Last Sunday's `Sophisticated Traveller'' insert in the New York Times contained what I thought was an excellent advertisement for Bermuda, showing Dinghy Racing and boasting nicely about the small boats with the vast amount of canvas. A good ad in the right publication. Congratulations, Minister Allen! I don't feel so congratulatory about the Minister's efforts to celebrate the discovery of Bermuda in 1503, for nice as it would be to establish a definite year for our discovery, the fact is that we have no proof of a date, and the evidence we have indicates 1505 or 1506. I have discussed this with the Minister and he feels that we could celebrate the discovery over several years, starting in 2003.

The latest information we have was published 11 years ago in the Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History in an article by Jonathan W.

Bream, as a result of a splendid piece of historical research. Before that a few facts were known. In 1515 a Spanish courtier named Gonzalo Ferdinandez d'Oviedo y Valdes was aboard a ship which sailed about Bermuda. d'Oviedo planned to land and leave some pigs, but the wind did not serve and so he sailed on. An earlier date is provided by a 1511 publication called the Legatio Babylonica by Peter Martyr. It contained a map which showed an island in roughly the right place called La Bermuda, but no date of discovery is shown in the reproduction in Lefroy's Memorials of the Bermudas.

It was known that Juan Bermudez discovered Bermuda when captain of La Garza because both d'Oviedo and the Spanish historian Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas say so. d'Oviedo even adds that the island has two names -- Bermuda and La Garza.

What Mr. Bream did in his research in the Archives of the Indies in Spain was to derive a list of ships commanded by Juan de Bermudez between 1495 and 1519, and the dates. The list shows that he made many voyages to the Indies, but commanded La Garza only in 1505. No more precise date is given for her departure from Spain, so all we know is that he discovered Bermuda sometime before 1507, when he took command of La Trinidad . Presumably he found Bermuda on his return voyage, because Spanish vessels normally returned to Spain via the Gulf Stream until they reached our latitude, when they could expect westerly winds to take them home.

This means that the date of discovery was most likely to have been 1505 or 1506. Mr. Bream says that it is unlikely that we shall ever know the exact date of discovery as all evidence indicates that Bermudez could not read, and probably never kept a log.

Bermudez was one of the first Spanish mariners to cross the Atlantic, making his first voyage as commander in 1495, two years after Columbus' returned to Spain to tell what he had found. The Minister said that Bermudez carried slaves, which is borne out by Mr. Bream's article. He says that in the 1505 voyage, from Palos in Spain, he carried a cargo of 16 slaves, and presumably these persons were landed in Hispaniola, Bermudez' destination in the Indies.

Oddly enough, a fact book in the Ministry of Tourism says that Bermuda was discovered in 1503. Apparently the information has been in the book for many years, and has nothing to back it. I hope someone there changes it.

W.S. ZUILL Smith's Parish Don't blame the victim March 13, 2001 Dear Sir, I would like to comment on the e-mail that is being passed around concerning the recent attacks on women, as well as the article on the front page of yesterday's paper which makes reference to this e-mail. I do realise that we no longer live in an ideal world and that as women we need to be more cautious in light of the recent crimes committed against us.

However, one comment particular angered me: "Now some of you women are asking to become victims when walking alone at night (for exercise) or going for evening and late night runs alone. How stupid can one be? This is asking to become a victim.'' Whoever wrote this e-mail has no right passing this type of judgment. I am hoping a woman did not write this and then had the audacity to pass it on. If so, she should be ashamed of herself. Nobody, whether they are a man or a woman, deserves to be victimised when they choose to walk at 7 a.m. or 7 p.m.

Why should the victim be made to feel "stupid'' or that they were "asking for it''. Let's not forget who is committing the crime here. No wonder the youth of today are the way that they are -- they learn from example. I must say I was a bit confused reading this as I was taught in school and at home that women who are victimised in any way should not be made to feel that they were asking for it or even that it was their fault.

