ST. HELENA. 
^5 
to be properly fortified. Nature has made it extremely strong ; but 
I doubt if any thing thai has hitherto been done has added much 
to its real powers of defence. It is a pity that some man of great 
experience in the engineering line has not been sent out to examine 
the island, and make a report at home ; as the East India Com- 
pany have already proved that they are willing to incur any ex- 
pense that is necessary for its welfare or security. 
It is with the highest degree of approbation that I must speak of 
the slave-laws of St. Helena. I am sorry, however, to observe that, 
prior to the time of Colonel Patton, many of the regulations have 
been evaded, and others openly violated. With an attention to their 
morals highly proper in a Christian country, it was positively 
ordered that the slaves should receive religious instruction, and 
that they should be obliged to marry. The former has been neg- 
lected ; and of a compliance with the latter, I believe there has not 
been a single instance for the last fifteen years. It was also ordered, 
that no person should be at liberty to emancipate a slave, without 
giving security to the Company that he should never become bur- 
thensome to them. Yet for some time it has been customary to 
emancipate slaves without this security, with the permission of the 
Governor and Council ; and these people are now, in their old age, 
living at the expense of the Company. Many of these have pur- 
chased their freedom from their masters, out of the savings of their 
extra labour; others have been discharged, to avoid the expense of 
feeding and clothing them in their old age, which by the law their 
masters are obliged to do. A slave cannot be punished by his master 
with more than twelve lashes; any additional chastisement must 
be inflicted by order of a magistrate, who will likewise afford redress 
