﻿THE 
  ISLANDS 
  OF 
  BERMUDA 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  yo° 
  . 
  This 
  mild 
  climate 
  assists 
  the 
  growth 
  

   of 
  esculent 
  plants 
  and 
  roots 
  and 
  promotes 
  

   early 
  growth 
  of 
  onions, 
  potatoes, 
  carrots, 
  

   tomatoes, 
  and 
  beetroots, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  lily 
  

   bulbs 
  and 
  arrowroot, 
  though 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  

   have 
  not 
  been 
  successful 
  of 
  late. 
  

  

  As 
  Mark 
  Twain 
  says, 
  "The 
  onion 
  is 
  

   the 
  pride 
  and 
  joy 
  of 
  Bermuda. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   In 
  Bermudian 
  metaphor, 
  it 
  stands 
  for 
  

   perfection 
  — 
  perfection 
  absolute. 
  The 
  

   Bermudian, 
  weeping 
  over 
  the 
  departed, 
  

   exhausts 
  praise 
  when 
  he 
  says, 
  'He 
  was 
  an 
  

   onion.' 
  The 
  Bermudian, 
  extolling 
  the 
  

   living 
  hero, 
  bankrupts 
  applause 
  when 
  he 
  

   says, 
  'He 
  is 
  an 
  onion/ 
  The 
  Bermudian, 
  

   setting 
  his 
  son 
  upon 
  the 
  stage 
  of 
  life 
  to 
  

   do 
  for 
  himself, 
  climaxes 
  all 
  counsel, 
  sup- 
  

   plication, 
  admonition, 
  comprehends 
  all 
  

   ambition, 
  when 
  he 
  says, 
  'Be 
  an 
  onion/ 
  ' 
  

  

  AN 
  UNENVIABLE 
  'REPUTATION 
  AS 
  A 
  

   HURRICANE 
  CENTER 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  three 
  centuries 
  of 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  

   Bermuda, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  references 
  to 
  

   hurricanes 
  and 
  tornadoes; 
  and 
  while, 
  if 
  

   the 
  record 
  of 
  that 
  long 
  period 
  is 
  analyzed, 
  

   it 
  may 
  not 
  develop 
  a 
  really 
  frequent 
  re- 
  

   currence 
  of 
  these 
  ebullitions 
  of 
  nature, 
  

   Bermuda 
  in 
  her 
  early 
  history 
  secured 
  in 
  

   the 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  rather 
  an. 
  un- 
  

   enviable 
  reputation 
  for 
  being 
  the 
  center 
  

   of 
  powerful 
  hurricanes. 
  

  

  Sir 
  Walter 
  Raleigh, 
  writing 
  in 
  1587, 
  

   speaks 
  of 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  as 
  "a 
  hellish 
  sea 
  

   for 
  thunder, 
  lightning, 
  and 
  storm." 
  The 
  

   truth 
  is, 
  Bermuda 
  was 
  born 
  into 
  the 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  wrecks 
  

   which 
  were 
  strewn 
  on 
  her 
  dangerous 
  

   reefs 
  in 
  storms, 
  which 
  blinded 
  the 
  mari- 
  

   ners 
  or 
  took 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  course. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  something 
  in 
  the 
  discomfort 
  

   of 
  passengers 
  from 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  Ber- 
  

   muda 
  and 
  return 
  which 
  makes 
  them 
  think 
  

   that 
  times 
  have 
  not 
  changed 
  since 
  the 
  

   days 
  of 
  Sir 
  Walter 
  Raleigh. 
  

  

  The 
  islands 
  were 
  discovered 
  by 
  Juan 
  

   Bermudez, 
  a 
  Spaniard, 
  within 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  after 
  Columbus 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  America. 
  Bermudez 
  could 
  not 
  

   help 
  discovering 
  them, 
  because 
  he 
  was 
  

   wrecked 
  on 
  them. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  hogs 
  he 
  

   had 
  on 
  board 
  escaped, 
  settled 
  in 
  the 
  

   islands, 
  and 
  multiplied. 
  

  

  Herrera, 
  a 
  Spaniard, 
  is 
  authority 
  for 
  

   the 
  visit 
  of 
  Bermudez 
  before 
  151 
  5 
  and 
  he 
  

   it 
  is 
  who 
  gave 
  the 
  islands 
  the 
  name. 
  

