﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  Pantelaria, 
  in 
  the 
  Med- 
  

   iterranean 
  which 
  he 
  

   thinks 
  much 
  more 
  likely. 
  

  

  Furness, 
  our 
  o 
  w 
  n 
  

   great 
  Shakespearian 
  

   scholar, 
  the 
  editor 
  of 
  the 
  

   Variorum 
  edition, 
  re- 
  

   jects 
  the 
  suggestion 
  that 
  

   the 
  poet 
  intended 
  to 
  

   make 
  Bermuda 
  the 
  scene 
  

   of 
  the 
  play. 
  He 
  points 
  

   out 
  that 
  the 
  mention 
  of 
  

   "still 
  vex't 
  Bermoothes" 
  

   by 
  Ariel 
  is 
  in 
  reference 
  

   to 
  a 
  place 
  from 
  which 
  

   dew 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  

   to 
  Prospero's 
  Isle, 
  and 
  

   so 
  was 
  different 
  from 
  it. 
  

   He 
  says 
  : 
  "The 
  islands 
  

   are 
  called 
  'still 
  vex't' 
  — 
  

   that 
  is, 
  constantly, 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  vext 
  — 
  by 
  tempests, 
  

   from 
  accounts 
  of 
  them 
  

   which 
  voyagers 
  brought 
  

   home 
  and 
  which 
  were 
  

   so 
  unvarying 
  in 
  their 
  

   character 
  that, 
  as 
  Hun- 
  

   ter 
  says, 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  

   became 
  a 
  commonplace 
  

   in 
  Shakespeare's 
  time, 
  

   whenever 
  storms 
  and 
  tempests 
  were 
  the 
  

   theme." 
  

  

  Lowell, 
  in 
  his 
  "Among 
  My 
  Books," 
  

   disposes 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  way. 
  He 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  "Shakespeare 
  is 
  wont 
  to 
  take 
  some 
  

   familiar 
  story 
  and 
  to 
  lay 
  his 
  scene 
  in 
  

   some 
  place, 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  

   familiar, 
  well 
  knowing 
  the 
  reserve 
  of 
  

   power 
  that 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  familiar 
  as 
  a 
  back- 
  

   ground 
  when 
  things 
  are 
  set 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  it 
  

   under 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  unexpected 
  light. 
  

  

  "But 
  in 
  'The 
  Tempest' 
  the 
  scene 
  is 
  

   laid 
  nowhere, 
  or 
  certainly 
  in 
  no 
  country 
  

   laid 
  down 
  in 
  any 
  map. 
  Nowhere 
  then? 
  

   At 
  once 
  nowhere 
  and 
  anywhere, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  man 
  that 
  still 
  vexed 
  island, 
  

   hung 
  between 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  the 
  nether 
  

   world 
  and 
  liable 
  to 
  incursions 
  from 
  both." 
  

  

  FINDING 
  OF 
  AMBERGRIS 
  QUICKENS 
  

   INTEREST 
  IN 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  The 
  glowing 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  historians 
  

   of 
  the 
  Somers 
  voyages, 
  including 
  Somers 
  

   himself, 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  

   sharpened 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  Virginian 
  

   proprietors 
  in 
  the 
  islands. 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Emil 
  P. 
  Albrecht 
  

  

  "THERE'S 
  NO 
  REST 
  FOR 
  THE 
  WEARY" 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  "strength" 
  of 
  the 
  famous 
  Bermuda 
  onion 
  

   is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  to 
  aid 
  this 
  bored 
  young 
  carrier 
  ! 
  

  

  Their 
  original 
  charter 
  only 
  gave 
  them 
  

   jurisdiction 
  over 
  all 
  islands 
  within 
  ioo 
  

   miles 
  of 
  the 
  mainland, 
  which, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   excluded 
  the 
  Bermudas. 
  So 
  they 
  soon, 
  

   in 
  1612, 
  procured 
  an 
  additional 
  grant, 
  to 
  

   include 
  all 
  within 
  300 
  leagues. 
  

  

  Their 
  business 
  instincts 
  were 
  aroused 
  

   not 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  reported 
  richness 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  in 
  hogs 
  and 
  fish 
  and 
  tobacco, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  whales 
  in 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   boring 
  waters, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  finding 
  of 
  a 
  

   substance 
  called 
  ambergris, 
  which 
  plays 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  corre- 
  

   spondence 
  between 
  the 
  English 
  owners 
  

   and 
  the 
  colonists 
  of 
  Bermuda. 
  

  

  Ambergris 
  is 
  literally 
  gray 
  amber. 
  It 
  

   is 
  a 
  solid 
  fatty, 
  inflammable 
  substance 
  of 
  

   a 
  dull 
  gray 
  or 
  blackish 
  color, 
  variegated 
  

   like 
  marble, 
  and 
  possessing 
  a 
  peculiar 
  

   sweet, 
  earthy 
  odor. 
  It 
  is 
  lighter 
  than 
  

   water 
  and 
  floats. 
  It 
  accumulates 
  in 
  the 
  

   liver 
  or 
  intestines 
  of 
  the 
  sperm 
  whale 
  

   and 
  is 
  thrown 
  off 
  by 
  that 
  animal 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  in 
  great 
  pieces, 
  which, 
  float- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  become 
  

   lodged 
  in 
  the 
  reefs 
  and 
  shores 
  near 
  the 
  

   habitat 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  monster. 
  

  

  