St Helena

St. Helena, an island of the. S., Atlantic, in lat. 15° 56' S., long. 5° 43' W., 1,200 miles from the West Coast of Africa. It is 10-1/2 miles long from E. to W. and 7 miles broad, and has an area of 47 square miles. The dark-grey igneous cliffs rise precipitously to a lofty table-land, the highest point on which is 2,823 feet above the sea. Jamestown, the capital, is situated in a ravine Sloping down to the N.W. coast. The climate is healthy, the mean temperature being 62°. Whale fishing is the only considerable industry. The affairs of the island are administered by a governor and an executive council. Since the construction of the Suez Canal it has ceased to be a port of call for eastward-bound vessels, and its prosperity has greatly declined. Longwood, the residence of Napoleon from 1815 to 1821, is situated in the northern part of the island, on a level tract richly clad with verdure.