  

  Oviedo, 
  a 
  Spanish 
  writer, 
  was 
  with 
  

   Camelo, 
  who 
  tried 
  to 
  land 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  

   in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  century, 
  

   but 
  failed 
  and 
  sailed 
  away. 
  

  

  In 
  1594 
  an 
  Englishman 
  named 
  May 
  

   was 
  on 
  a 
  French 
  ship, 
  the 
  crew 
  of 
  which, 
  

   after 
  having 
  escaped 
  the 
  Bermudas, 
  as 
  

   they 
  thought, 
  insisted 
  on 
  getting 
  drunk 
  

   to 
  celebrate 
  and 
  landed 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   reefs. 
  

  

  May 
  gives 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  

   they 
  met. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  Spanish 
  hogs 
  

   were 
  there, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  evidently 
  thin- 
  

   ner 
  than 
  the 
  traditional 
  razor-back, 
  for 
  

   he 
  complains 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  no 
  meat 
  on 
  

   them. 
  A 
  diet 
  of 
  juniper 
  berries 
  would 
  

   not 
  seem 
  to 
  make 
  for 
  tenderloin, 
  sides, 
  or 
  

   bacon. 
  

  

  After 
  five 
  months' 
  stay, 
  May 
  and 
  his 
  

   companions, 
  who 
  had 
  escaped 
  from 
  the 
  

   wreck, 
  ultimately 
  made 
  their 
  way 
  in 
  a 
  

   small 
  boat 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  to 
  Cape 
  

   Breton 
  in 
  ten 
  days. 
  

  

  Captain 
  John 
  Smith 
  mentions 
  other 
  

   wrecks, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  enough 
  to 
  explain 
  

   why 
  the 
  Bermudas 
  were 
  called 
  the 
  Isles 
  

   of 
  Devils. 
  

  

  SIR 
  GEORGE 
  SOMERS 
  WRECKED 
  ON 
  THE 
  

   ISLANDS 
  

  

  In 
  1609 
  came 
  the 
  wreck 
  which 
  really 
  

   began 
  Bermudian 
  history. 
  Sir 
  George 
  

   Somers 
  was 
  an 
  admiral 
  and 
  a 
  brave 
  old 
  

   salt. 
  Sir 
  Thomas 
  Gates 
  was 
  a 
  soldier. 
  

   They 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  grantees 
  of 
  the 
  

   charter 
  for 
  Virginia. 
  They 
  embarked 
  in 
  

   a 
  fleet 
  of 
  seven 
  vessels 
  and 
  two 
  pinnaces, 
  

   which 
  in 
  this 
  fateful 
  year 
  set 
  sail 
  from 
  

   England 
  for 
  Jamestown, 
  Virginia, 
  there 
  

   to 
  feed 
  and 
  reinforce 
  the 
  weak 
  and 
  fam- 
  

   ishing 
  colony 
  that 
  had 
  established 
  itself 
  

   two 
  years 
  before. 
  

  

  After 
  sailing 
  in 
  company 
  for 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  period, 
  they 
  met 
  a 
  furious 
  

   storm 
  and 
  were 
  separated. 
  The 
  Sea 
  Ven- 
  

   ture, 
  upon 
  which 
  were 
  Somers 
  and 
  Gates, 
  

   sprung 
  a 
  leak, 
  which 
  constant 
  pumping 
  

   could 
  not 
  stop. 
  

  

  The 
  Admiral 
  did 
  all 
  that 
  man 
  could 
  do 
  

   at 
  the 
  helm 
  and 
  in 
  command, 
  but 
  the 
  sea 
  

   was 
  too 
  much 
  for 
  the 
  vessel. 
  While 
  she 
  

   was 
  in 
  extremis, 
  Somers 
  sighted 
  land 
  and 
  

   directed 
  the 
  slowly 
  sinking 
  hulk 
  into 
  the 
  

   rocky 
  banks 
  of 
  Bermuda. 
  She 
  did 
  not 
  

   sink 
  or 
  break 
  up, 
  because 
  the 
  wind 
  drove 
  

   her 
  between 
  two 
  rocks, 
  where 
  she 
  stuck 
  

  

  