Evening star., 1938-07-17
Napoleon's Island
Prison Today
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.


lonely isle where Napoleon was impris-
oned from She time OF his defeat at
Waterloo Until his death. The island
has many other points OF interest, some
equaling II not excelling the Napoleon
episode, but they were created long, long
ago. Napoleon is gone and to most st.
Helena Is but name in history. Very
few tourists visit the island and those
who do remain but few hours and
conflne their inspection to Longwood,
the mansion where Napoleon dwelt, and
the tomb where his body reposed until
its removal in pomp to Paris.
Although st. Helena is place of great
beauty and magnificent climate, 1t has
never become a resort of tourists and
vacationists. This Is largely accounted for
by writer's who never had seen the place.
Napoleon was described as "a Gagged eagle
on a lonely rock" and the impression In
evitably went forth that st. Helena was
bleak and barren place. 1t Is OF vol
canic origin, to be sure, but most Of it Is
covered with luxuriant vegetation and
virgin forest. Fruit trees bloom and bear
fruit the year around. One can see an
apple tree in blossom next to one in
fruit. The temperature ranges from "a
degrees In the heat of summer to So de-
grees in the depths of winter. Always
there Is the trade wind. 1t Is a pleasant
place.
Once it had a population of perhaps
10000, but now there are not more than
$500. The reason for this is the con-
struction of the Suez Canal. Before
that waterway was cut, ships on their
way around the Cape of Good Hope
called at st. Helena as a halfway house.
a place to take on fresh water, fresh fruit
and vegetables and to refit damaged gear.
The short cut made by the canal abruptly
brought that prosperity to an end. No
longer do prosperous merchants and ship
chambers keep shop; no longer are Ship
yards resounding. :.
Twice month mail ship stops there.
There is some fax grown on the island.
but the coming of the ships spells the
chief means of livelihood for the small
population. Passengers come ashore for
the few hours of the pause in the voy-
age. On an average each ships means
about $1,000 In trade to the island folk.
This Is reaped by the boatmen, by the
few hackmen vino drive the passengers
to Longwood and act as guides, and by
the women who sell their handmade lace.
Sometimes ship touches at night and
clears before dawn and no passengers 60
ashore. This means temporary period
of downright depression on St. Helena.
And yet. IN its heyday, it was known as
the earthly paradise Of the Atlantic. The
romantic writings about the Gagged eagle
on the bleak rock have changed all that.
But the place and the climate have not
changed. .-,
Jamestown is the port of St Helena, a
f1ne roadstead where hundreds of ships
may ride and used to-tall East India
men, ships Of the line, trading vessels,
all manner of craft. Half the population
now lives precariously in the decayed
port. 1t was at jamestown that Napo-
leon spent his first night on the island.
He was quartered at the spacious man
sion Of Henry Porteous, rich merchant.
That mansion has been half pulled down
and the remainder turned into a garage,
an ignominious chapter for the building
which once housed an emperor.
The whole island is only about half
the size Of the District of Columbia, but
its landscape is varied. Dianas Peak
rises to height of 2,697 feet. It has
lower hills, rollinglike downs, 1t has ra-
vines and beautiful bays and beaches
Most of the vegetation is indigenous. but
also many European fruit trees have
been introduced-but that was long ago,
although they survive English gorse
grows there and broom and the flowers
Of the field. There are olive trees and
the lobefa. Even the great redwood is
found on st. Helena
st. Helena was discovered by the Port
uguese navigator Joao de Nova on a
voyage home from India. He sighted 1t
on the feast day of st. Helena, mother Of
the Roman Emperor Constantine. and
named 1t for her. That was in May, 1902.
The Portuguese made no effort st colo
nization. Yet there was one involuntary
Portuguese colonist, sort of Robinson
Crusoe.
A Portuguese soldier, Fernando Lopez,
deserted at Goa, renounced Christianity
and joined the Paynim. He was sur
rendered to the Portuguese by the In
dians on condition that he be spared.
Albuquerque did spare his life, but he
did not think the terms of the surrender
would be violated if he cut OF his right
hand, his ears, his nose, and the thumb
of his left hand. Then he took him
aboard for the homeward voyage and
marooned him on st. Helena, which was
totally uninhabited This was in 1918.
Lopez dug himself cave with what
was left of his left hand and managed
to live. The tale became known and
ships stopping for water and wood for
their galleys would leave food for him.
He never appeared himself because, hav-
ing been q proud soldier, he was ashamed
of his Geformities. When ships returned
they found the food had always been
taken and they continued the practice.
At length he showed himself in his old
age and asked to be taken home so he
could make pilgrimage to Rome and be
forgiven his sins by, the Holy Father
himself. BY then he had become a figure
of note. and his request was granted.
But, shriven, he elected to return, alone,
to his island.
One wonders why the Portuguese never
moved to colonize so well favored an
island. but they never did. They used
it only for a halfway house on their
voyages to the East. But the Dutch
made much of it. The Dutch East India
Co. planted colony there, but, as 1t
developed, their only purpose was to
provide q well supplied port OF call for
their Indiamen on the long voyage
around the cape. When, later, the
Dutch founded Cape Town, they aban-
doned st. Helena, their settlers removing
=