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99-824: The Pirate Round started from a variety of Atlantic ports, including Bermuda , Nassau , New York City , and A Coruña , depending on where the pirate crew initially assembled. The course then lay roughly south by southeast along the coast of Africa, frequently by way of the Madeira Islands . The pirates would then double the Cape of Good Hope , and sail through the Mozambique Channel to northern Madagascar . Pirates would frequently careen and refit their ships on Madagascar and take on fresh provisions before proceeding onward toward their targets further north. Particularly important pirate bases on Madagascar included

198-424: A karst terrain . These eolianites are actually the type locality , and formed during interglaciations (i.e., the upper levels of the limestone cap, formed primarily by calcium-secreting algae, was broken down into sand by wave action during interglaciation when the seamount was submerged, and during glaciation, when the top of the seamount was above sea level, that sand was blown into dunes and fused together into

297-530: A barbed-wire fence, swam 1.5 miles (2.4 km) past patrol boats and bright spotlights, through storm-swept waters, using the distant Gibbs Hill Lighthouse for navigation until he arrived ashore on the main island. He settled in the U.S. and later became a spy for Germany in both World Wars. In 1942, Col. Duquesne was arrested by the FBI for leading the Duquesne Spy Ring , which to this day remains

396-723: A brief resurgence in the Pirate Round. Meanwhile, James Plaintain founded a new pirate base at Ranter Bay in Madagascar. Among the last pirates to frequent Madagascar waters from 1719 to 1721 were Edward England , John Taylor , Oliver La Buse and Christopher Condent . Taylor and La Buse reaped the greatest prize in the history of the Pirate Round, the plunder of the Portuguese East Indiaman Nossa Senhora Do Cabo at Réunion in 1721, netting diamonds and other treasures worth

495-566: A censorship centre. All mail, radio and telegraphic traffic bound for Europe, the US and the Far East was intercepted and analysed by 1,200 censors, of British Imperial Censorship, part of British Security Coordination (BSC), before being routed to their destination. With BSC working closely with the FBI, the censors were responsible for the discovery and arrest of a number of Axis spies operating in

594-720: A fee. After the American Revolution , the Royal Navy began improving the harbours on the Bermudas. In 1811, work began on the large Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island , which was to serve as the islands' principal naval base guarding the western Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes. To guard the dockyard, the British Army built the Bermuda Garrison , and heavily fortified the archipelago. During

693-484: A flood of pirates following his route. Key to the initial success of the Pirate Round was the trade route between Adam Baldridge on Île Sainte-Marie and merchant Frederick Philipse in New York City. Baldridge bought naval stores, clothing, alcohol, and other necessaries from Philipse and supplied them to pirates in Madagascar. Baldridge's flight from Madagascar in 1697 contributed to the subsequent decline of

792-555: A frost or freeze on record in Bermuda. The hardiness zone is 11b/12a . In other words, the coldest that the annual minimum temperature may be expected to be is around 10 °C (50 °F). This is very high for such a latitude and is a half-zone higher than the Florida Keys . Summertime heat index in Bermuda can be high, although mid-August temperatures rarely exceed 30 °C (86 °F). The highest recorded temperature

891-812: A limestone sandstone), and are laced by red paleosols , also referred to as geosols or terra rossas, indicative of Saharan atmospheric dust and forming during glacial stages . The stratigraphic column starts with the Walsingham Formation , overlain by the Castle Harbour Geosol, the Lower and Upper Town Hill Formations separated by the Harbour Road Geosol, the Ord Road Geosol, the Belmont Formation,

990-443: A new ship. He moved his ship and what was left of his crew to Mona Island , a Spanish held Caribbean island. With help from a passing merchant, Henry Bolton, Kidd was able to sell some of his treasure for provisions and enough money to buy Bolton's sloop , St. Antonio . Kidd decided his best plan was to sail to New York, in his new ship, and convince one of his backers, Governor Bellomont, that he served honourably, and that

1089-782: A nobleman, Muklis Khan, who was close to the Grand Moghul . The crews of Adventure Galley , Quedagh Merchant , and Rouparelle , another ship captured by Kidd and renamed November , set sail for Cochin and Kalliguilon harbour to sell some of the goods to finance his trip back to England. After selling much of the cargo for gold, he left the harbour hurriedly to escape four ships of the Dutch East India Company that were attempting to capture him. Kidd gave orders that if his group of three ships broke up, to meet at St. Mary's Island , Madagascar . When Kidd arrived at St. Mary's Island aboard Adventure Galley , he spotted

