F 1631 .R66 I FERNS, FLOWERS, ETC. -OF- BCRMtifi^a •WITH \ \ A Short Sketch S^ -^VOF ITS- History and Appearance. By y. L. Robinson. FKRNS, FLOWERS, ETC. OF BERMUDA, WITH R SHDRT SKETCH DF ITS HISTORY AHC APPEARilNCE. BY J. L.. ROBINSON. Copyright, i8S8, by J. L. Robinson. TRINITY Church, Hamilton, Bermuda, was destroyed by fire on Sunday morn- ing, January 27, 1884. In May, 18S6, the foundation-stone of the new church was laid, and since then the work of rebuilding has progressed as stead- ily as the circumstances will permit. The new church is a pleasing and sub- stantial structure. It possesses graceful outlines, and is composed of good material. Its foundation is excellent, and all the work has been executed in a neat, tasteful, and honest manner. We offer our warmest thanks to the kin'd ' friends who have helped us to rebuild our church. But a great deal still remains to be -done, and the work is retarded by the scarcity of funds to carry it on. About ^3,000 are wanted to finish the nave and make it ready for divine service. An Episcapal Church is greatly needed in the town of Hamilton. Those who live in a large country have no idea of the difficulty experienced in raising money in a small and isolated community. To visitors especially we now appeal for help. Will you, kind reader, do your part ? Subscriptions received at Royal Gazette office, Hamilton, Bermuda. ^-^^'^SO o O In FERNS, FLOWERS, ETC., OF BERMUDA. -t' "For our inchanted Islands which is Kept as some say with spirits, will Wrong no friend or foe, but yield All men their expectations." — Silvanus yotirdain. THE Bernaudas, " Fairest gems of the Sea," are six hundred and twenty-five miles from Cape Hatteras, in North Amer- ica, which is the nearest land. These islets lie on the bosom of the Atlantic Ocean, caressed by her wav'es when in gentle humor, and when in anger lashed by her furious storms. The sea, beautiful in all her moods, is almost unique in and around these lovely islands. At one time she is rippling and flashing in the sunshine like millions of diamonds ; again, she is still blue and trans- parent, with the most delicate aquamarine' shades, so clear that }^ou can see fishes of many hues and shapes darting and gliding around the corals, oysters, scallops, and sponges lying at the bottom. The agitated white sand held in a state of suspension, causes the water to maintain, continually, this wonderful, clear, and luminous appear- ance. These islands are the tops of some sea mountains, built upon by the coral in- sect, and raised to their present height on the south side b}^ sand drifts. They are possibly peaks of the lost "Island of Atlantis," which "sank to the bottom of the deep, deep sea," ages before the Christian era. If this legend is true, Bermuda has a submerged continent lying beneath her. These islands take their name from Juan Bermudez, who discovered them in the year 1515. The first recorded mention of them is in the writings of Gonsalvo Ovieda, an adventurer and historian, who sailed in the ship commanded by Juan Bermudez. Spanish Rock, on the south side of Smith's Parish, is known as the oldest land- mark in Bermuda ; it bears a monogram resembling T. F., accompanied by a St. George's cross, and is doubtless the work of Ferdinand Camelo, who had at one time a commission from Philip II. of Spain to settle these islands. In 1593 Henry May was shipwrecked on this coast In his narrative he relates how they built a ship of cedar, using lime mixed with tortoise oil to fill the seams. For food, they took on board thirteen tortoises, and % now known as the Public Garden, in the old town of St. George. In 1876 Gen. Sir John Lefroy, then Gov- ernor of the Colony, caused a marble tablet to be erected to the memory of the brave and heroic Admiral. Bermuda had at this time a very uncanny reputation. She was called the " Island of Devils," and was "feared and avoided above any place in the world." It appears, on a closer acquaintance, that she by no means deserved all the ^vicked things that had been said of her. Silvanus Jourdain, who was one of those shipwrecked with Sir G. Som- ers, gives his impressions in the following words : "These Islands have ever been ac- counted as an inchanted pile of rockes, and a desert inhabitation for Dieuls ; but all the fairies of the rocks were but flocks of birds, and all the Dieuls that