Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/141

 Early History of (he Bennuda Islands.

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��Captain Whipple had scarcely sailed frcm Providence before an account ap- peared in the newspapers of one hun- dred barrels of powder having been taken from Bermuda by a vessel sup- posed to be from Philadelphia, and an- other from South Carolina. This was the same powder that Captain Whipple had gone to procure. General Wash- ington and Governor Cooke were both of the opinion it was best to counter- mand his instructions. The other armed vessel of Rhode Island was immediately dispatched in search of the Captain with orders to return.

But it was too late ; he reached Ber- muda and put in at the west end of the island. The inhabitants were at first alarmed, supposing him to command a king's armed vessel, and the women and children fled from that vicinity ; but when he showed them his commission and instructions they treated him with much cordiality and friendship, and in- formed him that they had assisted in removing the powder, which was made known to General Gage, and he had sent a sloop of war to the island. They professed themselves hearty friends to the American cause. Captain Whipple being defeated in the object of his voy- age returned to Providence.

Soon after the inhabitants of Bermuda petitioned Congress for relief, represen- ting their great distress in consequence of being deprived of the supplies that usually came from the colonies. In consideration of their being friendly to the cause of America, it was resolved by Congress that provisions in certain quantites might be exported to them.*

The powder procured from the Ber- mudians led to the first great victory gained by Washington in the Revolution- ary war, the evacuation of Boston by the British army. After the arrival of

•Journal of Congress, November az, 1775.

��the powder Washington caused numer- ous batteries to be erected in the im- mediate vicinity of the town. On the night of March 4, 1776, Dorchester Heights were taken possession of and works erected there, which commanded Boston, and the British Fleet lying at anchor in the harbor. This caused the town to be evacuated, and General Howe with his army and about one thousand loyalists went aboard of the fleet and sailed for HaUfax, March 17, 1776.

Nothing could exceed the indignation of Governor Bruere when he received intelligence of the plundering of the magazine ; he promptly called upon the legislature to take active measures for bringing the delinquents to justice. No evidence could ever be obtained, and the whole transaction is still enveloped in mystery. The Governor let no op- portunity escape him to accuse the Ber- mudians of disloyality, and no doubt severe punishment would have been in- flicted on the delinquents could they have been discovered.

Two American brigs under Republican colors arrived shortly after this and re- mained some weeks at the west end of the islands unmolested, and Governor Bruere complained bitterly of this to the assembly.*

Governor George James Bruere died in 1780, and the administration devolved on the Honorable Thomas Jones, who was relieved by George Bruere as Lieu- tenant Governor, in October, 1780.

Governor Bruere was soon openly at variance with the assembly, and did not hesitate to accuse the people of treason in supplying the revolted provinces with salt, exchanging it for provisions. Mr. Bruere extremely exasperated at their trading, which he considered to be trea-

Island under the command of Captain. Whipple.
 * These were probably the vessels sent out from Rhode

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