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1188-724: A number of aircraft and boats have disappeared under unexplained or mysterious circumstances. Bermuda's pink sand beaches and clear, cerulean blue ocean waters are popular with tourists. Many of Bermuda's hotels are located along the south shore of the island. In addition to its beaches, there are a number of sightseeing attractions. Historic St. George's is a designated World Heritage Site . Scuba divers can explore numerous wrecks and coral reefs in relatively shallow water (typically 30–40 ft or 9–12 m in depth), with virtually unlimited visibility. Many nearby reefs are readily accessible from shore by snorkellers , especially at Church Bay . Bermuda's most popular visitor attraction

1287-712: A prison labour camp, and built two ships, the Deliverance and the Patience . In 1612, the English began settlement of the archipelago, officially named Virgineola, with arrival of the ship the Plough . New London (renamed St. George's Town) was settled that year and designated as the colony's first capital. It is the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the New World . In 1616 and 1620 acts were passed banning

1386-586: A scandal throughout the British Empire, hurting Britain's safe trading status along the African and Indian coasts. Although Kidd felt that both of these captures were legal in accordance with his commission by his Lords, word spread quickly that Captain Kidd was a pirate. Kidd was later imprisoned and ultimately executed for alleged acts of piracy, as well as murder . The fate of Quedagh Merchant rested in

1485-461: A severe food shortage on the island until the departure of Nautilus in October. After France's entry into the war in 1778, Henry Clinton refortified the island under the command of Major William Sutherland . As a result, 91 French and American ships were captured in the winter of 1778–1779, bringing the population once again to the brink of starvation. Bermudian trade was severely hampered by

1584-406: A ship that belonged to noted pirate, Robert Culliford , Mocha Frigate . Since Kidd's mission was to capture pirate treasure, he immediately began a battle plan, but he felt undermanned, so he decided to wait for his other two ships, November and Quedagh Merchant , to arrive before attacking. Six weeks passed before both November and Quedagh Merchant arrived at St. Mary's Island. After

1683-486: A short time, Kidd called for all of his crew to gather on Quedagh Merchant . He told his men to ready themselves for battle, but the crew, wanting to get paid after two years with Kidd, voted 100 to 15 to mutiny over to Culliford. The following morning, the mutinied crew began to off-load the treasure aboard Quedagh Merchant . Kidd, after a show of force and personality, was able to convince his former crewmen to give back his, and his few remaining loyal crew, their share of

1782-418: A steady flow of free but indentured servants until 1684, and most tobacco farms owned by overseas adventurers were sold to the tenants or other occupants after Bermuda-grown tobacco became steadily less profitable following the 1620s, becoming family farms that switched from growing tobacco for export to producing food (initially for local consumption). Consequently, a plantation economy did not develop and

1881-543: A total area of 53.3 km (20.6 sq mi). The largest island is Main Island (also called Bermuda ). Eight larger and populated islands are connected by bridges. The territory's tallest peak is Town Hill on Main Island at 79 m (259 ft) tall. The territory's coastline is 103 km (64 mi). Bermuda gives its name to the Bermuda Triangle , a region of sea in which, according to legend,

1980-485: A total of about £800,000. Condent was also successful, although Edward England was marooned on the Comoros by Taylor and La Buse and died not long after. Despite the successes of Taylor, La Buse, and Condent, the Pirate Round quickly declined again. The last great robber captains, Edward Low , George Lowther and Bartholomew Roberts , ignored the route. Plaintain left Madagascar in 1728. The ever-tightening grip of

2079-429: A treasure hunter over the centuries, was located so close to shore in shallow, crystal clear water. Confidence among the investigators was high that this was the remains of Quedagh Merchant due to consistencies of historical records, and the cannons found in the wreckage. The Indiana University team has been licensed to investigate the site, and convert the site into an underwater preserve, where it will be accessible to

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2178-697: Is a clear example, constituting the cave district around Castle Harbour. The Upper Town Hill Formation forms the core of the Main Island, and prominent hills such as Town Hill, Knapton Hill, and St. David's Lighthouse, while the highest hills, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, are due to the Southampton Formation. Bermuda has two major aquifers , the Langton Aquifer located within the Southampton, Rocky Bay and Belmont Formations, and

2277-681: Is also an oceanic climate , common to many oceanic islands and to the western coasts of continents in the Northern Hemisphere (resulting in a more moderate climate on the western coast of Europe than on the eastern coast of North America), characterised by high relative humidity that moderates temperature, ensuring generally mild winters and summers. Bermuda is warmed by the nearby Gulf Stream . The islands may experience modestly cooler temperatures in January, February, and March [average 18 °C (64 °F)]. There has never been snow,

2376-646: Is on Long Island. The New York Times reported an attempted mutiny by Boer prisoners of war en route to Bermuda and that martial law was enacted on Darrell's Island. The most famous escapee was the Boer prisoner of war Captain Fritz Joubert Duquesne , who was serving a life sentence for "conspiracy against the British government and on (the charge of) espionage". On the night of 25 June 1902, Duquesne slipped out of his tent, worked his way over

