534 A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



a. — Shipwreck of the Bonaventura, 1593. 



The first actual description of the islands was published by Mr. 

 Henry May, in London, 1594. Mr. May was an English sailor, 

 returning from the West Indies, on the "Bonaventura," a French 

 privateer. This vessel, through the drunkenness and carelessness of 

 the officers and crew, as stated by May, was wrecked on the outer 

 reefs of the Bermudas, alongside of the North Rocks, which are 

 detached pinnacles of limestone rock, about 12 feet high, situated 

 about eight miles from the land. The scene of this wreck is engraved 

 on the reverse of the ancient Bermuda seal. (See figure 29.) 



This wreck occurred at about midnight, December 17th, 1593 (old 

 style). They built a raft, which they towed behind a boat (apparently 

 they had only one boat), and by this means, after rowing all day, 

 26 of the officers and men were saved, including Mr. May. He was 

 taken on board by the captain, just as they were leaving the vessel, 

 and when he, being an Englishman, little expected it, as he says, 

 " leaving the better half of our company to perish by the sea." 



They afterwards recovered some tools, sails, cordage, and provi- 

 sions, so that they were able to build a boat of 1 8 tons, out of the native 

 cedar wood. In this, at the end of five months, they sailed to 

 the fishing fleet, on the Newfoundland Banks, and by some of those 

 vessels w T ere taken to Europe. May arrived in Falmouth, Aug. 7, 

 1593. 



Mr. May published, next year, an account of his experiences, with 

 a brief, but fairly correct description of the Bermudas and their 

 products. He particularly mentioned the wild hogs that they found 

 there, but which, at that time of the year, they found very lean, for 

 lack of food. The hogs fed largely on palmetto and cedar berries, 

 both of which ripen in the fall and early winter. 



They found there a great abundance of sea-birds (Cahows and 

 Terns) and lived largely on them and their eggs. The sea-turtles, 

 which w-ere large and abundant, bred there at that lime and 

 furnished them with both meat and eggs. Fish were also abundant. 



The following is his description of their ship-building and furnish- 



ing 



"Now it pleased God before our ship did split, that we saved our 

 Carpenters tooles, els I thinke we had bene there to this day; and 

 having recovered the aforesaid tooles, we went roundly about the 

 cutting downe of trees, and in the end built a small barke of some 

 eighteen tons, for the most part with tronnels and very few nailes. 

 As for tackling \\v made a voyage aboord the ship before she split; 



