1 84 ST. HELENA 



Halley's Mount is called in the records Hawley's 

 Mount, and was used by the famous Dr. Halley for his 

 astronomical observations in 1676. While here he observed 

 a transit of Mercury, which suggested to him the method 

 to which so much importance has since been attached, of 

 ascertaining the distance of the sun by observations on the 

 transit of Venus. The name Hawley's Mount first appears 

 in 1683, with the following order : — 



Sundry families settled in Sandy Bay and other windward 

 valleys, being at a great distance from the Alarm guns, the guns 

 to be removed to Hawley's mount, and to be fired by any person 

 discovering a ship. 



Hutt's Gate. — In the time of the Company this was 

 called "Hutts' Plain," or more frequently "The Hutts," 

 from the buildings erected for the negro slaves. In 1715 

 the Hutts plantation is recorded as the chief and best yam 

 plantation, producing the greatest quantity, there being 

 now 300,000 planted. It remained a Government planta- 

 tion till March, 1725, when it was resolved to throw up the 

 land into pasture. 



Half Tree Hollow, in the Records " Half Way Tree," 

 first mentioned December, 1696. Mary Tewsdale (a 

 suicide) was ordered to be buried at Half Way Tree with a 

 stake through her body and a heap of stones cast upon her 

 as a monument. 



In 1711 it is ordered that Halfway Tree common, 3 miles 

 in circumference, be reserved for the Company's cattle, 

 hogs and goats. 



Lemon Valley was first mentioned in 1678 as Spragues. 

 In a record on its defensive condition in 1734, Governor 

 Pyke says some of the Dutch landed here, but by throwing 

 large stones down the hill they were beat off again. He says 

 " The guns are much flamed and honeycombed. We have 

 taken them away thence as useless, and placed them on 

 the West Rocks as shoar fasts for any ship that has occasion 

 to warp in there. We have placed an anchor and several 

 guns there for that purpose." (This explains the presence 

 of the old guns, leaded muzzle downward, in the solid rock 

 on West Rocks, under Ladder Hill. The anchor was carried 

 away by the heavy rollers in 1846.) 



