A. E. Verritt — The Bermuda Islands. 565 



The Rev. Samson Bond was one of the ministers who opposed the 

 conversion of negroes. He brought a presentment against the 

 Governor for favoring it, " and further did alleadgue that the breed- 

 ing up of such children in the Christian religion makes them stub- 

 borne." 



For these opinions and other reasons he was dismissed by the 

 Company, in 1668, which, at that particular date, favored their con- 

 version, though the colonists generally opposed it. 



The Rev. Samuel Smith, in 1609, brought the question before the 

 Council, whether or not he should baptize negroes, mulattoes, and 

 Indians, but the Council refused to decide the question. 



In loso, the Assembly passed an act against baptizing negroes. 



The Rev. A. Richardson, of St. George's, stated that in 1756 he 

 baptized 147 negroes, and in 1757, 377 more. 



Indian Slaves. 



Although the slaves were mostly negroes or mulattoes, some 

 Indian slaves were also brought from the West Indies in the earlier 

 years, and Indians, captured in the Pequot wars and King Philip's 

 war, were sent from New England and sold as slaves to the Bermu- 

 dians.* 



The number of Indians held as slaves does not appear to have been 

 large at any time. There are not many records of their arrival, and 

 so far as appears from these there were more brought from the West 

 Indies than from New England. 



There is a record that Capt. Win. Jackson brought many Indians 

 and negroes, captured from the Spaniards in 1644-5, from the West 

 Indies. It was intimated by the Company, in 1655, that 40 or more 

 freeborn Indians had been illegally taken from the West Indies and 

 sold in the Bermudas as slaves, about 1644-40. The Governor was 

 ordered to free them if they could be found. The sale of 10 Indians, 

 mostly Avomen, is recorded in 1040, and of others in 1045 ; probably 

 these were part of those referred to by the Company as freeborn. 

 The prices were mostly from £7 to £10 each. There is also a record 



* A law was passed in Massachusetts, in 1652, that those Indians who had 

 been taken captive, or who had surrendered themselves in the Pequot or King 

 Philip's wars, should be sold as slaves in Bermuda and other places, or else 

 become slaves |n New England. Some of these slaves appear in the Bermuda 

 records of 1653 and later. 