haunted the woods were but heards of swine. Wherefore my opinion of this Island is, that whereas it hath been and is still accounted the most danger- ous, infortunate, and most forlorne place in the world, it is in truth the richest, health- fullest, and most pleasing land, and meerely natural, as ever man sat foot upon. Wee hae gauen a hunting and lien out night by night for hogges ; and if we had been welt by weather or by wading, wee may lie us down so vvett to sleep with a Palmetto leaf or two under us and one above us, and we sleep soundly without taking any cold, or being disturbed with anything else." " ' TheGreatSinneof Witchci-aft' wasone of the prevailing crimes in i6co. In Ber- muda Satan was quite at home; he entered, it is true, into the souls of only a few men, but a large number of women nourished him, a circumstance which could generally be proved by a mole or wart or some blem- ish on the skin, and to them was given power to work ' spells of evil ' on cer- tain innocent individuals. The suffering innocents on their part feeling them- selves to be the victims of the Infernal regions, conceived it to be their duty to render up all suspected persons to justice ; accordingly a number of witches were tried, convicted, and punished. Some were duck- ed, some hanged, and one named Sarah Basset was burnt to death. The day on which the last Bermuda witch met her fate was extremely hot, and from that circum- stance arises the sa5'ing when a very hot day occurs, that it is 'A regular Sally Bas- set day.' " A little later in the centurj'- the " Ducking Stool " was an institution exclusively en- jo5'ed by women ; if a husband and wife quarreled, it was generally found to be the woman's fault, so she was taken to the north side of Pembroke Parish and ducked in the water from two to five times, as was thought advisable by her judges. Sometimes these entertainments were varied b}^ making her stand in a cage in a public place or in church, wrapped in a white sheet. These little reminiscences make one sigh for the " Good old times." The nineteenth century cannot offer such a novel programme as the seventeenth afforded, for the laws now are carried out in this country in a very prosaic and im- partial manner, but in visiting the different places of attraction it is hoped that much may still be found to interest and amuse the visitor. There is regular steam communication between New York and Bermuda, with regular weekly departures from each place during the winter months, and regular fortnightly departures during the summer months. The Quebec Steamship Co. carry the mails between these two ports, and sup- ply comfortable ships for passengers. There is also a steamer plying monthly between Halifax, Bermuda, and Jamaica. This boat also carries mails, and is comfortably fitted for passengers. Bermuda possesses two towns, St. George's a quaint old place, and Hamilton, the seat of Government. These islands are surrounded by a natural fortification of coral reefs, but in addition to these have a dockyard and military strong- holds at Prospect, St. George's, and other points, and form an important naval and mil- itary station of Great Britain. The floating dock in Bermuda is the largest in the world. The colony is under the direction of a Governor, Council, and House of Assem- bly. The Chief-Justice and assistant justices administer the law. The first coin introduced into Bermuda was the "hog pennj^," coined in England. It had a hog on one side, and on the reverse a ship under full sail. Tobacco was used by the early settlers instead of money. The "hog penny" is now very rare, and is valuable only as a relic. At the present time English money is in circulation. But Americans liave no difficulty in changing their dollars into the circulating currency. The Bermudas cover an area of about twenty square miles. It is so small that the ground seems as if it had not room to spread out, so runs up into numerous little steep, green-clad hills. The sides and the val- leys below being thickly studded over with houses, white roads and cottages with small pieces of cultivated land, where the renown- ed onion, tomato, potato, and other vege- tables flourish very early in the year, there being no chilling frosts, no winter's snow to retard their growth. Geraniums, roses, lilies, etc., bloom all the year round in the open air