VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF TRISTAN D'ACUNHA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 25

VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF TRISTAN D'ACUNHA.

Captain Willis, of the ship Star o£ Austria, which has just arrived at Adelaide from London, gives an interesting account of a visit to the Island of Tristan D'Acunha on the passage out. He states that the Star of Austria made the island on March 13, and the weather being fine the ship was hove-to to receive a visit from the islanders. Of these nine men and two women came oft in a boat. They had seen no persons from the outside world for many months and seemed delighted to get on board the Star of Austria. The oldest resident, aged 87 years, was amongst those who boarded the ship. The inhabitants were entirely dependent for subsistence on the very remote visits of occasional ships, and their requests for supplies bordered on the ridiculous, as one stalwart young man seemed only to require a supply of hairpins for his best girl. Pieces of embroidery and lace were eagerly sought after, and even the matter of corsets for the feminine population showed how far civilisation had extended. It was amusing, the captain states, to observe how much appreciation was shown for any small bits of fancy work Mrs Willis (the captain's wife) could give them. The male population appeared to be quiet and orderly, but there seemed to be a very evident desire to quit the island, especially since the sad accident which occurred shortly before, when 14 of the men had pushed off to board a ship and never returned. The population now consists of 40 women and 11 men. They had taken off e £g s > potatoes, and geese to the ship, and in return wanted nails, needles, ptns, and salt, all of which supplies Captain Willis gave as faras possible. The captain was struck with the want of a good boat, which he thinks somebody might send by the first opportunity to the unfortunate people whose only connection with the outside world is a chance call from a few sailing vessels. It often happens that they are six months without communication with passing vessels through not having a seaworthy boat.

— The Khanate of Bokhara was lately visited by an epidemic that carried off thousands of victims. The Ameer consequently issued an edict enjoining upon all the inhabitants to whitewash their houses inside and out, under a penalty of receiving 36 strokes. The result was that the disease was stamped out, and the Eussian general, Annenkoff, on whose advice the decree had been issued, was proclaimed the saviour of the country.

— To count one each second, it would take 31,G87 years 17 days 22 hours 45 minutes and 5 seconds to count a billion. A billion sheets of paper would make a pile 47,348 miles high — one-fifth the distance to the moon.