The Decline of St Helena

Sugar Loaf Hill, 1821 by J Wathen

During Napoleon's exile the island was placed under the jurisdiction of the British crown. Subsequently, the East India Company resumed control until the collapse of the company in 1834 led to their inevitable withdrawal from St. Helena and the island became a British Crown Colony. With this transition the relative prosperity of the island vanished. Charles Darwin, who visited St.Helena in 1836 when homebound on the Beagle, remarked that

so little level or useful land is there, that it seems surprising how so many people, (about 5,000) can subsist. The lower orders, or the emancipated slaves [slavery was abolished in 1832], are, I believe, extremely poor; they complain of want of work; a fact which is also shewn by the cheap labour. From the reduction in number of public servants owing to the island being given up by the East India Company & consequent emigration of many of the richer people, the poverty probably will increase

A salvaged Brazilian Slave ship brought unwelcome visitors to St Helena - termites invaded the island, and have been a pest ever since, even forcing the reconstruction of the Castle in 1860.

St. Helena remained a busy port of call for sailing ships until about 1870 when steam started replacing sail, and the opening of the Suez Canal (1869) changed the pattern of sea routes.

Chief Dinizulu

St. Helena again became a place of exile: in 1890 Dinizulu, the son of Cetewayo, and his entourage were confined on the island, and from 1900 to 1902 6,000 Boer prisoners of war were camped on Deadwood Plain and Broad Bottom.

In the early part of this century the island economy became almost totally dependent upon monoculture - New Zealand flax was planted over a large area of the central part of the island and was cut and processed for the manufacture of rope and string. The demand for flax disappeared in 1966. Although there has been significant flax clearance since, flax still covers some areas of the interior of St. Helena.

In the early 1960s the development of a telecommunications centre on the island dependency of Ascension and employment there of workers from St. Helena somewhat restored prosperity. St. Helena was given some measure of self-rule through an Order in Council and Royal Instructions in 1966 (effective January 1967) that provided for local executive and legislative councils; this order was replaced by the 1988 constitution (effective January 1989).

Present Day St Helena

St. Helena is a British Dependent Territory and one of the last relics of the colonies. The island has a Governor and the upper echelons of the administration mostly are expatriate British. The islanders are represented by an elected Executive Council (EXCO) and Legislative Council (LEGCO) although these bodies have little real influence on the running of the island.

St. Helena is administered by a governor who is also president of the Legislative Council. The speaker, the chief secretary and the treasurer (as ex-officio members), and 12 elected members constitute the LEGCO. EXCO is headed by the governor and includes the aforementioned ex-officio members and five of the elected members of the LEGCO; the latter are chairmen of the council committees and oversee departments of the government. Education is compulsory and free for children between 5 and 15 years old.

The population in 1987 was 5,644. The main centres of population are Jamestown (the capital), Half Tree Hollow, and Longwood. Ascension Island and the Falklands provide employment for a large number of Saints. There is a large Saint population in the UK and a substantial St. Helenian community settled in South Africa. Saints are extremely hospitable and visitors to the island are made to feel very welcome.

Coffee crops with Sandy Bay in the Background

St. Helena's main income is from the export of fish. St. Helena coffee is of very high quality but the production is quite small. Tourism operates on only a very limited scale. Imports are high and the island has a large budget deficit; St. Helena receives a substantial annual grant-in-aid from the UK, most of which is budget aid although a significant portion is a shipping subsidy for the operation of the RMS .

Less than one-third of the island is suitable for farming or forestry. Principal crops are corn (maize), potatoes, and green vegetables, and some sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs are raised. There are no minerals and virtually no industry, but some locally grown timber is used for construction purposes. Fish, primarily tuna, are caught in the waters around St. Helena; some is frozen at a cold-storage facility in the vicinity, and the remainder is dried and salted on the island. Virtually the entire output is exported. About two-thirds of the colony's budget is provided by the United Kingdom in the form of a subsidy; the remainder is raised from the sale of postage stamps and from customs duties and wharf fees.

The only port, Jamestown, has a good anchorage for ships, and there is passenger and cargo service.

Paul Carroll, June 15, 2003