566 A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



of some Indians returned to the West Indies in August, 165S, 

 probably some of the same lot. 



The Indians and negroes intermarried freely, but the Indians being 

 relatively few, their descendants show but little of the Indian char- 

 acteristics, though even to this day some of the negroes sIioav more 

 or less traces of Indian blood. Formerly many of them showed such 

 characteristics much more decidedly. The negro slaves always 

 increased more rapidly than the whites and they became too numer- 

 ous at times, so that employment could not be found for them, while 

 their masters found it hard to clothe and feed them. A few slaves 

 were sometimes sold to go away from the islands. Thus the sale of 

 14 negroes and one Indian, to go to Porto Rico, is on record. Some 

 were sold to Virginia. In the Royal Gazette for Jan. 17, 1784, 

 (No. 1), Tucker & Co., of St. George's, advertised to purchase some 

 of the "idle negroes" in order "to send them to a country where 

 they may be profitably employed," by the ship " Queen Charlotte," 

 then loading for Charleston, S. C. 



A law was passed even as early as 1674, prohibiting the importation 

 of any more slaves. Probably very few were ever imported directly 

 from Africa, and perhaps none from Virginia. So far as the records 

 show, they nearly all came from the West Indies, either by purchase, 

 or by capture from the Dutch and Spanish. 



In 1672, it was ordered that all free negroes should apprentice 

 themselves to masters or immediately " depart the Hands." The 

 Company enacted a law in 1674 that any negroes brought to the 

 islands, and remaining more than 24 hours should be seized and kept 

 as " slaves to the Company." 



It was ordained by the Company, in 1674, that the laws of Eng- 

 land should apply equally to the negroes and whites. 



When slavery was finally abolished, in 1834, the number of slaves 

 reported was 4,026, and their value was estimated at £1*75,194 

 sterling. 



White Slaves. 



In the years of the early settlement, 1612-25 and later, many 

 white persons were virtually held as slaves. Parties of women were 

 several times sent out by the Company to be sold (for wives) to the 

 highest bidders, or else for some definite price. 



Governor Butler, writing of the arrival of the Joseph, in liii'n, 

 remarks as follows: — "In this shyp came over likewise divers newe 



