520 A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



As much as 200,000 pounds of tobacco was shipped in some of the 

 earlier years. About 1707, its culture was entirely abandoned. In 

 some of the last years of its culture it sold in London for only about 

 2 d and 3 d per pound, but this may, perhaps, have been owing to its 

 damaged condition. (See Part III, ch. 23, e, under Tobacco.) 



In 1(323, it was ordered by the Council that the price of a bushel 

 of salt made in the Somer Islands should not exceed one pound of 

 tobacco.* At about that period salt was mentioned as being made 

 at St. George's and other places, but probably not very largely. It 

 is recorded as made there in 1024 and 1625. It was also made at 

 Crawl Point and other places. But salt was also imported at the 

 same period. Subsequently the Bermudians engaged largely in the 

 manufacture of salt at Turks Island, in the winter, and shipping it to 

 the other colonies. This trade was an important one in the 18th 

 century, for they supplied Virginia, New York, and New England 

 with a large part of their salt, down to the time of the Revolution- 

 ary War and later. During the war this traffic was still kept up 

 secretly to a considerable extent. At that time they had no other 

 means of obtaining necessary provision, etc., except by exchanging 

 salt for them in these colonies. 



It finally led to disputes with the Bahama government, as to the 

 ownership of the right to make salt there without interference. 

 Eventually the British Government gave the control of Turks 

 Island to the Bahamas, to the great disadvantage of the Bermudians, 

 who had built the works there and enjoyed their rights for a great 

 many years (since 1078) unchallenged, except by foreign enemies.f 



In the official reply of the Company to the government interroga- 

 tions, in 1679, it was stated that no commodities were shipped to 

 England except tobacco and some timber "than which there is 

 nothing else growing or may be produced for shipping"; and that 



* Bermuda being a small colony, far away from England, and with no trade 

 or commerce allowed elsewhere, it was easy for the grasping persons to make 

 "a corner" in any useful product. So that the Governors or Council often 

 had to interfere and regulate prices of the food and wages by law, and some- 

 times to seize corn that was hoarded for high prices in times of famine to save 

 the lives of those who had no food. 



f They were attacked and driven away by the Spaniards in 1710. They in 

 turn soon fitted out a privateer, in Bermuda, and drove out the Spaniards. Other 

 quarrels with the Spanish occurred there in subsequent years. The French, 

 from St. Domingo, captured the island in 176-t and destroyed the buildings and 

 works, and took all the people as prisoners to Cape Francois. But the British 

 Government soon caused the French to return the people to the island and pay 

 damages, for there was no war at that time. 



