in 1836 the second "beagle" voyage visited ascension. charles darwin described it as an arid treeless island, with nothing growing near the coast. sparse vegetation inland supported "about six hundred sheep, many goats, a few cows & horses," large numbers of guineafowl imported from the cape verde islands, rats, mice, and land crabs; he agreed with the saying attributed to the people of st helena that "we know we live on a rock, but the poor people at ascension live on a cinder." he noted the care taken to sustain "houses, gardens & fields placed near the summit of the central mountain," and cisterns at roadsides to provide drinking water. the springs were carefully managed, "so that a single drop of water may not be lost: indeed the whole island may be compared to a huge ship kept in first-rate order." in commenting on this, he noted rené primevère lesson's remark "that the english nation alone would have thought of making the island of ascension a productive spot; any other people would have held it as a mere fortress in the ocean."