The island inland from the sea is very hilly and divided into numerous ridges and valleys. There is not a really good piece of flat land anywhere. The valleys are very fertile. Owing to the steepness of the roads we proceeded most of the way on foot, leaving the paths, which zigzagged, and making straight traverses across the fields. Brambles grow profusely, and at this time a number of blackberries were ripe. Gorse and broom covered the hillsides with yellow. The chief industry of the island seems to be the growing of New Zealand flax and the making of it into fibre. During the war they obtained the most phenomenal prices, which, however, have since dropped to normal. The flora generally of St. Helena is very interesting, for there are over sixty native species of plants, nearly all of them peculiar to the island. Every now and then we caught glimpses of pretty little residences situated in gardens of their own. We met numerous people, including a number of British folk, driving in their carriages—it seems to be the custom here to greet everyone one meets. The natives we met showed unmistakable signs of a very mixed origin. In the days of the East India Company labour was imported from India and from China, and on frequent occasions natives of different parts of Africa have been introduced. The African type predominates. We next visited the station of the Eastern Telegraph Company, where we met the manager and his wife. They have a very nice place, situated in beautiful grounds containing masses of bougainvillæa, geranium, scarlet hibiscus and many other kinds of blossom. They have bananas and guavas in abundance, but oranges do not grow well. They told me that the natives of the island, of which there are about 3,000, are very badly off, for there is practically no work for them to do. Some of them look half starved. A lace industry was started about twenty years ago by an Englishwoman. The lace is said to be of good quality, but I did not have the opportunity of seeing any. We returned to the ship about 6.30 P.M., and immediately set off for Ascension Island. In the meantime Douglas had made a brief geological examination of the main features of the island. There was not time to do more. Bosson, the new hand taken on at Cape Town, whom I had allowed to go for a run ashore, fell into a cactus bush, and did not forget the fact in the next few days. We had an uninterrupted run to Ascension Island, where I intended to take in coal. As we approached we saw hundreds of birds, which flew squawking overhead, but were apparently intent on their fishing, and took very little notice of the ship. We arrived and dropped anchor about 8 P.M. on August 1st.