THE GEOLOGY OF BERMUDA. 19 



shells. The upper surface of this conglomerate, unlike its lower sur- 

 face, is quite regular — the usual plane of marine deposition. This con- 

 glomerate is overlain in places by a stratum of sand, like that observed 

 at Devonshire Bay, containing shells of land snails in its uppermost 

 layers. Above this sand, where the sand is present, in other places 

 resting immediately upon the conglomerate, is the ordinary drift-rock. 



HAS BERMUDA SUBSIDED WITHIN HISTORIC TIMES? 



Assuming that the last movement of subsidence has occurred in 

 times geologically very recent, the question arises whether that sub- 

 sidence has occurred within historic times. The affirmative of tbis 

 question is held by General Lefroy in his interesting and valuable work 

 on the early history of Bermuda.* Mr. J. Matthew Jones coincides 

 with this view.t This opinion is supported chiefly by three passages 

 from early writers, which I proi)Ose to examine in chronological order. 



The earliest is from Gonzalo Ferdinando de Oviedo, who visited the 

 islands about the year 1515.| It reads as follows: "In the yeere 1515, 

 when I came first to enforme your maiestie of the state of things in 

 India, and was the yeere following in Flanders, in the time of your 

 most fortunate successe in these yonr kingdoms of Arragon and Castile, 

 whereas at that voyage I sayled above the Hand Bermuda, otherwise 

 called Garza, being the furthest of all the Hands that arc found at this 

 day in the world, and arriuing there at the depth of eight yards of 

 water, and distant from the Land as farre as the shot of a piece of 

 Ordinance, I determined to send some of the ship to Land, as well to 

 make search of such things as were there, as also to leave in the Hand 

 certaine Hogs for increase. But the time not seruing my purpose by 

 reason of contrarie winde, I could bring my ship no neerer the Hand, 



* Memorials of the Discovery and Early Settlement of the Bermudas or Somers 

 Islands, 1515-1085. By Major-General J. H. Lefroy. 2 vols., Loudon, 1877, 79. 



t Recent Observations in the Bermudas. 



tTlie extract is quoted by General Lefroy (op. cit,, vol. I., pp. 2, 3) from an early 

 English version contained in a work entitled as follows: "The history of Trauayle 

 in the West and East Indies and other conntreys lying eyther way towards the fruit- 

 full and richo Moluccaes, as Moscouia, Persia, Arabia, Syria, ^gypte, Ethiopia, Guiuea, 

 China in Cathayo and Giapan. With a discourse of the North-West Passage. Gath- 

 ered in parte and done into Englyshe by Richard Eden. London, 1577." The same 

 version of Oviedo's narrative, under the title, "Extracts of Gonzalo Ferdiuando de 

 Oviedo his Summarie and Generall Historic of the Indies," appears in Purchas his 

 Pilgrimos, Part 3, pp. 971-1000, Loudon, 1(525. The passage here cited may be found 

 in Purchas, p. 989. The original Spanish of the same passage is quoted in Lefroy, 

 op. cit., Vol. I., p. 677. 



