Excerpt from St. Helena: The Historic Island, From Its Discovery to the Present Date These early navigators, always on the outlook to find islands which they could use as watering places for their vessels, and which would generally supply them with vegetables, meat, and fruit, were eager to stock and colonize them. On the occasion of the discovery of St. Helena, we find they were prepared, for they left at the island some goats, asses, and pigs; but at this visit there is no mention of colonization. Eleven years after, a Portuguese fleet called on its way home from India, and left here the first human inhabitant. He was Fernandez Lopez, a noble man who, having incurred disgrace through desertion, was condemned, and punished to the extent of having his nose, ears, right hand and the little finger of the left hand cut Off. We can well imagine he preferred to be left here, rather than to endure the reproach and ignominy which awaited him at home. Thus, he was the first Governor of St. Helena, and, according to the records, was provided with a few negro slaves, pigs, goats, poultry, partridges, guinea-fowl, phea sants, peacocks, vegetables, roots, fig, orange and peach trees. (it is a mystery how the small vessels of that date were able to keep on board all these animals, poultry, and food.) Here he Spent four years, being then recalled by Portugal. That nation, however, continued to use the island as a place of call for vessels homeward bound. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
