Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-24

plies OF foodstuffs, clothing, books etc
Over forty boxes filed with all sorts OF
goods were shipped on the Pandora Among
Ihose who responded TO the appeal was the
Duehess OF Bedford She sent big par
Gel OF books to the Tristan folk selecting
popular works of fiction for the most part
Inc; Mission to Seamen confined their Sc
lectlon TO devotional works.
Mr.. Kerry had his own ideas OF wbat
sort or mental diet was best adapted fo
the Tristaners. But he made q mistake
IN assuming that he had any right of super
vision in the matter. According to The evt
dence, he ehucked many of the hooks ny
ueuiafly the devotional ones overheard
ana told his crew they could helm them,
serves SCI freely to others. He allowed them
the same privilege with regard to much Of
the clothing. On Christmas day. by wav of
a JOKE, he rugged out his cabin bow in fam
inine attire that some good -natured donor
nad ,hIeRded for Tristan dAcunha belle.
II is alleged that at ST. Helena ana Sferra
Leone he sold some of the goods, and thar
ne presented portmanteau Allied with
DOCKS to the library on the Island of AS
The Tristaners got only a small nor.io,
or the things that had been intended for
them, but. In blissful ignorance OF what tlev
mad missed they were profoundly grateful
books that the Duchess of Bedford had sc
iected with such painstaking care were
among them. but that did not prevent Mr.
Kerry. On his return home, from writing
cd
the island folks were with the books she
had sent them. "e
The voyage OF the Pandora to Tristan
q Acunna and back was a jolly one, but
some OF the crew talked too freely of the
good times they had had on board Some
OF their stories came to the Rev Mr.
Stones ears and he Started an investiga-
ion. 10 MS horror he discovered that many
pious works which he had fondly hoped
would be the means of guiding the islanders
safely to better world had been Consigned
70 rather Neptune. He made charges
against Mr.. Kerry, with the result that the
w4lole story has been thrashed out in a no
lice court and the venturesome explorer
he is credited with being the only white
man who ever crossed New Guinea-instead
or working his guano deposits has to re-
main In London under heavy bail awaiting
his trial on a charge that the law regards
as plain stealing.
Tristan d'Acunha. which IS SO seldom
heard of nowadays. once possessed ma
tional interest for Great Britain 1t was
in 1917 that the island was annexed. and
Its seizure was tribute to the terror in
spired by the name Of Napoleon st. He
lena held him fast. but the dread of his es-
cape led to the use of Tristan d. Acunha
as kind of watch tower from which sus-
pieious craft could be followed With the
death OF Napoleon In 1921 the British SOL
oiers were withdrawn. except Corporal
Glass and two of his companions, who be-
came the founders of the present colony. in
which there is strong admixture of negro
blood
The island, remote and small as II is,
has had Its history. Twenty years ago,
when the popula tion was nearly hundred.
almost all the adult male Inhabitants were
drowned In q futile attempt to board
pa ssing ship. At O later period they were
threatened with being eaten out OF house
and home by a scourge of rats. But they
cording to the last missionary who lived
among them there are lots of ghosts on the
island. That may be one reason why, since
he left them some ten years ago, no other
minister has been found bold enough to
take his place. In some respects the inhab-
ltants lead an adyllic existence, for they
have solved the problem OF living without
that root of all evil-money.