Star.
London, England, 1801-10-01 00:00:00

BERMUDAS:

to
As the atiotteed ettradt of a letter from an Mir belonging
the 47th Regiment, Rationed at Bermuda, who failed in the
Harmony, povesament. Vidtvaller, its company with the
Quebec Beet on the lad Aptil *aft, under convoy of his Zsda-
kity's Mips HIND and Epistoler, contains limiter not units-
tereßing to thole who have friends pa that Mend, its publi-
cation may prove acceptable to fome of ow Readers :
" ST. GEORGE'!, BERMUDA, JUNE 13.—0 n our
parting from the convoy and fleet, on the fecond Sa-
turday after leaving you, ad May, I wrote you by
the Him), then in N. lat. 47. W. long, sB. I alto
did myfelf the pleafure of addreffing you on the
a6th following, lat 59k. long. 60. per the Daphne,
Captain MATSON, one of the convoy (hips to the
Well India fleet, which we fell in with the morning of
fame day, confiftingof nearly 250 veffels, all well.
The evening of the third day after ( asith ), we had the
good fortune and happincfs, without lots or acci-
dent, to make the land of Bermuda, or rather the
Rocks, for fuch it teemed at firft view ; though
we were up with it long ere the dole of day-light,
Rill the Pilot durft not venture to approach it
before the following morning, which occafioned
our lying on tack all night, at the diftance of about'
two miles t eight o'clock, however, on the follow-
ing morning (propitious hour 1) gave us to Terra
Firma, and me completely to myfelf ; for loch I
had never been from the inftant I left you till then.
Of the infignificance of this place, as to corn.
merce, I can !carte convey a jolt idea; nothing,
in the molt diftant degree, aaive or brifk is done;
retailing, at an enormous price, fome of the import-
ed manufadures of England is the whole of it,'
and this is done in a kind of little fore (there be-
ing no fhops), moftly diftind from the houfes of
the (eluded appellation) merchants.. Ship build-
ing is the only employment of the natives : of hut-
bandry or agriculture they know nothing-41fely
looking on it as a mean employment, and one only
fitted for their flares, of which they have through
pride more than they can reafonably fupport, and
whole introduaion into thefe i fiends is their peateft
curfe, as the molt ufeful vocation is committal to
them * the confequence is, that there is obliged to
be a conftant importation of provifions (flour,l
Indian corn, rice, cheefe, and beef, &c.) from
America, which, Ihould accident, or one thing or
other create a failure of, there is certainly a tem-
porary famine, until removed by a new arrival.—
This is indeed melancholy, where the foil is ca-
pable of yielding almoft every predation fairly
and carefully committed to it ; and where the na•
tare of the climate is fuch as to render not the
leali danger even to working Europeans ; for we
have conftantly from forty to fifty men of the
regiment differently employed in out-work, and
they are, if poffible, the moil healthy in it. There
is a new road now making to an outtoft (called
the Ferry, in confequence of boats plying between
it and the larger ifland of the duller, therefore
named the Continent of Bermuda), and they work
at it conifantly without the leaft danger, or fm111•
eft neceffity of employing blacks. 'I he Fe: ry lies
at the remote end of this Wand, St George's, the
Town and Capital of the fame name being at the
other ; the length of it is three flatute miles, and
breadth only three quarters in its broadeft part,
the moth being not more than a few furlongs,
I can fee the lea at each fide, all along in my walk
to the Ferry.
" The abundance of delightful flowers here fpon-
taneoully growing is amazingly and wonderfully
profufe--every where you are faluted and fur-
' rounded with each fpecies of the Gerraneum
luxuriantly bloffomed ; the Carnation, Myrtle,
Gilliflower, Sage, Shrub, Role, Etc. abound, and
diffufe fuch an odour, as would revive and excite
a with for life in a dying Saint. I flail never for-
get itsinvigoratingeffeas on my fcurvy fpirits when
I firft landed ; I could compare it to nothing lefs
than Ter.rwactivs's-Elyfium $ loch was, and hill
is, the fragrance with which the air is impregnat-
ed. The houfes here are only one florey high,
neatly built and of a peculiar hone, quite loft and I
wrought with laws and hatchets ; when expofed
to the air, however, as in-walls, it becomes per.
fatty hard. The houfes are as white as (now,
being conitantly white-wafhed ; even the roofs,
round which are fpouts, or condators for the rain
water (the only frefh kind here) terminating in
refervoirs or cilterns, attached to each houfe at its
rear. Rents are enormoufly high, and there is no
obtaining any thing like good bedding. I arrived
here on 3oth May, jolt in time to receive, with
the other Officers of the Garrifon, an invitation to
the Ball and Supper on the 4th June, at the Go-
vernment Houfe, in commemoration of the birth
of our beloved Sovereign ; the flipper was be,vond
I expreffion luxurious in all the varieties, artificial as
well as natural, of the feafon ; the Ball was moll
gracefully and pundilioufly condated, !ailing till
morning : and the decorous cafe and elegance
with which the Governor received and paid off his
' guefts, (about 200) was truly inimitable. Governor
BECKWITH is about 40, in perfon tall and grace-
full, his complexion frefh and florid, and his lea.
tures oblong—had you ever teen the late lord Bel—
-1
ILA Howl., in my opinion, you would have fcen his
counterpart ; he has never married. In difpoll-
tion he is rigidly polite and ceremonious, and a
ft, id enforcer of hibordination in es—Ty depart-
ment fubjetled to his controul."