Charlevoix county herald., 1919-10-17
But Revolution Failed to Gain for
Item Their lndepend-
ence.
PEOPLE HELPED WASHINGTON
Supplied Ammunition With Which Con-
tinentaI Army Forced British to
Evacuate Boston-Islands Dis
covered as Result Of Ship

islands suggest the adventures of Rob
insOn CrusOe in their colonization and
present in their later chronology GU
rious parallel to United States his
tory, with the events consistently pre-
dated by number of years"
With this statement the National
Geographic society prefaces bulletin
on the Bermudas, a principal group OF
the British West Indies, which some
Englishmen suggest should be coded to
the United States In part payment Of
the American war loans to Great Brit
lan.
/ "The Robinson CrusOe comparison
obtrudes because the islands were dis
covered and later settled as the direct
result of shipwrecks, and the settlers
had to build themselves bark to set
sail again. the bulletin continues.
"As for the anticipation of Ameri-
can history, on a miniature scale, it
may be noted that the colonization
took place seven years before the Pill
grims landed at Plymouth, Mass. that
witches were burned, Quakers were
prosecuted and miscreants were
ducked before similar occurrences are
recorded in New England and that
slavery was abolished in 1884. The
Bermudans protested long before 1776
against the mother country's rule,
until the island prisons were over full
but relief came, in their case, not
through a declaration of freedom but
by the accession of Cromwell.
Helped to start Revolution.
But the essential point of contact
of the American with the Bermudian
arises from the all-but-forgotten fact
that while the immortal Lafayette gal
lantly helped the colonies conclude
their war of independence, the Ber-
mudians supplied the ammunition to
begin 1t.
$50 acute was the need for powder
In 1775 that George Washington wrote
to the governor of Rhode Island that
no quantity of powder, however small,
is beneath notice. Learning that there
was q store in Bermuda, and that the
islanders were anxious to have the en-
barge lifted upon shipment Of food
supplies from the colonies, Washing
ton addressed letter to the people OF
the island, who had shown themselves
sympathetic with the American Revo-
luton, promising them ample supply
of provisions and 'everyeother mark OF
affection and friendship which the
grateful citizens of q free country can
bestow upon its brethren and benefac-
tors II they would make this ammuni-
ton available for the Continental
army.
ut so happened that the powder had
been procured before the letter was
delivered, and with 1t the Continental
army compelled the British to evacuate
Boston.
A Winthrop Joined Tories.
mot only the sale of powder but
the fact that Bermuda allowed the col
onies to have salt, so incensed the gov
ernor Of Bermuda that he upbraided
the citizens for treason, and feeling
ran so high that he was removed. His
successor was a native of Salem, Mass.
| whose loyalty to the mother country
was such that he gave up large estates
in the colonies rather than join the
revolutionists. He was connected, both
by blood and by marriage, with the
Winthrop family. Under his rule the
islands full allegiance to England was
restored.
Browne was succeeded by Henry
Hamilton, during whose administration
the town of Hamilton was founded and
named for him. This town today Is
the seat Of the island government. 1t
has a population of less than 5000.
Hamilton Is on Main island or Ber-
muda, while st. George, the former
capital, is on the island of the same
name. There are more than 300 small
islands in the Bermuda group, Of
which only a score are inhabited. The
total population of the islands In 1916
was little over 10000, Of whom about
one-third were white. Bermuda suf-
fered during the war by the cessation
of the American tourist patronage,
which had doubled the entire island
population in preceding seasons.
1.-THE Bermudas attracted visitors be-
cause or their mild climate, which
knew no frosts, and by their scenic
beauty.
Juan Bermudez, sailing from Spain
TO Cuba In 1915 with a cargo OF hogs,
discovered the islands when storm
blew him to their shores. Apparently
he left some of the hogs there, for
later visitors found the animals on the
island. From him the islands were
named, and thus originated the hog
money coins stamped with hog on
one side and ship on the other, which
still are preserved In various collec-
lions.
"The islands were settled through
the efforts of Sir George Somers, who
became impressed with their fertility
and beauty during sojourn enforced
by the wrecking Of the ship which was
rrvfo0 hin, IN VirOfnta