The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-08
THE ISLAND OF ST. HELENA.
HOW 1T HAS CHANGED SINCE Ma
POLEoN PASSED HIS CAPTIVITY
THERE.
Interesting Facts About the Place
and Its People RecaIIed-In Bad
Financial Straits.
From the New York Tribune.

Ftn8nctaI StrHtts.
From the New York Tribune.
All that has given the island of ST. Hell
ena its fame is the fact that 1t was there
that Napoleon spent the last six years
1815-1s2) of his life. So long as his name
continues to hold the place 1t does In hui
man history, the little isolated volcanic
cone, of forty-seven square miles. with
a population of barely 1000. will not be
permitted to sink into oblivion. The trans
portation of Gen. Cronte and his men to
that lonely place. more than 1900 miles
from Africa and 800 miles from the near
est island (Ascension). would, of course.
serve to add to Il new interest and bring
It once more into prominence.
st. Helena was discovered In 1902 by a
Portuguese explorer, Juan de Nova Cas-
tilla. 1t was then densely wooded. with
redwood and ebony. but the destruction of
its forests has been followed by a wasting
away of the soil, SO that the slopes are
now mostly barren. Willows, poplars and
other trees from the temperate zone have
been introduced. Apples, pears, grapes
and potatoes have been brought and now
grow side by side with coffee and tea
plants, sugar cane, cotton and bananas.
lSldDQ was IlESL SClSlcd ny OAhh
guese deserters, who were afterward join
ed by escaped slaves. Their offsprings
were little later largely exterminated
by the Portuguese. Some OF them, now
ever, must have escaped the general
slaughter, for when Sir John Cavendish,
In his voyage around the world, visited
Sc. Helena in 1888 he found 1t Inhabited
and containing a small town. In 1915 the
Dutch attempted to establish settlement,
but relnquished the island to the English
in 1861. In 1868 the commander of home
ward bound East India fleet of English
vessels took formal possession or II In the
name Of Charles H. who Immediately made
Il over to the East India Company. The
Dutch again obtained possession in 1872.
but the next year II was recaptured by
Cant. Richard Munden with three ships.
Since that time the island has remained
a British possession.
The East India Company invited set
tiers to emigrate from England to St.
Helena and numbers of families which
had been reduced to beggary by the great
fire in London took advantage of the offer
OF free land, which was assigned to them
provided they would cultivate II within
six months Slaves were also introduced
from Madagascar. Being situated i'm the
direct track of vessels bound from the
east to England around the Cape of Good
Hope II soon became an important port
OF call for a large number of vessels. The
chief source OF income of the Inhabitants
was derived from supplying fresh provla-
ions to the ships that put in at the port.
large garrison was also kept up, there
being AZ one time nearly 1900 men sta
toned there. Between 1915 and 1921 the
British government withdrew the island
from the East India Company. its chief
use during that period being as a prison
for Napoleon. In 1922 the East India
Company resumed It's jurisdiction over II,
but in 1894 It became "A crowd colony.
The island continued TO prosper until
the opening OF the Suez canal. This al
tered the route to the East indies. thus
deprlving the Inhabitants OF their means
OF livelihood. The Introduction OF steam
navigation also made IL unnecessary for
vessels to touch at that point.
The island also received another blow