THE GEOLOGY OF BERMUDA. 23 



from the Northwest point to Gates his Bay, as by this Map your Lady- 

 ship may see, iu which Sir George Summers, who coasted in his boat 

 about them all, tooke great care to expresse the same exactly and lull, 

 and made his draught perfect for all good occasions, and the benefit of 

 such, who either in distresse might be brought upon them, or make 

 saile tliis way. It should seeme by the testimony of Gonzalus Ferdiuan- 

 dus Oviedus, in his Booke intituled, The Summary or Abridgement of 

 his generall History of the West Indies, written to the Emperor Charles 

 the Fift, that they haue been indeed of greater compasse (and I easily 

 beleeue it) than they are now, who thus saith [here follows the extract 

 from Oviedo, as above given, except that, by a mistake of copyist or 

 printer, the breadth of tbe grouj) is given as sixteen leagues, instead 

 of six]. True it is, the maine Hand, or greatest of them now^, may be 

 some sixteene miles in length East North-East, and West South- West 

 the longest part of it, standing in thirtie two degrees and twentie min- 

 utes, in which is a great Bay on the North side, in the North-west end, 

 and many broken Hands in that Sound or Bay, and a little round Hand 

 at the South-west end."* 



The second extract is from the narrative of another member of the 

 expedition. t "This Hand, I meane the maine Hand, with all the broken 

 Hands adiacent, are made in the forme of a halfe Moone,but a little more 

 rounder, and divided into many broken Hands, and there are many good 

 harbors in it, but we could find but one especiall place to goe in, or 

 rather to goe out from it, which was not altogether free from some 

 Danger, tliere there is three Fathoms water at the entrance thereof, but 

 within, six, seauen, or eight Fathoms at the least, where you may safely 

 lie Land-locked, from the daunger of all Winds and Weathers, and 

 moore to the trees."| 



To me these descriptions appear to justify a very positive conclusion 

 that there has been no considerable subsidence since 1609; and, of 

 course, all geological probabilities are against so rapid a subsidence as 



*Purcbas, op. cit,, Part 4, p. 1738. 



tA discovery of the Baniuulas, otherwise called the lie of Divels, by Sir Thomas 

 Gates, Sir George Sommers, and Captayue Newport, with Diuers others. Sil. Joiirdan. 

 Arepriut of this narrative bears the title: Aplaine Description of the Barmndas, now 

 called Soninier Hands. With the manner of their Discouerie Anno 1609, by the ship- 

 wrack and admirable deliueranco of Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir George Sommers. Lon- 

 don, 1613. Ilakluyt, op. cit., Vol. V., pp. 551-8. Tracts and other papers relating 

 principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of the Colonics in North America. 

 Collected by Peter Force. Vol. III., No. 3. Lefroy, op. cit., Vol. I., pp. 14-21. 



tHakluyt, op. cit., Vol. V., p. 557. Force, op. cit., Vol. III., No. 3, pp. 13, 14. 