So are we now teaching our women of today and tomorrow that they are asking for it? If so, I guess I missed that memo. We have counsellors who spend time with victims of various forms of assault and they tell these women that it is not their fault. Now how do you think those victims feel when they hear/read a comment like that coming from fellow Bermudians, especially other women, that it is their fault that they became a victim because they were walking alone or riding their bike after dark? Let's raise this question: If it is a male walking or riding his bike after dark and he is attacked, has it ever been said "oh, he was asking for it''? Is it because we are women we are asking for it? So after how many years are we still making women feel that they are the inferior or weaker gender and that they are stupid? Like I said before, let's not forget who is committing the crime here. We don't want to lose focus on who really is to blame. After reading that comment I refused to pass on the e-mail. How much of a hypocrite would I be or how insensitive would I be to claim to love and care about my female friends and family by saying "oh I'm sending you this e-mail because I love you and I want you to be safe, BUT, if you are attacked whilst walking or riding your bike after dark then you are asking to become a victim''.

HEIDI AMOS Paget Don't feed stray cats March 8, 2001 Dear Sir, How unfortunate that Dr. Maureen Ware-Cieters feels it necessary to offend so many hard-working scientists, ecologists and environmentalists who are working so hard to tackle all the problems threatening the bio-diversity of Bermuda (letter to the editor, Royal Gazette February 9, 2001). The issue of feral cats is only one of many problems.

Anyone who passes through our Government Parks where feral cat feeding stations are inexplicably positioned will notice that feral cats are not exclusively nocturnal and will frequently approach in the hope of food.

Well-fed cats kill birds and other wildlife because the hunting instinct is independent of the urge to eat.

Scientific studies in North America and Europe have shown that the TNR (trap, neuter and release) programme is the wrong solution. The aim is that neutered cats will eventually die and the problem is solved. However, cat colonies often serve as dumping grounds for unwanted cats and the food often attracts more cats. Given the extremely high reproductive potential of cats, it would only require failure to capture five percent of the feral cat population to guarantee enough new kittens born to replace losses from mortality, thereby maintaining the population ad infinitum.

In North America, the American Bird Conservancy, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, the American Ornithologists' Union, and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians oppose TNR. Even the American Veterinary Medical Association states that cat colonies should not be on lands managed for wildlife or natural resources (e.g. parks and nature reserves). In addition, the Humane Society of the United States, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, are on record expressing concerns about this practice.

So what is the solution? Legislation is required prohibiting the feeding of stray cats. The public needs to be educated that feeding stray cats is to the solution for cats, wildlife or people. Stray and feral cats need to be humanely removed and taken into shelter. Cat owners should ensure their cats are spayed or neutered from eight weeks to four months of age. Dialogue needs to be created between interested Government and non-governmental organisations to solve cat overpopulation.

P. HOLMES Devonshire Change the music March 6, 2001 Dear Sir, Does it frustrate anyone but myself the way Oasis and its musical repertoire seem to be frozen in techno time? One of the DJs in particular seems to be astoundingly resistant to the music of the new Millennnium. I have always felt a true DJ should be willing to play current music (hip-hop and R&B) in addition to his personal preference. A DJ's primary purpose is to please the customers -- not himself.

Maybe some of the Oasis DJs should pay a visit on a Friday night to other clubs to see for themselves what an enjoyable time their customers are having -- they can just take a look at the dance floor which has four times as many people dancing all night than Oasis ever has. Perhaps, then the light bulb will go off and Oasis will realise that the only time they get a number of people dancing worth writing home about is at 2 a.m. when they sometimes play music people actually like.

GET WITH THE PROGRAMME Smith's Parish Construction premium March 8, 2001 Dear Sir, Anyone who knows anything about construction on this Island knows that projects for which a largely local work force is engaged cost twice as much and take twice as long. Poor work ethic, absenteeism, and lack of commitment are enormous problems for contractors when they employ Bermudians on a job.

Government's intention to pay a bonus to those firms who employ a local workforce for the Berkeley school job means the taxpayers will get bitten twice. They will pay more for the project (because it will take longer to build) and the Bermudian "bonus factor'' will certainly add to their woes. It is nice to know that as a community we are so rich that we can throw money away for political gain. If the President of the BIU has his way only unionised contractors will be allowed to bid, and another premium will be added to the project.

In due course I hope one of our architects will do the sums and let the public know what the cost per square foot was to construct the new Berkeley. I am sure it will shock everyone! TAXPAYER City of Hamilton