Lennox-Boyd has learned that Bermudians would rather be left alone.

And out of respect for that determination, he has kept his distance, both politically and physically.

But there are some Bermudians who believe Mr. Lennox-Boyd has been indifferent, possibly uncaring about Bermuda.

They point to the fact that until this week he had never visited the Island, particularly during his three years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with responsibility for Bermuda.

And when Mr. Lennox-Boyd flew to the Island on Thursday for a one-day visit, it was an excursion that only occurred because of a trip to Ottawa where he met members of the new Canadian Govermment.

Nevertheless, the fortuitous timing of the visit allowed Mr. Lennox-Boyd to meet with Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan and do the job he was appointed to do.

From Bermuda's point of view, Mr. Lennox-Boyd said all the right things. He told the Premier he had no intention of standing in the way of Bermuda's right to negotiate its own future on the US Base issue.

And he promised Sir John that his Government would provide the Island with all the technical and legal help it needed to negotiate a good result with the Americans.

Yesterday, in an on-the-run interview at an Airport ticket counter, Mr.

Lennox-Boyd dismissed suggestions he was indifferent to Bermuda.

He said he had tried to visit the Island on three previous occasions but was foiled each time because of circumstances beyond his control.

He said he had maintained contact in meetings with Sir John and other Bermuda Ministers as they passed through London and by attending Bermuda Society dinners.

In addition, regular briefings from his staff have kept him up-to-date on Bermuda affairs.

"But the important thing to remember is that your Government has an autonomy which it exercises very well indeed,'' Mr. Lennox-Boyd told The Royal Gazette .

"It's not like supervising a department in Britain where you have to shout at people all the time.'' Mr. Lennox-Boyd said his visit, however brief, had helped him develop a better appreciation of things. "One must ask oneself: `What is my responsibility all about?' I'm not in the business of making weekly decisions about Bermuda. Your Government does that. And in terms of administration, that is also largely a local matter.'' Mr. Lennox-Boyd said he sees Bermuda as a prosperous, self-governing community with a modern infrastructure and outlook. He said the Island has been sensibly governed, which bodes well for it becoming more prosperous in the future.

He predicted that Bermuda's prosperity would increasingly come from the financial sector.

"That's where I'd be looking at developing the Island,'' he said, adding that the abolition of exchange controls in the UK had helped its financial sector "to no end''.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd stood firmly in the corner of optimists who see the impending US military withdrawal in terms of opportunities.

"I think ultimately the release of all that land will be a great asset,'' he said. "There will be difficult problems and decisions to be made, but it must be a good thing for a land-hungry community to get the large area of land.'' Mr. Lennox-Boyd's whirlwind visit also saw him meet Opposition Leader Mr.

Frederick Wade, Governor Lord Waddington, Human Affairs Minister the Hon.

Jerome Dill, Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul, Legislative Affairs Minister the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto and Transport Minister the Hon.

Maxwell Burgess with whom he discussed issues related to air transportation and the shipping registry.

As he departed, Mr. Lennox-Boyd said he would like to return.

"It has not been enough time to see the Island,'' he said.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd, 50, was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford where he graduated with a degree in oriental languages (Arabic and Turkish).

He also studied at the Middle Eastern Centre for Arab Studies from 1963 to 1964.

He was called to the Bar in 1968.

His political career began in 1974 when he lost an election bid. He was elected to Parliament in 1979.

From 1981 to 1983, he was Parliamentary private secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy and, from 1983 to 1984, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He was an assistant Government Whip from 1984 to 1986 and a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1986 to 1988.

In 1988, he was appointed Parliamentary private secretary to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd is married to Arabella, a landscape designer. She is a trustee of Kew Gardens. They have one daughter.

Mr. Mark Lennox-Boyd.