STATE OP ASCENSION. 129 



that the copious supply of water in Capetown was derived, not from 

 rainfall and surface drainage, but from the percolation, through the 

 four thousand feet thick filtering stone, of moisture absorbed from 

 what is called the Table-cloth, often seen on Table Mountain when 

 the south-east wind blows in the summer months ; and there seemed 

 to me nothing unreasonable in the information supplied by Mr 

 Barrington. He derived his information from the late Commodore 

 Burnet, who had been stationed at the Island, who stated that for a 

 long time the garrison and the shipping had had a good supply of 

 water ; and he (Mr Barrington) stated that when he himself saw it, 

 which was in 1861, the summit was enveloped in mist the whole day. 



I subsequently obtained through Dr Hooker, who had succeeded 

 his father as Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, a copy of the 

 report made in 1862 by Capt. Barnard when in charge of Ascension, 

 with a lithographic plan of the Island, illustrative of what had been 

 then accomplished, which had been published at his suggestion by 

 the Lords of the Admiralty, that the public might know something 

 of the altered " condition of that curious and now important island, 

 due to the encouragement given by the Admiralty, through the 

 instrumentality of Commodore Burnet, and more recently by the 

 intelligence and zeal of Capt. Barnard and his indefatigable assistant, 

 Mr Bell." And he goes on to say, in support of his suggestion : — " I 

 doubt if there is any spot in the world where a comparatively barren 

 rock, — destitute of all natural useful vegetation, exposed to the most 

 terrific and injurious sea breezes, — has been, or could have been, 

 brought into such a state of useful cultivation." 



The plan shows a great many patches, measured as many of them 

 by poles as by acres, but measuring in the aggregate twenty-nine 

 acres, covered with furze and shrubbery, and upwards of twenty-seven 

 acres of land under cultivation, bearing crops of potatoes, sweet 

 potatoes, cabbage, carrots, pumpkins, turnips, endive, beans, leeks, 

 grass, pine apples, bananas, guavas, figs, oranges, shaddocks, mul- 

 berries, and sugar-cane. 



It appears that a number of seeds consisting of acorns, horse 

 chesnuts, Spanish chesnuts, etc., which had been previously sent, 

 had been spoilt, probably by being stowed away on ship-board in a 

 damp hold ; but simple measures were adopted to prevent the recur- 

 rence of this, and by terracing, excavating, and levelling every little 

 patch capable of cultivation, the most was made of every advantage 

 which could be commanded on the island. 



The whole report by Captain Barnard is full of details illustrative 



