ST. HELENA 63 



other fruit, and all sorts of esculent vegetables." The apples 

 were of high flavour, some of them measuring sixteen inches 

 in circumference. How very different from the present day, 

 when bananas and figs are almost the only fruit which 

 escapes the ravages of the worm, and oranges, apples, 

 grapes, and lemons are also imported. 



At the end of five years Beatson retired, leaving his work 

 to Colonel Mark Wilks, who fortunately was a man of wide 

 views, and concurred in general with Governor Beatson's 

 plans for improving both people and island. 



Colonel Wilks arrived on the island on June 22, 1813, 

 and his Government is memorable as being that during 

 which occurred the arrival of Napoleon. The St. Helena 

 library was formed in this year, and in 1814 the Benevolent 

 Society for the education and relief of the poor was estab- 

 lished. In this year also the celebrated Dr. Roxburgh 

 recommended the introduction of Cinchona officinalis from 

 South America, also that young plants be raised here for 

 transmission to India. A list of the plants found and 

 reported on by Dr. Roxburgh will be found at end of book, 

 as well as a report in 1869 of the cinchona planting. 



Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, arrived 

 in October 1815. His arrival was totally unexpected, and 

 caused a great sensation on the generally quiet and monoto- 

 nous little rock. There is so much of interest concerning 

 his enforced residence and sad lonely death, that I have 

 considered it advisable to place it under a separate heading. 



In 1816 Lieut. -General Sir Hudson Lowe arrived to take 

 over the Government from Colonel Wilks. Sir Hudson 

 Lowe was of course appointed by the Crown, not by the 

 Company. The island however was still to belong to 

 the East India Company, but, as the expense of keeping it 

 up would be so much more, it was decided that the Company 

 should only bear as much expense as was the average of 

 several years, and that the Crown should bear the remainder. 

 It was during Sir Hudson Lowe's Government that the 

 waters of Diana's Peak were conveyed to Deadwood, and 

 again from a stream near that beautiful spot, Oakbank, to 

 Francis Plain. In both instances this was done with a view 

 to supplying troops then encamped at these places. One 

 good law attributed to him was that which decreed that 



