156 ST. HELENA 



now mourns the loss of my beloved mother. In the welfare and 

 prosperity of her subjects throughout Greater Britain, the Queen 

 ever evinced a heartfelt interest. She saw with thankfulness the 

 steady progress which, under a wide extension of self-government, 

 they had made during her reign. She warmly appreciated their 

 unfailing loyalty to her throne and person, and was proud to think 

 of those who had so nobly fought and died for the Empire's cause 

 in South Africa. I have already declared that it will be my con- 

 stant endeavour to follow the great example bequeathed to me. 

 In these endeavours I shall have a confident trust in the devotion 

 and the sympathy of the people and of their several representative 

 assemblies throughout my vast colonial dominions ; with such 

 loyal support I will with God's blessing solemnly work for the pro- 

 motion of the common welfare and security of the Great Empire 

 over which I have now been called to reign. 



(Signed) EDWARD R. AND I. 

 WINDSOR CASTLE, 

 4th February, 1901. 



The square is flanked on three sides by buildings, the 

 chief being the Fort or Castle, the first of which was built 

 under the superintendence of Captain Button, the first 

 English Governor. 



This ancient fort is closely described by the narrator of 

 the voyage of Mons. Rennefort, who saw it in 1666 : 



Its form was triangular with three bastions. On two of 

 the bastions were mounted seven pieces of heavy iron cannon, 

 pointed toward the sea. Four guns were placed on the 3rd which 

 was upon the land side, and was calculated to serve as a kind of 

 citadel in the event of the other parts of the work being captured. 

 The two bastions next the sea were flanked by two redoubts with 

 two pieces of ordnance on each, nearly on a level with the water's 

 edge. 



Up to this time the valley was called Chapel Valley, 

 from the chapel built by the Portuguese, the ruins 

 of which were still to be seen when the island was first 

 settled by the English. But the Castle or Fort was named 

 Fort James, probably in compliment to the Duke of York 

 (afterwards James II.) for he was an active patron of com- 

 merce and at the head of an African Company. 



The site of Fort James was in all probability that of the 

 present Castle, which appellation was seemingly derived 

 from its being enclosed within a high quadrangular wall 

 or rampart (built in 1707), and surmounted with battle- 

 ments or small embrasures. In the walls of this building 

 are built several stones bearing inscriptions as under, which 



