﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  tention 
  between 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  coun- 
  

   cil, 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  side, 
  and 
  the 
  assembly, 
  on 
  

   the 
  other, 
  has 
  greatly 
  improved. 
  

  

  STUDY 
  IN 
  POPULAR 
  GOVERNMENT 
  

  

  The 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  assembly, 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  

   beginning, 
  as 
  indeed 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   most 
  popular 
  governments, 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  peti- 
  

   tioning 
  and 
  advisory 
  body 
  seeking 
  action 
  

   by 
  the 
  executive, 
  who 
  draws 
  all 
  power 
  to 
  

   himself, 
  acquired 
  an 
  independence 
  and 
  

   power 
  in 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  laws 
  and 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   propriation 
  of 
  the 
  people's 
  money 
  which 
  

   gives 
  it 
  really 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  character 
  

   from 
  what 
  it 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  beginning; 
  and 
  

   these 
  changes 
  it 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  study 
  in 
  

   Bermuda, 
  because 
  they 
  furnish 
  a 
  typical 
  

   illustration 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  popular 
  

   power 
  through 
  the 
  assertion 
  by 
  the 
  

   Anglo-Saxon 
  of 
  his 
  self-conceived 
  rights. 
  

  

  The 
  franchise 
  in 
  the 
  island 
  was 
  not 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  residents, 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  

   owners 
  of 
  shares 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  tribes 
  

   and 
  the 
  commons 
  were 
  divided, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  electorate 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  

   the 
  male 
  residents. 
  Indeed, 
  even 
  now, 
  

   as 
  I 
  recollect 
  it, 
  in 
  a 
  population 
  of 
  some 
  

   20,000, 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  1,250 
  

   electors. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  elector 
  he 
  must 
  

   have 
  property 
  which 
  is 
  assessed 
  as 
  worth 
  

   at 
  least 
  60 
  pounds 
  a 
  year, 
  and 
  this 
  re- 
  

   quirement 
  was 
  doubled 
  from 
  30 
  pounds 
  

   a 
  year 
  when 
  slavery 
  was 
  abolished, 
  in 
  

   1834. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  we 
  must 
  realize, 
  

   in 
  calling 
  that 
  of 
  Bermuda 
  a 
  popular 
  

   government, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  government 
  of 
  

   landed 
  holders 
  and 
  not 
  of 
  manhood 
  

   electors 
  ; 
  that 
  this 
  fact 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  marked 
  

   effect 
  upon 
  certain 
  conditions 
  which 
  now 
  

   exist 
  in 
  the 
  islands, 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  refer 
  

   later, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  retained 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  strongest 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  deeply 
  

   conservative 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Bermuda 
  

   community. 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Colony 
  of 
  Bermuda 
  

   from 
  1620, 
  when 
  the 
  first 
  assembly 
  met, 
  

   until 
  1684 
  or 
  1685, 
  when 
  the 
  Company 
  

   was 
  ousted 
  of 
  its 
  charter 
  by 
  quo 
  warranto 
  

   in 
  the 
  King's 
  Bench 
  in 
  England, 
  is 
  made 
  

   up 
  of 
  the 
  struggles 
  of 
  the 
  Company 
  in 
  

   London 
  to 
  make 
  as 
  much 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   colonists 
  as 
  possible; 
  of 
  the 
  struggles 
  of 
  

   the 
  colonists 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  restrictions 
  

   on 
  trade 
  with 
  others 
  than 
  the 
  Company, 
  

   imposed 
  upon 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  proprietaries, 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  governors 
  sent 
  out 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  islands 
  to 
  maintain 
  order, 
  enforce 
  

   the 
  rules 
  of 
  the 
  Company, 
  and 
  defend 
  

   their 
  authority 
  and 
  exercise 
  too-often 
  

   arbitrary 
  power. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  the 
  proprietaries 
  were 
  

   greatly 
  misled 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  and 
  their 
  resources. 
  They 
  counted 
  

   on 
  substantial 
  income 
  from 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  

   ambergris 
  already 
  described. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   rare 
  finding 
  of 
  this 
  anywhere 
  that 
  gives 
  

   it 
  so 
  great 
  a 
  value, 
  and 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  

   were 
  no 
  exception 
  in 
  this 
  regard. 
  

  

  Another 
  source 
  of 
  revenue 
  to 
  which 
  

   the 
  island 
  Company 
  looked 
  was 
  that 
  

   which 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  w 
  T 
  recks 
  

   upon 
  the 
  islands. 
  The 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  

   the 
  islands 
  gave 
  ground 
  for 
  much 
  ghoul- 
  

   ish 
  hope. 
  The 
  Company, 
  therefore, 
  re- 
  

   served 
  to 
  it 
  forever 
  the 
  moiety 
  of 
  all 
  law- 
  

   ful 
  wrecks 
  and 
  the 
  remaining 
  moiety 
  was 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  recoverers. 
  If 
  the 
  wreck 
  

   was 
  driven 
  on 
  to 
  a 
  man's 
  property, 
  then 
  

   the 
  recoverer 
  and 
  the 
  owner 
  were 
  to 
  

   share 
  the 
  moiety. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  an 
  amusing 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  

   wrecking 
  of 
  a 
  vessel 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  upon 
  

   a 
  Sunday. 
  The 
  news 
  of 
  it 
  leaked 
  into 
  the 
  

   congregation, 
  situated 
  near 
  where 
  the 
  

   vessel 
  seemed 
  likely 
  to 
  strike 
  and 
  break. 
  

  

  The 
  minister, 
  who 
  heard 
  the 
  news, 
  rose 
  

   and 
  implored 
  his 
  congregation 
  not 
  to 
  

   leave 
  during 
  the 
  service, 
  but 
  to 
  wait 
  until 
  

   he 
  concluded, 
  when 
  all 
  might 
  start 
  even. 
  

  

  The 
  complaints 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  had 
  great 
  difficulty 
  in 
  collecting 
  its 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  plunder. 
  The 
  Company 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  profit 
  by 
  the 
  whale 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  

   whale 
  fishing 
  is 
  not 
  free 
  from 
  danger 
  and 
  

   hard 
  work, 
  and 
  the 
  restrictions 
  put 
  upon 
  

   it 
  and 
  the 
  license 
  required 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  it 
  

   discouraged 
  that 
  pursuit. 
  

  

  TOBACCO 
  CHIEF 
  PRODUCT 
  OP 
  EARLY 
  DAYS 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  agricultural 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  

   colony, 
  as 
  indeed 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  in 
  earlv 
  

   days 
  was 
  tobacco, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  the 
  

   Company, 
  by 
  compelling 
  a 
  sale 
  of 
  it 
  at 
  a 
  

   low 
  price, 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  realize 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   handsome 
  profit. 
  

  

  But, 
  as 
  was 
  natural, 
  the 
  colonists, 
  

   knowing 
  that 
  the 
  tobacco 
  which 
  they 
  

   raised 
  was 
  worth 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  

   price 
  paid, 
  were 
  negligent 
  in 
  its 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  curing 
  and 
  packing. 
  

  

  The 
  communications 
  of 
  the 
  Company 
  

   are 
  full 
  of 
  complaints 
  on 
  this 
  score. 
  In 
  

   the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  century 
  the 
  

  

  