DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND. 115 



with the intelligence that the fort was unoccu- 

 pied ; one of the boat's crew having scaled the 

 rock,, and looked over the walls,, to satisfy his 

 officer of the fact. Towards noon we opened 

 the more lively scenery of James' Valley, and 

 cast anchor in St. Helena Roads ; when the ap- 

 pearance of the union-jack, floating on the bat- 

 teries, and the uniforms of the 91st regiment 

 and Royal Artillery corps, informed us that this 

 island had recently passed from the possession 

 of the Honourable East India Company, and was 

 now in the custody of the British crown. 



On landing at James' Town, the English as- 

 pect which everywhere prevailed, seemed to unite 

 us once more to civilized life, and to the national 

 attractions of our native land ; whilst the ex- 

 treme kindness we experienced from the inha- 

 bitants, and more especially in the domestic 

 circle of Carrol, Esquire, the American Con- 

 sul at this port, rendered our stay agreeable, 

 and to be remembered only with the most grate- 

 ful and pleasurable emotions. 



Rising from the bosom of the broad Atlantic, 

 to a sudden elevation of 2,697 feet, with a cir- 

 cumference not exceeding thirty miles, and far 

 remote from any other land, St. Helena forms a 

 conspicuous and interesting island on our charts. 

 In a commercial point of view, it offers some ad- 



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