Tristan da Cunha: 1506-1902

The story of the lonely island of Tristan da Cunha is one of enduring interest. It was discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese when sailing to India. In the following century the Dutch and English considered the possibilities of industrialization and colonization of the island. French explorers and American adventurers in the eighteenth-century paid visits of varying duration.

After the military occupation by England from 1816 to 1817, the real colonization of Tristan da Cunha began with the fo...