A. JE. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 619 



Davids Island in lien of his pesent which consists of tenn times 

 more land and intrinsick valine then this Coopers Island, which he 

 rather chose than the said Davids Island for the hopes he had as 

 aforesaid, and likewise oblidged himselfe to the proprietors to man- 

 taine seven men continually at his owne charge towards manning the 

 forts of the said Islands. 



Joseph Ming." 



" The Depositions of Mr. John Hurt, senior, of Tucker's Town, 

 an antient inhabitant of these Islands, who deposeth and saith .-" 

 " That there was upon Cooper's Island a yellow wood tree upon 

 which was nayled a copper plate with a cross engraven upon it, with 

 an inscription underneath, alsoe a great cedar tree oposite to it, upon 

 which was engraven or carved many lettrs. Tryangle to them was 

 a great heape of stones round about a Spanish jarr buried in the 

 middle thereof, and on the middle of these tryangles was a leavett 

 or plain piece of ground, which would never bare anything planted 

 or sown thereon, though many tryalls have been made time after 

 time in vaine, until! the said yellow wood tree were cutt downe, 

 after which itt became as ffertill as any other ground. 



And this depont. ffurther sayth there was a person here accounted 

 an expert astrologer, by name Ffrancis Jones, who informed one 

 Mr. Ffarmer, a man of good repute here in these Islands, that in his 

 opinion there was a great treasure hid in said Coopers Islands, which 

 said Ffarmer did informe this depont. that the way to ffind it was by 

 stretching or running a line in this tryangle, and this depont. 

 ffurther sayth that hee with sundry others dugg downe ffour ffoote 

 under ground and ffound the under part to be like marll or rock. 



And this depont. ffurther sayth that he has sundry times seene 

 fire drakes rise out of the said place or ground, and assend the aire 

 towards Ireland, by which scimtomes or marks this dpont. supposes 

 a great rich shipp or Spaniard to be cast away or lost right off from 

 this Cooper's Island and that the people or Spaniards belonging to 

 the said shipp gott on shore and buried some wealth in the tryangle 

 or bare place aforesad." .... 



The mark of John Hurt, senr. 



d. — Other Native Trees and Shrubs partially destroyed. 



Governor Moore, in 1012, stated that there were but four " timber 

 trees " on the islands. Besides the Cedar and Yellow-wood there 

 was a third, which he says was similar to the Yellow- wood (perhaps 

 only in quality), but its wood was white. 



