The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-06
NE HUNDRED YEARS AGO,
IsIE OF ST. HELENA.


 Th. island of St. Helena (the place to which Napoleon Bonaparte Is ban ished) is about 20 miles in circum1er-> \ ence and the land is so high that II may be discerned at sea about 2o leagues distance.
 It consists indeed, of one large rock, perpendicular on every side, ike a c.stle in the middle of the ocean, whose natural walls are too high to De attempted by scaling ladders, nor IS there the smallest beach, except at the bay called Chapel Valley Bay' which is fortified with a strong battery of 50 large cannon, planed even Wlln the water and further defended by tho perpetual dashing of the waves m<alnst the shore, which, without further resistance, makes the landing df1ncuIt: and a little creek where two or three men may land rom a small boat, but now rendered 1nac- cemG1h4D by a battery.
 Az there tS no other anchorage but aA Chapel Valley, touching here is ex- erennely precaEious, for the wind be- Rnap always setting from the south @mge. if a ship overshoots it, it Is a xsa4Anx of great dtfHcuIty again to re- ocwwr the haxbor.
 The public and private buildings kaare aRe plain. but nea1- It has some FHixz suaoun<ntns, particularly one call A@A DanasB Peak. which is covered with nrzaau wood clear to tho top. There ama ether htIzss also, which bear eVt- Marse marks of volcanic orginand some AhmGO rocks of lava and g. kind of half tDs&x1E1ed flags
 k Notwashstandfng St Helena appears m every eatfe to be a. hard barren poSa, yet on the top 1t 1s covered with .. ana4 Of fane rich mould, about foot E and a half deep. Which produces all kananner of grain, grass. fruit. herbs. gaofz, and every kind of vegetable, in E nc ukznost perfection and plenty. After ascending the rock which k borders it to the sea, the country is wrettiFy diversified with rising hills and 411a latter. aAorned with elegant plan ! 3ations of fruit trees and gardens, among which are d1sperged the houses ': of the natives; while herds of cattle ] low about the fields, some of which 1 are fattended for the supply of ship I ping and of the islanders. and the i rest kept for milk. butter and cheese, i and afford a prospect equally rich and ! delightful.
 Although no country produces finer ]; crops of wheat, yet, amidst afhuence. they are liable to be starved, and their crops totally consumed by rats, which breed in incredible numbers and de- stroy everything with all the desola- ton occakioned by locusts in some other countries
 This, However, is an, evil to which certainly a remedy might be applied, as well as to the scarcity of wine, with which commodity they are now sup piled by the scompany's ships and also with -four and malt. and all sorts of
 manufacturers and for which the company receives refreshments 1a re- turn.
 As the island is too sandy and the soil too thin for large trees to take root, it 3s extremely deficient in tim F Der and heir very houses are sent ready framed from England, but with regard to underwood, they have as much as is wanted in that warm eli mate.
 There are upon the island between 200 and 300 English families. or at or some way allied to them. Some i French refugees were likewise en- couraged tQasettle in order to propa- gate vines and make wine, a point in which they by no means have been successful.
 This island is situated in the South X Atlantic ocean. between the continent of Africa and South America, about 1,20O miles west of the former and
 1,800 miles east of the latter, lon.
 5.49 W. Greenwich. lat. Is, 55 s.
 f~The English East India Company,
 by whom the island is held. The place is at present garrisoned by 500 troops
 but will be reinforced by the troops that accompany Bonaparte from Eng 1and.)