138 A. EF. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 550 
The wild hogs and birds were rapidly destroyed by the famished 
people. Another famine occurred in the third winter (1614-1615), 
when 150 starving people were colonized temporarily on Cooper’s 
Island to feed on the cahow and its eggs, which they nearly exter- 
minated that season. (See history of the Cahow, Part III, ch. 29.) 
A great curse to the colony, from the first, was the large amount 
of liquors sent out on every vessel, for many years, by the Company, 
in order, apparently, to exchange it, at high prices, for the half- 
shares of tobacco that belonged to the cultivators. Many of the 
colonists were taken from the lowest classes of people in London, 
and drunkenness was prevalent among these and others, whenever, 
by any means, they could secure liquors of any kind.* Such condi- 
tions were not confined to Bermuda, nor to that particular time, but 
in this case the Company could have controlled it, had they chosen 
to do so, for a long series of years. Governor Butler and other 
early governors denounced the custom in the strongest terms, as did 
some of the clergymen, but it was continued and gave rise to vari- 
* The Rev. Mr. Hughes, writing in 1620, alludes to this as follows: 
‘*My heart giveth me, that among other sinnes, the abominable sinne of 
Drunkennesse, that aboundeth among you every shipping time did much favour the 
bringing of that judgement upon her, [the ship] to admonish some to bee no 
longer Bawds to Drunkennesse by sending over so much Aqua vite.” ... ‘In 
Summerset you know how one died suddenly with drinking himself dead 
drunke.” . . . ‘‘ Also in the Towne at St. Georges, a man of Summerset drunke 
himself dead drunke, and beeing by a Coroner’s Inquest found guilty of his 
owne death, was by the commandment of Captaine Butler your Governour, 
buried in the highway with a stake driven through him, by them in whose 
company he dranke himself dead. Hach of them having a paper on his backe 
with this superscription : ‘These are the companions of him which killed himselfe 
with drinking.’ Two of the most notorious of them were punished, the one 
whipped at the Whipping Post, the other (because he was a soldier) did ride 
the Cannon, shot off full charged, which did shake him terribly.” 
“‘ Forget not the Boats of Summerset that were over-turned with the keele 
upward, and some of the men drowned, because they that should guide them, 
were troubled in their braines with Aqua vite.” 
Governor Butler thus describes the drinking habits of the people, in 1620 :— 
‘‘ And, indeed, it is incredibly straunge to report what a huge quantitie of 
thes hott composed waters are (mis) spent yearely in these smale Ilands. Will 
it ever be believed (in England it selfe, which is yet too neere akinne to Ger- 
many in this; in Spaine and Italy certainely it can never) that twelve hundred 
persons (whereof the one halfe almost are women and children, and soe noe 
drinckers in this nature) should in three months space only, consume and 
emptye two thousand gallons of this hartburneinge geare, by powreinge it downe 
into their vast mawes? And yet this is the least that (truely) can be sayd of it.” 
