Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-09-21
Robinson Crusoe's Island.

Robinson Crusoe's Island.
There is something very singu-
lar Ia the tcnacity with which the
popular mind clings to the delusion
that Juan Fernandez was Robin
son Crusoe's Island. For nearly a
century and u half that dclusion,
originally started by malicious en-
cmies of Dcioe, has been propaga-
ted in school biographies, books OF
voyages, and ether works, so that,
wherever it becomes necessary to
mention Juan Fernandez, an allu-
sion TO the hero Of Deioe's romance
is sure TO follow. As we write, the
newspapers are giving an account
OF Agassiz's visit to the island, and,
US usual, Robinson, and his goat,
and his man Friday, arc introduc-
cd lind yet the slightest exam-
nation Of an unabridged copy of
Robinson Crusoc" will show that
il contains no reference whatever
TO Juan Fernandez, but that, on the
contrary, q very woll-dofncd local
ity in another part of the Western
hemisphere is assigned to the i'm
aginary island. Juan Fernandez
is in the Pacific Ocean, about thir-
ty-four degrees, or more than two
thousand miles. south of the equa-
tor, and four hundred miles from
the southwest coast of South Amer
lea. But, according to the very IT,
lie page Of "Robinson Crusoc," in
the original edition, now generally
abridged by the publishers, his is
land was situated "ncar the mouth
Of the great river Orinoko," that is
to say, at he opposite end of South
America, in the Atlantic Ocean,
several thousand miles from Juan
Fernandez. In his narrative, Cru
soc says that he sailed from Brazil,
WAS driven north by II storm, until
lle found himself on the coast OF
Guiana, beyond the Amazon, and
that then tho vessel was stecred
northwest by west, in order to
reach some of the English West In
dia Islands, on her way towards
which she was wrecked. In his
first conversation with Friday, he
states that they talked of current
which swept by tho island, which,
he says, Il understood TO be no
more lkan The sets OF the lido, as
going out or coming in; but | after
wards understood it was OCCASION
cd by the great draft and rcfiuX Of
the mighty river Orinoko, in the
mouth CT gulf of which river, rs |
found afterwards, our island lay,
and this land which | perceive to
the west and northwest, was the
great island Trinidad, on the north
point Of The mouth of the river"
This is conclusive, and proves that
Juan Fernandez has no more claim
to be considered Robinson Crusoc's
island than has Nantucket ur Sta
ten Island But we are generally
80 young when VIC read "Robinson
Crusoc" that VIC pay no attention
to geographical details, and, as we
grow older, we find Juan Fernan-
doz so universally designated as
the residence of Robinson that we
accept it rs an established fact.
The truth is that Dcfoe's enemies,
who were many and bitter, sought
10 dccry him by charging him that
he stole the idea from Alexander
Selllirk, whose brief narrative was
in nowise different from dozen
stories current in Defoe's time Of
sailors living for years alone on
desolate Islands For instance, Pc
ter Sorrano, a Spanish sailor, was
ehipwrcclled, and lived for several
years alone on an island in the very
locality whore Defoo places the
scene Of Crusoe's shipwreck. His
story is told at full length in Gar
cilasso's History of Peru" u trans
Iation Of which was published in
London when Dcfoc was q years
Of age, and could not have escaped
his attention, for it made a great
sensation in a day when books were
rare. Serrano, like Crusoe, was
sb,pWrccked on an unknown island;
Sellkirlk, on the contrary, volunta-
rily went ashore, well supplied
with arms, tools, clothes and books,
upon an island that for two centu-
RIGS had been the resort of ships of
various nations, and which was
perfectly we'll known to all who
sailed tho Pacific. 1t is possible
that Defoc may have been indebted
TO Selkirk's brief narrative for a
few hints and suggestions, but he
was certainly much moro indebted
t).the story Of Peter Serrano, which
was FIR moro famous in lis day
.tap ihat Of Solkirk Be that as il
IN <cr, nothing can be more
q sfous than to attempt TO
.ify Juan Fernandez with Cru
>s's Island, when that yeracious
mariner explicitly states that it was
thousands of miles in another d.
rcciion.-1ppletoA's journal.
Too MUcH WmsKEY FOR THE
ssAkE-They tell "hard" snake
stories in Kentucky. 1nis is the