146 A. EF. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 558 
At that time there were no textile materials raised there with 
which they could have made cloth, even if they had the skill. How- 
ever, they did plant hempseed and flaxseed, in 1632 and 1633, and 
subsequently some cotton. But later (1644) they sent a ship to 
Barbadoes to trade for cotton and it brought back a cargo of 11,018 
pounds of cotton, which the women and girls learned to spin. 
The duty on tobacco was reduced to 6° a pound, in consequence 
of urgent petitions in 1627, but even then it was not remunerative 
under the conditions imposed by the Company. The colonists were 
forbidden to trade with the other American colonies, even for neces- 
sary things, nor could they trade with any ships except those sent 
by the Company. Yet they were compelled to do so in order to live 
at all, and so we find records of cargoes of potatoes, oranges, etc., 
sent to New England at that time. On the other hand, the Company 
continually complained of the poor quality of the tobacco sent to 
them; but those planters who occupied the public lands on half- 
shares complained that the Company would not pay for any part of 
the labor necessary to properly cure even their own share, and con- 
sequently much was spoiled for lack of sufficient help at the critical 
time. 
The difficulties connected with the making of tobacco, especially 
on the plan of half-shares, are well described in the following extract 
from a letter sent by the Assembly, in 1627, to the Bermuda Com- 
pany, in reply to a letter from the Company, dated Sept. 20th, 1626 
complaining of the poor quality of the Bermuda tobacco, as con- 
trasted with that from Virginia and St. Christopher’s I., and also 
requiring them to return to the system of cultivation at one-half 
gross shares for the Company, as was customary for tenants in 
England : 
as will cloathe us from sunne and cold nights I thank god wee abound wth 
vitualls in varietye and plentie both flesh and fish, rootes and fruits, so that wee 
excell all the plantacons in the kings dominions, and wee desire to undertake 
any travell and labour if wee had a subject to worke upon to cloathe ourselves, 
but it is our miserie to live in these tymes that the more wee labour the more 
wee are undone through the extreame ympost laid upon our goods, we’h exceeds 
the value of the commoditie, a thing without precedent and never before heard 
of. I pray God amend yt and send us help from heaven for on earth I see but 
little hope.” 
He sent a present of some tobacco to which he referred as follows, in a post- 
script :— 
‘<T beseech you vouchsafe the tasting of our poore Burmoodian Tobaco weh is 
2d worse than nothing the pound.” 
