The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-09-23
The Bermudas.
Interesting Information About the Islands.

Interesting Information About the ISLANDS.
The approach to the islands is ex-
ceedipgly lovely. To those who know
the Thousand Islands in the st. Law
renee, the Bermudas will seem quit
familiar, so strong is the resemblance.
The first beauty that attracts the eye
is the wonderful color and clearness OF
the sea, like beryl, emerald and sap
phire sparkling on silvery oed.
Next you are struck by the peculiar
and beautiful appearance given to the
landscape by the snowy whlteness OF
the square-roofed buildings - forts,
barracks, churches and houses gleam-
ing like snow among the dusky sage
green foliage of the cedar. About 800
isles and islets lay before US, only $50
of which are recognized by Govern
ment survey, and but four of any i'm
portance whatever. Three OF these,
Ireland Island, the Main Land and st.
Georges, are connected by bridges ana
a magnificent causeway about half
mile long, which cost 932, 600. THESE
connected islands in the form OF
horse-shoe-St. Georges being at one
end, the dockyard at the other AMI
Hamilton not far from the middle OF
the circumference of the shoe. The
town of ST.. Georges looks pretty from
the sea; but ashore it is found to be
small and crowded, and the streets
mere lanes.
The climate of Bermuda is trying,
but upon the whole good. 1t is suffi
GENTLY bracing in winter to make
warm clothing necessary, but seldom
cold enough for a fire. Few OF the
houses have CRATES or stoves is the
parlor, and on chilly days, If kept in
doors, one misses the CHEEKY glow OF
the fire. The winter season is more
lii the Indian summer of America
than anything else. When the south
wind blows man and beast are de-
pressed. Horses trip, and their riders
scarcely care to keep them on their
legs. You go to bed in good spirits
and awake feeling like washed out
rag. What is the matter? During the
night the wind has gone from north to
south. You care for nothing and no.
body. If enough energy be left to COM
plain you say with the aesthetics ::
L hO1I0rryt II n
droopingly. am linp.n The damp
ness is another disagreeable feature.
Boots and shoes and kid gloves, and
everything that will mold, are ruined
If not constantly worn or watched.
Mold and cockroaches are great enc
mics to books, destroying their bind
ings very quickly. Ants and other
insects are also very trying to Euro
peans at certain seasons.
People in this mild and equable
climate live to great age. l saw sew
eral old men between 80 and 80 years
old daily parading the streets quite as
a matter of course. also knew of
numbers of very old people who were
unable to walk out, but were in good
health, and in perfect possession of all
their mental and most of their physi-
cal faculties. The people ia general
are healthy. 1t is a great mistake to
suppose thaS yellow fever has home
in Bermuda. 1t has been there sew
eral times, but on each occasion it
originated from infection from outside.
It is probable that the good health OF
the Bermudans is largely due to their
use of rainwater for all purposes, no
other being available. In all the
islands their is neither lake nor rivu-
let. The rain is collected in large
cemented tanks built under the houses,
Every roof has to do duty in collecting
water for man and beast and on the
hilisides you will see large spaces laid
with stone. cemented and edged, from
which the rainwater runs into large
tanks lying below. These are gener-
ally built for some special purpose, a.
for barrack supplies or washing estab.
lishments.
One is surprised to see so little land
under cultivation, cedar clothing the
nils, with an occasional fiddle-yood
and calabash tree, and oleander, tama-
risk, and mangrove skirting the marsh
lands everywhere. Of the u 900 acres
OF land in the largest islands, less than
a third are in tillage and grass. the
rest remaining in wood, marsh and
natural pasture. The fact, however
That most of the land is rocky. or very
thinly covered with earth, account. to
a very large extent for this apparently
neglected state of cultivation,
The comparative absence of smaller
forms of animal life in Bermuda rem
ders solitary walking an insupportable
loneliness. In the somber cedar woods.
no bright-eyed squirrel sits aloft
and relieves the dreariness by his chat
Cefl0g and scam Derino no So,,or b;ul