874 A, E. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 
of Maie & arived in Virginia the 23rd of the same monethe and cominge to 
Cape Henrie the Captaine theare tould vs of the ffamen that was at James 
Towne whereupon wee hastened vp there and found yt true ffor they had eaten 
all the quick thinge that weare theare & some of them had eaten snakes or 
adders. But by the industrie of our Governor in the Bermooda (Sir Thomas 
Gates) thear was saued a litell meale: ffor our allowance would not extende to 
aboue one pownde & a halfe ffor a man a weeke and this w" ffishe wee liued & 
this allowance 9 monethes our Govern" Sir Thomas Gates did allowe them as 
wee had with some Porke & recovered all savinge iij that did die & weare past 
recou'ie before our cominge* Wee consulted together what course wear best to 
bee taken ffor our meanes would not continue aboue 14 daies Wee thought 
good to take into our iiij pinaces as much of the municon as wee could & tooke 
in all the people & weare goinge downe the River but by the waie wee met w* 
the Lorde Laware [Delaware] & Lord Governor which made our heartes verie 
glad & wee p.sently returned vp to James towne & theare wee found noe sal- 
uages for they weare affraid to come thither for they did not trade w'* our men 
these manie monethes The Trothe is they had nothing to trade withal but mul- 
berries Nowe wee are in a good hope to plant & abide heere ffor heere is a 
good course taken & a greater care than ever thear was I ame goeinge to the 
Bermooda for ffishe & hogges with ij small Pinaces & ame in a good opinion to 
bee back againe before the Indians doe gather their harvest The Bermooda is 
the most plentifull place that ever I came to, for ffishe Hogges and ffowle. 
Thus wishinge all healthe with the increase of honor doe humblie take my 
leave ffrom Virginia the xx‘" of June 1610 
Yr honors to comand 
GEORGE SOMERS. 
ffrom James Towne in Virginia. 
“How great the exertions were by which Sir George Somers was 
mainly instrumental in saving the lives of all his companions in ship- 
wreck would never have been gathered from his own report, and we 
must turn to their narratives to appreciate them rightly.”—Lefroy. 
(See extracts from Narrative of Strachy, pp. 537-545, above.) 
Punishment of Crimes (pp. 447, 550, 556, 560-64, 570). 
In order to illustrate more fully the ideas and customs of the early 
settlers, a few additional records of trials and sentences for crimes 
are here inserted. 
After the advent of Governor Butler, in 1619, courts and a local 
legislative body were regularly established. Trials by jury had com- 
menced at least as early as 1618, under Governor Tucker, but they 
were neither regular in form nor strictly legal, for the English laws 
should have fully applied here at that time. | 
* A contemporary writer states that in four days more all would have died of 
starvation, 
