The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-09-11
PROFESSOR LEES TRIP.
The Interesting Little World IN the
Southern Hennlsphara.

BRUNSWICK. Sept. 1O.-Prof. Lee, Of Bow
doin College, who accompanied the Albatross
expedition as a naturalist, has returned East.
The Professor left the ship at San Francisco
He is engaged at Washington in ar
the specimens collected on the yoyaG
hibition in the National Museum. 7
lessor thus describes some OF the exp
OF the Albatross party In the South
On the largest Of the Galapagos
they found curious colony. "The
between six and seven hundred mil
the main land OF Ecuador" said PI
almost under the equator. 1t Is
with high volcanic rocks. and very
Of access. Wears ago the Ecuador
ment planted a convict colony ON on
islands, but the convicted revolted, killed The
Governor, and made their escape on schoon-
or. For long time afterwards the Islands
were uninhabited, and all Of them are so to-
day except Chatham, where we landed. Behind
the walls Of rock wO found fertile country,
In high state Of cultivation.
About one hundred and fifty persons
make their home there and are governed by
shrewd and progressive man Of the Spanish
race, named C0b0s. He makes no claim 20
sovereignty, but his control seems as abso-
lutte as that Of the Gar. His subjects are
conylcts from Ecuador, Years ago, L ap-
pears, he was engaged In gathering orchllla.
kind Of moss which Is favorable for the
manufacture of dyes. He got rich at this
business, but lost his fortune through some
transaction with the government OF Ecuador
Possibly using that as an argument, he
asked for and was granted this lslez,; =
Chatham, the condition being that no should
receive and care for the convicts sent thither
from the mainland. This was perhaps ten
or twelve years ago.
"The colony has now a little world of It's
own, cut off from civilization by hundreds OF
miles OF ocean. Only now and then, at lcng
intervals, has any vessel landed there, ex-
cept the sehooners owned by Gov. C0bos.
and the inhabitants have, therefore, no
means OF escape. These people do not
share their rulers progressiveness. They
are an odd and rather unprepossessing lot.
MOST OF them are natives Of Ecuador. and
some probably half Indian. The governor
told me he had one full blooded British sub
lect, and asked II we w0uld like 10 see him.
lie gratlhed our curiosity with a glimpse of
the olackest negro i ever saw. The fellow
spoke English, and insisted that he was an
Englishman; but when l asked him where
ne was born, he answered, at st. Helena
There was an Engllshwoman, also, on the
island
''SLe was only about 25 years old, with blue
eyes and light hair, but about as tough look
Ing specimen as | ever came across. The
inhabitants are about equally divided be-
tween the sexes. | could not discover that
there was any religion among them, or that
any such formality as a marriage ceremony
was recognized as necessary. They seemed
simply to have paired of as their fancy die
tated, and TO live free from any more res
traint than Is required In order TO get the
full quota Of work out Of them. They have
an abundance Of food, and In that climate
the kind Of dress TO be worn and the amount
OF 1t, are not subjects that trouble anybody
great deal. You can judge what sort Of
creatures they are when you remember that
they are the criminal classes Of population
which at best Is backward in culture"