St Helena is unequally divided by a lofty chain of hills, which runs in a curved direction nearly east and west, bending towards the south at each extremity ; and from which alternate ridges and valleys branch off in various di rections, but chiefly north and south. Towards the eastern termination of this chain is Diana's Peak, the highest point of land on the island rising nearly 2700 feet above the level of the sea. On the same ridge are Cuckold's Point, 2672 feet ; and Halley's Mount, 2467. Nearer the coast, and over hanging the sea, are Flag-staff, 2272 ; and Barnscliff, 2015. In the centre of the island is the alarm house, 1960. High Knoll, to the southward of Ladder Hill, is 1903 ; and Longwood-house, the official country residence of the lieu tenant-governor, is 1762 feet. On coming round to the north-west and leeward side of the island, James's Valley opens to the view. It is bounded by two rocky mountains, Rupert's on the east, and Ladder Hill on the west, which gradually recede from each other as they ap proach the coast, where they terminate abruptly in two stupendous and perpendicular cliffs. The space inclosed between these heights is of a triangular form, about a mile and a half in length, and 350 yards broad at its base, which faces the sea. In this confined spot is situated James's Town, which presents in its whole appearance, a peculiar combination of military strength and rural simplicity. A fortified line extends from cliff to cliff, fronting the anchor age, and covered with cannon, nearly level with the water's edge. After passing the draw-bridge, and advancing be tween a double row of Peepel trees, (a species of Indian banian,) you enter the town by an arched gate-way, under a rampart or terrace, which forms one side of a handsome parade, about 100 feet square. On the left side is the government-house, usually named the Castle, inclosed with a wall ; and directly fronting the gate-way is the church, a plain but not inelegant structure. The principal street, containing about 28 houses, commences between the church and the Company's garden ; and, in its progress, divides into two other streets, one on the cast side leading into the country, and the other, which has a number of well fur nishbd shops, proceeding towards the upper part of the valley, where the barracks, hospital, and new garden are situated. The houses, generally two stories high, are neat ly built in the English style, and well white-washed. The town contains many little gardens, groves, and shaded walks, and extends the whole length of the valley, which gradu ally decreases in breadth, till at last there is room only for a single house. The view on each side, from the streets, is awfully sublime, and discovers enormous masses of rock impending over the valley, in a manner sufficiently alarm ing to the mind of a stranger. The roads which give ac cess to the interior of the island, and which have been formed with incredible labour, by blowing up the rocks, are carried along the sides of Rupert's and Ladder Hill in a zig-zag direction ; and the ascent to the summit is so easy, that oxen and carts pass along the apparently perpen dicular precipice without difficulty or danger. For the space of two miles, nothing but naked sterility and a rocky wilderness meets the eye of the traveller; but the sight is soon gratified by the sudden prospect of woody heights, verdant lawns, cultivated plantations, and handsome little country seats. The summit of High Knoll, particularly, presents a beautiful series of such prospects, surrounded by a lofty ridge of hills and precipices, which completely close in the view, and finely contrast with the softer and richer scenes which they inclose. On the south side of the Knoll, about three miles from the town, is the gover nor's country residence, called Plantation House, a hand some and well-built edifice, erected in 1792. Its environs, by the combined efforts of nature and art, have been ren dered the most beautiful spot in the island. Besides the indigenous productions of the place, the pine of the north, the mimosa of New South Wales, the coffee plant of Arabia, the banian and bamboo of India, the African aloe and prick 1y pear, the apple, peach and mulberry of Europe, with various other plants and trees, from the most opposite and distant climes, are to be found within the inclosures. Long wood, the country residence of the lieutenant-governor, on the opposite side of Ladder Hill, and also about three miles from the town, is situated on an elevated plain, or rather gently rising ground, on the summit of which is a flag staff, from which the place takes its name. The adjoining space was once nearly covered with gum-wood trees, which, upon the opening of avenues among them, were gradually destroyed by the south-east wind ; but young trees, which have been since planted, are thriving well, and the whole scenery bears a greater resemblance to that of England, than any other spot on the island. There arc here about 1500 acres of good meadow land, of excellent soil, and ca pable, if supplied with water, of proving highly productive. From Sandy Bay, which is about an hour's ride from Plan tation House, by a winding road along the declivities of little green hills, a still more romantic and beautiful scene ry opens to the view, of which actual observers have given the most enraptured descriptions. " Though in general," says Mr Brooke, "a bird's eye view lies before the spec tator, hills rise above him to an elevation much greater than the spot on which he stands. Those on the left, richly clothed with trees to the very summits, display a wonderful contrast to the wild and grotesque nakedness that triumphs on the right, where shelving cliffs, surmounted br bilge perpendicular and spiral masses of rock, are mul tiplied under every shape and aspect. The downward view consists of a variety of ridges, eminences, and ravines, converging towards the sea into one common valley. Among this scenery are interspersed the dwellings of plant ers. the different forms of gardens and plantations, and the pasturing of cattle ; the prospect closing with the distant sea, rushing in between two black craggy cliffs, which the surf whitens with its spray. The infinite diversity of tint that overspreads the whole of this extraordinary picture, the majesty of one part, the reposing beauty of another, and the horror of a third, cannot fail to delight and astonish every observer of nature." " One feels," says Mr John
son, " as if transported into a new planet, where every ob ject strikes by its novelty, and is altogether unlike any thing which he had ever before seen. All the surrounding hills, cliffs, rocks; and precipices, are strangely fashioned, and so fantastically mixed and blended, that they resemble more the aerial shapes which we sec among the clouds, than any thing composed of denser materials." But it is from the summit of Diana's Peak, which is nearly in the centre of the island, that the most complete view of St Helena is brought under the eye. Nothing intercepts the horizon; and all the detached scenes and prospects are beheld at once, forming a•picture inconceivably diversifi ed, and full of the most interesting groups.
