St Helena. 
Fruits, 
700 
purpose it is chiefly calculated, tho not altogether 
unfit for building, if protected from the weather. From 
the trunks of the common and bastard species, a sweet- 
flavoured liquor, called by the natives toddy, issues 
spontaneously ; and a bottle, so: placed as'to catch the 
natural exudation, may be filled in the course of a night. 
Of the other native trees, may be mentioned. string~ 
‘wood, dog-wood, red-wood, or ebony; and the cabbage- 
tree, of which the two last are very durable, and much 
valued in building. Oaks, cypress, and pinaster, have 
been introduced into the plantations, and thrive’ well. 
The first, particularly, grows up very quickly, but de- 
cays with equal rapidity, though: the wood, when cut 
in a sound state, is said to be of a very close grain and 
firm texture. The ferns of St Helena are’ very nume- 
rous and beautiful; and one species, called the tree» 
Jern, grows to the height of 14 or even 20 feet, with 
leaves five feet in length, The myrtle, to which the 
climate is peculiarly adapted, grows to the height of 
30 feet, and the cotton plant. thrives very readily, A 
shrub, which the natives call samphire, but supposed 
to be the barilla, grows spontaneously on the thin crust 
of soil generally found near the sea, and yields from its 
ashes a large quantity of the marine alkali for the ma- 
nufactories of soap. The English vernal grass prevails 
in the higher parts ; but, in the low grounds, the wires 
grass, or droop, is more abundant. This last is sweet 
and nutritious, and suffers less than the other sorts from 
hot or dry weather ; but, instead of it, a coarse herb, 
called cow-grass, originally from the Cape of Good 
Hope, has been introduced into many.of the pastures. 
Lucerne has succeeded in some situations, and is con« 
sidered as well calculated for general cultivation. 
Fruits, in general, ripen best in the yallies near the 
coast ; but almost on every farm are produced vines, 
figs, limes, oranges, lemons, citrons, guavas, bananas, 
peaches, quincés, pomegranates, tamarinds, mulberries, 
melons, water-melons, and pumpkins. Mangos, cocoa= 
nuts, sugar-cane, pine-apples, and strawberries, are 
also raised in the island, but only in small quantities. 
Apples have not succeeded generally ; but one orchard, 
rticularly, about three acres in extent, has been 
nown, besides other fruits, to yield in one season 
24,000 apples of a large size. Cherries have been tried, 
but without success. Gooseberry and currant bushes 
when planted, become evergreens, and yield ne fruit ; 
but the common blackberry, which was introduced in 
the year 1780, has found the soil and climate so con- 
genial, that it has completely overspread large tracts of 
ground ; and, as the only remedy against its encroach- 
ments, a public order was issued, and has uniformly 
been in force, for its entire extirpation. A species of 
‘yam, ay imported from Madagascar, is com- 
monly cultivated in the vallies ; but it requires almost 
continued moisture for fifteen months to bring it to per- 
fection. During the last twenty years, however, the 
culture of the potatoe has more profitably occupied the 
attention of the farmer ; and three successive crops of 
this valuable root are frequently produced in one sea- 
son. Cabbage, peas, beans, and other garden vegeta- 
bles, are raised everywhere. in great abundance. At- 
tempts have more than once been made to introduce 
the cultivation of wheat, barley, and oats ; but proba- 
bly from drought, or some unknown peculiarity in the 
soil or climate, the experiment did not succeed. It is 
more from this failure, than from the alleged voraci 
of the rats and mice, that grain is not raised. Indeed, 
as the principal value of the island consists in its being 
, 
HELENA. 
a place of rendezvous and refreshment for the home- st H 
ward bound ships from India, the cultivation of grain 
has been deemed of less importance, and less anxious-~ 
ly encouraged, than the rearing of live stock, and the 
uction of wholesome v Ndsenic: atl} To swith ae 
» The breed of cattle and sheep on ‘the island sae 
nally English ; but, in consequence of the large de- 
mands from the India ships, the stock is very scanty; 
and the inhabitants, during, the greater part of «4 
year subsist upon rice and. salt provisions issued below 
prime cost from the Company’s stores. Goats are nu- 
merous, and their flesh well-tasted; but pork, cman 
what is reared, by the: more opulent inhabitants, is of a 
very inferior quality, as the animals are chiefly fed with 
the heads and offals of the coarser kinds of fish: Rab- 
bits abound in some spets, . Rats and mice are amaz- 
ingly numerous, and uently very destructive. In 
1756, they are said to have barked the trees at Long. 
wood for food; and in 1700 actually devoured one 
another, so as almost to clear the island of the whole 
tribe. With a little ordinary care, however, Governor 
Beatson cleared his farms and s of vermin, as 
completely as could have been done in England. 
The canary bird abounds in the island; and 
Java sparrow is a great annoyance to the farmers. Re 
linnets are also numerous; and are observed to build 
two nests, in the uppermost of which the male bird 
- takes ‘his station, and serenades the female with his 
fowl, with which the island was formerly well stocked, 
are now seldom to be seen. . The shores abound with 
sea-fowl, which deposit their eggs among the cliffs; 
and these, which are collected in the months of Octo- 
ber and November, greatly resemble in flavour those 
of a plover. One species of these sea-birds make their 
nests in the more central and woody eminences, whe- 
ther they are often seen flying across the country with 
fish in their bills, 
More than seventy kinds of fish are found on. the Fish, 
coast; but those, which are commonly caught, are 
mackarel, albicore, cayalloes, jacks, congers, soldiers, 
old-wives, bull’s-eyes, &c. The coal-fish, from two to 
three feet in length, are singularly delicate and high 
flavoured; but seldom more than eight or ten of them 
are taken in the course of a year. The Ms ngewe 
drop 
when pursued by their various enemies, 
upon the rocks ; and some haye been picked up, mea~ 
suring more than two feet in length. Whales are fre- 
quently seen in the vicinity of the island; and have 
sometimes been killed in the roads by the south-sea 
whalers. Turtle frequent the! coast in the months of 
December and March, and are often taken by the fish- 
ing boats. Shell-fish are not uncommon, especially 
one species resembling lobster ; and. rock-oysters are 
found in some situations in a solid mass, which may be 
separated into distinct fish. 
The whole superficial extent of St. Helena is caleu- 
lated at 30,000 acres, of which the greater part is ature, 
barren waste. About. 8000 acres have been brought 
into cultivation; and much more might.be improved 
as pasture-ground, if water were conveyed to it, which 
in many situations is perfectly practicable. Of the 
cultivated portions, about 1500 acres are in the occupa- 
tion of the governor, the lieutenant-governor, and the 
Company ; 4000, besides goat-ranges, have at different 
times been let in leases at a low rent, seldom exceeding 
the Birds, 
