42 THE BERMUDA ISLANDS. 



draught of water from that source. In the very beautiful Island 

 Cave, near Joyce's Dock, on the north shore, the interior pool 

 has a depth of probably upwards of twenty feet we were in- 

 formed that it was thirty feet yet through it rose a ponderous 

 stalagmite, several feet in thickness. Manifestly, this stalag- 

 mite could only have been formed when the pool was riot yet 

 existent or at a time when the floor of the cave was elevated 

 above sea-level. The depth of the pool, then, is a measure of 

 the least possible amount of subsidence, from 20 to 30 feet in 

 the present instance. Much the same condition is presented 

 by some of the other caves. These sea-grottoes are among the 

 most attractive features of the Bermudas, and they would, 

 even in regions far famed for their caves, attract attention. 

 The principal vaults are of fairly large size, but the connect- 

 ing passages are low and contracted, rendering deep penetra- 

 tion difficult. 



These various forms of evidence make clear that there has 

 not only been subsidence, but subsidence on a moderately 

 large scale, and in a comparatively recent (geologically speak- 

 ing) period. Indeed, were we to search for evidence of sub- 

 sidence alone we would not be compelled to go beyond the 

 simple drift-rock, which at so many points dips directly into 

 the sea. To what amount this subsidence may have extended 

 cannot in the nature of things be determined, but it appears 

 to have been at least sufficient to account for the depth of 

 water which marks the lagoon and inner sounds. Before this 

 subsidence took place probably the entire area now covered by 

 the Bermudian archipelago, and much more, were dry land, 

 and it was at this time, doubtless, that the great sand dunes 

 were elevated. The prevalence of powerful winds on the south 

 side would tend to elevate this side of the island, while the 

 opposite side, not feeling this influence in any marked degree^ 

 would remain comparatively low and flat. In a period of sub- 

 sidence the low side would naturally be the first to succumb 

 to the waters, and would undergo submergence long before 

 the elevated slopes. And this is precisely what appears to have 

 taken place in the Bermudas. 



