Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-10-24
Robinson Crusoe's Island.
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
Ifthere is one spot on earth In
which all who speak the English
tongue may be said to take common
interest, it is the Island of Juan Fer
nandez. The faVOrite tale of nearly
every childhood is by most Of fus re-
membered through life with great ST
fectiOn, and the scene of its marvellous
incidents shares iIl our regard. II
may be true that the proper Robinson
CrusOe's Island was not off the coast
of Chill at all, but ir the mouth of the
OrinOcO; and il may also be true that
the continent should be called Col
umbia and not America; but habit
has endeared in both eases the exist
ing usage so that Imagination takes
precedence of what is or ought to be
tact, and the continent will be AneIi-
ca and Juan Fernandez Robinson CRU
sOe's Island until the end of the chap
ter.
As most readers are aware, this
classic corner of the earth is in lati-
tude 80 deg. 40 min. south, about 400
miles off the coast of Chill, and is
about the size of Staten Island. 1t is,
however, far more ruggedIy pictur-
/ esque than that beautiful suburb, and
/ boasts one mountain, Eungue, that
| towers 4000leet above the sea. Around
it grow in luxuriant abundance vari-
Gus grains, peaches, figs and other
fruits, together with the sandal-wOod
tree and the cork; and among these
I dispOrt themselves did a few years
ago-many wild goats, and not few
wild horses. Excellent fish are abun-
dant there, and, with the sweetest Of
water and delicious climate, more
/ inviting spot can hardly be imagined.
So Thought the early buccaneers who
made it a resort fer many a day, and
so thought afterWaTd American and
/ English Whalers VINO touched there
for supplies. For some years tie
! Chilian Government disturbed the
solitude of the place by making ii
penal colony; but the cOnvicts rose
in revolt, there was some blood
shed, 81 village that had been
/ built at Port Cumberland, the
harbOr, was burned, and the
authorities, after farreting out and
putting to death the wretches who, on
completing their work of destruction,
had fled to the wOOCs, abandoned the
island to the goats and horses. Subse-
quently two or three wandering Chilli
ans found shelter there, and eked out
a livelihood that the generous soil
for the most part easily supplied,
by selling TO passing ships vegetables
and water. In lS49, when the memo
rable rush was made for the gold fields
of California, some CT the ships bound
thither round Cape Horn, touched at
Juan Fernandez. They found there,
besides some half a score of Chilianq,
including women and children, the
mate OF an American whaleF, who
like Selkirk, had left his vessel from
choice to dwell upon the island, and
who had family by one Of the Chill
an women. This man looked not un-
like the pictures of Robinson Cru
soe," having garments of goat skins,
long beard, and that expression
Of proud, yet melancholy, calm
which people who live in soil
tude are prone to have. He seemed,
notwithstanding, to be cOntented, and
spoke not Of leaving the place, or Of
any wish to change his condition. A
grOttO near the shore he pointed out
as Robinson CrusOe's cave, and showed
other spots identifying them with To-
cqlities spoken of in De!oe's story. He
appeared TO regard himself as Sci
kinks representative, and to take
pride in being so accepted.
Twenty years seem to have passed
after this without any other or more
definite use being made of Juan Fer
nandez; but last winter it was ceded
by the Chilian Government to a COM
pany of Germans, who are led by one
Robert Wehrhan, Saxon engineer.
he and his society have now taken
possession Of the island and purpose
to make it their horne. They num-
Der some sixty or seventy individuals,
and have taken with therl
cows and other cattle, swine.
fowls, all kinds of agricultural in
plements, with boats aud fishing al
paTatUs, and tools for the various me-
chanicai trades. It is said that Wehr-
han left Germany eleven years ago,
and, after passing some time in Eng
land, was engaged on railways in
South America. While there ne con-
ceived the idea that he has now car
ried into effect. This is a repetition
on larger scale of the experiment Of
Pitcairn's Island, without, of course,
the criminal preface that stained the
history of the crew OF the Bounty.
The world will watch the career Of
this little colony with deeply inter-
ested eyes; for, apart from the curios-
ity and sympathy naturally attracted
by the experiment itself, no more en-
gaging spot could have been chosen
in which to make it than that which
is cherished in 80 many hearts as Rob
insOn Crusoe's Island.