2475-936: Is the Royal Naval Dockyard , which includes the National Museum of Bermuda. Other attractions include the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo , Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Botanical Gardens and Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art , lighthouses, and the Crystal Caves with stalactites and underground saltwater pools. Non-residents are prohibited from driving cars on the island. Public transport and taxis are available or visitors can rent scooters for use as private transport. Bermuda consists of over 150  limestone islands, but especially five main islands, along

2574-614: The Adventure Prize , was an Armenian merchant vessel famously captured by Scottish privateer William Kidd on 30 January 1698. The ship was originally owned by a man named Coirgi, a French corruption of "Kurji", a Khoja name common in Gujarat . After the ship's capture, Kidd attempted to return to New York to share in the treasure with the governor of that colony, then on to England to pay off his backers. The capture of Quedagh Merchant , as well as Rouparelle , caused

2673-482: The Armenians were assisted by Augun Peree Callendar, a local English East India Company representative who freelanced to help supplement his income. For the voyage, the ship was captained by John Wright, had two Dutch first mates , a French gunner , more than 90 Indian crewmen , and 30 Armenian merchants. After several delays, the crew loaded the ship with cotton , and departed from Surat, travelled around

2772-554: The Caribbean , then up to New York. He arrived in the Caribbean a full ten months after his crew had mutinied, and anchored his vessel along the coast of Anguilla , the northernmost Leeward Island . It was here that he first learned that he was now a wanted pirate, with many governors having orders to arrest Kidd and his crew. With nowhere to go, with Quedagh Merchant leaking and "too stolen looking", Kidd decided he needed

2871-612: The Commonwealth Caribbean . It is an associate member of the Caribbean Community . Bermuda is named after the Spanish sailor Juan de Bermúdez , who discovered the islands in 1505, while sailing for Spain from a provisioning voyage to Hispaniola in the ship La Garça . Bermuda was discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez . Bermuda had no Indigenous population when it

2970-1026: The National Museum of Bermuda , which incorporates Bermuda's Maritime Museum, occupies the Keep of the Royal Naval Dockyard. Due to its proximity to the southeastern US coast, Bermuda was frequently used during the American Civil War as a stopping point base for the Confederate States ' blockade runners on their runs to and from the Southern states, and England, to evade Union naval vessels on blockade patrol. The blockade runners were then able to transport essential war goods from England and deliver valuable cotton back to England. The old Globe Hotel in St. George's, which

3069-831: The New England colonies and sold into slavery in the seventeenth century, notably in the aftermaths of the Pequot War and King Philip's War ; some are believed to have been brought from as far away as Mexico . Bermuda's ambivalence towards the American rebellion changed in September ;1774, when the Continental Congress resolved to ban trade with Great Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies after 10 September 1775. Such an embargo would mean

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3168-525: The Northern Hemisphere with warm, moist air from the ocean ensuring relatively high humidity and stabilising temperatures. Bermuda is prone to severe weather from recurving tropical cyclones ; however, it receives some protection from a coral reef and its position north of the Main Development Region , which limits the direction and severity of approaching storms. Bermuda is named after Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez , who discovered

3267-621: The Outer Banks of North Carolina , United States which is the nearest landmass. Its next nearest neighbour is Cape Sable Island , Nova Scotia Canada which is 1,236 km (768 mi) north of Bermuda. It is also located 1,759 km (1,093 mi) north-northeast of Havana , Cuba , 1,538 km (956 mi) north of the British Virgin Islands, and 1,537.17 km (955.15 mi) north of San Juan , Puerto Rico . The territory consists of 181 islands , with

3366-700: The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, the British attacks on Washington, D.C. , and the Chesapeake were planned and launched from Bermuda, where the headquarters of the Royal Navy's North American Station had recently been moved from Halifax, Nova Scotia . In 1816, James Arnold, the son of Benedict Arnold , fortified Bermuda's Royal Naval Dockyard against possible US attacks. Today,

3465-492: The 1543 inscription on Portuguese Rock , previously called Spanish Rock. Legends arose of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed from the calls of raucous birds (most likely the Bermuda petrel , or cahow ) and loud nocturnal noises from wild hogs. With its frequent storm-racked conditions and dangerous reefs, the archipelago became known as the "Isle of Devils". Neither Spain nor Portugal attempted to settle it. For

3564-648: The 17th century, the Somers Isles Company suppressed shipbuilding, as it needed Bermudians to farm in order to generate income from the land. The Virginia colony, however, far surpassed Bermuda in quality and quantity of tobacco produced. Bermudians began to turn to maritime trades relatively early in the 17th century, but the Somers Isles Company used all its authority to suppress turning away from agriculture. This interference led to islanders demanding, and receiving, revocation of

