Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-08-12

Satanic Majesty is supposed to be eter.
nally surrounded, and excepting the alb.
sence of that, do not know that he
would gaia much by the change.
The salubrity OF the climate has been
as much exaggerated by fancifuI writers
some of whom have only been two
ldays on the Island, and have afterwards
lgiven description of beauties which ne.
yer existed but in their BRAIN as the to.
biography. In comparison with such eli
lmates as Batavia and some others in the
East Indies, destructive to life, it is GER
talnly considerably saubrious, and il
consequence of having been principally
resorted to by persons on their passage
from the above mentioned baneful eli
mates, and afflicted with scurvy, which
readily yielded to the water crosses
with which the scanty brooks dignified
with the names of rivers abound. it has
acquired an undeserved reputation
However il cannot, at least in tile noun,
ltains, be termed very unhealthy eli
mate, though it is certainIya very dis,
Iasreeble one, as it is extremely humid
and for a great part of the year you are
leither enseloped in dense fogs, Or if you
budge out encountered by heavy showers
(which penetrate in moment good
fearnough.. If you wish to ride out
withouta certainty Of being wet to the
skin, yon ought to have men stationed
with relays, if you may use the word, of
great coats every mile. Bon parte, it is
said, has christened it {" the Isle Of Mists
amid Desolation.'
Previous to gonaparte's arrival here.
such was the scarcity of fresh meat, that
when any of the tamished Inhabitants
wanted little fresh beef, not then being
permitted to kill even their own cattle
without leave from the governor, which
was not always to be obtained, it was well
known to be customary with them to pre-
cipitate ONE unfo tunate bullock, while
unsuspectingy grazing on the side OF
some of the ravines in the interior. down
into the gulph below, in order to break
some of his bones and therefore obtain a
IpreteXt to cut his throat and parake Of his
! flesh Since, however, Sir G. Cockburn
has arrived, men of war have been APP
Ipointed BY him for the purpose of bring.
ling cattle from the Cape. This cruel
method of obtaining fresh meat is no long
er preyalent,as the restrictions upon slay
ling bullocks have already been taken off.
Nevertheless the desired object of sup
plying the island with a sufficient quanti-
ty of fresh beef cannot be attained as
great numbers Of the Cape Cattle die soon
after their arrival. Longwood where he
resides at present, is the only plainln the
iisland upon it grow numbers OF melan-
|cholly looking, useless trees, called by
1.-THE natives gum wood, which being all
lot nearly the same height and shape give
to the whole so'nbre appearance. This,
when connected with the secluded state
of the person inhabiting it, separated, as
were, from this life, impresses you with an
idea OF being an immense charnel house.
1t is, hsweyer, the only spot in the is
land where carriage can be driven with
horses; for yen must know, that previous
to our arrival, the only vehicle of the
kind in the island, was slowly dragged
aiong by bullocks ! Plantation House and
Grounds are an instance OF what art can
effect in place denied every thing but
nists, by nature. His limits are now
about four miles in extent, where ne may
90 without being accompanied by any
British officer, and by dint of lacking,
like Hawser Trunnioa, working up toI
church to be married, he may considera
Oily lengthen his ride.
Had he ever any intention of effectingI
his escape from this cage, the view oil
it, and the precautions taken by Sir 6
Cockburn, must ere now have perfectly
convinced him of the utter impractica-
bility of it. Those about him say that
he never had any intention of the kind,
and that his sole ambition now is is to be
permitted to end his days in England.
He is greatly dissatisfied with his sojourn
here, and frequently, / understand, ex-
presses his indignation at the conduct Of
the Ministers in sending him to this re-
mote and hideous rock. The letters you
have seen in the papers. describing the
ladies of the island to be grossly igno-
rant, and only able to articulate yes Or
no in answer to question, are false and
scandalous, as there are sev eral very fine,
sensible and entertaining girls on the
Rock, some CT whom have been educat-
ed in England. and who form the princi-
pal ornament in society here.
From the New-York Evening Post.