150 A, E. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands; Geology. 
the right and is therefore concealed by the hull of the vessel. In a 
photographic view (fig. 31) taken in 1875 by Mr. J. B. Heyl, a man 
stands where the vessel stood and the two views are apparently from 
nearly the same point. The two peaks of the rock are represented 
as being nearly equal in height, but now one is decidedly lower than 
the other. This ancient sketch, imperfect as it naturally is, corre- 
sponds fairly well with the outlines-of the rocks, as seen in the photo- 
graph. It proves that these rocks have undergone no great change 
in general form and size since the early settlement of Bermuda, for 
this sea] was probably engraved as early as 1618-20. 
The sketch was very likely made by Mr. Norwood, for he was a 
man of good ability as a draughtsman, and was making bis first sur- 
vey in 1617. The scene evidently commemorates the wreck of a 
French vessel, the “ Bonaventura,” on the 17th of Nov., 1593, on 
board of which was one English seaman, Henry May, who published, 
after his escape to England, in 1594, an account of his experiences 
and a fairly good but brief description of these islands, which, up to 
that time, were known in England only as dangers to be carefully 
avoided. Those of the crew who were saved (about 26 persons), 
brought ashore their provisions, tools, and fittings of the vessel 
“before she split.” They remained on the island five months, while 
they built a small cedar vessel of 18 tons, with which they sailed to 
the Banks of Newfoundland and joined the fishing fleet and were 
thus taken back to Europe. May, in his narrative, stated that when 
they went on the rocks, in the night, they supposed they were on 
the shore of the island, because of the “hie cliffs,” but im the morn- 
ing they found that they were “seven leagues” away from it. He 
also said that after building a raft they towed it ashore, “astern of 
their boat,” and that ‘we rowed all the day until an hour or two 
before night yer we could come to land.” . 
Several writers have been misled by ,this statement and have even 
imagined that they must have been wrecked on some far more dis 
tant island which has since been worn away or submerged.* But it 
is evident that May meant that it was seven leagues us they had to 
row, for they could not cross the reefs at that point, in the surf, and 
must have rowed along outside the reef till they reached the present 
ship channel and there entered the bay and landed, probably on St. 
George’s Island. This would have caused them to row about seven 
* See Lefroy Memorials, vol. i, p. 9. Also Jones, Recent Observations in the 
Bermudas, and his Visitors’ Guide, 1876. 
