Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
November,  1903.  J 
A  Trip  to  Bermuda. 
525 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  sights  before  approaching  Bermuda  is 
afforded  by  the  wonderful  blue  color  of  the  water,  which  is  trans- 
parent to  a  great  depth  and  of  a  limpid  ultramarine  shade.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  coral  formation  of  the  ocean  bottom  is  responsible 
for  this.  Flying  fish,  which  jump  out  of  the  sea  in  hundreds,  form 
quite  an  attractive  feature.  At  night,  as  the  prow  of  the  steamer 
plows  through  the  sea,  myriads  of  little  phosphorescent  animalculi 
make  a  unique  illumination,  forming  beautiful  falls  and  cascades  of 
which  one  never  gets  tired. 
The  estimated  population  of  Bermuda  is  about  18,000,  three- 
fourths  of  whom  are  colored,  and  in  many  respects  are  vastly  superior 
to  our  American  negro,  being  more  intelligent  and  polite,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  color  line  is  not  drawn  so  rigidly  as  here. 
Of  the  industries  it  may  be  said  there  are  none. 
Commerce  is  limited  ;  there  is  no  export  with  the  exception  of 
lilies,  onions  and  potatoes.  Practically  every  ounce  of  food  con- 
sumed on  the  islands  is  imported  from  America  ;  other  necessities, 
such  as  dry  goods  and  clothing,  glass  and  crockery  ware,  are  im- 
ported from  England,  as  the  native  merchants  claim  that  the  articles 
manufactured  in  America  and  bought  in  England  are  still  cheaper 
than  if  bought  in  the  States.  I  was  informed  by  a  prominent  mer- 
chant that  he  imported  the  best  grade  of  Portland  cement  from 
England  1 5  per  cent,  cheaper  than  he  could  buy  it  here  in  spite  of 
the  difference  in  freight.  The  main  source  of  revenue  of  the  islands, 
of  course,  is  the  British  Government,  which  maintains  a  very  large 
garrison  on  the  various  islands.  The  supplies  are  all  bought  in 
Bermuda. 
The  drug  business  is  principally  English  in  character,  although  in 
two  of  the  stores  a  large  business  in  ice-cream  soda  is  done.  There 
are  four  drug  stores  in  Hamilton,  two  of  which  are  doing  a  very  large 
business  ;  only  one  of  the  proprietors  is  registered  and  he  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Buffalo  College  of  Pharmacy.  Not  many  patent  medicines 
are  sold.  The  prescription  business  is  small,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  physicians  to  a  large  extent  do  their  own  dispensing.  In  justice 
to  them  it  must  be  said  that  they  have  not  learned  this  from  their 
American  brethren  ;  they  simply  follow  an  old-established  custom. 
One  of  the  druggists  boasted  of  his  originality  and  of  being  up-to- 
date,  in  the  American  sense  of  the  word,  by  pushing  his  own  goods 
and  establishing  an  original  line  of  preparations.    This  line  of 
