New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-07-10
main street. Of Jamestown. The town

main street. Of Jamestown. The town
indeed, consists Of one main street, which
follows the winding of the valley. On
the right, Immediately. on entering the
town, IS Ladder Hill, on the top Of which
are barracks, and which you ascend b J. a
terribly long flight Of steps. On the, left
is the garden attached to the governors
town house, which is open to the public q
and adjoining the garden is the site of
the house, recently destroyed by fire, in
which Napoleon passed his first night il!
st. Helena, and where the Duke Of We'll
lington, when Sir Arthur Wellesley, also
passed a night on his return from India
The island is very barren CT vegetation,
and the fruits produced are not many {
Dates, bananas, grapes, mangoes, guaYas,
and figs are perhaps the most abundant.
Meat is very scarce and dear, the lnhabiar
tants relying a good deal on Australia
for the supply. When an OK is killed,
the joints goto few favored residents
and to the barracks. We were to have.
brought bullock for them from the
Cape, but the animal unfortunately broke.
its neck coming on board. w 2. :5s 4 4
In the evening we set out for the Old
Rock Theatre, the ladies walking down
in evening dress, without any need for
shawls or hoods, although, as we were in
the month of June, it was the middle of,
the St. Helena winter. The room dig
nitied by the title of the Old Rock
Theatre is reached by a very shaky flight
Of steps, dimly lighted by an ancient Lar
tern, The stage, a very diminutive one,
is at one end of the room, and raised
abouta foot from the floor. The band,
by wise arrangement, plays In the yard.
We found the room we'll filled, and learnt
that the comedy was to be played BY
ladies and gentlemen from the principal
families in St. Helena, with reinforce
ments from the garrison stationed there:
Of the performance. suffice it say that it
equally surprised and pleased us, though
had the ghost of Sheridan been present.
it must have been gretly puzzled when
two of his characters sat down to exam
ire an album of photographs. sz.% 1872.
The following day we devoted to the.
object of our stay upon the island a visit to-
Longwoo1. To the stranger, anxious to
visit Longwood from Jamestown, there are
three courses open. He may drive, or
rather, he may sit in a basket pony car
riage, with a man walking at the pony's
head; or he may ride, in which case he
will be accompanied by small boy, who
fearlessly holds on to the animals tail;
or, thirdly, if he is energetic enough he,
may walk. The distance is probably not
more than three or four miles, but the
road is continual ascent, and the walk
is fatiguing to any but the robust The
horses of the island are a rather sorry
crew, and some have vicious habit Of
pounding the riders legs against the wall
Of rock that skirts the road. So we de-.
cided for the pony-carriage, and, in a
leisurely way, started on our journey.
When the winding road has brought you
about half way to the summit of the cliff,
you see, on the right, "The Briars,'
a substanrial-looking house, with payil-
ion adjoining it, which was placed at Ma
poleon's service by its owner whilst the
furnishing Of the house at Longwood was
being completed. Leaving on the left
the footpath leading to Napoleon's grave,
YOU reach a little colony Of houses,
amongst them "Rose and Grown hotel,''
primitive little establishment at which
prudence suggests your ordering some
lunch, which May await you on your re-
turn. Il, 9 ~ ri
This accomplished, another mile of
level road brings you to- the gate of
Longwood. However thorough a Briton
you may be, I think the feeling on see
ing the desolate little one-storied house
must be, C What terrible place for a
man who had lived the active, restless
lite. Of the fallen Emperor" High up
on barren cliff, bleak and unsheltered
with watch-house and signal-stations on
every point of vantage, with a regiment
encamped upon the adjacent plain cor
don Of sentries round the house, he may
we'll have felt that he was needlesslY re-
minded that he was prisoner, and have
instituted imaginary comparisons be-
tween his condition there and the way
he would have been treated had he sur
ruedered himself to the Emperor Alexan-
der of Russia, or the Emperor Francis
II. of Austria. ~
Old Longwood and Napoleon's grave
were bought by the French in 1855, the
house having then been allowed to
fall into very dilapidateds state. The
bull 1ings were repaired, and each room
was repapered with paper of the pattern
used when Napoleon was in residence
there. The French government, with
characteristic good taste, forbid the at
tendants to receive any gratuity from Wis
itors to thetthousc or the grave, the one
condition being that you shall ainscribe
your name in the visitors book. Perhaps
at some far-distant date. Frenchman