602 A. K Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



In 1622 an order (No. 20V) was made by the Company requiring 

 the annual storage of a large amount of corn, as a public magazine, 

 to be used only in times of scarcity, each person to contribute his 

 share. 



But the rapid cutting and burning of the cedars soon began to 

 alarm the more intelligent governors and planters, because of the 

 growing scarcity of good timber, and also because the lack of its 

 shelter from the blighting salt winds soon began to be felt, as inju- 

 rious to the plantations. Governor Butler, in particular, seems to have 

 been impressed with this injurious result. Consequently stringent 

 laws were soon passed restricting the cutting of cedar and forbid- 

 ding its exportation without special warrant. At first "chests" or 

 boxes of cedar were much used for the exportation of tobacco and 

 various other commodities, but in 1632 a law was passed prohibiting 

 the exportation of " cedar chests," whether full or empty, without 

 special permission. Probably the lumber of the chests brought a 

 good price in London, at that time, for furniture. These chests were 

 made very large and of thick lumber. Finally a rule was adopted 

 by the Company that the captain of the magazine ships should not 

 receive chests of tobacco weighing over 1500 pounds. The price for 

 sawing the cedar timber into planks, which had to be done by hand, 

 was usually 2 s 6 d per foot, in Bermuda, therefore the thicker the 

 lumber was made for chests the greater the profit. 



In 1622 the Bermuda Company enacted a series of two hundred 

 and twelve "Orders and Constitutions," "for the better governing 

 of the actions and affaires of the said Company and Plantation " of 

 the Summer Islands. These mostly remained in force for at least 

 fifty years, with few changes. No. 115 contains the following 

 restrictions on cutting timber : — " they shall also have especial care 

 of the preservation of timber that no waste be made thereof. And 

 in particular that no man presume without the owner's consent under 

 his hand and seals, to cut down young Cedar trees, before they be 

 come to their growth, under a grievous penalty to be assessed at the 

 descretion of the said Governour and Councell. Neither shall they 

 suffer any Timber, Boards or Plankes to be transported out of the 

 said Hands, without especiall warrant from the Governour and Com- 

 pany here." 



No. lit', reads as follows: — "Care also shall bee taken that all 

 sorts of trees, which defend the Hands from Winds and Tempests, 

 bee preserved and maintained ; where decay hath been that young 

 Plants be there set and cherished." 