3663-410: The 1950s. Tourism has been a significant contributor to Bermuda's economy since the 19th century and after World War II, the territory became a prominent offshore financial centre and tax haven . Divided into nine parishes , Bermuda is a self-governing parliamentary democracy with a bicameral parliament located in the capital Hamilton . The House of Assembly dates from 1620, making it one of

3762-400: The 1960s. Universal suffrage was adopted as part of Bermuda's Constitution in 1967; voting had previously been dependent on a certain level of property ownership. On 10 March 1973, the governor of Bermuda, Richard Sharples , was assassinated by local Black Power militants during a period of civil unrest. Some moves were made towards possible independence for the islands, however, this

3861-588: The Americas , several other locations were named after the archipelago. During this period the first slaves were held and trafficked to the islands. These were a mixture of native Africans who were trafficked to the Americas via the African slave trade and Native Americans who were enslaved from the Thirteen Colonies . The first African slaves arrived in Bermuda in 1617, not from Africa but from

3960-674: The Bermudian magazine while Governor George James Bruere slept, and loaded onto these boats. As a consequence, on 2 October the Continental Congress exempted Bermuda from their trade ban, and Bermuda acquired a reputation for disloyalty. Later that year, the British Parliament passed the Prohibitory Act to prohibit trade with the American rebelling colonies and sent HMS Scorpion to keep watch over

4059-649: The Brighton Aquifer located within the Town Hill Formation. Four freshwater lenses occur in Bermuda, with the Central Lens being the largest on Main Island, containing an area of 7.2 km (1,800 acres) and a thickness greater than 10 m (33 ft). Bermuda has a tropical rainforest climate ( Köppen climate classification : Af ), bordering very closely on a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfa ). It

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4158-657: The British East India Company, competition from native Indian pirates, the breakup of the Mughal Empire , and the descent of India into civil war may have contributed to this second, and final, abandonment of the Pirate Round. Bermuda Bermuda ( / b ər ˈ m j uː d ə / ; historically known as the Bermudas or Somers Isles ) is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean . The closest land outside

4257-728: The Cape of Good Hope to the Indian Ocean and attacked ships loaded with the exotic products of India. … which came to be known as the Pirate Round." Jenifer G. Marx writes that "Ambitious sea outlaws began to leave for the East on what became known as the Pirate Round: a route that, for some thirty years beginning in 1690, linked ports in the Caribbean and the North American colonies with Madagascar." Kevin P. McDonald has referred to

4356-465: The Pirate Round went into decline. The causes included the aforementioned loss of Baldridge's base on Madagascar, increased convoying and protection of Indian and Arab shipping in cooperation with heavily armed British East Indiamen , and the War of the Spanish Succession , which from 1701 to 1713 provided English seamen with legally sanctioned, less arduous opportunities for plunder in the naval and privateer services. The end of British participation in

4455-573: The Pirate Round. One of the most successful Roundsmen was Henry Every , who captured a ship personally owned by the emperor Aurangzeb of India, looting more than £325,000. Aurangzeb's enraged reaction against the British East India Company , and the Company's consequent appeals to Parliament for suppression of pirates, led to the disastrous decision to fund a privateer to hunt down the pirates. The privateer chosen, Captain William Kidd , turned Roundsman himself, unsuccessfully attacking Mughal ships and their British East Indiaman escorts, and capturing

4554-399: The Shore Hills Geosol, the Rocky Bay Formation, and the Southampton Formation. The older eolianite ridges (older Bermuda) are more rounded and subdued compared to the outer coastline (Younger Bermuda). Thus, post deposition morphology includes chemical erosion , with inshore water bodies demonstrating that much of Bermuda is partially drowned Pleistocene karst . The Walsingham Formation

4653-505: The US, including the Joe K ring . In 1948, a regularly scheduled commercial airline service began to operate, using land-based aeroplanes landing at Kindley Field (now L.F. Wade International Airport ), helping tourism to reach a peak in the 1960s and 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, however, international business had supplanted tourism as the dominant sector of Bermuda's economy. The Royal Naval Dockyard and its attendant military garrison remained important to Bermuda's economy until

4752-498: The United States, because of the presence of many privateers. The Bermuda Gazette , Bermuda's first newspaper, began publishing in 1784. The editor, Joseph Stockdale , had been given financial incentive to move to Bermuda with his family and establish the newspaper. He also provided other printing services and operated Bermuda's first local postal service. The Bermuda Gazette was sold by subscription and delivered to subscribers, with Stockdale's employee also delivering mail for