The climate of St Helena is remarkably temperate and salubrious, and peculiarly adapted to the constitution of Europeans. In James's town, the thermometer seldom rises above but, in calm weather, the heat reflected from the sides of the valley is frequently oppressive. In the country, the temperature is more mild and uniform ; scarcely so hot, and never so cold, as in England. In some seasons, the highest point of the thermometer, during the summer, has been only 72" in the interior of the island; and the ordinary range of Fahrenheit's scale, during win ter, is from to The average temperature through the whole year is from 66° to 78° of Fahrenheit at James's Town; from 61° to 73° at the Plantation-house ; and from to 68° at Longwood. The rains also fall more equally through the whole year than in most tropical climates, but most abundantly in the month of February. In the vicinity of some of the higher points, especially of Diana's Peek, which, by being covered with trees, is supposed to attract the clouds, scarcely a clay passes without a shower. Cloudy clays are more numerous than those of clear scorch ing sunshine; a circumstance which has been remarked as propitious to the growth of trees and pasturage, but unfa vourable to the ripening of European fruits. Thunder and lightning are scarcely ever experienced ; and the atmos phere is generally so clear, that a ship may be descried at the distance of 60 miles.
The soil is of a clayey nature, and well suited bOth for European and Indian productions. It is in many places of considerable depth, and always most productive in spots which are most elevated and farthest removed from the sea. Even 011 the summits of the interior hills, the grass is often so luxuriant as to reach the knees of the oxen. Clear and wholesome springs issue from the sides of al most every height ; but they form only very inconsiderable rills. A few of these, especially those at Fisher's Valley and the Briars, are not observably diminished in dry wea ther ; but, in general, they are wholly dependant on the rains, or the clouds,which are almost perpetually in contact with the tops of the mountains.
Iron ore has been found in some parts of the island ; but the scarcity of fuel prevents it from being brought to the furnace. Appearances of gold and copper have" been ob served, and some stones capable of taking a beautiful po lish. Limestone is plentiful ; and some of it, a concretion of sand and shells, is of an excellent quality ; but the cement used in ordinary buildings is mud or earth, which is found to answer the purpose extremely well, perhaps from its containing a mixture of terra puzzolana. This last men tioned substance, which abound's on the island, forms, in conjunction with lime, a cement remarkably retentive of water, and acquiring, from the contact of that fluid, the solidity of rock: hence it is much used in the construction of aqueducts.
The summits and sides of the interior hills are covered with furze, of which the seed was brought from England, and with various indigenous trees and shrubs. or these, the most abundant used to be the gum-wood, of which there are three kinds, all evergreens, the common, the bas tard, and the dwarf gum-tree. The last is generally call ed scrub-wood, and seldom grows higher than three feet ; but the common kind has a tolerably straight stem from 20 to 30 feet in height, and throws out its branches and leaves in the form of an umbrella. The bastard species has less of the gummy texture, and is farther distinguish ed by having a smooth leaf, and bearing its blossoms in small bunches. All the kinds contain a highly aromatic gum, which renders the wood extremely pleasant as fuel, for which purpose it is chiefly calculated, though not alto gether unfit for building, if protected from the weather. From the trunks of the common and hastai d sped• s, a sweet-flavoured liquor, called by the natives toddy, issiws spontaneously ; and a bottle, so placed as to e‘tcri tae natu ral exudation, may be filled in the course of a night. Of the other native trees may be mentioned, string-wood, dog wood, red-wood, or ebony, and the cabbage-tree, of which the two last are very durable, and much valued in build ing. Oaks, cypress, and pinaster, have been introduced into the plantations, and thrive well. The first, particular ly, grows up very quickly, but decays with equal rapidity, though the wood, when cut in a sound state, is said to be of a very close grain and firm texture. The ferns of St Helena are very numerous and beautiful ; and one species, called the tree-fern, grows to the height of 14 or even 20 feet, with leaves five feet in length. The myrtle, to which the climate is peculiarly adapted, grows to the height of 30 feet, and the cotton plant thrives very readily. A shrub, which the natives call samphire, but supposed to be the barilla, grows spontaneously on the thin crust of soil gene rally found near the sea, and yields from its ashes a large quantity of the marine alkali for the manufactories of soap. The English vernal grass prevails in the higher parts ; but, in the low grounds, the wire-grass, or droop, is more abundant. This last is sweet and nutritious, and suffers less than the other sorts from hot or dry weather ; but, instead of it, a coarse herb, called cow•grass, originally from the Cape of Good Hope, has been introduced into many of the pastures. Lucerne has succeeded in some situations, and is considered as well calculated for general cultivation.