I Being in ship called the sea-venture , with Sir THOMAS Gates , our Gouernour , Sir GEORGE Sommers , and Captaine Newport , three most worthy honoured Gentlemen , ( whose valour and fortitude the world must needes take notice off , and that in most Honourable designes ) bound for Virginia , in the height of thirty degrees of northerly latitude , or thereabouts : we were taken with a most sharpe and cruell storme vpon the fiue and twentieth day of Iuly , Anno 1609. which did not only separate vs from the residue of our fleete , ( which were eight in number ) but with the violent working of the Seas , our ship became so shaken , torne , and leaked , that shee receiued so much water , as couered two ●ire of hogsheads aboue the ballast ; that our men stoode vp to the middles , with buckets , baricos , and kettles , to baile out the water , and continually pumped for three dayes and three nights together , without any intermission ; and yet the water seemed rather to increase , then to diminish : in so much that all our men , being vtterly spent , tyred , and disabled for longer labour , were euen resolued , without any hope of their liues , to shut vp the hatches , and to haue committed themselues to the mercy of the sea , ( which is said to be mercilesse ) or rather to the mercy of their mighty God and redeemer , ( whose mercies exceed all his works ) seeing no helpe , nor hope , in the apprehension of mans reason , that any mothers child could escape that ineuitable danger , which euery man had proposed and digested to himselfe , of present sinking . So that some of them hauing some good and comfortable waters in the ship , fetcht them , and drunke one to the other , taking their last leaue one of the other , vntill their more ioyfull and happy meeting , in a more blessed world ; when it pleased God out of his most gracious and mercifull prouidence , so to direct and guide our ship , ( being left to the mercy of the sea ) for her most aduantage ; that Sir George Sommers ( sitting vpon the poope of the ship , ( where he sate three dayes and three nights together , without meales meate , and little or no sleepe ) couning the shippe to keepe her as vpright as he could , ( for otherwise shee must needes instantly haue foundred ) most wishedly happily discryed land ; whereupon he most comfortably encouraged the company to follow their pumping , and by no meanes to cease bayling out of the water , with their buckets , baricos , and kettles ; whereby they were so ouer wearied , and their spirits so spent with long fasting , and continuance of their labour , that for the most part they were fallen asleepe in corners , and wheresoeuer they chanced first to sit or lie : but hearing news of land , wherewith they grew to bee somewhat reuiued , being carried with wil and desire beyond their strength , euery man busled vp , and gathered his strength and feeble spirits together , to performe as much as their weake force would permit him : through which weake meanes , it pleased God to worke so strongly as the water was staide for that little time , ( which as we all much feared , was the last period of our breathing ) and the ship kept from present sinking , when it pleased God to send her within halfe an English mile , of that land that Sir George Sommers had not long before discryed : Which were the Ilandes of the Barmudas . And there neither did our ship sincke , but more fortunately in so great a misfortune , fell in betweene two rockes , where shee was fast lodged and locked , for further budging : whereby we gayned , not only sufficient time , with the present helpe of our boate , and skiffe , safely to set , and conuey our men ashore ( which were one hundred and fifty in number ) but afterwards had time and leasure to saue some good part of our goodes and prouision , which the water had not spoyled , with all the tackling of the ship , and much of the yron about her , which were necessaries not a litle auaileable , for the building and furnishing of a new ship and pinnis , which we made there , for the transporting and carrying of vs to Virginia . But our deliuery was not more strange in falling so opportunely , and happily vpon the land , as our feeding and preseruation , was beyond our hopes , and all mens expectations most admirable . For the Ilands of the Barmudas , as euery man knoweth that hath heard or read of them , were neuer inhabited by any Christian or Heathen people , but euer esteemed , and reputed , a most prodigious and inchanted place , affoording nothing but gusts , stormes , and foule weather ; which made euery Nauigator and Mariner to auoide them , as Scylla and Charibdis ; or as they would shunne the Deuill himselfe ; and no man was euer heard , to make for the place , but as against their wils , they haue by stormes and dangerousnesse of the rocks , lying seauen leagues into the Sea , suffered shipwracke ; yet did we finde there the ayre so temperate and the Country so aboundantly fruitful of all fit necessaries , for the sustentation and preseruation of mans life , that most in a manner of all our prouisions of bread , beare , and victuall , being quite spoyled , in lying long drowned in salt water , notwithstanding we were there for the space of nine moneths ( few dayes ouer or vnder ) not only well refreshed , comforted , and with good satiety contented , but out of the aboundance thereof , prouided vs some reasonable quantity and proportion of prouision , to carry vs for Virginia , and to maintaine our selues , and that company wee ●ound there , to the great releefe of them , as it fell out in their so great extremities , and in respect of the shortnesse of time , vntill it pleased God , that by my Lords comming thither , their store was better supplyed . And greater , and better prouisions wee might haue made , if we had had better meanes for the storing and transportation thereof . Wherefore my opinion sincerely of this Iland is , that whereas it hath beene , and is still accounted , the most dangerous infortunate , and most forlorne place of the world , it is in truth the richest , healthfullest , and pleasing land , ( the quantity and bignesse thereof considered ) and meerely naturall , as euer man set foote vpon : the particular profits and benefits whereof , shal be more especially inserted , and hereunto annexed , which euery man to his owne priuate knowledge , that was there , can auouch and iustifie for a truth . Vpon the eight and twentieth day of Iuly 1609. ( after the extremity of the storme , was something qualified ) we fell vpon the shore at the Barmudas ; where after our generall Sir Thomas Gates , Sir George Sommers , and Captaine Newport , had by their prouident carefulnesse landed all their men , and so much of the goods and prouisions out of the ship , as was not vtterly spoyled , euerie man disposed and applyed himselfe , to search for , and to seeke out such releefe and sustentation , as the Country afforded : and Sir George Sommers , a man inured to extremities , ( and knowing what thereunto belonged ) was in this seruice , neither idle nor backward , but presently by his carefull industry , went and found out sufficient , of many kind of fishes , and so plentifull thereof , that in halfe an houre , he tooke so many great fishes with hookes , as did suffice the whole company one day . And fish is there so aboundant , that if a man steppe into the water , they will come round about him ; so that men were faine to get out for feare of byting . These fishes are very fat and sweete , and of that proportion and bignesse , that three of them will conueniently lade two men : those we called rock fish . Besides there are such aboundance of mullets , that with a seane might be taken at one draught one thousand at the least , and infinite store of pilchards , with diuers kindes of great fishes , the names of them vnknowne to me : of crayfishes very great ones , and so great store as that there hath beene taken in one night with making lights , euen sufficient to feede the whole company a day . The Country affordeth great aboundance of Hogs , as that there hath beene taken by Sir George Sommers , who was the first that hunted for them , to the number of two and thirty at one time , which he brought to the company in a boate , built by his owne hads . There is Fowle in great numvpon the Ilands , where they breed , that there hath beene taken in two or three houres , a thousand at the least ; the bird being of the bignesse of a good Pidgeon , and layeth egges as bigge as Hen egges vpon the sand , where they come and lay them dayly , although men sit downe amongst them ; that there hath beene taken vp in one morning , by Sir Thomas Gates men , one thousand of egges : and Sir George Sommers men , comming a little distance of time after them , haue stayed there whilst they came and layed their eggs amongst them , that they brought away as many more with them ; with many young birds very fat and sweet . Another Sea fowle there is that lyeth in litle holes in the ground , like vnto a cony-hole , and are in great numbers , exceeding good meate , very fat and sweet ( those we had in the winter ) and their eggs are white , and of that bignesse , that they are not to be knowne from Hen egges . The other birds egges are speckled , and of a different colour : there are also great score and plenty of Herons , and those so familiar and tame , that wee beate them downe from the trees with stones and staues ; but such were young Herons : besides many white Herons , without so much as a blacke or gray feather on them ; with other small birds so tame and gentle , that a man walking in the woods with a slicke , and whistling to them , they wil come and gaze on you , so neare that you may strike and kill many of them with your sticke ; and with singing and hollowing you may doe the like . There are also great store of Tortoses , ( which some call Turtles ) and those so great , that I haue seene a bushel of egges in one of their bellies , which are sweeter then any Henne egge : and the Tortose it selfe , is all very good meate , and yeeldeth great store of oyle , which is as sweete as any butter ; and one of them will suffice fifty men a meale , at the least : and of these hath beene taken great store , with two boates , at the least forty in one day . The Country yeeldeth diuers fruits , as prickled peares , great aboundance , which continue greene vpon the trees all the yeare ; also great plenty of Mulberries , white and red : and on the same are great store of Silke-wormes , which yeeld cods of silke , both white and yellow , being some course , and some fine . And there is a tree called a Palmito tree , which hath a very sweet berry , vpon which the hogs doe most feede ; but our men finding the sweetnesse of them , did willingly share with the hogs for them , they being very pleasant and wholsome , which made them carelesse almost of any bread with their meate ; which occasioned vs to carry in a manner all that store of flower and meale , we did or could saue for Virginia . The head of the Palmito tree is very good meate , either raw or sodden , it yeeldeth a head which waigheth about twenty pound , and is farre better meate , then any cabbidge . There are an infinite number of Cedar trees , ( the fairest I thinke in the world ) and those bring forth a very sweet berry , and wholsome to eate . The Country ( for as much as I could find my self , or heare by others ) affords no venimous creature , or so much as a Rat or Mouse , or any other thing vnwholsome . There is great store of Pearle , and some of them very faire , round , and Orientall ; and you shall finde at least one hundred seede of Pearle in one Oyster ; there hath beene likewise found , some good quantity of Amber Greece , and that of the best sort . There are also great plenty of Whales , which I conceaue are very easie to be killed , for they come so vsually , and ordinarily to the shore , that we heard them oftentimes in the night a bed ; and haue seene many of them neare the shore , in the day time . There was borne vpon the Barmudas , at the time of our being there two children , the one a man child , there baptised , by the name of Barmudas : and a woman child , baptised by the name of Barmuda : as also there was a marriage betweene two English people vpon that Iland . This Iland , I meane the mayne Iland , with all the broken Ilandes adiacent , are made in the forme of a half Moone , but a little more rounder , and diuided into many broken Ilands , and there are many good harbours in it , but wee could finde one especiall place to goe in , or rather to goe out from it , which was not altogether free from some danger , and that lyeth on the South-east-side , where there is three fathoms water , at the entrance therof , but within sixe , seauen , or eight fathoms at the least , where you may safely lie land-locked , from the danger of all winds and weathers , and more to the trees . The comming into it , is so narrow and straight betweene the rocks , as that it will with small store of munition be fortified , and easily defended , with all aduantage the place affords , against the forces of the Potentest King of Europe . There are also plenty of Haukes , and very good Tobacco , as I thinke , which through forgetfulnesse , I had almost omitted : now hauing finished and rigged our ship , and pinnis , the one called the Deliuerance , the pinnis the Patience , wee prepared and made our selues ready , to ship for Virginia , hauing powdred some store of hogs flesh , for prouision thither , and the company thereof , for some reasonable time : but were compelled to make salt there for the same purpose , for all our salt was spent and spoyled , before wee recouered the shore . Wee carryed with vs also a good portion of Tortose oyle , which either for frying or baking did vs very great pleasure , it being very sweete , nourishing , and wholsome : the greatest defects we found there , was tarre and pitch for our ship and pinnis , in steede whereof wee were forced to make lime there of a hard kinde of stone , and vse it : which for the present occasion and necessity , with some wax we found cast vp by the Sea , from some ship wracke , serued the turne to pay the seames of the pinnis Sir George Sommers built , for which hee had neither pitch nor tarre : so that God in the supplying of all our wants , beyond all measure , shewed himselfe still mercifull vnto vs , that we might accomplish our intended voyage to Virginia , for which I confidently hope , hee doth yet reserue a blessing in store , and to the which I presume , euery honest and religious heart will readily giue their Amen . When all thinges were made ready , and commodiously fitted , the winde comming faire , wee set saile and put off from the Barmudas , the tenth day of May , in the yeare 1610. and arriued at Iames towne in Virginia , the foure and twentieth day of the same Moneth : where wee found some threescore persons liuing . And being then some three weeks or thereabouts passed , & not hearing of anye supply , it was thought fitting by a generall consent , to vse the best meanes for the preseruation of all those people that were liuing , being all in number two hundred persons . And so vpon the eight of Iune one thousand six hundred and ten , wee imbarked at Iames Towne : not hauing aboue fourteene dayes victaile , and so were determined to direct our course for new-found-land , there to refresh vs , and supply our selues with victaile , to bring vs home ; but it pleased God to dispose otherwise of vs , and to giue vs better meanes . For being all of vs shipped in foure pinnices , and departed from the towne , almost downe half the Riuer , wee met my Lord de la Warre comming vp with three ships , well furnished with victaile , which reuiued all the company , and gaue them great content . And after some few dayes , my Lord vnderstanding of the great plenty of Hogges and Fish , was at the Barmudas , and the necessity of them in Virginia , was desirous to send thither , to supply himselfe with those things , for the better comforting of his men , and the plantation of the Country . Whereupon Sir George Sommers being a man best acquainted with the place , and being willing to doe seruice vnto his Prince and Country : without any respect of his owne priuate gaine : and being of threescore yeares of age at the least , out of his worthy and valiant minde , offered himselfe to vndertake to performe with Gods help that dangerous voyage for the Barmudas , for the better releefe and comfort of the people in Virginia , and for the better plantation of it , which offer my Lord de la warre , very willingly and thankfully accepted : and so vpon the nineteenth of Iune , Sir George Sommers imbarked himself at Iames towne in a small barge of thirty tonne , or therabout , that he built at the Barmudas : wherein he laboured from morning vntill night , as duelie as any workeman doth labour for wages , and built her all with Cedar , with little or no yron worke at all : hauing in her but one boult , which was in the k●son : notwithstanding thanks be to God , shee brought vs in safety to Virginia , and so I trust he will protect him , and send him well backe againe , to his hearts desire , and the great comfort of all the company there .