4851-509: The West Indies. Bermuda Governor Tucker sent a ship to the West Indies to find black slaves to dive for pearls in Bermuda. More black slaves were later trafficked to the island in large numbers, originating from America and the Caribbean. As the black population grew, so did the fear of insurrection among the white settlers. In 1623, a law to restrain the insolence of the Negroes was passed in Bermuda. It forbade blacks to buy or sell, barter or exchange tobacco or any other produce for goods without

4950-442: The archipelago in 1505. The islands have been permanently inhabited since 1612 when an English settlement was established at St. George's , which is also the territory’s largest settlement. Forming part of British America , Bermuda was governed under Royal charter by the Somers Isles Company until 1684, when it became a crown colony . The first enslaved Africans were taken to Bermuda in 1616. The Somers Isles Company ensured

5049-413: The collapse of their inter-colonial commerce, famine and civil unrest. Lacking political channels with Great Britain, the Tucker Family met in May 1775 with eight other parishioners and resolved to send delegates to the Continental Congress in July, aiming for an exemption from the ban. Henry Tucker noted a clause in the ban which allowed the exchange of American goods for military supplies. The clause

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5148-415: The combined efforts of the Royal Navy, the British garrison and loyalist privateers , such that famine struck the island in 1779. Upon the death of George Bruere in 1780, the governorship passed to his son, George Jr., an active loyalist. Under his leadership, smuggling was stopped, and the Bermudian colonial government was populated with like-minded loyalists. Even Henry Tucker abandoned trading with

5247-427: The company's charter in 1684, and the company was dissolved. Bermudians rapidly abandoned agriculture for shipbuilding, replanting farmland with the native juniper trees ( Juniperus bermudiana , called Bermuda cedar). Establishing effective control over the Turks Islands , Bermudians deforested their landscape to begin the salt trade. It became the world's largest and remained the cornerstone of Bermuda's economy for

5346-420: The consent of their master. Unrest amongst the slaves predictably erupted several times over the next decades. Major rebellions occurred in 1656, 1661, 1673, 1682, 1730 and 1761. In 1761 a conspiracy was discovered that involved the majority of the blacks on the island. Six slaves were executed and all black celebrations were prohibited. In 1649, the English Civil War was taking place and King Charles I

5445-404: The crew vote on whether to take the ship and its cargo, or sell it back to the Armenians. A man named Cogi Baba offered to buy the ship and its cargo back for what amounted to 1/20 of the actual value of the cargo, but the men of Kidd's crew rejected the offer. Kidd did not fight the vote, knowing that this was a legal capture. Kidd did not know that hundreds of the bales below deck belonged to

5544-419: The cruise were successful, pirates might then return to the Atlantic by a similar route. Usually there would be a stop again at Madagascar to reprovision, careen, and in some cases await the turning of the monsoon wind. The Pirate Round was most active from about 1693 to 1700 and then again from about 1719 to 1721. It is described as follows by David Cordingly: "Some pirates made the additional journey around

5643-461: The flotilla was broken up by a storm and the flagship, the Sea Venture , drove onto Bermuda's reef to prevent her sinking, resulting in the survival of all her passengers and crew. The settlers were unwilling to move on, having now heard about the true conditions in Jamestown from the sailors, and made multiple attempts to rebel and stay in Bermuda. They argued that they had a right to stay and establish their own government. The new settlement became

5742-467: The goods, burned the ship, and sailed to Holland, Lord Bellomont sent a ship to verify that it had indeed been burned. The exact location of the remains of Quedagh Merchant were a mystery until December 2007, when they were discovered off the coast of Catalina Island, Dominican Republic . In April 1696, a group of Armenian merchants hired the 350-ton Quedagh Merchant , owned by an Indian man named Coirgi. Operating out of Surat in north-western India,

5841-423: The hands of merchants hired by Captain Kidd to guard the ship and await his return to the Caribbean in three months' time. During Kidd's long imprisonment in New York and later in England, New York Governor Lord Richard Bellomont attempted to extract a confession for the location of the ship, which was left anchored in a lagoon along Santa Catalina . When word reached New York that the merchants had sold off most of

5940-443: The hunting of certain birds and young tortoises . The archipelago's limited land area and resources led to the creation of what may be the earliest conservation laws of the New World . In 1615, the colony, which had been renamed the Somers Isles in commemoration of Sir George Somers , was passed on to the Somers Isles Company . As Bermudians settled the Carolina Colony and contributed to establishing other English colonies in

6039-406: The island of St. Mary's (often called by its French name, Île Sainte-Marie ) and Ranter Bay , both on the northeastern side of the island. Pirates also utilized the nearby Comoros islands in preparation for the final leg of their cruise. From Madagascar or the Comoros, a number of profitable destinations were available to pirates. Most important were Perim (a.k.a. Bab's Key ) or Mocha at

