Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1853-09-24
The Island of Tristan d Acunha.

who recently arrived at New York, has
! given the annexed account OF the very
curious island of Tristan d'Acunha, mere
rock, in the great Southern ocean, which he
visited in the course of his adventurous
VOYAGE. The peculiar history of the settle
ment of this isolated rock has obtained for it
the name of "another Pitcairn's Island"
This island is situated about midway be-
tween the Cane of Good Hope and Cape
Horn. In the year 1911 the British frIgate
4 Pandora struck on ledge Of rocks near this
Island on.her return home from Bengal, la:
den with troops. One of their number, Ser.
| eeant Glass, while the troops were being
/ landed, preparatory to getting the ship of
1.-The rocks, took advantage of the, confusion
4 attendant thereon, and secreted himself on
| the island, and the ship sailed without him
Glass remained here three years, subsisting
I'm the meantime on the flesh of goats, which
here abound, and also on shell fish and roots.
By the expiration of this time he had sue
ceeded in constructing boat from drift
timber and othermaterials, and proceeded
with cargo of goat skins to the Cape of
Good Hope, some /, 500 miles distant. The
Lime which he Selected. for his departure in
fthisfraii craft was during the prevalence Of
the westerly winds. He accomplished his
Iperilous voyage in safety.
4 After short residencesat Cape Town he
maHied tie widow of soldier whohad died
at tie Cape; and with his wife and a negro
man returned 70 his solitary island again,
taking with him various implements, seeds:
arms, ammunition, together with other
necessaries, which were literally furnished
him by the merchants of Cape Town. Here
i the good couple carried ont the injunction Of
sincrease and multiply" The resuItsof
their marriage was seven daughters, who.
in the course oftime were married 10 men
from American whalers who occasionally
touche! at the island. Hheses sons-in-law of
the old man, in compliance with law that
he had made that "no son-in-law Of his
should leave thesisland, Settled down, and
proved as prsli6cas did thesoriginal couple,
so that the population now amounts TO eightya
four children, grandchildren and. great
grandchildren. The old Patriarch; Glass,
is now 80 years of age, and as hale and
strong as youth of 20 indeed, be says he
means to live for 80 years longer and, so far
as personal appearance would warrant the
judgment, he will keep his word
A remarkable fact should here be men,
tlOIlGQ. Ilat SltlCe tuG isldllu Has Iiisl oCCA
settled by Glass, death has never visited one
Of its inhabitants.
The amount of land at present available
for cultivation on the island is mere strip
Of about $50 acres, which is entirely devoted
esculents but, as the spade is used, and
every attention paid TO enrching the land,
it is even now capable of furnishing support
| -, Oh md fhor 10 dnnhf
but that in the course of few years laYe
tracts of other land on the side Of the noun
tain will be brought into productive state.
The island is an extinct volcano. rising
almost 100 feet above the level of the sea.
The edges Of the crater of this volcanic
mountain are eternally covered with snow.
Within the crater is a magnificent lake of
pure fresh water. about one-third of mile
in diameter This lake is fed by the melted
SHOWS. and it overAows in several torrents
aud cascades down the sides of the noun
tain, supplying the inhabitants of the island
and ship which sometimes touch there with
excellent water. The lake sometimes
abonnds with very peculiar kind of fish, of
excellent flavor, and totally unlike any other
species found in the surrounding ocean, so
| that their origin is an interesting subject for
| the investigation Of the ichthyologist.
Capt Gibson staii at this island for three
| days, and only left it and its interesting in
| habitants sooner than he wished from ecom-
pulson, as dangerous storm was brewing,
and the coast afforded no safe anchorage.
The grand daughters of old Glass are de-
scrbed as remarkable for their health and
beauty. and it would not be strange if many
| more adventurous Yankees should be in
clined to settle there and marry into this
patriarchal fraternity. The women are
equally expert with the men in the use Of
the rife, fishing rod and oar, and find no
difficulty in obtaining husbands, for whom
| they make excellent wives. With the men.
of the original stock, however, the case isI
different, as women are not in the habit OF
| going awhaling;" therefore, no women
come to the island. We are informed that
| there are now about nineteen yonng men
| who would feel under great obligations to
some charitable Mrs. Farnham.
One of the young men took his fathers
| boat, and with two of his cousins proceeded
| to the coast of Africa, and made bold to in
trodnce himselfto an interesting young CAT
| fire. woman, who, not being affected with
any of the punctlios of civilized life, readily
accompanied him home. By her he has
three Interesting children, and she makes
| him an excellent wife, She is described as
Of bright brown complexion, thin-lipped,
with fine straight nose, most interesting
cast of countenance, and slender, agile
figure She has readily acquired the Eng
lish language, and speaks it with remarkable
fuency. O
r,,x,,.r 40 u,n.,,. Wn 1norn gov.