River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-05-06
SECRETS OF TUE SEA.
Discovery of a Singular Little Settle.
ment in the South Atlantic.
New York Times

Sooner or later the poles and Africa
must yield up their little mysteries to
the organiZ alton and persistence OF
modern exploration, and then there
will be one thing only left to look fora
spot of ground large enough to be in
habited on which humanity has not its
representative. The search may not
be hopeless, but certainly up to this
date the most eccentric and indefatiga-
BILE globe. trotters have failed to find any
such place. The man, woman, or
child,i in this country Of free schools who
knows of even the existence of the Iris
tan Da Cunha islands can scarcely be
found; yet most maps show them, and
in some cyclopedias they are recogniz.
able in the few lines about Tristan Da
Cunha. There are three islands in the
group, which lies in the South Atlantic
ocean, about midway between Africa
and America, and nearly ON line
drawn from Buenos Ayers 10 Cape
Town. 1t was on the largest of the
group, containing about forty square
miles, that the ship Mabel Clark, own
ed in this city. and sailing from Liver
pool to Hong Kong, was driven ashore
by stress of weather two years ago next
May day; and now. Capt. East, of her
majesty's ship Comus, has reported his
delivery of the presents sent by Presi-
dent Hayes to the islanders who sue
in number, and are chiefly descendants
of certain Corporal Glass, who was
one of a garrison placed on the islam d
by England when Bonaparte was i'm
prisoned on ST. Helena, fifteen hun
bred miles away. The Oldest inhabi-
tant is Peter Green, hale, hearty man,
in his IA year, and the youngest is his
great-grand child, aged few months.
There nave been only four deaths in
thirteen years, and no death in infancy
was ever known among them. The
perfect climate is probably the explana-
ton of these facts. The community
cultivate about twenty acres, potatoes
being the chief crop, and usually get
ten or twelve bushels from one seed.
They have five hundred cattle, five hun
dred sheep, and any quantity of fowls.
The little state is both orderly and con-
tented, and Peter Green is looked upon
as the chief, although he disclaims all
pretensions to power. Doubtless the
fact that nearly majority of the popu-
latiop are related to him-he had six
teen children-accounts for the esti-
nation in which he is held. Capt. East
recommended his son, William Green,
for the Albert medal, or the life-saving
medal of the Royal Humane society,
and as he greatly distinguished himself
on the occasion of the Mabel Clark's
wreck the matter is one for somebody's
attention in this country, also. Some
years ago the islanders begged some
cats from ship, which, for some reas-
on, stopped at Tristan Da Cunha, but
the perverse animals preferred rabbits
and chickens to exclusive mice, and
now they run wild ali over the island,
while the mice are greater pests than
ever. All the islanders now want
clergyman. The chaplain of the Com
us christened five children, who, doubt
less, could have waited year or two
longer for the ceremony, but the case
of expectant brides and bridegrooms is
hard indeed. Contemplative persons
without inordinate appetites for letters
and newspapers, may not find this pic
ture unattractive, but the genius of the
age is all for restless competition, and
most people will regard such life as
vegetation rather than existence, and
will not cease to wonder that human
beings should, OF their own free will,
choose to endure it.