without protection. The oleander, palm, palmetto, century plant, bamboo, fiddle wood, India rubber, pride of India, flamboyeau, cala- bash, and many other tropical plants grow in great abundance ; while in rocky situa- tions the cedar and sage, with their duller hue, tone down the fresh green tints of the deciduous trees, and make the whole more harmonious. Flitting in and out of the leafy covert may be seen the cardinal bird, with his red plumage and cockade ; the blue-bird, with his crimson vest ; and run- ning about beneath the trees, the quaint lit- tle ground dove, as unobtnisive in his man- ner as in his appearance. Bermuda possesses numerous caves adorn- ed with stalactites, hanging from the roof in every stage of formation. When lighted up with flaming branches of dry cedar they present a weird and startling appearance. The mouth of these caves is sometimes almost hidden by trailing vines of wild con- volvulus and flowering myrtle. Pajmter's Vale and Walsingham Caves and Moore's calabash tree, under which the poet loved to sit, are much frequented and pleasant places for picnics. Harrington Sound is a beautiful sheet of water. It is almost a lake, but has one very narrow passage leading into the sea through which the tide ebbs and flows. The "Devil's Hole," sometimes called ' ' Neptune's Grotto, " contains many curious- looking fish. Among them are the grouper, the snapper, and the beautiful angel-fish. There are two lighthouses. That on Gibbs' Hill, in Port Royal, is a splendid revolving light, and may be seen on a clear night thirty miles distant. The other is on St, David's Island ; it is a white, fixed light. Sea-bathing in this semi-tropical climate is a great luxury. The shores abound with little natural caves, which make pleasant dressing-rooms, and the water is so buoyant that swimming is easy. The directions given to a boy ignorant of the art, were these: "Keep your hands down and kick like thunder." The boy obeyed, and to his surprise, found that his bod^f was lighter than the water. He soon became an expert swimmer. Boat-racing is the favorite pastime of Bermudians. The most aristocratic races are held under the auspices of " The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club." During the summer months every Friday afternoon is given to employes, that they may freely indulge in this amusement. Numbei^s of boats of all sizes may be seen with tall, raking masts, spreading their sails to the breeze like eagles' wings, and skimming swiftly along between the numerous islands. The bright blue, red, or striped yellow caps and jerseys of the boatmen, and the shouts of the victorious party as they round the stake -boat, combine to make a bright and exciting scene. Fairy Land is very beautiful by moon- light. The little row-boats glide "in and out and round about," and under the fan- tastic roots of the mangrove trees, which throw strange shadows over the water. It is very calm, very peaceful. All is still save the " Low sound of leaves and splash of oars. And lapsing waves on quiet shores." J THB HAMILTON,*^ BERMUDA ISI^ANDS. This Popular and Elegant Hotel WILL BE OPEN for the reception of guests December 20, 1S8S. ^^^'^^K;^^! The house is the largest and finest building in llie City of Hamilton, and is situated on the highest land. The ventilation and drainage are perfect. The views from it are unsurpassed, and the cuisine and service are unequaled. For Circulars, giving terms and other information, apply to WAI.TER AIKEN, Proprietor, Franklin Falls, ?i. H., till Dec. Dth. Bermuda, after Dec. i^tlt. THE QUEBEC STEAMSHIP e0MPANY Will run the magnificent steamships TRINIDAD and OK.IMOCO between New York and Bermuda, leaving Pier 47 North River, at 3 p.m. every Thursday, and reaching Bermuda early next Sunday morning. These vessels were designed especially for the Bermuda trade, and no expense has been spared in their construction. Their cabins are large, unusu- ally high, ensuring good light and ventilation, and are fitted luxuriously, with electric lights, and in the latest and most approved style. Round trip first-class tickets, including meals and staterooms, fifty dollars each, and are good for six months. For further information in regard to them apply to ^A.. K. OUTEKBKIDQE c^ CO., AgeiiLis, No, 51 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS I nil II 015 818 877 6 #