THE GEOLOGY OF BERMUDA. 19 
shells. The upper surface of this conglomerate, unlike its lower sur- 
face, is quite regular—the usual plane of marine deposition. This con- 
glomerate is overlain in places by a stratum of sand, like that observed 
at Devonshire Bay, containing shells of land snails in its uppermost 
layers. Above this sand, where the sand is present, in other places 
resting immediately upon the conglomerate, is the ordinary drift-rock. 
HAS BERMUDA SUBSIDED WITHIN HISTORIC TIMES? 
Assuming that the last movement of subsidence has occurred in 
times geologically very recent, the question arises whether that sub- 
sidence has occurred within historic times. The affirmative of this 
question is held by General Lefroy in his interesting and valuable work 
on the early history of Bermuda.* Mr. J. Matthew Jones coincides 
with this view.t This opinion is supported chiefly by three passages 
from early writers, which I propose to examine in chronological order. 
The earliest is from Gonzalo Ferdinando de Oviedo, who visited the 
islands about the year 1515.t It reads as follows: ‘In the yeere 1515, 
when I came first to enforme your maiestie of the state of things in 
India, and was the yeere following in Flanders, in the time of your 
most fortunate successe in these your kingdoms of Arragon and Castile, 
whereas at that voyage I sayled above the land Bermuda, otherwise 
ealled Garza, being the furthest of all the lands that are found at this 
day in the world, and arriuing there at the depth of eight yards of 
water, and distant from the Land as farre as the shot of a piece of 
Ordinance, I determined to send some of the ship to Land, as well to 
make search of such things as were there, as also to leave in the Iland 
certaine Hogs for increase. But the time not seruing my purpose by 
reason of contrarie winde, I could bring my ship no neerer the Iland, 
*Memorials of the Discovery and Early Settlement of the Bermudas or Somers 
Islands, 1515-1685. By Major-General J. H. Lefroy. 2 vols., London, 1877, ’79. 
+t Recent Observations in the Bermudas. 
{The extract is quoted by General Lefroy (op. cit., vol. I., pp. 2, 3) from an early 
English version contained in a work entitled as follows: ‘‘The history of Trauayle 
in the West and East Indies and other countreys lying eyther way towards the fruit- 
full and riche Moluccaes, as Moscouia, Persia, Arabia, Syria, Zgypte, Ethiopia, Guinea, 
China in Cathayo and Giapan. With a discourse of the North-West Passage. Gath- 
ered in parte and done into Englyshe by Richard Eden. London, 1577.” The same 
version of Oviedo’s narrative, under the title, ‘‘ Extracts of Gonzalo Ferdinando de 
Oviedo his Summarie and Generall Historie of the Indies,” appears in Purchas his 
Pilgrimes, Part 3, pp. 971-1000, London, 1625. The passage here cited may be found 
in Purchas, p. 989. The original Spanish of the same passage is quoted in Lefroy, 
op. cit., Vol. I., p. 677. 
