BERMUDA
By employing ourselves in this manner, and by keeping up what is
emphatically called a good heart, we contrived to pass out time
agreeably enough. As often as the weather would permit, and the fleet
lay well together, we made parties of pleasure to the different ships;
when the wind was too high, and the fleet too much scattered for such
proceedings, we remained at home, and amused ourselves in the best way
we could. Some of the captains, and ours among the number, were
possessed of very tolerable libraries, the doors of which they politely
threw open for the benefit of their military guests; and thus, by
reading, fishing, and boating, we were enabled to make head, with some
success, against the encroachments of ennui. It must be confessed,
however, that in spite of strenuous efforts to the contrary, that
determined enemy of all idle persons was beginning to gain ground upon
us, when, about mid-day on the 24th of July, a cry of land was heard
from the mast-head. All eyes were immediately turned in the direction
to which the sailor pointed, and as wind blew fair and moderately
fresh, no great length of time before the same object was
distinguishable from the deck. A signal was immediately hoisted for a
pilot, who lost no time in coming off to us; and before dark we were at
anchor opposite to the tanks in Bermuda.
The appearance of Bermuda is altogether as different from that of St.
Michael’s as one thing can be from another. Whilst the last, with its
lofty mountains and bold shores, can be seen at the distance of many
leagues, a ship must be within a few miles of the first before the
slightest symptom of land is discernible. On this account it is that
mariners find greater difficulty in making Bermuda than perhaps any
other island or continent in the known world; the most experienced
seaman frequently sailing past it, and not a few suffering shipwreck
every year upon its numerous shoals and rocks. For not only is the land
itself low, and thus apt to be run against by vessels which may have
approached in stormy weather too near to put about, but for many miles
round, reefs of sunken rocks stretch out into the sea in every
direction; insomuch, that even the approach to the principal anchorage
is no more than a narrow channel between two reefs, in many places
scarcely exceeding a mile or a mile and a half in width. The
navigation, even in calm weather, is therefore attended with
considerable danger; the idea of which is greatly heightened by the
remarkable clearness of the water and the peculiar brightness of the
rocks. In some places this is so much the case, that the bottom may be
seen at the depth of six or seven fathoms; whilst the aspect of the
reefs which lie on each side, as you steer towards the anchorage, is
such, as almost to persuade you, contrary to the evidence of reason,
that a man might leap upon them from a boat without incurring the
danger of being wet above the knees. Yet these very reefs are seldom
covered with less than six, and sometimes with fourteen and fifteen
feet of water.
Low as they are, the shores of Bermuda are nevertheless extremely
beautiful. They are covered with cedar, a tree which here, at least,
seldom exceeds the height of twenty feet, and from which, before the
sun has risen and after he has set, the land breeze comes loaded with
the most delicious perfume. Under the wood there grows a rich short
turf, apparently struggling to spread itself over the chalky rocks, of
which the entire island, or rather islands, seem to be composed; and,
as the houses of the better orders are chiefly built within reach of
the cool air from the water, they, with their little lawns and gardens,
produce a lively and pleasing effect.
As darkness had come on before the ship could be properly moored, no
boats were permitted to leave her that night; but at an early hour next
morning I embraced the first opportunity of going on shore. To reach
St. George’s, the capital of the colony, you are obliged to row for
several miles up a narrow frith called the ferry, immediately on
entering which the scenery becomes in the highest degree picturesque.
Though still retaining its character of low, the ground on each side
looks as if it were broken into little swells, the whole of them
beautifully shaded with groves of cedar, and many of them crowned with
country-houses as white as the drifted snow. But the fact is, that this
appearance of hill and dale is owing to the prodigious number of
islands which compose the cluster; there being in all, according to
vulgar report, not fewer than three hundred and sixty-five, of which
the largest exceeds not seven or eight miles in diameter. Yet it is
only when you follow what at first you are inclined to mistake for a
creek or the mouth of a river, that you discover the absence of valleys
from between these hills; and even then you are more apt to fancy
yourself upon the bosom of a lake studded with islets, than steering
amid spots of earth which stand, each of them distinct, in the middle
of the Atlantic Ocean.
In the town of St. George’s there is nothing to be seen at all worthy
of record. It consists of about fifty or sixty houses, the glare from
which, as they are all built of the chalk stone, is extremely dazzling
to the eyes. It is called the capital, because here the court-house
stands and the magisterial sittings are held; but in point of size,
and, as far as I could learn, in every other respect, it is greatly
inferior to Hamilton, another town at the opposite extremity of the
cluster, which I did not visit. A little way from St. George’s, and on
the summit of a bare rock, stand the barracks, fitted up for the
accommodation of a thousand men; and about a mile and a half beyond
them are the tanks, well worth the notice of travellers. The object of
this work is to catch and preserve the rain—a measure which the total
deficiency of fresh springs throughout the colony renders absolutely
necessary. There are, indeed, wells dug upon the beach, but the water
in these is nothing more than sea-water, filtered and rendered brackish
in making its way through the sand, and by no means fit to be used, at
least in any quantity. To supply this deficiency, the bad effects of
which were experienced in the unhealthiness of many of the crews upon
the American station, Government was induced to build these tanks;
consequently the water contained in them is the property of the king,
and none but king’s ships, with the troops in garrison, are permitted,
except in extreme cases, to be supplied from thence.
