Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-02
ROBINSON CRUsOE.
Discrepancy Between Romantic History
and Geography.

and Geography.
From American Notes and Queries.l
A careful examination of Defoe's romance
of the famous story of Robinson Crusoe
will show singular discrepancy between
romantic history and geography. 1t is
conceded by all critics of Defoe that he
acquired the material for his romance from
an English sailor-Alexander Selkirk-
who was put ashore or wrecked, and lived
for a number Of years upon the Island of
Juan Fernandez, which is located in the
Pacific Ocean, off the Coast of Chill. Why
Defoe did not make his story of the ship
wreck of Robinson Crusoe fit better is sin
gular. Crusoe at the time he started on
his voyage, which resulted in his long
imprisonment on a desolate island, was
resident of Brazil, in the vicinity of the
town of San Salvador. The story as given
says: "On September l, 1863, set sail
from San Salvador, with a design to stretch
over for the African coast, standing away
to the northward upon our coast, when we
came about ten or twelve degrees north
latitude, which was the manner
of course in those days, till we
came to the height of Cape St. Augustine,
from whence we kept off at sea and lost
sight of the land. Holding our course
northeast by north, leaving the Isle
of Fernando de Noronna on the east, we
passed the line In about twelve days. and
were, by our last observation, in 70 22/
north latitude, when violent tornado
took us quite out of our knowledge" After
they had beaten about for twelve days the
storm abated, and another observation was
taken. 1--WE found we were in about 10
north latitude and 900 of longitude differ
ence west from Cape st. Augustine, so
that we had got upon the coast of
Guiana, or north part of Brazil, beyond
the river Amazon" The last observation
showed them to be in latitude 12o 49,, but
no longitude is given. But after state
ments in the history show that he was
wrecked upon an island near the mouth OF
the Oronoco UNEXPECTEDLY one of the
capes southeast of the Island of Trinidad
Years ago as a boy had Spanish
book which was the story of Pedro Ser
rano, Spanish mariner, who was wrecked
and lived for many years upon the Island
of Tobago, which is close to Trinidad, and
in the very vicinity of the Oronoco. The
book | have lost in some way. If | recol-
lect Alright, there were seven Others on the
1
island with Serrano.
1t is well known fact that the Indians
of the Caribbean islands were addicted to
canibalism, while the inhabitants of the
Pacific coast of South America were con-
siderably advanced in civilization. 1t
seems to me that Defoe has not only got
the story of SeIkirk, but that of Ser
rano, and blended them. And now for
the geographical discrepancy: Defoe
did not locate his story in the Pacific,
but only took his character from that
locality. If it is assumed he only had
his model in Selkirk, and knew
nothing of Serrano, are not the geograph.
ers and atlas-makers at fault in calling
Mas Terra, one OF the Juan Fernandez
islands, "Robinson Crusoe's" Island jointly
with ''Selkirk's" Island? Can anyone give
any data of the earliest placingo of "Crusoe's
Island" in aliases?