Bermudas
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Bermudas. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
THE, or SOMERS' IS- LANDS, a group of small islands, about 300 in number, in the North Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Great Britain, 580 miles from Cape Hatteras; area, about 30 square miles. The principal islands are Bermuda, St. George, Ireland, and Somerset. The protection afforded to shipping by their numerous bays, and their position in the track of the homeward bound West India vessels have led to the conversion of the Bermudas into a maritime rendezvous, and likewise, into a British naval station for West Indian fleets. The harbor of St. George's Island has been greatly improved, is fortified, protected by a breakwater, and has water and space enough to float the largest fleet. The principal productions are fruits, vegetables, maize, and tobacco. Pineapples are very abundant and largely exported. The climate is mild and salubrious; almost realizing the idea of a perpetual spring. Fish abo bound, and form a profitable source of industry to the inhabitants. Breadstuffs, etc., are imported from the United States, and manufactured goods from England. The imports in 1918 amounted to £692,742, and the exports to £119,977. The tonnage entering and clearing the ports in 1918 amounted to 732,613. During the World War Bermuda was an important station for the British Navy. Hamilton, on Bermuda Island, is the seat of the colonial government. Pop. of capital (1918) 2,700; of the islands 21,629. These islands were discovered by Bermudez, a Spaniard, in 1522, and settled by the the English in 1607. in the N. E. of Venezuela, between the
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a group of 360 small islands, belonging to the British Empire . The group lies in the Atlantic, 580 miles east of North Carolina , and something less than 700 miles from New York . The islands are of coral formation. They lie in the pathway of the Gulf Stream . Twenty of the islands are inhabited. They are noted for their scenery and a mild climate. Numerous hotels are thronged with winter visitors from the United States and Canada. About 12,000 acres are under cultivation. The season permits the raising of three crops a year, but the soil is productive and the efforts of the people are confined to raising onions, potatoes, and Bermuda lilies for the spring market of our North Atlantic cities. The islands are connected by cable with Halifax and Jamaica. Telegraph and telephone lines have been set up and a regular postal service is maintained. The islands are controlled by a governor appointed by the British crown, a council, and a local legislature of thirty-six members. The total population of the islands is about 18,000, two-thirds colored. The annual exports amount to one-half a million dollars a year. The imports are valued at about five times that sum. Americans are not permitted to acquire real estate .
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Both accounts describe a farming and naval colony: Aiton's in 1910 has the islanders raising "onions, potatoes, and Bermuda lilies for the spring market", and Collier's in 1921 stresses the Royal Navy station and the 21,629 people. American tariffs and Texan competition killed the onion trade, the Royal Naval Dockyard wound down after the Second World War, and the US bases leased in 1941 closed in 1995; tourism and, since the 1970s, offshore insurance and reinsurance now carry an economy with one of the highest incomes per head in the world, and a population of roughly 64,000. Politically Bermuda gained internal self-government in 1968 and voted decisively against independence in a 1995 referendum, remaining a British Overseas Territory. Aiton's note that "Americans are not permitted to acquire real estate" still has an echo: land ownership by non-Bermudians remains tightly restricted.
Written for this edition, 2026.