Admiral Sir Edward Hughes took over the East Indies command from Commodore Sir Edward Vernon, arriving in Madras on 19 January 1780, with six small ships of the line. He would undoubtedly have called into St Helena en route, and it is probably this visit which is recorded in this painting. Situated in the South Atlantic near the Tropic of Capricorn, St Helena is 1200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1800 miles from Brazil. It was a regular watering and supply station, and convoy rendezvous, for sailing vessels bound to and from the East Indies via the Cape of Good Hope. For further information see BHC1890, which is the pair to this picture and shows shipping off Madras (then sometimes called Fort St George and today Chennai). Callander exhibited a 'View of the Island of St Helena' at the Royal Academy in 1785 (no.518). While this picture may not be that one, it is perhaps a version of it.