The climate of Bermuda has been extolled by many, and among the rest by
Mr. Moore in his odes and epistles, as salubrious and delightful. It is
possible that he, and the rest of its eulogists, may have visited these
islands at a season of the year different from that in which I visited
them, but to me the heat was beyond measure oppressive. Lying, as they
do, under the influence of a vertical sun, and abounding in all
directions with cliffs of white chalk, it is obvious that the constant
reflection of the sun’s rays thereby occasioned must be quite
overpowering. If these panegyrists mean to say, that as long as you
contrive to keep in the shade, and take care not to stir abroad till
after sunset, you will find the Bermudas deserving of their title of
summer-islands, then I will agree with them; but I believe there is no
man who ever walked the street of St. George’s at noon, or any other
spot where the sun-beams could reach him, that did not consider the
heat as anything rather than temperate.
But whatever may be thought of the climate, there can, I think, be but
one opinion as to the soil. It is generally admitted that there is no
more unproductive spot of earth upon the face of the deep than Bermuda.
The only animals which appear to thrive are the goat and the duck; the
cedar and a few calabash-trees are the only wood, and, except the most
common kinds of vegetables, such as cabbages, onions, and sweet
potatoes; I know of hardly another thing brought to perfection, even in
the gardens. The fruits which a stranger may meet with are no doubt
delicious, since among them he will find the shaddock and the
pine-apple; but for these, as well as for almost all their other
comforts and luxuries, the Bermudians are indebted to the continent of
America or to the West Indies. Whether this be owing to the natural
sterility of the soil, or to the extreme indolence of the inhabitants,
I cannot pretend to decide; though I should be inclined to suspect that
both were, in some degree, to blame; but its consequences are felt by
all visitors, in a very sensible manner, every article of living being
here sold for thrice its intrinsic value. That provisions should be
dear in this country cannot surprise, when it is considered that this
small colony is the general depot and place of resort for repairs and
stores to a large proportion of the British navy, scattered along the
coast of America; but, surely, if the natives were a little more
industrious, they might afford to sell their goods at a cheaper rate,
and at the same time secure an equal, if not a greater profit. But
their indolence is beyond all conception, and can be attributed only
to, what I believe is its real cause, the facility with which they
acquire fortunes, from men who are necessitated to give whatever they
demand for the most trifling article. The poorest and meanest freeman
upon the island never dreams of applying his own hand, or even his own
head, to the cultivation of the ground; and being abundantly supplied
with negro slaves, they leave everything, even the care of providing
necessaries for themselves, to the industry of that ill-used race. I
may perhaps be considered as expressing myself with too much severity
towards the Bermudians, but, in truth, I repeat only what I was told by
some of themselves; nor did I, from my own personal observation,
discover any cause to question the veracity of my informers.
In the praise bestowed by Mr. Moore upon the beauty of these regions, I
do, however, most cordially join. There is something bewitchingly
pretty, for pretty is perhaps the most appropriate epithet to be used,
in every one of the many views which you may obtain from different
points. The low and elegant cedar, the green short turf, the frequent
recurrence of the white and dazzling rock, the continual rise and fall
of the numerous small islands, but above all, the constant
intermingling of land and water, seem more like a drawing of fairy land
than a reality. There is nothing grand, nothing imposing, or calculated
to excite any feeling bordering upon the awful, throughout the whole;
but it is soft, gentle, and exquisitely pleasing.
Having spent the day at St. George’s, I returned on board to sleep; and
on the morrow removed, with my baggage, to a transport then lying at
anchor within the ferry, which was thenceforth to be my head-quarters.
Thither my friend Grey also removed, and as our ship was well stored,
and its commander civil and accommodating, we had no reason to complain
of any suffering consequent upon our change of residence.
It will be readily believed that a very small portion of our time was
now wasted on board ship; for economy’s sake we usually slept there,
because at the inn the charge for beds, as well as for everything else,
was enormous; but all the hours of daylight were devoted to rowing
round the different islands, and climbing the different eminences, from
whence the most extensive prospects were to be obtained. Among other
curiosities, we were informed of two caves in one of the little isles,
distant about four or five miles from the place where we lay. Being
assured that they were highly deserving of notice, we determined to
visit them; and setting off one evening for that purpose, we reached
the spot which had been pointed out to us a little before dark. We
fastened the boat to the stump of a tree, and were proceeding towards
the caves, when a fine manly voice, singing one of the Irish melodies,
attracted our attention. Being rather curious to discover who, in this
extramundane place, had learnt to sing with so much taste, we followed
the direction of the sound, till we came upon a party sitting under the
shade of a tent, and, like ourselves, enjoying the cool of the evening;
on perceiving us, some of them came forward, and the satisfaction was
mutual when we recognised one another as old acquaintances. They urged
us to relinquish our design, and to partake of their good cheer, with
which, as the hour was late, we had small reluctance in complying; and
it was agreed, that instead of going on without proper guides, and at
so unseasonable a time, we should breakfast together at the same spot
in the morning, and proceed in a body to examine the caverns. Here,
therefore, we remained till the moon had risen, when we returned to our
boat, and sailed back to the ship.
