The Puritan Colonists


which they smoked and called "sic'al." But it was more ex-
tensively grown on the opposite island of Cuba, where it was
smoked in a pipe called "abacoa" or "tabacoa" by the abor-
igines. From these two Indian words the Spanish "cigaro"
and "tabaco" are derived. Small isolated patches of tobacco
grow and develop beautifully on this coast, and there can be
no doubt that the Puritan failure was due to their not having
a suitable insecticide for spraying and the acres of cheese-
cloth for giving the plants protection during certain periods
of growth.
 In the State Papers, the records of the Earl of Warwick's
colony of Providence and Henrietta are classified as belong-
ing to New Providence, Bahamas. It was not until after pub-
lication that Sir William Lefroy, governor of Bermudas,
pointed out that this was wrong, and that the records proper-
ly belonged to Providence-Mosquitia.
 The word "stand" meant a trading post. Here was the
bigger silk-grass creek. Hereabout stood the headquarters
where the great assortment of merchandise from England was
kept for barter with the planters, gatherers, and smugglers.
Here the silk-grass hanks were brought to be combed out,
hung up and dried on lines, where the dry fibre was spun
and bundled, and where the abundance of fresh water in-
dispensable for the washing of the flax was right at hand. In
1634 the company allowed two shillings per pound for this
flax. The word "stand" is also the Dutch for spindle, axle-
tree, and mill-tree.
 Commess Bight got its name from Captain Sussex Camock
who established this colony to exploit the silk-grass which
was named "Camock's flax" in his honour. The corruption
of this name to "Commess" was undoubtedly helped by the
fact that the advisers in the preparation of the flax were Cap-
tain Blewfield and others of the Dutch followers, who spoke
more or less poor English. "Commies" is the Dutch word for
company's agent, clerk in authority, or manager, and these
men preferred to call Captain Camock the "commies." The