138 THE ATLANTIC. [chap.iii. 



are usually without spirituous liquors, the rum obtained from 

 time to time from passing ships being speedily disjDosed of. 

 Mr. Taylor speaks somewhat despondingly of the prospect of 

 the settlement. He indicates the various causes which in his 

 opinion negative its progress, dwelling particularly upon the 

 destruction of the wood ; he looks upon the exodus which took 

 place when he left the island as the beginning of the end, and 

 he hopes in the interests of the settlers and of humanity that 

 the island may soon be abandoned. Facts scarcely seem to 

 justify Mr. Taylor's anticipations. H.R.H. the Duke of Edin- 

 burgh visited Tristan, in the Galatea, in 1867: and the Rev. 

 John Milner, in an entertaining narrative of the cruise, gives 

 an excellent account of the early history of the colony, and of 

 its condition at the time of the Galatea's visit. The number 

 of inhabitants had again risen to eighty-six, which seems to be 

 about the normal population. Governor Glass had been dead 

 fourteen years ; he had no successor in his title ; but one of the 

 oldest of the inhabitants of the island, a man of the name of 

 Green, who married one of Glass's daughters, had slipped into 

 the practical part of his office, and was tacitly acknowledged 

 as the representative of the islanders in all transactions with 

 strangers. He lived in Glass's house, the best in the place, 

 hoisted the red ensign and a flowing white beard, and in vii-tue 

 of these symbols seemed to be accepted as general referee in 

 all matters of difliculty. The flocks and herds were thriving, 

 and vegetables and poultry abounded. The chaplain of the 

 Galatea christened sixteen healthy children, born since the de- 

 parture of Mr. Taylor, and offered to marry seven pairs of un- 

 appropriated lads and lasses who happened, oddly enough, to 

 form part of the community, but they were not inclined to 

 choose partners so suddenly. The pi'ince and his suite had 

 luncheon with Mr. Green, and met some of the chief men, 

 and all the ladies were introduced to him. Altogether, in- 

 stead of the colony showing any tendency to an immediate 



