﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  15 
  

  

  pearls, 
  precious 
  stones, 
  and 
  all 
  and 
  singu- 
  

   lar 
  other 
  commodities, 
  reserving 
  only 
  one- 
  

   fifth 
  of 
  the 
  gold 
  and 
  silver. 
  It 
  gave 
  to 
  

   the 
  corporation 
  power 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  laws 
  

   and 
  ordinances 
  as 
  were 
  not 
  contrary 
  to 
  

   the 
  laws 
  of 
  England. 
  

  

  It 
  directed 
  that 
  with 
  all 
  convenient 
  

   speed 
  the 
  islands 
  be 
  divided, 
  that 
  one- 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  be 
  reserved 
  to 
  the 
  

   Company 
  for 
  defraying 
  public 
  charges, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  necessary, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  remain- 
  

   ing 
  profits 
  of 
  that 
  one- 
  fourth 
  be 
  allotted 
  

   to 
  each 
  member 
  according 
  to 
  his 
  holdings. 
  

   The 
  residue, 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  eight 
  parts, 
  or 
  

   tribes, 
  containing 
  fifty 
  shares 
  of 
  twenty- 
  

   five 
  acres 
  each. 
  

  

  No 
  one 
  man 
  was 
  to 
  own 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  

   shares, 
  unless 
  the 
  Company 
  consented, 
  

   and 
  then 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  fifteen. 
  The 
  

   people 
  living 
  in 
  Bermuda 
  were 
  to 
  have 
  

   the 
  rights 
  of 
  British 
  subjects, 
  but 
  the 
  

   Company 
  was 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  full 
  power 
  to 
  

   correct, 
  punish, 
  pardon, 
  and 
  govern 
  and 
  

   rule 
  such 
  subjects. 
  Imports 
  and 
  exports 
  

   were 
  limited 
  to 
  trade 
  between 
  Bermuda 
  

   and 
  the 
  Mother 
  Country. 
  

  

  LITTLE) 
  CHANGE 
  IN 
  GOVERNMENT 
  

   THROUGH 
  THE 
  CENTURIES 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  Governor 
  sent 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  

   colony 
  was 
  Daniel 
  Tucker, 
  gentleman. 
  

   He 
  had 
  been 
  an 
  early 
  settler 
  in 
  Virginia 
  

   and 
  was 
  a 
  cousin 
  of 
  the 
  ancestor 
  of 
  that 
  

   well-known 
  Virginia 
  family. 
  

  

  The 
  Company 
  gave 
  him 
  instructions 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  colony 
  

   was 
  framed. 
  Less 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   countries 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain 
  has 
  that 
  "gov- 
  

   ernment 
  been 
  changed 
  today. 
  

  

  The 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  colony 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  

   Governor, 
  sheriff, 
  and 
  secretary. 
  There 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  four 
  ministers, 
  one 
  to 
  each 
  

   two 
  parishes, 
  and 
  land 
  or 
  glebes 
  were 
  to 
  

   be 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  each 
  of 
  £100 
  a 
  year 
  value. 
  

  

  The 
  council 
  of 
  the 
  colony 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   Governor, 
  the 
  sheriff, 
  the 
  secretary, 
  two 
  

   of 
  the 
  ministers, 
  two 
  captains 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  

   forts; 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  overseers 
  of 
  the 
  

   public 
  land. 
  The 
  Governor 
  and 
  whole 
  

   council 
  .were 
  to 
  sit 
  as 
  judges 
  at 
  general 
  

   sessions 
  twice 
  a 
  year, 
  and 
  would 
  hear 
  

   appeals 
  from 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  council 
  who 
  sat 
  and 
  rendered 
  judg- 
  

   ments 
  at 
  the 
  assizes. 
  

  

  The 
  Governor 
  was 
  also 
  required 
  to 
  

   hold 
  every 
  second 
  year 
  a 
  general 
  assem- 
  

  

  bly 
  for 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  laws 
  and 
  orders 
  for 
  

   the 
  particular 
  necessities 
  and 
  occasions 
  of 
  

   the 
  islands 
  and 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  thereof, 
  

   and 
  for 
  the 
  ordering 
  of 
  other 
  important 
  

   business, 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  further 
  

   effect 
  when 
  not 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  in 
  London. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  assembly 
  the 
  Governor 
  presided 
  

   and 
  had 
  a 
  veto. 
  The 
  council 
  were 
  to 
  sit 
  

   next 
  him, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  all 
  agreed 
  they 
  

   might 
  also 
  negative 
  action. 
  Each 
  tribe 
  

   was 
  to 
  select 
  for 
  its 
  representatives 
  four 
  

   able 
  persons. 
  These 
  were 
  to 
  have 
  free 
  

   voices 
  in 
  the 
  assembly 
  and 
  "therein 
  all 
  

   things 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  established 
  by 
  plurality 
  

   of 
  voices, 
  the 
  foresaid 
  negatives 
  pre- 
  

   served." 
  

  

  THE 
  BERMUDA 
  ASSEMBLY 
  LASTED 
  120 
  

   YEARS 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  general 
  assembly 
  was 
  held 
  in 
  

   1620 
  and 
  another 
  in 
  1622. 
  Only 
  one 
  

   earlier 
  legislative 
  assembly 
  was 
  held 
  in 
  

   North 
  America, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  in 
  1619. 
  

   in 
  Virginia. 
  The 
  Bermuda 
  Assembly, 
  as 
  

   constituted 
  in 
  1622, 
  lasted 
  for 
  about 
  120 
  

   years, 
  and 
  the 
  union 
  of 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  

   the 
  council 
  in 
  the 
  session 
  was 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  so 
  important 
  that 
  one 
  Christopher 
  

   Parker, 
  in 
  1627, 
  was 
  prosecuted 
  as 
  sedi- 
  

   tious 
  for 
  proposing 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  upper 
  and 
  

   lower 
  house. 
  

  

  In 
  1674 
  the 
  London 
  Company 
  made 
  

   formal 
  charges 
  against 
  the 
  assembly 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  council 
  sat 
  sepa- 
  

   rately. 
  After 
  that 
  the 
  Governor 
  did 
  not 
  

   call 
  an 
  assembly 
  for 
  ten 
  years. 
  The 
  ap- 
  

   propriation 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  all 
  legis- 
  

   lative 
  power 
  for 
  a 
  decade 
  resulted, 
  as 
  did 
  

   a 
  similar 
  course 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  Charles 
  I, 
  

   in 
  the 
  cutting 
  off 
  of 
  the 
  corporate 
  head. 
  

   By 
  a 
  proceeding 
  in 
  quo 
  warranto 
  the 
  

   Company 
  was 
  ousted 
  of 
  its 
  privileges 
  

   and 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  became 
  a 
  colony 
  of 
  the 
  

   Crown, 
  with 
  a 
  continuing 
  assembly. 
  

  

  In 
  1730 
  two 
  legislative 
  bodies 
  were 
  

   created, 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  council 
  and 
  

   the 
  assembly, 
  but 
  the 
  assembly 
  continued 
  

   to 
  be 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  members 
  from 
  

   each 
  of 
  the 
  eight 
  tribes 
  and 
  four 
  from 
  

   the 
  common 
  land, 
  or 
  ninth 
  parish, 
  and 
  

   is 
  so 
  constituted 
  today. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  councils 
  today, 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ecutive 
  and 
  legislative 
  councils, 
  with 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  persons 
  members 
  in 
  both. 
  

   With 
  these 
  changes, 
  the 
  assembly 
  which 
  

   sits 
  in 
  Hamilton, 
  Bermuda, 
  today 
  is 
  the 
  

  

  