of tobacco. Being a fevere difciplinarian, he held all under him fo rigidly to duty, that five of his fubjects planned as bold an enterprise for liberty as was perhaps ever put in execution. Their names were Barker, who is faid to have been a gentleman; another Barker, a joiner; Goodwin, a fhip-carpenter; l'aet, a failor; and Saunders, who planned the enterprife. Their management was as artful as their defign was bold. Understanding that the governor was deterred from taking the pleasure of fifhing in an open boat, on account of the dangers attending it, they proposed to build him one of a particular construction, which accordingly they did in a fecret part of the ifland; but when the governor came to view his boat, he understood that the builders had put to fea in it. The intelligence was true; for the adventurers having provided themfelves with the few neceffaries they wanted, failed for England; and notwithstanding the storms they encountered, their being plundered by a French privater, and the incredible miferies they underwent, they landed in forty-two days time at Corke in Ireland, where they were generoufly relieved and entertained by the Earl of Thomond.

In 1619, Captain Tucker refigned his government to Captain Butler. By this time the high character which the Summer islands bore in England, rendered it fashionable for men of the highest rank to encourage their fettlement; and feveral of the first nobility of England had purchafed plantations among them. Captain Butler brought over with him five hundred pafiengers, who became planters on the islands, and raifed a monument to the memory of Sir George Summers. The island was now fo populous, for it contained about a thoufand whites, that Captain Butler applied himfelf to give it a new conftitution of government, by introducing an affembly, the government till this time being administered only in the name of the governor and council. A body of laws was likewife drawn up, as agreeable to the laws of England as the fituation of the island would admit of. One Mr. Barnard fucceeded Captain Butler as governor, but died in fix weeks after his arrival on the ifland; upon which the council made choice of Mr. Harrison to be governor till a new one fhould be appointed. No fewer than three thoufand English were now fettled in the Bermudas, and feveral perfons of distinction had curiofity enough to vifit it from England. Among thefe was Mr. Waller the poet, a man of fortune, who being embroiled with the parliament and commonwealth of England, fpent fome months in the Summer iflands, which he has celebrated in one of his poems as the VOL. IV.

Pp

moft

moft delightful place in the world. The dangers attending the navigation, and the untowardly fituation of these islands, through their distance from the American continent, feem to be the reason why the Bermudas did not now become the best peopled iflands belonging to England; as we are told that at one period they were inhabited by no fewer than ten thousand whites. The inhabitants, however, never showed any great spirit for commerce, and thus they never could become rich. This, together with the gradual alteration of the foil and climate, already taken notice of, foon caused them to dwindle in their population; and it is computed that they do not now contain above half the number of inhabitants they once did, and even these seem much more inclined to remove to fome other place than to stay where they are; fo that unless fome beneficial branch of com merce be found out, or fome ufeful manufacture established, the state of the Bermudas muft daily grow worse and worse.

The following account we have extracted from Mr. Morfe, as he profeffes to have given it on the authority of a gentleman who refided many years on the spot:

"The parish of St. George's is an ifland to the eastward of the main land, on which stands the town of St. George's, containing about five hundred houses. Contiguous to this is the island of St. David's, which fupplies the town with butter, milk, vegetables, poultry, and fresh meat. In the bofom of the crook lie a vast number of small islands, uninhabited. The island is rocky, and the ground hilly. In the main road a fulky may pafs; and even there, in many places, with difficulty; but turn to the right or left, and it is paffable only on horieback. The air is healthy; a continual fpring prevails: cedars, mantled in green, always adorn the hills; the pasture ground is ever verdant; the gardens ever in bloom. Most of the productions of the West-Indies might be here cultivated. The houfes are built of a foft stone, which is fawn like timber; when expofed to the weather, and washed with lime, it becomes hard. The houses are white as fnow, which, beheld from an eminence, contrasted with the greenness of the cedars and pasture ground, and the multitude of iflands, full in view, realize what the poets have feigned concern. ing the Elyfian fields. The inhabitants are numerous; the whole ifland is a continued village; no lefs, perhaps, than fifteen or twenty thousand are collected on this small spot, of whom the blacks conftitute two thirds. Happy for the country, were the colour unknown among them! The Bermudians are chiefly feafaring people; few of

the

the men are ever at home; three or four hundred go annually to Turk's ifland to rake falt, which is carried to America for provifions, or fold to fuch as may call at Turk's ifland, for cash. However induftrious the men are abroad, at home they are indolent; much given, particularly of late, to gambling and luxury. The women are generally handfome and comely; they love their hufbands, their children, and their drefs. Dancing is their favourite amusement. The men must be equipped in tafte when they appear in company, fhould they not have a dollar in the pound to pay their creditors; the women muft array themselves like the belles of Paris, fhould they' not have a morfel of bread to preferve their blooming complexion." They are thoroughly acquainted with one another's families, and from their tea table, as from their atmosphere, arifes constant gufts of fcandal and detraction. To ftrangers they are kind, but among themfelves are quarrelfome: their friendly intercourfe is too much confined within a narrow circle, bounded by coufins or fecond" coufins.

