JOTTINGS FROM ST. HELENA RECORDS. 



The records of the island are very voluminous, but none 

 are of earlier date than 1673. They consist of 154 large 

 (four quire demi) books of consultations of the Council 

 during the period from 1678 to 1836. The first volume, 

 from 1673 to 1677, is unfortunately lost, and was said even 

 a hundred years ago to be torn and illegible. Besides 

 these, there are thirty-two volumes of letters from the 

 Directors of the East India Company to the Government 

 and Council, commencing from 1673, and twenty-nine 

 volumes of letters from the latter to the Directors. There 

 are also eight volumes of registers of property and deeds of 

 transfer, beginning with an account of the allotment of 

 land to the planters, as it was given to the jury impanneUed 

 for that purpose on September 26, 1682 ; also four volumes 

 of registry of wills from 1681, and twelve volumes of trials 

 at sessions, commencing 1762. All the trials of earlier 

 date are entered on the Council proceedings. 



These records give us minute detail of the squabbles, 

 jealousies and crime of the inhabitants for nearly 200 years. 

 The majority of the people were honest, inoffensive and 

 hospitable so in reading the ludicrous, sad, or sorry occur- 

 rences, we must remember that they only attracted atten- 

 tion because they were not usual. 



Here it is impossible to give in detail aU the interesting 

 matter found in the records. The following table of the 

 contents of the first two volumes forms a curious and 

 interesting contribution to the Archaeology of the island : — 



June 27, 1678. Blackmore Governor — 8 members of Council, 3 



cannot sign their names. School held in country church. Mr. 



Wynne minister. 

 CouncU, 2nd Sept. 1678. Tanners ; Wild cattle about High Peak. 



Places of publication of notices, church door in country, and 



flagstaff in the Fort St. James. 



169 



