Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-09-20

Robinson Crusoe' Island.

JUAN rEENa,DEz VISITED nV TIE HAssIEE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or TIE ISLAND.
The island Of Juan Fernandez is more eel
ebratcd from Dcfoc's fiction than from Sci
kinks history. Fernandez discovered the
island in 1868, and introduced goats here.
In l6Sl an Indian was left here, and sub
sisted on the goats three years before he was
taken Of In October, l704, Scotch sail
or, Alexander Selkirk, was left there, and ta-
ken of in February, 1909, having lived here
four years and four months in absolute soli-
tude, living like hls Indian predecessor,
mostly on goats flesh. lie told his story to
DeToe, and out Of it grew "Robinson Cru
SOC" The wild goats are still numerous
here, and focks Of hundreds Of them may be
seen upon the mountains. The island is
about ten or twelve miles long, By four in
breadth the shores mostly precipitous,
and the mountain ridges three thousand feet
in height. The water around the island Is
deep, and the whole appearance is as if there
had once been an extensive island with
splendid rugged mountain chain upon it
that suddenly the bottom had been knocked
from under all except this patch often miles
by four, and all but this patch had sunk
into the sea Valleys and mountain spurs
and gentle slopes are all cut of by this pre-
cipltous edge, and there are but few places
on the island where you can effect land
ing. There are today twelve persons inciu-
ding several children, living on the island.
They have good poultry and vegetables,
/ splendid beef and milk, and can get goats
| by climbing after them. Other things they
/ purchase with the proceeds Of their beei,
milk and poultry, for which they find mar
ket in passing ships, especially in American
whalers. We spent May day in rambling on
the island and about its shores, cunning,
herborizing and collecting generally. Sharks,
lampreys, cod, sculpins and other fish (; lob
sters, crabs, crayfsh, shrimps, mollusks Of
various sorts, stariish and sea -urchins Of di-
vers kinds, few insects, some humming
birds, ETC., etc, were among the fruits Of
our labor. The plants Of the island bore 4
great general resemblance to those Of the
continent four hundred miles to the cast
ward. which surprised me, as both the pre-
vailing winds and ocean currents are op-
posed to any transmigTation from the South
ern part of tho continent. Myrtle bushes,
Winters bark, Pernettya, bearberries and va
rous other plants seemed at first identical
with those Of Chill and Southern Patagonia.
But a closer scrutiny showed that part OF
this resemblance is deceptive; that the differ
ence is as real as is the likeness. The great
genera used in Chill for tanning, for exam
pie, seemed at first sight to be hourishing
here; but this is a decidedly different
plant. The botanis.s called the Chilian
plant scabra the one on the island pelta-
ta 1t is a magnificent coarse thing, throw
ing out great leaistalks as stout as a sLila-
lab, and leaves rough star-iorm of three Ia
evll feet in diameter The soil is all, SC
ar as our observation went, volcanic; mosi
of the lava-like rocks crumblc on exposure to
the weather, and in climbing the steep hill
sides we found it very unsafe to depend OF
projecting ledges or knobs. thought, while
one thousand feet up on one Of the steepes
inclines, that if an earthquake should CONF
it would have me at decided disadvantage
But the jolly Chileno who now farms th'
island (and who speaks excellent English
told me afterward that | need not have fel
alarmed, he had lived here five years with
out feeling any shakes, although once abou
three years since, great wave came along
probably from some continental quake, an
did him some damage. The vegetation in
creased in beauty as We climbed higher, an
D came into what was more nearly ''forest pr
meval" Three species of trec-fcrns, tw
beautiful climbing ferns, and some lttl
t palm trees-peculiar, think, to this islam
-attested the semi tropical character Of th
C fora, and two ipecies of fine humming birC
r added their testimony; The trail-net brougt
: from the sea variety of sea weeds differer
q from those before obtained.