"The common food of the Bermudians is coffee, fifh of different kinds, a sweet potatoe, Indian corn, and American flour. Their water is rain preserved in cifterns; the general drink is grog. Fishing is the favourite amusement of the men. The government is conducted under a governor named by the crown of England, a council, and general affembly. The eftablished religion is Epifcopacy. There are nine churches; three clergymen have the charge of thefe nine: there is one Prefbyterian church. A regard for religion is not the characteristic of the Bermudians; they feldom go to church, except it be to attend a funeral, or to get their children baptized, or to hear a stranger."

We shall close this account of the Bermudas with the following extract from the report of the privy council on the flave trade :

"Nothing can better fhew the state of slavery in Bermudas than the behaviour of the blacks in the late war. There were at one time between fifteen and twenty privateers fitted out from hence, which were partly manned by negro flaves, who behaved both as failors and marines irreproachably; and whenever they were captured, always returned, if it was in their power. There were feveral instances wherein they had been condemned with the veffel and fold, and afterwards found means to escape; and through many difficulties and hardships returned to their mafters fervice. In the flip Regulator,

a privateer, there were feventy flaves. She was taken and carried into Bofton; fixty of them returned in a flag of truce directly to Bermudas; nine others returned by the way of New-York; one only was miffing, who died in the cruize, or in captivity."

LUCAY'S, OR BAHAMA ISLANDS.

The Bahamas are fituated between 22° and 27° degrees north la titude, and 730 and 81' degrees weft longitude. They extend along the coaft of Florida 'quite down to Cuba, and are faid to be five hundred in number, fome of them only rocks, but twelve of them are large and fertile; all are, however, uninhabited, except Provi dence, which is two hundred miles east of the Floridas; though fome others are larger and more fertile, and on which the English have plantations.

These islands were the firft fruits of Columbus's difcoveries; but they were not known to the English till 1667. The ifle of Providence became an harbour for the buccaneers, or pirates, who for a long time infefted the American navigation. This obliged the government, in 1718, to fend out Captain Woodes Rogers with a fleet. to diflodge the pirates, and for making a fettlement. This the captain effected; a fort was erected, and an independent company was ftationed in the island. Ever fince this laft fettlement, these islands have been improving, though they advance but flowly. In time of war the inhabitants, as well as others, gain by the prizes condemned there, and at all times by the wrecks which are frequent in this labyrinth of rocks and fhelves. The Spaniards and Americans captured these islands during the laft war, but they were retaken on the 7th of April, 1783.

BESIDES the above enumerated, Great-Britain poffeffes part of a clufter of islands called the Virgin iflands, of which there is but little authentic intelligence extant. Mr. Edwards obferves respecting them, that if his inquiries were not neglected, his expectations were not anfwered. They were difcovered and named by Columbus, but

3

the

the Spaniards of those days deemed them unworthy of their attentention. They are about forty in number, whereof the English hold Tortola, Virgin Gorda, or Peniston, Jofvan Dykes, Guana ifle, Beef and Thatch iflands, Anegada, Nechar, Prickly Pear, Camana's, Ginger, Cooper's, Salt, and Peter's island, with fome other of no value. Tortola is the principal, it was originally peopled by Dutch buccaneers, who were afterwards driven from thence by a party of Englishmen of the fame defcription. The chief merit of its improvement refts with a party of English settlers from Anguilla, who about the year 1690, embarked from thence and took up their refidence in these iflands; here they formed themselves into a fociety, their wants were few and their government fimple and unexpenfive; a council chofen from among themselves, with a prefident, exercised both a legislative and judicial authority, determining all questions and appeals, without expenfe to either party. Taxes there were none, when money was wanting it was raised by voluntary contribution. Lured by the profpects of European intercourfe, they, however, purchased in 1773, the privilege of being the SUBJECTS of the king of Great-Britain, at the price of four and a half per cent. on all their produce, and four hundred pounds currency per annum toward the falary of the governor-general of the Leeward iflands. Thus does man, unacquainted with his native rights and privileges, under the power of prejudice, purchase of his fellow creature the right to enjoy what God and Nature had made his own. Pofterity, however, better acquainted with the rights of man, will perhaps not only difpute the validity of acts of this kind, but cancel contracts which their forefathers had no right to make.

The number of inhabitants on these islands at the period above referred to, was about fifteen hundred whites, and seven thousand blacks. It is fuppofed the white inhabitants do not exceed one thoufand, while the blacks are at least ten thousand. In 1787, there was exported from these islands, in forty fhips of fix thousand five hundred and fixteen tons, feventy-nine thousand two hundred and three, hundred weight of fugar; twenty-one thousand four hundred and seventeen gallons of rum; two thousand and eleven gallons of molaffes; two hundred and eighty-nine thousand and feventy-four pounds of cotton; dying goods to the value of fix thousand fix hundred and fifty-one pounds two fhillings and fix-pence, and other mifcellaneous articles to the value of two thousand three hundred and

forty