The Lonely Island
I PUBLISH this little book in tender and honoured memory of my husband, who helped me to write it. It makes no claim to literary merit. Its aim is merely to describe in familiar terms the daily life of the quaintest and most isolated community in the British Empire. At Tristan da Cunha even the ordinary happenings of everyday life seem to take on a glow of romance, and commonplace folk come to fill conspicuous places in our interest which in a larger setting are denied to them. On this account I have taken the liberty of introducing most of the islanders to my readers by name, and I have done this in the hope that they will feel a more intimate and personal interest in them as my narrative proceeds.
I offer my grateful acknowledgments to Mr. Douglas M. Gane, who is behind the present movement for helping the island, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, its oldest friend, for their endeavours throughout to ease our task and render its accomplishment within our reach. And I also thank all those kind friends, at home and abroad, interested in the island, who, in diverse ways, gave us their assistance and support.
Furthermore, I thank Mr. Gane for his contributions to the book, and I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Messrs. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., for undertaking the publication of it, and for so kindly making it their contribution to what they are good enough to call “a very worthy cause.”
I am under obligation, too, for permission to use photographs—the work of Captain G. H. Wilkins—forming part of the Quest collection, and for others taken by officers of H.M.S. Dublin and the Ramon da Larrinaga on their visits to the island and the visitors who accompanied the Dublin. Unfortunately my own camera broke down soon after my arrival.
For the description of the new bird given in one of the Appendices I am indebted to Dr. Percy Lowe, of the Natural History Museum, and I offer him thanks for his valuable service in this connection. My thanks are also due to the Editor of the Illustrated London News for allowing me to reproduce from that paper Mr. G. E. Lodge’s drawing, in which he so ably reconstructs the bird.