Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-20
CRUS0E SETTLEMENTS.
ROMANTIC LIFE ON A LITTLE
SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND.

Story of a Runaway English sailer-An-
other Little Colony in the Kermadec
Group-Castaways on a Coral Reef-Pit-
cairn Islanders.
About four months ago, as the English
bark Queens Island was passing Paimerston
Island, in the Southern Pacific, the captain
was surprised to see boat containing eight
persons put off from the shore. 1t was gen
orally supposed that this little coral island,
one Of the least important of the Hervey
group, and about three hundred miles from
its nearest neighbor, was uninhabited Capt
Reid, however, had accidently approached
near enough to this little speck in the ocean
to discover another of those romantic island
settlements which are now and then unex-
pectedly found in the broad exranse of the
great Pacific
The bronzed and rather scantily clad white
man who clamhered up the side of the bark
said he was William Marston, the chief Of
the little island, where he had lived for
twenty five years When he was young
man he deserted from the British bark Rifle
man in Tahiti and made his way in a small
sailboat nearly 1000 miles west to the Her.
neyed on to Palmerston Island, where he
built him cabin and started a coeoanut
plantation. A few natives joined him, and
now his little world contains thirty-three
human beings, of whom fifteen are bis own
children. English is the only language
spoken in this little community, whose island
home is not SO large as some Dakota farms
Here the subjects of the runaway English
sailor live on the happiest terms. getting
along very well without the news and gossip
of the world, while enjoying, nevertheless,
many Of the good things of civilization
brought to them by small trading vessels, to
whom they sell the copra prepared from their
cocoanuts.
Within the past few years several islands
have been discovered in the Pacific which, it
was found, had long been known by small
traders, who in the interests of monopoly
carefully kept their information to them
selves After the Sydney newspapers an
nounced the discovery of fine new island
not far from New Guinea sea captain in
| port produced very good map of the island
which he had made several years before. He
had probably hoped to hand down the secret
| to his heirs as an exclusive trading privilege.
In this way it has happened that Marston's
| little colony has fourished unknown save to
| one or two traders, whose interests have kept
| them quiet.
| Hundreds Of the little islands of the Pacific
are uninhabited, and are very rarely seen by
vessels. Who knows but among them may
| be modern Robinson Crusoes, waiting pa
tiently for sail, and living in fair degree
! of comfort upon the bounties of which ma
ture is so lavish in those regionsi We have
recently told the story of Mr.. Bell and his
| little family, who are monarchs of all they
survey in the kermadec group, Goo miles
! from their nearest neighbors. The passen-
gers and crew of the bark Henry James, who
were rescued in May last from coral reef
| in Polynesia, know what it is to be cast
Always in the Pacific, hundreds of miles from
inhabited islands. If they had not fortu-
nately saved their small boat they might
have been prisoners for many months on the
| little island. Five men in the boat carried
the news of their disaster 800 miles to Sa-
moa, and in less than two months deliver
ance came They needed clothing, but were
| not otherwise in serious want, for fish and
cocoanuts had amply supplemented the slen-
der food supplies with which they had
reached their place of refuge
Among the jubilee presents received by
Queen Victoria were some hats and other
manufactures, most skillfully made of straw,
the humble tribute of the most unique and
famous of Pacific colonies In 1890 the Pit
cairn islanders may celebrate the centennial
of the landing of their mutinous fathers OF
the little rock where Lady Belcher, their his
torian, says they have become "such a com
munity as has been the dream of poets anC
the aspiration of philosophers" 1t is no
often the world hears from these happy anc
peaceful islanders now numbering l12 souls
who have Perpetuated the remarkable COLONY
founded uinety-eight years ago by Englisl
sailors; but it is refreshing now and then t,
contemplate their idylhc existence cut of. a
they are from the busy world, tilling the fer
tile valleys of their little home only two an
a quarter square miles in extent, possessing
schoolhouse and a church, but no Jail intelli
, gent, neat and clean, with plenty of book
, and fruit and eowers, a simple hearted. dc
, vout people, and the only Christian con
munity in the world that has no stron
, drink, tobacco or money.
: A traveller on an English bark whic
touched at Pitcairn in February last says h
saw among the islanders men who in statur
would be a credit to the Royal Guards, an
women who were fair to see, though thei
! garments were not rich and fashionahl,
/ women who are skilled in the arts Of hous,
g wifery, in the making of fancy baskets an
shell work, and some, too, who can play e.
, cellently on the little church organ. Bor
, to this life of isolation, the Pitcairn Islandt
hears with wonder and delight but withou
, envy, of the world beyond his sea grit HON
. When, years ago, Pitcairn became tt
, crowded, considering its slender resourse
! and the people were removed by Gre;
Britain to Norfolk, that island, small as
: Is, bewildered them by its vastness. Havin
! only footpaths in Pitcairn, they thought Il
wagon roads of Norfolk unsightly, and Il
= echoes aroused by their voices in the stoi
p quarter where convicts had once lived in
a pressed them as a most disagreeable novelt
!, A minority decided that they could not
:, happy among these strange surrounding
!, and they returned to Pitcairn to live and di
:, New York Sun.