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6138-456: The island. The island's forts were stripped of cannons. Yet, wartime trade of contraband continued along well-established family connections. With 120 boats by 1775, Bermuda continued to trade with St. Eustatius until 1781 and provided salt to North American ports. In June 1776, HMS Nautilus secured the island, followed by HMS  Galatea in September. Yet, the two British captains seemed more intent on capturing prize money, causing

6237-484: The largest espionage case uncovered in the history of the United States. In the early 20th century Bermuda became a popular destination for American, Canadian and British tourists arriving by sea. The US Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which enacted protectionist trade tariffs on goods imported into the US, led to the demise of Bermuda's once-thriving agricultural export trade to America and encouraged development of tourism as an alternative source of income. The island

6336-499: The loot, the Frenchman mentioned that he was not actually the captain of the vessel, but that Mr. Wright was indeed the man in that role. Kidd located Captain Wright below deck, and he denied being the captain, although the French pass identified him as the captain with the inscription "pilot Rette". Wright also informed him that an agent for the English East India Company had brokered the voyage. Kidd, acknowledging that looting this ship could raise concerns back in England, decided that

6435-424: The men Kidd entrusted with his ship reportedly looted it, and then set it ablaze and adrift down the Rio Dulce . In December 2007, 70 feet (21 m) off the coast of Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic , the remains of a shipwreck were discovered by a local resident and then investigated by archaeologists from Indiana University . The team was surprised that this ship, that had been sought after by many

6534-438: The merchants aboard Adventure Prize had sold off most of the goods, set fire to the ship, and left the Caribbean to sail to Holland. After hearing this news, Bellomont approved Captain Nathaniel Cary, aboard St. Antonio , to return to the Caribbean to verify that the ship was indeed burned off the coast of Hispaniola , and attempt to reclaim the cargo from the local governments, including Curaçao . According to local records,

6633-423: The mid-20th century. In addition to considerable building work, the armed forces needed to source food and other materials from local vendors. Beginning in World War II , US military installations were also located in Bermuda, including a naval air station , and submarine base . The American military presence lasted until 1995. Universal adult suffrage and development of a two-party political system took place in

6732-410: The mission was noble and had refused to turn pirate. Kidd decided that there were enough sail parts, rigging, and metalwork available left on Adventure Galley , and moved everything to Quedagh Merchant , the ship he chose to be his vessel to travel back to New York . It was during this time that Kidd insisted on calling Quedagh Merchant the Adventure Prize . The first stop on his return journey

6831-408: The mouth of the Red Sea . This was the ideal position for intercepting and robbing Mughal shipping, especially the lucrative traffic between Surat and Mecca , carrying Muslim voyagers on the Hajj pilgrimage. Other pirates struck toward the Malabar and Coromandel coasts to rob Mughal merchants or richly laden East Indiamen . Pirates also might find East Indiamen at Réunion Island . If

6930-402: The next century, the island was frequently visited but not settled. The English began to focus on the New World, initially settling in Virginia , starting British colonization in North America, establishing a colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Two years later, a flotilla of seven ships left England with several hundred settlers, food, and supplies to relieve the Jamestown colony. However,

7029-455: The next century. Bermudians also vigorously pursued whaling , privateering , and the merchant trade. Some islanders, especially in St David's , still trace their ancestry to Native Americans, and many more are unaware that they have such ancestry. Hundreds of Native Americans were shipped to Bermuda. The best-known examples were the Algonquian peoples such as Pequots, Wampanoags, Podunks, Nipmucks, Narragansetts and others who were exiled from

7128-409: The other captain to board his ship. A Frenchman came over by boat, and when he stepped aboard Adventure Galley Kidd gave the command to hoist an English flag. The Frenchman, upon seeing the flag change, reportedly replied, "Here is a good Prize." Kidd's mission to capture any enemy and pirate ships was commissioned by several English Lords . Kidd was to seize all loot and return to England to split

7227-485: The piracy as occurring in an "Indo-Atlantic World". English piracy in the Indian Ocean goes back at least to King James I , but for most of the 17th century the Spanish Empire was the principal target of English pirates. The Pirate Round proper as the main route of English pirates begins in 1693 with Thomas Tew . Tew's enormously successful cruise and low casualties attracted the attention of others and led to

7326-518: The population is not Bermudian by birth. The last remaining colony in the former British North America (following the 1867 Confederation of Canada and the Colony of Newfoundland becoming the Dominion of Newfoundland in 1907), Bermuda has a distinct dialect of English and has historically had strong ties with other English-speaking countries in the Americas, including the United States, Canada, and

