Butler Redux: The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press launches its handsome new Monograph Series, beginning with a fine modern redaction of Nathaniel Butler's 17th-century History of the Bermudas, ably edited by C.F.E. Hollis Hallett.

A Governor of Bermuda makes an abrupt departure from the island, under a cloud of scandal and controversy, setting tongues wagging both on the island itself and in London. Sir Richard Posnett in 1983? No, Captain Nathaniel Butler in 1622. And there is more ¿ much more ¿ of rather greater substance, besides. Unlike in the old detective stories, the Butler probably did not do what he was accused of by his detractors. Governors of Bermuda have quite often had a difficult time of things, and Nathaniel Butler was no exception. Those were precarious, swashbuckling, pioneering days, beset by natural catastrophes as well as by religious controversies, political feuding, and the threat of foreign attack. Butler seems in fact to have been a highly conscientious public servant. Happily, he ended up having the last say (albeit posthumously), when yet another former Governor, General Sir J.H. Lefroy, transcribed Butler's previously unpublished manuscript account of Bermuda's early history, and had it published in 1882 by the prestigious Hakluyt Society.

Fast forward a century and a quarter, and the Bermuda Maritime Museum Press publishes a modernised edition of Butler's history, complete with helpful biographical and other notes, giving us a more readable version of that half-forgotten book; now handsomely brought forward as the first of its exciting new Monograph Series of Bermuda history books. (Cyril Packwood's Chained on the Rock will be next, and one can only hope that the Maritime Museum will keep up the good work thus begun.)

¿ From the Book Review by Jonathan Land Evans published in The Royal Gazette in February 2008

You should have been there: it was a great evening at the "World Heritage Centre" at Penno's Wharf on the western edge of the town I helped to found. After almost 400 years, my book on the history of the first decade of settlement of Bermuda has finally been published in a readable format by the Maritime Museum.

A number of notables were there, not only for the free drinks, but also for the inspiration and further appreciation of your heritage that they will obtain when they purchase the handsome new volume, autographed by me on the back cover. Dame Jennifer Smith, one of the Members of Parliament for St. George's, Dale Butler, who is Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation and Mr. Kim Swan, another Parliamentarian and Leader of the Opposition, were some of the political worthies in attendance. Former mayors of the Olde Town, members of its Corporation and trustees of the St. George's Foundation also added to the festivities, as well as Trustees of the Museum and its chairman, Sheila Nicoll.

The Minister welcomed the publication and gave a fine speech, which one may say was a compendium of "Butler on Butler". Who knows but, as he suggested, we may be related, as a DNA study might show!

I was also pleased to see the widow of the late Chief Librarian and Maritime Museum trustee, Cyril Outerbridge Packwood, out for the night. Her daughter, Cheryl Packwood, and her three sons accompanied Mrs. Packwood. Cheryl took the opportunity to announce, to considerable applause, that she and her mother had donated Mr. Packwood's library and research papers to the Maritime Museum, for the benefit of future generations of researchers.

As Mr. Evans noted in his review, which, as is often usual with such critiques, contained a number of roses and a few academically barbed thorns, the Museum will be publishing a revised edition of Cyril Packwood's classic on the history of slavery in Bermuda, Chained on the Rock, for the Quadricentennial Celebrations in 2009.

Everyone thought it was a good evening and some die-hards, like the Museum Director, Dr. Harris, and some East Enders, had to be told to leave, so that the caterers could take their wine glasses and go home.

My new book, which I have been awaiting nigh on 400 years, is now on sale at bookstores just about everywhere, at least in Bermuda. I am hoping the Museum will move into the modern Internet age and get it marketed on Amazon, or such like, as I want everyone to hear it from me, that is my true version of what the first Bermudians were all about.

One thing they were about was making history, which nowadays is your heritage. While their cousins across the water at Jamestown, Virginia, were trying to settle their differences with the indigenous people of that region, Bermudians were developing the political mechanisms to govern and keep the peace among themselves on their 19 square miles of paradise.

I helped them in that endeavour and in August 1620, the first assembly or parliament was held in St. George's. You may be surprised to know that this is now the third oldest such democratic parliament in the entire world, after ones in Iceland and London. Some months later, I built what is now called the "State House", just off the Town Square, to be the home for the Assembly. This I described in my book:

When Paget's Fort had been improved, the Governor (that's me!) began to build a fine new house of cut stone in the town; he constructed this with a flat roof, like the ones he had seen in other similar countries, and he built the roof of stone as well, hoping to set an example and encouragement for others to do the same. This type of construction seemed most appropriate for the nature and climate of the island, because of its tightness against the violent downpours of rain, and for strength against the strong winds and sudden hurricanes, as well as for coolness, due to the thickness of the walls and the shape of the roof. Most important of all, it was best to use stone for the construction so as to save and conserve timber, which had been used wastefully until now and would soon become very scarce and of poor quality. Yet timber would continue to be the necessary material for all sorts of things, such as carriages for mounting guns and for building boats. But there was an inexhaustible supply of stone, and of limestone which would burn easily. When this fine house was finished, the Governor designated it for public service, and therefore called it the Town House. One very large and handsome room in the house was thirty-two feet long and twenty-two feet wide, and was fitted out to be the meeting-place of the General Assembly.

The State House, after the first eight forts, was the first stone building ever erected in Bermuda: it is still standing, along with the King's Castle, Devonshire Redoubt and Southampton Fort. These buildings are now part of Bermuda's World Heritage Site collection and I built three of them. Perhaps you can thank me for that next year during your celebrations for the 400th anniversary of human settlement of Bermuda.

In parting, I thank my dear friend, Mrs. A.C. H. (Keggie) Hallett, for bringing my world back to life in her edition of my book, accomplished with much hard work, an outstanding labour of love, as only such a project can be: you should thank her too for giving you back a major piece of your earliest heritage.

Your Affectionate Friend, Nathaniel Butler, late Governor

* * *

Dr. Edward Harris, MBE, JP, FSA, Bermudian, is the Executive Director of the Bermuda Maritime Museum. This article represents his opinions and not necessarily those of persons associated with the Museum. Comments can be sent to drharrislogic.bm or by telephone to 799-5480.