1897.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 07 



enclose several sounds, bays and harbors, some almost wholly 

 land-locked and all deeply interesting to the geologist. 



The surface of the larger islands is ftir from monotonous but 

 the general altitude, though considerable for islands of this type, 

 is less than one might imagine at first glance. The hill tops 

 along the north shore seldom exceed one hundred feet and the 

 average height is probably less than sixty feet. But the land 

 is higher toward the south shore where three or four hills exceed 

 two hundred feet and several others are at least one hundred and 

 fifty. The highest is Scaurs or Town Hill in Smith parish, re- 

 ported by Professor Heilprin to be two hundred and sixty feet ; 

 Gibbs or Lighthouse Hill in Southampton is two hundred and 

 fifty feet ; but much of the land is below forty feet above tide, 

 so much of it indeed, that a submergence to that extent would 

 convert the present land area into an archipelago, with few 

 islands as large as a square mile and all of them together not 

 more than five or six square miles. 



The more important islands, beginning at the southwest, are 

 Ireland and Somerset, forming the point of the hook, Main or 

 Hamilton, forming the curve and most of the stem, St. George 

 and St. David forming, with numerous smaller islands, the broad 

 tip of the stem. The province is divided into nine ))arishes, St. 

 George, Hamilton, Smith, Devonshire, Pembroke, Paget, War- 

 wick, Southampton and Sandj's ; all of them, except St. George, 

 at the northeast, and Sand3's, at the southwest, being in Hamil- 

 ton Island, which has an area of approximately fifteen square 

 miles. Most of the other islands are too small to be cultivated, and 

 there are mau}^ which afford a bare subsistence to a single family. 

 The population is about 15,000, of which fully two-thirds are 

 blacks, chiefly descendants of former slaves. Of the two prin- 

 cipal towns, St. George is the older, having grown up around 

 the army post at the northeasterly extremity of the area, but it 

 has become comparativel3' unimportant, the capital being at 

 Hamilton, which is central and upon an enclosed harbor easily 

 reached by vessels drawing not more than 16 feet of water. 



Situated two hundred and fifty miles east from the Gulf 

 Stream and in the belt of prevailing southwesterly winds, the 

 Bermudas enjoy a climate, much milder than the latitude sug- 

 gests. Frost rarely occurs, while in the summer the mercury 

 seldom rises above 82° F, The contrast between day and night 

 in summer is inconsiderable, so that dews are less important 

 than the humidity would lead one to expect. The vegetation is 

 subtropical, but one recognizes among the humbler plants not a 

 few of the forms familiar in the Temperates. The prevailing 



TRANSACTION'S N. Y. AcAD. Sci., Vol. XVI, Sig. 7, March 27, 1897.] 



