The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-18 00:00:00

TRISTAN D'ACUNHA.

We find in a Port Philip paper a very interesting account
of a late visit to this solitary spot, The following par-
ticulars were furnished by Captain Salmon, of the brig
Reward, of London. He sighted the island on the 18th of
September, 1845, in latitude 37 deg. 5 min. South, and
longitude 12 deg. 3 min. West. Its snow-capped top was
visible above the clouds, being 8,326 feet above the level of
ytheeer. sea,Tahned
wthinedsubmeirring itfacezuerreadblewiatmhd
thesno wwtehazug fine,hout
andthe
knowing
itlshae
id t
edreoo
ugwteeti in view a
rne neat
inhabitants bolirtdraegnret sa
nwdohni
itnetchloes
buildingse_ island, ;
nexta
and
Captain
Salmon steered directly for it. On his nearer approach he
fiwlaeasrlgdes7 greenarplrl
plain with cattle grazing, and flocks of sdthoecoesperenin;
differenthill , iwn chlioesiut rhe se ,
waswith
afterwardspatches
with
Wheatpubvl i tic r
attentioniou various
answers sorts
tlieon the aides of
winoeflEl otfolgdrewenere gardens filled
vegetables, that grow in abundance.
state of cultivation, and if they had ships calling
England
galabnodutmsai3x.
bety
aarcoruesse
sup-
plies they could grow more. On getting for
close in with
the island, with the English ensign at the main royal mast
head, the inhabitants were seen moving in all directions
towards the shore ; a whale-boat was
draggedtetrtve" the
her
surf ; a person in a dark dress wash putdth h th rn
if
she was launc e through e surf by
crew stood ready, and
and Captain Salmonasking a
iu the stern came on deck'_ _ _
replied that Glass was living 7 he
the parties on shore. On reaching the ship, the penton sitting
Governor
Glass is now in his seventy-second year, and was
person.
thirty years on the island. He stated the population
one of those sent to the island by the British Government at
the time of Napoleons imprisonment at St. Helena. He had
himself had fifteen children
iTltbnievehl epieeennlnegele amount
implements
uroneefi
bnitnehit en:
sww ha souls;ndo state.
teaotf
eh.e population,
clothing,ih e
They
dependa ndth efiro
r.heitheir
agricultural
sup-
plies principally on the American whalers, with whom they
barter their produce for such necessaries as the ships can
spare. The females are the worst off; as they have, to make
their dresses from slop cotton shirts, few vessels having any
coffee,
cotton or sheeting not made up. The boys wear sheepskins
and the men coarse canvas. Captain Salmon, being in want
of potatoes, Glass was ready to supply him with any quan-
arouertecL2,oooters.gof wool
tity. lie returned to the shore and came off again in an
theoauranadndrieae hinalefxwehitehngteh.e qiuleanhtietdy
for 'disposal, being two years' clip of his flock of sheep, num-
beringHe complained that he was entirely neglected
bythe
441;riiish Government ; only two of her Majesty's ships
had called there for the last twenty years. Sir Gearge Gipps
landed on the island on his passage out to New South Wales,
in 1838, and had promised to lay his case before the home
authorities. Mr. Boyd also touched at it in the Wanderer;
but being a little out of the usual track to the east, but few
British ships have ever visited Tristan d'Acunha ; and as
seals and whales are now disappearing from the locality,
the calls of the American whalers are getting less frequent,
so that Governor Glass is somewhat anxious about
his supplies of clothing and other exotic, necessa-
ries. The children are all taught to read, and they
attend religious worship. Glass is their instructor, and he
told Mr. Salmon that a blessing was offered at every meal,
and prayers at night in every family. On the Sabbath-day
dareto tiie spiritual
and he acted as minister, but lie complained that he was getting
too old and feeble. The present adults are comparatively
ignorant, and on his death there would be no body to instruct
Salmon concludes his narrative with a hope that
and govern.them. .A missionary would be gladly received.
Captain
and bodilrnecessities of our fellow-subjects in the solitary
01 T
island Tristan d'Acunha.