A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 593 



26. — Effects of Deforesting. 



The rapidity, extent, and injurious effects of the early deforesting 

 of the islands can best be understood by reference to the early 

 records of ordinances, laws, proclamations, and official letters, and 

 from the contemporary narratives that have come down to us. 



The shipwrecked company of the Sea Adventure first settled down 

 near the eastern shore of St. George's Island, and built there the 

 larger vessel of cedar. The greater part of the 150 persons lived 

 there during most of their stay of nine months, including the whole 

 of the winter. As they had only huts of palmetto leaves, they 

 doubtless burned large quantities of cedar wood for fuel. 



In fact, one writer speaks of the great fires that they kept con- 

 tinually burning, probably for signals. They also cut down, as 

 Strachy says, thousands of palmettoes for their cabbage-like heads, 

 on which they mainly depended for vegetable food. Therefore the 

 eastern part of St. George's Island was the first place that was 

 denuded of forest trees. Moreover, a large part of the early settlers, 

 L612 to 1620, remained in that vicinity and continued to cut the 

 cedars and palmettoes in the same Avay. 



In Governor Butler's " Historye," he mentions that in 1619 the 

 Company assigned 400 acres of the "common lands," on these same 

 hills of St. George's, for the support of the governor. But he says 

 that even then the land here was of " no worth at all " for cultiva- 

 tion, and could be used only for pasturing cattle. 



This shows how rapidly the forests had been destroyed here, 

 during the first seven years of occupancy, and the marked decrease 

 of fertility in the soil. 



It will be most convenient to discuss in detail the causes, extent, 

 and effects of the deforesting, under the three principal trees 

 involved, because each one has a different history, peculiar to itself. 



a. — The Bermuda Palmetto (Sabal Blackburniana Glazebrook) ; 



its History. 



Figures 4, 32, 39, 40; and Plate LXIV; Figure 1. Plate LXVIII; Figure 2. 



This very useful tree is one of the few plants that are peculiar to 

 the Bermudas.* 



* This palmetto is pretty fully illustrated by Mr. W. B. Hemsley in the voyage 

 of the Challenger, Botany, i, p. 70, plates vi to ix, 1885. The swamp variety is 

 also figured in the "Garden and Forest," vol. iv, July, 1891, pp. 302, 307. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XI. 38 May, 1902. 



