The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-12-01 00:00:00

BUON.4PARTE.

Extract of a letter from a young gentleman belong-
ing to Dundee, to his friend in that neighbourhood:
" St. Helena, Sept. 15.

" MY DEAR My date will inform you that
I have-at length reached a tropical climate. In 76
days from London, and iis from the Downs, we arrived
at St. Helena, well. The Wand presents externally
a very forbidding aspect, and nothing better than a
naked barren rock. We have been granted permission
by the Governor to visit the interior ; have been
through the Emperor's residence at Longwood, and
have had the gratification of seeing himself, though
at a considerable distance, perhaps 300 yards ; of
course I can speak to nothing but his dress, which is
that of the Legion of Honour. Ile was accompanied
by Marshal Bertrand and Count Montholon, his Aides-
de-Cautp. His house consists of one floor, and con'ains
57 spartmeisis, seven of which form his own suite:
billiard-room, drawing and dining-rooms, library, bed-
chamber, dressing-room, and bathing apartment, finish-
ed in a most snperb style. Count Montholon occupies
the other principal suite, the same in number, but in-
ferior in magnificence. His Surgeon occupies the
right, and his Parson the left wings; they each have
four handsome apartments. These are all in the front.
he building forms a square; the other three aides
are appropriated to his domestics. In the centre of
the area is a 'loud of water, containing gold and silver
fish. Bertrand lives at the distance of a hundred
paces from him ; but there is a private walk, over-
grown with shrubbery, but which they cin pass, at
any time, unobserved. A plain of about :welve acres
adjacent to the residence, covered with trees, gives the
name of Longwood. Plantation-house, the dwelling
of hi* Excellency Lieut.-Gen. Sir H. Lowe, is next in
note, and is certainly preferable to any part of the
island. I have seen him frequently t he is universally
spoken well of here, though very rigid in the execu-
tion of his duty. The circumference of the island is
about 2t4 miles; Longwood is three miles front St.
James's town, in one direction, and Plantation-house
is three miles from it in another. We have rude over
the island, and in bare, naked, sterile appearance,
it far exceeds the worst part of Scotland I have seen.
The climate is most genial, but the soil is scanty.
This is the winter season here, and the thermometer in
the sun after mid-day radices from t4O to 94 degrees of
Farettheit. Upon the litre, on the Ist of August, the
thermometer stood at 9-1 degrees. I have yet met
with none elf those scorching heats of which we heard
so much at home ; nor do I believe they exist to such
an extreme as is generally said. Rats and bugs are so
abundant here, they seem quite at home, and go about
like geese upon a coornson,&c."----(Doodec Courier.)

_

A French paper, under the date of Bordeaux,
Nor. 3, contains the following interesting account :
" Mr. Lalande, the naturalist, is just arrived from
Africa. and has brought. with him, &room other ob-
jects of curiosity, the skeletons and skins of all enor-
mous hippopotamus, a rhinoceros, and three whales,l
one of which is 75 feet in length. '1 he hippopotamus
and rhinoceros were both killed by Mr. Lalande, who
prepared the skins and skeletons himself. It was nut
until after a mouth passed in the midst of danger that
Sir. Lakin& ►net with this monster, whose approach
was announced by an incredible noise. When he re-
ceived his death wound, he rushed rapidly into the
river, which he discoloured with his blood. A second
shot deprived him of life. It required ten pair of
oxen to draw him out of the river, and Mr. Leland.
was compelled to construct a rampart of bamboo cane
round the dead animal to protect the carcass from
being devoured by wild. beasts. The whole collection
brought home by Mr. Lalonde for the hiuseum at'
Paris, comprises 15,000 articles. This enterprising
naturalist speaks with rapture of the kind and hos-
pitable conduct of the British settlers, who afforded
him every facility, and took his in his favour the
severe interdiction which Is laid against bustle% the
hippopotamus."