﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  21 
  

  

  growing 
  and 
  curing 
  of 
  tobacco 
  was 
  

   largely 
  given 
  up. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  for 
  the 
  Company 
  that 
  it 
  

   seemed 
  very 
  anxious 
  that 
  the 
  colonists 
  

   should 
  have 
  religious 
  instruction,, 
  and 
  that 
  

   their 
  children 
  should 
  have 
  education, 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  their 
  declarations 
  can 
  be 
  credited 
  ; 
  

   but 
  the 
  grievances 
  of 
  the 
  colonists 
  in- 
  

   cluded 
  frequent 
  complaints 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  

   not 
  ministers 
  of 
  religion 
  enough, 
  and 
  they 
  

   used 
  this 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  charges 
  of 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  drunkenness, 
  

   idleness, 
  incontinence, 
  and 
  general 
  im- 
  

   moral 
  tendencies. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  governors 
  whose 
  

   administration 
  of 
  the 
  regular 
  three 
  years' 
  

   term 
  or 
  longer 
  was 
  not 
  full 
  of 
  discussion 
  

   and 
  conflict 
  of 
  authority. 
  Few 
  governors 
  

   went 
  out 
  of 
  office 
  against 
  whom 
  some 
  

   suits 
  at 
  law 
  for 
  abuse 
  of 
  authority 
  and 
  

   false 
  imprisonment 
  were 
  not 
  brought 
  as 
  

   a 
  reward 
  of 
  their 
  administration. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  Company, 
  the 
  gov- 
  

   ernors 
  used 
  questionable 
  authority 
  to 
  

   punish 
  the 
  slightest 
  infraction 
  of 
  what 
  

   they 
  regarded 
  as 
  proper 
  rules 
  of 
  conduct. 
  

  

  Governor 
  Tucker, 
  sitting 
  as 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  the 
  assizes 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  session, 
  

   did 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  sentence 
  a 
  man 
  and 
  

   execute 
  him 
  for 
  having 
  made 
  a 
  speech 
  

   against 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  government. 
  

  

  The 
  controversies 
  continued, 
  but 
  the 
  

   people 
  held 
  tenaciously 
  to 
  their 
  rights, 
  

   and 
  the 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  

   assembly 
  grew 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  apparent 
  

   as 
  the 
  years 
  wore 
  on. 
  The 
  men 
  who 
  took 
  

   part 
  in 
  these 
  controversies 
  were 
  chiefly 
  

   the 
  descendants 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  figured 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  discussions 
  since 
  1620. 
  

  

  The 
  merchants, 
  wholesale 
  and 
  retail, 
  

   the 
  farmers, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  business 
  men 
  to- 
  

   day 
  have 
  still 
  among 
  them, 
  as 
  influential 
  

   leaders, 
  the 
  descendants 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  

   were 
  prominent 
  during 
  the 
  thirty 
  decades 
  

   since 
  Daniel 
  Tucker 
  assumed 
  authority 
  

   as 
  Governor 
  under 
  the 
  charter 
  of 
  James 
  I. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  and 
  curious 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  

   minute 
  supervision 
  that 
  the 
  court 
  of 
  

   assize, 
  sitting 
  as 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  grand 
  jury 
  and 
  

   court 
  as 
  well, 
  exercised 
  over 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  

   the 
  colonists. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  assize 
  and 
  session 
  of 
  161 
  8 
  we 
  

   find 
  a 
  widow 
  presented 
  by 
  name 
  on 
  suspi- 
  

   cion 
  of 
  incontinence 
  ; 
  William 
  Pollard, 
  

   gentleman, 
  for 
  that 
  he 
  doth 
  not 
  forbear 
  

   to 
  use 
  himself 
  unreverently 
  in 
  the 
  church 
  

   and, 
  contrary 
  to 
  religion 
  and 
  the 
  disci- 
  

  

  pline 
  of 
  the 
  Church 
  of 
  England, 
  hath 
  re- 
  

   fused 
  or 
  neglected 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  Holy 
  

   Communion 
  ; 
  certain 
  churchwardens 
  for 
  

   not 
  providing 
  communion 
  wine 
  ; 
  a 
  mar- 
  

   ried 
  couple 
  for 
  not 
  living 
  together 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  the 
  ordinance 
  of 
  God 
  ; 
  two 
  men 
  

   for 
  playing 
  unlawful 
  games, 
  and 
  other 
  

   such 
  like 
  disorders. 
  

  

  These 
  presentments, 
  as 
  General 
  Lefroy 
  

   says, 
  were 
  no 
  laughing 
  matter, 
  for 
  thirty 
  

   lashes 
  at 
  the 
  church 
  door 
  frequently 
  fol- 
  

   lowed. 
  

  

  THE 
  CLERGY 
  AXD 
  THE 
  GOVERNOR 
  WERE 
  

   OETEN 
  AT 
  ODDS 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  ministers 
  who 
  were 
  sent 
  

   were 
  graduates 
  of 
  Cambridge 
  and 
  Oxford 
  

   and 
  were 
  vested 
  with 
  considerable 
  author- 
  

   ity, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  did 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  differ 
  

   with 
  the 
  Governor. 
  

  

  The 
  Governor 
  did 
  not, 
  on 
  his 
  part, 
  hesi- 
  

   tate 
  sometimes 
  to 
  imprison 
  them, 
  and 
  

   when 
  he 
  left 
  office 
  he 
  usually 
  found 
  a 
  

   suit 
  for 
  false 
  imprisonment 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  

   rewards. 
  So 
  common 
  was 
  this 
  that 
  the 
  

   assembly 
  passed 
  an 
  act 
  in 
  behalf 
  of 
  min- 
  

   isters, 
  providing 
  that 
  all 
  of 
  those 
  sent 
  

   home 
  or 
  imprisoned 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  

   should 
  be 
  entitled 
  to 
  their 
  pay 
  in 
  interim, 
  

   unless 
  justly 
  proceeded 
  against. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  complaints 
  which 
  the 
  

   colonists 
  had 
  to 
  make 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  neces- 
  

   sity 
  for 
  buying 
  their 
  supplies 
  from 
  the 
  

   stock 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  Company, 
  and 
  out 
  

   of 
  this 
  the 
  Company 
  doubtless 
  made 
  sub- 
  

   stantial 
  profit. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  colonists 
  had 
  reached 
  

   2,000 
  in 
  1629, 
  and 
  although 
  there 
  were 
  

   variations 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  gradual 
  increase, 
  until 
  now 
  there 
  

   are 
  about 
  20,000 
  people. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  owned 
  shares 
  

   in 
  the 
  Company 
  came 
  over 
  to 
  join 
  them 
  

   in 
  the 
  colony, 
  and 
  the 
  English 
  noblemen 
  

   who 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  120 
  proprietaries 
  

   parted 
  with 
  their 
  interests. 
  

  

  From 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  complaint 
  was 
  made 
  

   of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  colonists 
  who 
  were 
  

   sent 
  there. 
  They 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   jails 
  and 
  bridewells, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  add 
  to 
  

   the 
  morality 
  or 
  economic 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  

   community. 
  One 
  very 
  energetic 
  Gover- 
  

   nor 
  named 
  Butler 
  procured 
  a 
  resolution 
  

   protesting 
  against 
  "the 
  overaged, 
  dis- 
  

   eased, 
  and 
  impotent 
  persons 
  who 
  were 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  sent 
  over 
  to 
  us, 
  and 
  so 
  are 
  to 
  rest 
  and 
  

   remain 
  here 
  as 
  drones 
  and 
  horse-leaches, 
  

  

  