546 A, BE. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 
that they had also sawed and hewed timber, intending to build a 
vessel, in which to sail away. In another place he says that ‘they 
have made a great deale of Tobacco.” 
It is narrated by Governor Butler, by Capt. John Smith, and the 
Rey. Mr. Hughes, that when the prospective settlers arrived at the 
islands in 1612, they found that these men* had “an acre of good 
corne [wheat, according to Mr. Hughes]t ripe and ready for the 
gatherour; numbers of pompions [pumpkins], Indian beanes, many 
tortoises ready taken, good store of hogge-flesh salted and made 
into flitches of bacon.” 
Therefore the actual first planting of the islands was begun by 
Somers, or by these three pioneer men, in 1610. Very likely they 
planted many other things, not mentioned here by name. 
There is a very important document, quoted above, relating to this 
* One of these men, Christopher Carter, had also remained on the islands 
during the absence of Somers in Virginia. He was later (1616) one of the six 
deputy governors appointed by Moore to rule by turns of a month each, but he 
was an indolent ruler, too fond of his cups. Subsequently he visited London, 
and, as is said by some, turned over to the Company another mass of ambergris, 
Governor Butler said that it was to demand his reward for finding the orig- 
inal mass, and that that he had begun to take ‘‘ dangerous courses,” perhaps 
to expose frauds in connection with the large mass of ambergris. However, 
the Company gave him a ‘‘royal lease” to Cooper’s Island, by which he was 
entitled to all valuables or royalties that might be found there, including 
ambergris, which was certainly a remarkable concession, at that time. 
Governor Butler said that it was in ‘‘ exchange for three lives,” intimating 
that it was to induce him not to expose the frauds of prominent members of the 
Company. His acceptance or choice of Cooper’s Island was explained later, 
by his heirs, to have been because he believed he could find the Spanish trea- 
sures, supposed to be buried there, from tablets and marks found on certain 
trees, (See under Yellow-wood Tree, ch. 26.) He returned with the lease in 
1622, and died before 1627, when the land passed into the possession of Capt. 
Folgate, who actually found a lump of ambergris there, in 1627, and claimed 
it as his own, which led to an investigation of the royal lease. (See p. 517, note.) 
Governor Butler considered Carter ‘‘a great foole,” and thought that he had 
been badly cheated in accepting Cooper’s Island, but perhaps he was ignorant 
of the clause concerning the royalties. The island contains 77 acres, but is not 
very fertile. 
+ Perhaps Hughes considered the Indian Corn a variety of ‘‘ wheat,” for writ- 
ing in 1614, he said: 
‘* And now that we have found out the right seasons of the yeare to set corne, 
we are like, (by the blessinge of God) to have plenty of this countrey wheate, 
which is very good, large and faire, and more hearty and strong than our 
English wheate.”’ 
This remark would seem to apply to the Indian corn or maize, which was then 
hardly known in England. Wheat does not grow well in Bermuda. 
