fumigations. 



The fact that the houses in Bermuda were, at that time, all made 

 of palmetto leaves, and that the people lived largely in the open air,, 

 and very plainly, will account for the speedy arrest of the disease. 



In Sept., 1621, the "Joseph" again arrived with many sick 



* Although a pious man, there is no record that Governor Butler ever issued 

 a proclamation for fasting and prayer against the spread of the infection. He 

 seems to have been in advance of his time in respect to the cause and cure of 

 infectious diseases. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 33 May, 1902. 



