ST. HELENA 15 



hill to the eastward of Fort James, to protect the town 

 from attack on that side: and this was the beginning of 

 the Battery known to this day as Munden's, mentioned 

 again in the chapter " Jottings from Records." 



In those days of slow communication, intelligence of the 

 surrender had not reached Holland before a Governor had 

 been sent out to succeed the Dutch officer (supposed to be 

 named Duke), who was temporarily in charge. When the 

 Dutch Governor arrived, he anchored with his fleet of several 

 richly-laden vessels, in total ignorance of what had occurred. 

 Captain Munden had the satisfaction of taking him prisoner, 

 and making prizes of the valuable cargoes. After this 

 Munden left the island in charge of Captain Kedgewin. 



King Charles II again in 1673 granted by charter, dated 

 December 16, the rights and possessions of the island to 

 the East India Company, as lords proprietors of the island. 

 This charter, as well as that of 1661, is still preserved at the 

 Castle. 



It is well known that St. Helena was successively occupied 

 by Portuguese, Dutch and British, as a store island for ships 

 from India, China, etc., up to the time of the opening of the 

 Sue Canal, and in these old times many regulations and 

 orders were sent from England, as under : 



" You are particularly enjoined to render every acre of ground 

 capable of cultivation, as productive as the nature of the soil will 

 admit." 



As early as 1675 Directors of the East India Company 

 wrote : 



" We find there is wanting industry and painstaking in many of 

 the inhabitants, which we will not permit to continue amongst you : 

 for they that will not plant, and take care for provisions of their own, 

 we will not supply them : but rather send them home under the 

 title of drones." 



This threat was actually executed by Governor Roberts 

 in 1708, and for the time had an effect. 



COPY OF THE CHARTER GRANTED TO THE COMPANY BY His MAJESTY 

 KING CHARLES II. 



Dated \6th December, 1673. 



Preamble. Charles II by the grace of God King of 



England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender 



of the faith, and so forth, to all those whom these presents shall 