Next morning everything was prepared for the expedition, but a heavy
squall coming on, prevented us from setting out as early as we had
intended; as soon, however, as this blew over, we took to our boat, and
reached the place of rendezvous in time to share the remains of a good
breakfast which our friends had prepared for themselves and us. When
our meal was finished, we supplied ourselves with torches from some dry
branches of the calabash-tree, and, headed by a guide, moved towards
the mouth of the nearest and largest of the two caves. We descended
into this by a ladder of sixteen steps, and arrived upon a broad ledge
of rock, where we halted for a few minutes to light the torches, and
accustom our vision to the gloom; when, both of these ends being
attained, we advanced a few paces into the cave, and a sight of the
most indescribable sublimity burst upon us. The appearance was that of
a huge Gothic cathedral, having its roof supported upon pillars of
spar, moulded into the most regular shapes, and fluted and carved after
the most exact models of architecture. The roof itself was indeed too
lofty to be discerned, nor could the eye penetrate to anything like an
extremity, all beyond a certain extent being wrapped in the most
profound darkness; but the flashes of light which at intervals streamed
out, as the glare of the torches fell upon pieces of spar as clear as
crystal, and the deep echo of our own voices as we spoke, inspired us
with a feeling of awe bordering upon superstition. It is in such a
situation as this, that the poverty of the mightiest monument of human
art becomes conspicuous. The most magnificent churches and abbeys, with
their sculptured pillars and vaulted ceilings, were thought of as mean
in comparison of what was now before us; indeed, I for one could not
help imagining that these very churches and abbeys had been built in
humble imitation of this, which looked like a temple reared by some
beings more powerful than men. It seemed a shrine worthy of the genii
of old, while yet they were in the zenith of their glory, ere they had
been driven from their thrones and oracles of darkness by the light of
Christianity.
As we moved onward we found the sides of the cave gradually narrow upon
us, and the roof become lower and lower. There was, however, a
continuance of the same fane-like appearance to the last, though
growing more and more contracted; till, finally, we were compelled to
advance one by one, and to stoop in order to prevent our heads from
coming into contact with the rock. We had proceeded as far as it was
possible to proceed with any degree of comfort, and were informed by
the guide that we were upwards of three hundred yards from the
entrance, when we found it expedient to wheel about, and to return to
the open air. But the effect of so sudden a change from darkness to
light was exceedingly disagreeable; insomuch that we hastened into the
smaller cave, as well for the purpose of deferring the moment of
suffering as to continue our search after the sublime.
The entrance to this cavern is extremely dangerous, and not to be
ventured upon without either a trusty guide or a thorough knowledge of
the ground. After descending a ladder, not quite so deep as that which
leads into the larger cave, we arrived at the brink of a fearful chasm,
across which a flat stone, about two feet in width, was laid,
connecting the edges by a bridge four or five feet in length. To what
depth the chasm may reach, the guide could not inform us; but that it
is considerable we discovered by dropping a large stone, which we could
hear for some time as it dashed against the projecting edges of the
rock, and at length splashed with a tremendous echo into water. The man
maintained that the sea beat under the foundation of the island as far
as the spot where we now stood, and his story was rendered at least
probable by the number of pools of salt water which we met with in the
interior of the cave.
After having visited the larger cavern, this certainly appeared to
disadvantage; though in truth it is in its dimensions only that the one
can be pronounced inferior to the other. The spar is equally clear and
proportionably as abundant in both: the pillars are quite as regularly
formed, and the lesser has an advantage over its rival in two or three
broken columns, which give to it the semblance of a temple in ruins.
There is also in this cave a strange propinquity of salt and fresh
water pools, the situation of two of which struck me as peculiarly
curious. They were divided from each other by a piece of rock not much
thicker than a man’s hand; and yet the water from the one tasted as if
it had been taken from the German Ocean, whilst that from the other was
as fresh and pleasant as possible.
We had by this time fully gratified our curiosity, and once more
ascended to the world of sunshine, the splendour of which was at first
almost insupportable. By degrees, however, our eyes became accustomed
to the change and recovered their original tone, when we separated,
each party returning to its respective ship in high good humour with
the day’s employment.
But to dine quietly on board was no longer endurable. A tent was
accordingly carried on shore, and having sought out the most shady and
agreeable nook within a moderate distance of the vessel, our dinner was
brought thither, and we spent the evening, as we had done the morning,
among the works of nature. Here we remained till a late hour, talking
over the adventures of the day, and occasionally attempting a blind
peep into futurity, till our friend the moon having risen, we again
pulled on board by her light, and lay down to dream of sparry domes and
enchanted temples.