7425-465: The protection of the French Crown. , and the ship began its return trip around the tip of India. On 30 January 1698, Captain Kidd, aboard his ship Adventure Galley , spotted Quedagh Merchant about 25 leagues from Cochin , and raced to catch up with it. After approximately four hours, Adventure Galley caught up with Quedagh and hoisted a French flag for its colours, and Kidd commanded

7524-451: The public. Since the ship is an important symbol of Armenian commercial history, attempts to find the ship had for some time been made by Armenian scientists as well. Ayas Nautical Research Club led by Karen Balayan, who in 2004-6 had sailed around Europe in a replica of the 13th-century Armenian vessel Kilikia , published a paper in March 2007, saying they would undertake an expedition to

7623-499: The second-most populous of the British Overseas Territories. Black Bermudians , a diverse population primarily of any mixture of African, European, and Native American ancestry, make up around 50% of the population, while White Bermudians , primarily of British, Irish and Portuguese descent, make up 30% of the population. There are smaller groups from other races or identifying as mixed race and about 30% of

7722-446: The slave trade largely ceased by the end of the 17th century. The economy instead became maritime-focused, with the colony serving as a base for merchants, privateers and the Royal Navy , giving its name to the Bermuda rig and Bermuda sloop . It became an imperial fortress , the most important British naval and military base in the western hemisphere with vast funds lavished on its Royal Naval Dockyard and military defences until

7821-667: The south-west. Initial uplift of this rise occurred in the Middle to Late Eocene and concluded by the Late Oligocene , when it subsided below sea level. The volcanic rocks associated with this rise are tholeiitic lavas and intrusive lamprophyre sheets, which form a volcanic basement, on average, 50 m (160 ft) below the island carbonate surface. The limestones of Bermuda consist of biocalcarenites with minor conglomerates . The portion of Bermuda above sea level consists of rocks deposited by aeolian processes , with

7920-615: The southern margin of the Bermuda Platform, one of three topographic highs found on the Bermuda Pedestal . This Bermuda Pedestal sits atop the Bermuda Rise, a mid-basin swell surrounded by abyssal plains . The Bermuda Pedestal is one of four topographic highs aligned roughly from North-East to South-West. The others, all submerged, are Bowditch Seamount to the north-east, and Challenger Bank and Argus Bank to

8019-465: The stories of his piracy were not true. He authorized Mr. Bolton to stay and guard Adventure Prize , which was now in a lagoon on the small island of Santa Catalina , along with the authorization to sell more of the cargo if he was able to get a good deal. Kidd promised to return in three months, then whatever merchandise was sold, the shares would be divided then. When Kidd arrived in New York, he

8118-589: The subjects of an Act of the Rump Parliament of England . The royalist colonies were also threatened with invasion. The Government of Bermuda eventually reached an agreement with the Parliament of England which retained the status quo in Bermuda. In 1655 fifty-four Bermudians became the first British subjects to permanently settle on the Island of Jamaica , followed by a further (200) Bermudians in 1658, following Cromwell’s Invasion of Jamaica . In

8217-482: The territory is in the American state of North Carolina , about 1,035 km (643 mi) to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an archipelago consisting of 181 islands , although the most significant islands are connected by bridges and appear to form one landmass. It has a land area of 54 square kilometres (21 sq mi). Bermuda has a tropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Its climate also exhibits oceanic features similar to other coastal areas in

8316-551: The tip of India, and reached Bengal in late 1697. There, the Armenian merchants sold their cotton for 1,200 muslins and other cloths, 1,400 bags of brown sugar , 84 bales of raw silk , 80 chests of opium , and other items such as iron and saltpetre . For safe passage, the group applied to Francois Martin , the representative for the French East India Company . The request was granted promising him

8415-550: The treasure among himself, his crew, and the Lord investors. The Quedagh Merchant was Indian owned, flying Armenian colours, captained by an Englishman, and had a mostly Indian crew, so seemed to not fit Kidd's commission; but the fact that it had been promised safe passage by the French, an English enemy, technically made this seizure a legal capture. When Kidd and his crew began the inspection of Quedagh Merchant , while inventorying

8514-438: The treasure. Culliford's men proceeded to strip all three ships of anything of value, including weapons, sails , rigging , and anchors . Before Culliford departed St. Mary's Island, his crew sank November , leaving Kidd with two stripped down ships, and a skeleton crew. Surprisingly, one of the men that chose to stay was an old rogue seaman named James Gilliam , who was a pirate at one time, but like Kidd, also believed that

8613-431: The unoffending neutral merchant vessel Quedagh Merchant , which Kidd seized on the basis of its French passes. Another notable rover on the Pirate Round was Robert Culliford , a longtime associate of Kidd, to whom most of Kidd's crew eventually deserted. The pirate cruises of John Bowen , Thomas Howard , Abraham Samuel and Thomas White in 1700 ended the Pirate Round's first period of popularity. From 1700 to 1718,

