mudas. This instrument was dated 16th of July, 1692, and was executed by their Majesties, William and Mary, on condition that one-fifth of every thing found was to be reserved for their use. This singular document was sent out to the islands, not however until Neale had effected a sale of his interest to another person, and various strange depositions were taken relating to the subject, but it does not appear that anything was ever discovered.*

Governor Goddard was succeeded on the 30th of October, 1698, by Samuel Day, Esq., as LieutenantGovernor of the colony. In his first address to the Legislature, he recommended that a law should be passed "for restraining the number of horses, by setting such a rate on those that keep horses as may hinder the keeping of more than what is absolutely necessary. The Assembly differed with him in opinion, and declined interfering.

Mr. Day was soon involved in difficulties with the inhabitants, owing to some high-handed measures he thought proper to adopt, the particulars of which are not clearly explained, and a formal complaint was made against him to the Lords of Trade and Plantations, who laid the alleged grievance before His Majesty in council. There being strong reason for supposing that the complaints were well grounded, he was held to bail in the sum of £2,000, to answer a charge respecting the illegal seizure of the sloop Dolphin; he was, at the same time, superseded by Benjamin Bennett, Esq., on the 2nd of May, 1701. The * Appendix, K.

charges made against him were forthwith prosecuted with all vigour, and there appeared to be such an unfavourable opinion of his cause in the colony, that Sir Samuel Day, his father, petitioned His Majesty that he might be recalled, and be permitted to defend himself in England. As this was a reasonable and proper application, it was granted. The Provost-Marshal, Edward Jones, and Chief-Justice Gilbert Nelson, were also implicated, and the former, being a clever, though apparently a very unscrupulous, man, contrived for a time to evade punishment, and gave the authorities no little trouble.

The Act regulating the plantation bond,* was passed

* This bond may be traced to the letter book of the Bermuda Company, and appears to have been one of the rules contained in the order book; the intention of it was to prevent the escape of any of the colonists who were bond servants, and seems to have been one of the causes of complaint against the Proprietors; after the dissolution of the Company it appears to have been disregarded, and yet in 1707 they again revived what they had just before considered so oppressive; it is mentioned in the Company's letter book as follows:

The 17th July last (1671-2) arrived in our Towne Harber Capt. Mathias Halsted, commandr. of the Blessing, imployed by the Lords Proprietors for Carolina, but commissioned by His Royal Highness the Duke of Yorke, by virtue whereof he pleaded an exemption from all Port duties: Neither would hee give Bond to secure us from carrying away any persons indebted, or servants & prohibited goods; hee having above 100 Souls designed from the Lords for their Plantation wee did not think it prudent to hinder his proceeding on his voyage.

"Touching your Order of 21st Ffebruaire, 1669, for shipmasters giveing Bond, we shall put it in execution as to all ships that put in here to trade; we have now sent you the originals of all Bonds required in your last, the same being first registered in ye Secretaries Office with ye depositions of as many of ye witnesses as are in ye countrie drawn up in writing and attested under the publique Seale of these Islands. Wee are sorry that any bonds formerly taken appeare imperfect. Wee find many difficulties, if not impossibilities, attending foreigne masters of shipps in giveing good & sufficient bond by persons inhabiting these

by Governor Bennett on the 12th of May, 1704, and confirmed by the Crown on the 20th of February, 1707-8. This security was a legacy from the Bermuda Company, and proved very embarrassing to trade generally, and although dead in effect has never been repealed.*

An order was received by Governor Bennett, in 1710, to compel all vessels resorting to the islands for the purpose of trading to confine themselves to Castle Harbour and the port of St. George. The chief business of the islands at the time consisted in carrying salt, gathered at the Fortugas and the Bahamas, to the provinces, and onions to the West Indies, and receiving in exchange such articles of provisions as they required; these returned cargoes were first entered at St. George, and afterwards unloaded at their respective places of business, and this restriction operated materially to the prejudice of the general interests of the colony. After some delay the Legislature succeeded, by petitioning the Crown, in procuring the revocation of this obnoxious regulation.

During this year the Legislature passed a law to prevent the forfeiture of life and estate upon the acci

Islands, ye difficulties of strangers giveing in Securitie is so great here that a Merchant & Master of a shipp that came in distress named ye Speedie said that if they were in distress at sea & like to perish they would as soon chuse to sink as to come into Harhour, for that there was soe much impossibilitie in getting sufficient securitie of ye Inhabitants of ye Islands that they must be inforced to halle up their shipp for want of ye same or else could not goe out of ye Harbour againe, this they said in ye hearing of ye sherriffe, and others of the Council have heard ye same by other strangers."

* It has recently however been greatly modified.

dental killing of a negro or slave. The want of clergymen was much felt by the inhabitants, particularly in the western parishes, and the Legislature addressed the Bishop of London on the subject, and by message requested the Governor to use his influence to obtain the services of a sufficient number. On the 27th of November (1710), the following message was forwarded to His Excellency.

"To His Excellency the Governor.

By the Generall Assembly.

May it please Your Excellency.

"This House being thoroughly sensible of the great want of a minister of the Gospel in the four western Tribes of these Islands, the want of which is likely to prove very prejudicial, if not ruinous to ye Inhabitants, more especially the younger sort, who for want of a minister to exercise his ministerial office in the respective churches, wander about upon God's holy day spending their time to ye dishonour of God and scandal of the Christian Religion. This House, therefore, humbly prays Your Excellency to take the same into your wise consideration, and soe to Represent the condition that the want thereof may be supplyd with a Godly pious minister to officiate in ye vacancy aforesaid. And that in the meane time those tribes may be in some measure supply by turns by the present ministers as Your Excellency shall direct. 'Voted (nemine contradicente) to be laid before His Excellency ye Governor, 27th day of Nov. 1710.

"T. BOSTOCK, Ck. to ye Assembly."

F

The Bahama islands having for some time been a rendevous for pirates, King George the First was pleased to direct measures to be taken for dislodging them. Governor Bennett dispatched a sloop, ordering the marauders to surrender, pursuant to His Majesty's proclamation. Those who were on shore on her arrival at New Providence, gladly accepted the opportunity to escape, and declared that they did not doubt but their companions, who were at sea, would follow their example. Capt. Henry Jennings and fifteen others sailed for Bermuda, and were soon after followed by four other captains, Leslie, Nichols, Hornigold and Burges, with one hundred and fourteen men, who all surrendered.*

After a popular administration, Governor Bennett was relieved on the 14th of November, 1713, by Henry Pulleine, Esq., as Lieutenant-Governor. This gentleman did not long enjoy his government as he died on the 20th of April, 1715.

In 1710 the Spaniards made a descent on the Turk's-Islands (which had been settled by the Bermudians for the purposeof gathering salt,)† and took possession of them, making prisoners-of-war of the

* Fenning's Geography, London, 1771, p. 683; also History of the West Indies, 1711, p. 433.

The question may naturally be asked, how the Bermudians, in the immediate vicinity of the fertile colonies on the American Continent, should have prefered settling the sterile Cays of the Bahamas? The reason seems to have been this. When the Bermuda Company sent out their first settlers, they directed Governor Moore (see his Commission in the Appendix, Article xii, clause 3) to undertake the manufacture of Salt, and one Ralph Narner accompanied the expedition as a practical salt maker. It would appear that the attempt failed, as there is no record