^40 ST. HELENA. 



seems to be required ; and in some places a soli- 

 tary gun is perched ; so that the island is ren- 

 dered perfectly impregnable both by nature and 

 art. On advancing toward the anchorage, the 

 barren cliffs, which before alone met the eye, are 

 both varied and contrasted by mountains covered 

 with verdure, rising from the inland part of the 

 island, about which a few white houses are also 

 seen scattered. 



The castellated building, called High Knowle, 

 has a pretty and picturesque effect, perched on 

 the summit of a very high eminence, and re- 

 minding one of the castles in similar situations 

 seen on the picturesque banks of the Rhine. 



James's Town is a small, neat town, built in 

 a vale, or glen, which gradually recedes as it 

 proceeds inland ; and the town is confined on 

 each side by volcanic cliffs of a great elevation, 

 and of the most barren aspect. The neat church 

 is readily distinguished by its tower ; and the 

 green foliage of vegetation in the gardens adjoin- 

 ing the houses charms the eye by the agreeable 

 contrast. 



We landed, without inconvenience, at the steps 

 near the watering-place, on the left of the anchor- 

 age ; but it often happens that the surf and eddy 

 renders a landing extremely inconvenient, and 

 even dangerous. A broad causeway led to James's 



