1 86 ST. HELENA 



leading from town to the hill, and stones have been col- 

 lected in heaps in readiness to throw down." 



The " Observatory," Ladder Hill, was proposed and 

 built by Governor Walker, October 1823, and Lieut. 

 Johnson, of the St. Helena artillery, was selected to take 

 charge of it. He showed such natural aptitude that his 

 catalogue of stars, published by the East India Company 

 in 1835, is still a standard work. After the break up of the 

 Company's St. Helena establishment, Lieut. Johnson ob- 

 tained charge of the Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford. 



Longs was the allotment ground of Francis Moore, a 

 Chirurgeon, who died in 1682, when the land was sold to 

 John Long. On April 3, 1717, Governor Pyke relates : — 



There is a report run about the island like wildfire that there 

 is a new Governor coming. On 9th is another record, that John 

 Long, rejoicing in the report of a new Governor and Council, walked 

 7 miles to town to defy Capt. Haswell and tell him "a little time ago 

 you threatened to cane me, now strike me if you dare. I don't 

 care a D for you." 



For this Long was sent to prison. The governor writes : — 



It is very strange the Directors for the Honble Company should 

 have such mistaken notions of these people, who never did nor 

 could live peaceable, there being too many of them of John Long's 

 temper. Tis pitty we have not some of the Committee to live among 

 them, for that would certainly make them judge of these people's 

 temper better. 



This was a candid but hardly respectful hint to the Court 

 of Directors that they needed a personal experience of St. 

 Helena Billingsgate ; and it was no doubt prompted by the 

 following hint, written by the Directors to the Governor! 

 " We have some complaints of our Governor's arbitrary 

 temper. We expect that he give no cause for it." 



In 1733 John Long was brought up for receiving stolen 

 yam from the Company's plantation at the Briars, and 

 ordered to be whipt. The warrant says : — 



You are to whip the said John Long publicly with ten lashes, 

 but in regard he hath been a planter here, you may for this first 

 time let him receive the shame of this punishment with his clothes 

 on. You are to make your prisoner fast to the tail of the wooden 

 horse, and read this to him before you whip him. 



And the said John Long was whipped accordingly in the 



