Only copy located of the 1850 almanac for the island of Saint Helena. Famous for being the prison of Napoleon Bonaparte in his final years, the British island was used as a frequent stop by ships calling in for supplies. The almanac contains 37 pages listing the 930 ships that visited the island between 1 December 1848 and 30 November 1849. The development of steamships as well as the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 would almost completely deprive Saint Helena of its great importance as a supply station. In 1840 a naval station was established for the Royal Navy's campaign to suppress the slave trade. By 1 December 1849, 15,067 slaves had been brought to the island. Roughly a fourth died on the island, with the rest emigrating to Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad.
Starting with the natural history of the island, the almanac describes the geology of the island and lists the birds and fish that can be found. The rest of the almanac describes the feasts and festivals for the year 1850; lunar cycles; climate of the island; tides; the family of Queen Victoria; the British cabinet; the political, military and ecclesiastical government of the island as well as the British naval command in West Africa; customs and judicial fees and penalties; ordinances; local institutions and societies; and a list of local miscellaneous information. The printer appears to have aimed for a full page; for instance placing a table of the height of several hills and peaks below the regional naval hierarchy instead of near the geographical description, whereas a table of geographical distances is placed under the header "local miscellaneous information".
With the bookplates of the barrister Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847-1916), famous for being the defence lawyer for the Egyptian nationalist Ahmed 'Urabi (1841-1911) and of the legendary superspy Sidney George Reilly (1873-1925). Binding lightly worn at the hinges; a very good copy.