ST. HELENA 51 



both at St. Helena and at Hobart's Town. Those of this 

 island have the stems destitute of external fibres, except 

 near the ground, while the tree ferns of Hobart Town are 

 thickly covered with similar fibres from the very summit. 

 The particular interest attached to St. Helena flora is men- 

 tioned in LyelTs Geology 1840, "Vegetation of Islands." 



In islands very distinct from continents the total number of 

 plants is comparatively small, but a huge proportion of the species 

 are such as occur nowhere else. In the flora of St. Helena which 

 is so far distant even from the western shores of Africa, there have 

 been found out of sixty-one native species, only two or three which 

 are to be found in any other part of the globe. It is a pity, that some 

 of the most ornamental and elegant of the woods, as redwood, 

 ebony and stringwood, should stand such danger of becoming extinct. 

 Fruit trees of every sort, vines and sugar cane flourish ; lettuces, 

 we read, were so plentiful that they were used as food for hogs. 



After Dunbar, came Charles Hutchinson, who, in con- 

 sideration of his valuable sendees for eighteen years, was 

 allowed by the East India Company an annuity of 300 

 per year. 



In 1749 acorns were planted, and many Scotch and spruce 

 firs, oaks and cypress-trees were introduced. 



On June 29, 1756, a heavy flood came down the valley, 

 and, overflowing its channel, forced its way through the 

 churchyard and so into the streets of Jamestown. A slight 

 earthquake occurred before this on June 7. The follow- 

 ing passage occurs in the records : 



On the /th June, 1756, a little before seven o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, were sensibly felt, in several parts of the island, two small 

 shocks of an earthquake, but did no manner of harm. 



In 1758 three French ships were cruising round the island 

 for several weeks endeavouring without success to capture 

 our returning East Indiamen, and in the same year a dread- 

 ful sickness broke out amongst the cattle, whereby nearly all 

 were destroyed. 



It was in 1761, during the useful career of Governor 

 Charles Hutchinson, that the island was visited for the 

 observance of a transit of Venus on June 6, when it 

 was calculated that the planet Venus would pass over the 

 sun's disc. It was in consequence of an appeal to his 

 Majesty that measures were adopted for observing the 

 transit from St. Helena: Dr. Maskelyne and Mr. Wadding- 



