Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-19

to sink into oblivion. The
transportation OF General CrOnje- and his
men to that lonely place, more than 1900
miles from the nearest island (Ascen-
stOn), would, of course, serve to add to
1t new interest and bring it once more
into prominence.
st. Helena was discovered in 1902 by q
Portuguese explorer, Juan de Nova Cas-
tilla. 1t was then densely wooded, with
redwood and ebony, but the destruction
of it's 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 temper
ate zone have been introduced. Apples.
pears, grapes and potatoes nave beeen
brought and now grow side by side with
coffee and tea plants, sugar cane. cotton
and bananas.
The island was first settled by Portu-
guese deserters, who were afterward
Joined by escaped slaves. Their offspring
were a little later largely exterminated
by the Portuguese. Some of them, how
must have escaped the general
slaughter, for when Sir John C~avendish,
in his voyage around the world, visited
st. Helena in 1888 he found it inhabited
n containing a small town. In 1645 the
Dutch attempted to establish a settle-
ment, but relinquished the island to the
English in 1861. In 1868 the commander
of a h~omeWard-bo East India fleet OF
English vessels took formal possession OF
1t in the name of Charles II, who immedi-
ately made 1t over to the East India CONF
pany. The Dutch again obtained possess
sion in 1872, but the next year it was re-
captured by Captain Richard Munden
with three ships. Since that time the
island has remained a British posses
sion.
SETTLED FROM LONDON.
TheEast India company invited settlers
to emigrate from England to st. Helena,
and numbers of families which had been
reduced to beggary by the great fire in
London tok advantage of the offer of
free land, which was assigned to them
provided they would cultivate it within
six months. Slaves were also introduced
from Madagascar. Being situated in the
direct track of vessels bound from the
east to England around the Cape of Good
Hope, 1T soon became an important port
OF call for a large number of vessels.
The chief source of income of the inhab-
itants was derived from supplying fresh
provisions to the ships that put in at the
port. A large garrison was also kept up,
there being at one time nearly $4,000 men
stationed there. Between 1916 and 1871
the British government Withdrew the
island from the East India company, its
chief use during that period being as q
prison of Napoleon. In 1922 the East
xIIuid COuIlpdlby IGSuIlleu us J"uTlSulCLlOH
over it, but in 1884 it became a crown
colony.
The island continued to prosper until
the opening of the Suez canal. This
altered the route to the East Indies, thus
depriving the inhabitants of their means
OF livelihood. The Introduction of steam
navigation also made it unnecessary for
vessels to touch at that point.
The island also received another blow
In the reduction of the garrison and OF
the naval squadron which had Deer kept
up for the suppression Of the slave trade.
The inhabitants fell into poverty, having
nothing to depend upon but the p~recari-
u sale of supplies to American whalers
which sometimes make st. Helena a port
Of call. It is now a British admiralty
coaling station, to which the Cape and
West African squadrons sometimes re-
sort. One battery Of royal artillery and
n company of infantry are also sta.
toned there.
PHYSICAL ASPECTS.
Almost throughout its entire circum-
ference of Is miles the island presents to
the eye an unbeaten wall Of cliffs, vary
ing from 500 to 1000 feet in height. James,
town. the capital Of the island, is built in
q ravine which has almost vertical sides.
the height to the east being called Ru-
pert's hill, and that to the west Ladder
hill. These W. mountains gradually re-
cede from one another until at the sea,
where they end In perpendicular cliffs.
The ravine is $50 feet broad. This tri-
angular space is about one and a quarter
miles long, and is defended by fortified
tons at the entrance Of the ravine. Lad
der Hill gets its name from the steep
wooden steps known as Jacobs Ladder.
which lead directly to- it's summit, 600 feet
in height.
One OF the chief objects of interest in
st. Helena is the house at Longwood in
which Napoleon passed his captivity. The
plateau of Longwood is about 1000 feet
above the level of the sea and bounded
by deep ravines. 1t is on the Rupert hin
side OF the ravine in which Jamestown
is built. Here are the long, low buildings
In which Napoleon lived and the new
house which he did not live to occupy.
Here also is Marshal Bertrand's cottage.
Napoleon's tomb is in Slane's Valley,
about a mile from Longwood. But the
BODY was removed to Franc in a man-of-
war by the Prince de Joinville in 1910,
n now lies under the dome of the Hotel
des 1nvalides in Paris.
Perhaps the taking Of General Cronfe
and his men to st. Helena would restore
to it some of it's former prosperity. For
some years the island has been getting
deeper and deeper into financial Straits
and the population has been steadily
diminishing. In 1871 the inhabitants
numbered 6.444; ten years later the popu-
lation was 5.o59. while by the census of
1881 It was only 4.11e, including the gar
rison. According to 1.-THE Statesman's
Year Book" there are only about one nun
dred births a year and about seventy
five deaths. However. about two hundred
persons annually emigrate to the United
States and to South Africa. Cronje and
his men would help to bring these num-
bers up again. It is said that this is one
OF the most salubrious spots on the face
of the earth, and the longevity of those
who remain there is great.
A MEAN MAN.
The Mean Man was 1Ookinp hanpv