﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  25 
  

  

  sider 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  conflict 
  with 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  she 
  continues 
  

   to 
  send 
  some 
  of 
  her 
  best 
  soldiers 
  and 
  

   sailors, 
  the 
  one 
  to 
  be 
  governors 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  to 
  be 
  admirals, 
  in 
  charge 
  at 
  these 
  

   headquarters 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  sta- 
  

   tion, 
  it 
  is 
  perfectly 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  prox- 
  

   imity 
  of 
  Bermuda 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   has 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  bearing 
  on 
  British 
  policy 
  

   in 
  this 
  colony. 
  

  

  The 
  fact, 
  however, 
  that 
  Great 
  Britain 
  

   did 
  spend 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  money 
  in 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  Bermuda 
  as 
  a 
  fortress 
  had 
  marked 
  

   influence 
  upon 
  the 
  economical 
  fortunes 
  

   of 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  has 
  enabled 
  the 
  island- 
  

   ers 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  beautiful 
  roads 
  

   and 
  extensive 
  public 
  works 
  impossible 
  

   otherwise. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  trade 
  between 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  became 
  free, 
  

   some 
  little 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  War 
  of 
  1812, 
  

   the 
  Bermudian 
  mariners 
  could 
  not 
  meet 
  

   the 
  competition 
  of 
  our 
  sailing 
  ships 
  and 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Mother 
  Country, 
  and 
  the 
  

   islands 
  were 
  driven 
  again 
  to 
  agriculture. 
  

  

  THE 
  REAL 
  WEALTH 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  EARLY 
  

  

  VEGETABLES 
  

  

  Under 
  a 
  British 
  general, 
  who 
  was 
  Gov- 
  

   ernor, 
  General 
  Reid, 
  in 
  ,1840, 
  great 
  prog- 
  

   ress 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  developing 
  what 
  is 
  the 
  

   real 
  wealth 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  their 
  adapta- 
  

   bility 
  to 
  the 
  raising 
  for 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  early 
  vegetables. 
  The 
  Ber- 
  

   muda 
  potato 
  and 
  the 
  Bermuda 
  onion 
  

   have 
  attained 
  a 
  just 
  reputation 
  for 
  excel- 
  

   lence 
  in 
  those 
  markets, 
  where 
  a 
  high 
  price 
  

   can 
  be 
  obtained 
  for 
  them 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   luxuries 
  of 
  the 
  table. 
  

  

  The 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  abolition 
  of 
  slavery 
  

   was 
  not 
  so 
  marked 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  as 
  with 
  

   us. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  peaceful 
  change, 
  and 
  while 
  

   every 
  family 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  had 
  slaves, 
  

   they 
  were 
  rather 
  domestic 
  servants, 
  few 
  

   in 
  number 
  for 
  each 
  family, 
  and 
  not 
  large 
  

   groups, 
  as 
  with 
  us, 
  engaged 
  on 
  large 
  plan- 
  

   tations 
  ; 
  and, 
  while 
  some 
  years 
  before 
  

   Bermuda 
  slave 
  owners 
  manifested 
  great 
  

   opposition 
  to 
  the 
  anti-slavery 
  movement, 
  

   on 
  the 
  whole 
  they 
  were 
  quite 
  well 
  satisfied 
  

   to 
  have 
  the 
  change 
  made, 
  accompanied, 
  

   as 
  it 
  was, 
  by 
  the 
  payment 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  

   round 
  numbers 
  of 
  $600,000 
  for 
  the 
  six 
  

   thousand 
  slaves 
  whom 
  they 
  held. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  education 
  in 
  the 
  

   islands 
  is 
  lacking 
  much 
  in 
  thoroughness 
  

   and 
  should 
  be 
  greatly 
  improved, 
  there 
  

  

  are 
  enough 
  schools 
  to 
  give 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   negroes 
  who 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  desire 
  for 
  

   education 
  primary 
  instruction. 
  

  

  With 
  thirty 
  years' 
  start 
  upon 
  our 
  own 
  

   negroes 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  freedom, 
  and 
  

   without 
  the 
  bitterness 
  created 
  by 
  a 
  war 
  

   whose 
  cause 
  was 
  slavery, 
  the 
  Bermuda 
  

   negroes 
  have 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  made 
  more 
  

   progress 
  than 
  our 
  own 
  colored 
  people 
  and 
  

   seem 
  more 
  contented, 
  though 
  not 
  more 
  

   progressive. 
  

  

  ONE 
  MAN 
  MAY 
  HAVE 
  SEVERAL 
  VOTES 
  

  

  No 
  man 
  can 
  be 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  assem- 
  

   bly 
  unless 
  he 
  possesses 
  a 
  freehold 
  rated 
  

   at 
  $1,200, 
  just 
  as 
  one 
  who 
  votes 
  for 
  him 
  

   must 
  own 
  a 
  freehold 
  rated 
  at 
  $300 
  an- 
  

   nually. 
  A 
  freeholder 
  may 
  have 
  several 
  

   votes 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  he 
  may 
  vote 
  in 
  each 
  parish 
  

   in 
  which 
  he 
  owns 
  enough 
  to 
  constitute 
  

   himself 
  a 
  voter. 
  

  

  In 
  1908 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  1,298 
  electors, 
  

   and 
  of 
  these 
  852 
  white 
  and 
  446 
  were 
  

   colored, 
  although 
  the 
  population 
  was 
  two 
  

   colored 
  men 
  for 
  every 
  white 
  man. 
  

  

  The 
  result 
  of 
  these 
  restrictions 
  on 
  the 
  

   franchise 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  represent- 
  

   atives 
  is 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  lesris- 
  

   lative 
  assembly 
  but 
  two 
  colored 
  men. 
  As 
  

   already 
  said, 
  these 
  provisions 
  make 
  the 
  

   islands 
  a 
  representative 
  government 
  of 
  

   the 
  landed 
  owners. 
  

  

  The 
  beauties 
  of 
  this 
  island 
  home, 
  its 
  

   fine 
  climate 
  and 
  scenery, 
  its 
  convenience 
  

   of 
  access 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  its 
  effi- 
  

   cient 
  government, 
  attract 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  visitors 
  during 
  

   the 
  colder 
  and 
  uncomfortable 
  seasons 
  of 
  

   the 
  year. 
  Indeed, 
  in 
  time 
  past 
  there 
  have 
  

   been 
  as 
  many 
  sojourners 
  in 
  the 
  islands 
  

   from 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  as 
  there 
  were 
  

   permanent 
  residents. 
  

  

  The 
  payments 
  of 
  these 
  visitors, 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  with 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  exports 
  of 
  

   early 
  vegetables, 
  are 
  the 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  

   income 
  of 
  the 
  islands. 
  Their 
  revenues 
  

   for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  government 
  

   they 
  derive 
  from 
  an 
  ad 
  valorem 
  duty 
  of 
  

   11 
  per 
  cent. 
  This 
  enables 
  them 
  to 
  carry 
  

   on 
  the 
  government 
  and 
  to 
  maintain 
  its 
  

   dignity 
  and 
  the 
  forms 
  that, 
  with 
  their 
  

   conservative 
  tendencies, 
  they 
  love 
  to 
  

   maintain. 
  

  

  The 
  land-owners 
  pay 
  no 
  general 
  tax 
  on 
  

   their 
  land 
  or 
  property. 
  No 
  man 
  is 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  to 
  pay 
  an 
  income 
  tax, 
  for 
  the 
  in- 
  

   come 
  tax 
  levied 
  by 
  Great 
  Britain 
  does 
  not 
  

  

  