Journal of a Voyage in the Indian Seas. 
ward of the island, on account of the 
surf, while guns are placed on every crag 
and eminence to leeward, it would be a 
very difficult matter to take the island. 
Vhough black cattle thrive remarkably 
well here, yet from the small extent of 
pasture-grounds which the island affords, 
the government is obliged to limit the 
inhabitants in the use of flesh-meat; in 
order that the island may serve the pur- 
pose for whichit is kept at a great expence 
by the Company, namely, to afford re- 
freshments and water to the homeward- 
bound ships, 
On this account the military and ser- 
vants are only allowed fresh beef or mut- 
ton four times a year; at each of these 
eriods the former have three, and the 
a have five fresh meals. ‘The gentle- 
men of course have. them frequently, 
though with some restrictions. This in- 
convenience, however, is amply compen- 
sated for, by the great abundance of ve- 
getables produced on the island, and the 
shoals of fish that surround its shores. 
Potatoes are reared here in such abun- 
dance, that ships might be freighted 
with them; and their quality is not infe- 
rior to that of English potatoes. Among 
the culinary vegetables, the cabbages of 
this island are remarkably fine. No 
grain, I believe, is sown in any part of 
St. Helena. 
It is somewhat singular, that on this 
island the order of nature seems to be in 
some respects inverted; for we see the 
summits and sides of the loftiest mountains 
clothed with fertility and verdure; while 
the lesser hills, and even the valleys, be- 
come barren as they approach the sea, 
This circumstance is easily accounted 
for, when we consider that all the lofty 
peaks are perpetually watered by the 
passing clouds; many of which being ar- 
rested in their progress, and condensed 
on the brows of the mountains, prove to 
them a never-failing source of fertility, 
which is totally denied to the lower hills 
and valleys; rain being a very rare phe- 
nomenon on this island. 
The climate of St, Helena is remark- 
ably salubrious, and conducive to longe- 
vity: the temperature of the air being 
very moderate, considering its situation 
within the tropics, where the sun is ver- 
tical twice a year. From the great ine- 
quality of the surface of this island, there 
is considerable diversity in its climate 
the thermometer on the heights fr equent- 
ly sinking below 54°; while in James's 
Valley it is sometimes above 84°. 
There are no land and sea breezes 
here, the island not being. sufficiently 
large, ner capable of acquiring a tempe- 
3 
673 
rature that would produce those dinrnal 
winds. The south-eas ttrade, therefore, 
(excepting at those periods when the sun 
is vertical,) blows constantly over the 
island with a steady and uniform force, 
Storms, rain, thunder, and hyhtning are 
consequently very rare occurrences, and 
never happen but when the sun is passing 
over the island in his annual course. 
The greatest inconvenience which St, 
Helena is subject to, is drought; which 
has been known to continue for three 
years, and prove a great scourge to the 
island; killing the cattle, destroying the 
trees, ‘and withering every appearance of 
vegetation. It is supposed that the paus 
city of the latter, isa great cause of this 
deliciency in moisture ; ; consequently they 
are endeavouring to " spread vegetation 
and plant trees, as much as_ possible, 
over the arid rocks near the shore. 
It is remarked by the inhabitants, that 
storms, attended with thunder, lightning, 
and rain, occur about once in ten or 
twelve years, sometimes doing great mis- 
chief; the rocks and crays being loosened 
and dislodged by the rain, sweep away 
at those times the little farms and gar- 
dens situated on the declivities. 
It is asingular circumstance, that men 
and animals are here exempt from two of 
the greatest evils that have ever visited 
society in the shape of disease: I mean 
the small-pox and hydrophobia, which 
have never made their appearance on 
this island. 
Many humourous stories are told of 
the locality of ideas, which may be re- 
marked among the inhabitants of .St. 
Helena; of which I shall only mention 
one instance. 
“ A lady, one day in conversation 
with the captain of an India-man, asked 
him, if London was not very dull when 
the Mast-India fleet left England?” 
This, though it may excite our risibi- 
lity, was a very natural question from 
one who had always seen the arrival of 
this fleet. produce so much festivity 
throughout her native island. 
Wetook leave of this curious island on 
Christmas-day, and on the 26th of Janu- 
ary, 1806, we saw the snow-topt huls of 
Cornwall; after a voyage, hitherto with- 
out a parallel in the annals of navigation, 
the Medusa having run trom the Ganges 
to the Lizard in eiehty- four days, two of 
which were spent at anchor in St. Hele- 
na roads; consequently she was only 
eighty-two days under sail, in which time 
she traversed the immense space of’ thir- 
teen thousand eight hundred and thirty- 
one miles, 
GENERAL, 
