﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  23 
  

  

  the 
  nacked 
  bach 
  with 
  thirtie 
  stripes. 
  Whereof 
  

   fayle 
  you 
  not, 
  and 
  for 
  your 
  so 
  doing 
  this 
  my 
  

   warrant 
  shall 
  be 
  your 
  discharge. 
  Given 
  under 
  

   my 
  hand 
  the 
  7th 
  day 
  of 
  Sept. 
  1669. 
  

  

  John 
  Heydon." 
  

  

  CHANGES 
  IN 
  MOTHER 
  COUNTRY 
  QUICKLY 
  

   REFLECTED 
  IN 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  The 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  Company's 
  con- 
  

   trol 
  to 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  Crown 
  did 
  not 
  

   relieve 
  the 
  Bermudian 
  community 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   sension 
  and 
  discussion 
  between 
  the 
  gov- 
  

   ernors 
  and 
  the 
  assembly. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  reflected 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  

   colonial 
  community 
  the 
  political, 
  religious, 
  

   and 
  social 
  conflicts 
  of 
  the 
  Mother 
  Coun- 
  

   try 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  colonies. 
  

  

  The 
  controversy 
  between 
  Charles 
  I 
  and 
  

   his 
  parliament 
  brought 
  about 
  a 
  division 
  

   in 
  the 
  islands, 
  but 
  after 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  years 
  

   the 
  prevailing 
  government 
  in 
  England 
  

   was 
  fully 
  recognized 
  in 
  the 
  islands. 
  So, 
  

   too, 
  the 
  fights 
  between 
  the 
  Church 
  of 
  

   England 
  and 
  the 
  Independents 
  and 
  the 
  

   Presbyterians 
  arose, 
  religious 
  prosecu- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  persecutions 
  were 
  maintained 
  

   and 
  fought, 
  and 
  the 
  Church 
  of 
  England 
  

   went 
  out 
  with 
  Cromwell 
  and 
  returned 
  

   with 
  Charles 
  II. 
  

  

  The 
  prosecutions 
  for 
  witchcraft 
  had 
  

   their 
  vogue. 
  There 
  were 
  20 
  presentments 
  

   and 
  five 
  were 
  hanged. 
  

  

  The 
  Quakers 
  sought 
  the 
  islands, 
  and 
  

   were 
  persecuted 
  and 
  made 
  defense. 
  They 
  

   did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  violent 
  in 
  

   their 
  demonstrations 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  inter- 
  

   ference 
  with 
  public 
  worship 
  as 
  else- 
  

   where, 
  and 
  none 
  were 
  given 
  more 
  than 
  

   mild 
  punishment, 
  though 
  some 
  foreign 
  

   Quakers 
  were 
  banished. 
  

  

  Slaves 
  were 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  islands 
  

   as 
  early 
  as 
  1632, 
  and 
  slavery 
  continued 
  to 
  

   be 
  an 
  important 
  institution 
  in 
  the 
  social 
  

   and 
  economic 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  until 
  its 
  

   abolition, 
  in 
  1834. 
  For 
  a 
  time 
  the 
  in- 
  

   dustry 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  was 
  agricultural, 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  tobacco, 
  and 
  slaves 
  were 
  an 
  

   important 
  aid 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  refusal 
  of 
  the 
  Company 
  to 
  allow 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  cedar 
  trees 
  as 
  timber 
  for 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  ships 
  prevented 
  mari- 
  

   time 
  pursuits. 
  In 
  the 
  18th 
  century, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  change 
  to 
  the 
  direct 
  

   government 
  of 
  the 
  Crown, 
  the 
  restric- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  lumber 
  were 
  removed, 
  

   and 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  period 
  the 
  Bur- 
  

   mudians 
  abandoned 
  agriculture 
  and 
  de- 
  

   voted 
  themselves 
  most 
  successfully 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  carrying 
  trade 
  between 
  the 
  American 
  

   colonies 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Indies. 
  

  

  In 
  that 
  time 
  agriculture 
  was 
  confined 
  

   to 
  the 
  negroes 
  and 
  became 
  a 
  despised 
  

   pursuit. 
  Because 
  of 
  this, 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  there 
  was 
  famine 
  in 
  the 
  islands, 
  

   which 
  could 
  only 
  be 
  relieved 
  by 
  illicit 
  

   trade, 
  contrary 
  to 
  law, 
  with 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  colonies. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  during 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  periods 
  of 
  

   famine 
  and 
  suffering 
  among 
  the 
  Ber- 
  

   mudian 
  colonists 
  that 
  the 
  Revolutionary 
  

   War 
  broke 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

   Washington 
  was 
  in 
  desperate 
  straits 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  a 
  lack 
  of 
  powder, 
  and 
  a 
  vessel 
  

   from 
  Philadelphia 
  went 
  to 
  Bermuda 
  and, 
  

   with 
  the 
  connivance 
  of 
  the 
  colonists, 
  for 
  

   it 
  could 
  not 
  otherwise 
  have 
  been 
  done, 
  

   broke 
  open 
  the 
  powder 
  magazine 
  and 
  

   took 
  the 
  entire 
  supply 
  aboard 
  the 
  ship 
  

   and 
  conveyed 
  it 
  to 
  Philadelphia. 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  during 
  the 
  incumbency 
  of 
  

   Governor 
  Bruere, 
  who 
  was 
  at 
  sword's 
  

   point 
  with 
  the 
  assembly 
  and 
  the 
  colonists. 
  

   He 
  immediately 
  and 
  rightly 
  charged 
  that 
  

   the 
  achievement 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  treachery 
  

   of 
  the 
  inhabitants. 
  

  

  ONCE 
  AS 
  FORMIDABLE 
  AS 
  GIBRALTAR 
  

  

  The 
  importance 
  of 
  Bermuda 
  to 
  the 
  

   Mother 
  Country 
  has 
  been 
  as 
  a 
  British 
  

   fortress 
  and 
  naval 
  station. 
  Protected 
  

   from 
  attack 
  by 
  the 
  outlying 
  reefs, 
  and 
  

   with 
  its 
  strategic 
  advantage 
  in 
  respect 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  Great 
  Britain 
  has 
  spent 
  

   a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  money 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  in 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  a 
  naval 
  station, 
  in 
  fortifying 
  the 
  

   port, 
  and 
  in 
  building 
  quarters 
  for 
  an 
  

   army 
  garrison. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  

   preparation 
  there 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  islands, 
  

   9,000 
  long-term 
  convicts 
  to 
  work 
  upon 
  

   the 
  docks 
  and 
  the 
  naval 
  station 
  and 
  to 
  

   build 
  roads 
  through 
  the 
  islands. 
  The 
  

   evidences 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  of 
  engineering 
  

   construction 
  meet 
  the 
  visitor 
  on 
  every 
  

   side. 
  

  

  Bermuda 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  considered 
  as 
  

   formidable 
  as 
  Gibraltar 
  ; 
  but 
  what 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  naval 
  long-range 
  artillery 
  would 
  

   be 
  in 
  an 
  attack 
  upon 
  the 
  islands 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  

   military 
  expert 
  enough 
  to 
  judge. 
  Certain 
  

   it 
  is 
  now 
  that 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  as 
  a 
  military 
  garrison 
  is 
  not 
  made 
  

   apparent. 
  There 
  are 
  but 
  few 
  troops 
  there 
  

   and 
  still 
  fewer 
  ships. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  gratifying 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  here, 
  as 
  

   elsewhere, 
  Great 
  Britain 
  refuses 
  to 
  con- 
  

  

  