3 1 * A M E^I C A. Chap, XII. 



are ficuated in thirty two Degrees and twenty five Minutes of Northern Latitude 

 about fixtecn hundred Leagues from £»»U, twelve hundred from Madera, four 

 hundred from Hifpaniola, and three hundred from the neareft Coaft of Firoinia. 

 The firft that endeavour'dto fettle Plantations here was a Spaniard nam'd Heniando 

 Camelo, being defign'd Conductor in this Expedition : And this Undertaking was 

 fo much the more eagerly profecuted, upon consideration that the Plate-Fleet 

 Sailing from Havana through the Straights of 'Bahama, might here have a convcni. 

 ent Harbour ; but thofe who were invited to become Adventurers, with proffers 

 of great Advantage, {hewing themfelves very flack in the Bufinefs, and Ow/« the 

 Fifth being at that time intangled in War and other troublefom Affairs, the Defign 

 came to nothing, and for abovefixty years after no farther Attempt was made by 

 any for the Planting of thefe Iflands, tilt at laft the French made a Voyage thitber 

 under Captain Barboriere, bat by Ship wrack were fruftratcd of their hopes ; nor made 

 they any more Preparations in this Defign. In which neverthelefs the Englip, 

 were not fo eafily difcoura'g'd , for firft Captain Gofnol and Smith fet forth, atlhc 

 Charges of Mr. Edward Wwgfield . next, Captain Keif on ., then fuccc/Svely Weft, 

 Gates, Afgal, and Wyat, but all with little or no fuccefs, till at length in the Year 

 \6\i. a Company was eftablifh'd in London by the King's Letters Patents, who fent 

 One Mr. Pochard Moor with fixty Men to the Bermudas, where he fpcnt three years 

 in fortifying thofe Iflands : but that which put a little flop to this good beginning, 

 was aland of Misfortune that hapned , for the Rats which were gotten afiiore from 

 a Shipwrack increas'd fo exceedingly, that they devour'd all the Plants in the Field, 

 and the Provifion in the Houfes, infomuch that a great Famine proceeded from 

 thence, all means to dcftroy the Vermine being in vain • till at laft Providence fenc 

 a Difeafe amongft them, which kill'd them all in a very fhort time. Mean while 

 Moor went on in the fortification of the Ifland, and was ere long fupply'd with frefh 

 People. Mr. Barkt was fent over with fixty Men, and carried from thence with 

 him eighty Pound of Ambergreece. And foon after three Ships more, vi*. the 

 Blefing, the Star, and the Margaret, convey'd thither four hundred and ten, Men and 

 Women. As foon as Moor was call'd away, Daniel Tuckard coming from Virginia to 

 fucceed him, beftirr'd himfelf very much, Planting all places full of Trees fetch'd 

 from the Wefi.lndian Iflands . as alfo Tobacco, with which he fraighted a Ship to 

 London. Moreover, the Countrey was divided into Acres, that every Planter might 

 have an equal fhare, and know his own Lands. Jnno \6i 9 . Tuckard was fucceedfd 

 by Nathaniel Butler, who in four Ships brought thither five hundred Men and Wo. 

 men, tofupplythe firft Plantation, which was much decay 'd fince the Rats had 

 devour'd their Provifions, fothat it was little look'd after by the Company in Lon- 

 don : But now they built a Church and creeled a Court of Judicature, and all 

 things were order'd conveniently for the publickgood. After which many Noble 

 Perfons fet Sail thither in the Magazine Frigat . and the Planters being now fifteen 

 hundred in number, inhabited twenty Leagues of Land in length. 

 'j££L ° n thc lon g cft I(la "d, call'd St. George, (for the Bermuda* confifts of feveral 

 •«'„. Iflands, great and fmall) they built Warwick and Dover Forts, with other Fortifica- 

 tions and Towers, which had their Denominations from thofe Noble-men and 

 Gentlemen that were Undertakers in this Plantation^ CaVendf ,Paget, Herbert ,Scc. 

 from the Earl of 'Devonshire, the Lord Paget, the Earl of Pembroke, and others. 



Amongft the Havens thc emincnteft are, Southampton, the Inlet Harrington, and 

 the Great Sound. * 



All thefe Iflands lying together referable a Half-Moon, and are furrounded with 

 Rocks, which appear at Low-water, and at High lie but fhallow ; for it fddom 



Ebbs 



Ports anil 

 Ilajcnif. 