8712-400: The war in 1713 led to an explosive increase in piracy in the Caribbean , but did not yet revive the Pirate Round. However, in 1718 Woodes Rogers pacified Nassau, while colonial Virginia and South Carolina prosecuted aggressive anti-pirate campaigns, destroying Blackbeard , Stede Bonnet and Richard Worley . Caribbean and Atlantic pirates began to seek safer hunting grounds, leading to

8811-483: The world's oldest legislatures. The premier is the head of government and is formally appointed by the governor , who is nominated by the British government as the representative of the King . The United Kingdom is responsible for foreign affairs and defence. An independence referendum was held in 1995 with a large majority voting against independence. As of 2019, Bermuda had a population of around 64,000 people, making it

8910-653: Was 34 °C (93 °F) in August 1989. The average annual temperature of the Atlantic Ocean around Bermuda is 22.8 °C (73.0 °F), from 18.6 °C (65.5 °F) in February to 28.2 °C (82.8 °F) in August. Quedagh Merchant Quedagh Merchant ( / ˈ k w iː d ɑː ( x )/ ; Armenian : Քեդահյան վաճառական Qedahyan Waćařakan ), also known as the Cara Merchant and

9009-467: Was Port Dolphin, 600 miles (970 km) down the coast of the Madagascar, then over to Tulear , also along the Madagascar coast, to buy provisions, and find more crew members. Feeling that his ship appeared stolen, which could cause him problems, even though he had his documents to prove otherwise, he decided to avoid the main shipping ports. He planned to head to the obscurity of Annobón off central Africa . From there he planned on going straight to

9108-781: Was a centre of intrigue for Confederate agents, is preserved as a public museum. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), 5,000  Boer prisoners of war were housed on five islands of Bermuda. They were located according to their views of the war. "Bitterenders" ( Afrikaans : Bittereinders ), who refused to pledge allegiance to the British Crown, were interned on Darrell's Island and closely guarded. Other islands such as Morgan's Island held 884 men, including 27 officers; Tucker's Island held 809 Boer prisoners, Burt's Island 607, and Port's Island held 35. Hinson's Island housed underage prisoners. The camp cemetery

9207-402: Was arrested, but would not reveal the location of Adventure Prize , believing that the treasure aboard the ship could be used as barter to free him. Bellomont tried to get together two ships, one of which was St. Antonio , to sail back to the Caribbean to retrieve what was left of Kidd's loot. As the planning stage for this voyage was nearly completed, a sloop arrived in New York, claiming that

9306-601: Was beheaded in Whitehall , London. The conflict spilled over into Bermuda, where most of the colonists developed a strong sense of devotion to the Crown. The royalists ousted the Somers Isles Company's Governor and elected John Trimingham as their leader (see Governor of Bermuda ). Bermuda's civil war was ended by militias, and dissenters were pushed to settle The Bahamas under William Sayle . The rebellious royalist colonies of Bermuda, Virginia, Barbados and Antigua , were

9405-617: Was confirmed by Benjamin Franklin when Tucker met with the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety . Independently, others confirmed this business arrangement with Peyton Randolph , the Charlestown Committee of Safety, and George Washington . Three American boats, operating from Charlestown, Philadelphia and Newport, sailed to Bermuda, and on 14 August 1775, 100 barrels of gunpowder were taken from

9504-560: Was decisively rejected in a referendum in 1995 . At the 2020 Summer Olympics , Bermuda became the smallest overseas territory to earn a gold medal, as Flora Duffy won Bermuda's first ever Olympic gold medal in the women's triathlon . Bermuda is a group of low-forming volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean , in the west of the Sargasso Sea , roughly 578 nmi (1,070 km; 665 mi) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras on

9603-476: Was discovered, nor during initial British settlement a century later. It was mentioned in Legatio Babylonica , published in 1511 by historian Pedro Mártir de Anglería , and was included on Spanish charts of that year. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot to take on fresh meat and water. Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for

9702-552: Was one of the centres for illegal alcohol smuggling during the era of Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933). A rail line was constructed in Bermuda in the 1920s, opening in 1931 as the Bermuda Railway , which was abandoned in 1948. The right of way is now the Bermuda Railway Trail. In 1930, after several failed attempts, a Stinson Detroiter seaplane flew to Bermuda from New York City : It

9801-561: Was the first aeroplane ever to reach the islands. In 1936, Deutsche Luft Hansa began to experiment with seaplane flights from Berlin via the Azores with continuation flights to New York City. In 1937, Imperial Airways and Pan American Airways began operating scheduled flying boat airline services from New York and Baltimore to Darrell's Island, Bermuda . In World War II, the Hamilton Princess Hotel became

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