Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26

without labor, the colouists pine for news
from the distant world whose echoes come
to them Ike angels visits, ''few and far be-
tween. Though no longer a convict
colony, as in DAYS long past, the island is
virtually prison, whose bolts and bars are
ocean billows, and many q modern Crusoe
voices his predecessors sentiments:
Oh Solitude Where are the cha-r,s
That Sages have seen in thy face?
Better dwell in the midst OF alarms
Than reign in this horrible place.
PeopleG With Lowly Shepherds.
There are about 100 residents on juan
Fernandez, mostly Germans and Chilean
ranchmen and their families, for some wears
ago the island was leased to a rich cattle
company, who have now as many as $4,000
mead Of horned cattle and twice as many
sheep grazing on the narrow valleys and on
the green hillsides The cottages of the
c0lonists are mostly within sight of the
landing, set in the midst of orchards on the
side Of a hill sloping down to the sea, and
the oppressive silence Of Selkirk s time has
given place to the bleatirg and lowing of
hocks Gnd herds, the merry shouts of chill
Gren and human activity The houses are
extremely picturesque, being made of the
bright yellow straw Of the wild oat, woven
in and out through bamboo wattles and
matched with the same.
Their high-peaked roofs project all around
far beyond the walls, and the doorways are
shaded by straw-thatched porches, remind
ing one Of French-C Canadian cottages along
the lower ST. Lawrence or chalets in the
valley Of the Seine Each little tome is
incl0sed within q wall of stones and brush
wood, Its rustic gateway overrun with lux
Ur1ant vines; and within the enclosure are
granaries, store houses and other out-buiid-
iugs, all set upon poles to keep them out of
The water during the heavy rains of June,
July and August There is no winter in
this latitude, but the wet season, though
short, is more trying than the northern ice
and snow.
Visitors Always Warmly Welcomed.
Whoever goes to Juan Fernandez finds
himself enthusiastically welcomed BY every
soul on the island, and receives Just as many
pressing invitations to lunch, to dine and to
stop over till some other boat comes along
as there are homes on the island, and if be
has been SO thoughtful as to bring few old
books and newspapers, he has earned the
lasting gratitude Of the people. Besides
caring for their focks the settlers raise
fruits and vegetables to sell to passing ves-
sells. The soil is wonderfully productive,
especially in the Northern valleys where de-
cGyed vegetable matter and rich deposits of
burned earth have washed down from the
mountains.
Grass and oats spring up spontaneously in
the open spaces, and vegetables of all kinds
grow abundantly wherever the seeds are
scattered. Wild grape vines and fig trees
bearing excellent fruit flourish Oh the slopes,
and there are many natural orchards grown
from seeds planted 9 century ago by Selkirk
and other mariners. Besides peaches, apri-
cots, pears, ounces ana other fruits common
TO temperate climates, the chUta is every
where-a species OF palm which produces a
delicious berry-and among an endless
variety of indigenous trees are pinento
(pePper), sandal, corkwood and myrtle.
What a shipwrecked Lord Did
It appesrs that Lord Anson, an English
man, has done more for the settlement and
cultivation OF this island than the Govern
ment that owns it. de stopped here first
by chance, in the year l14l, for the purpose
OF recruiting his ships after a succession of
disasters IN their passage around Cape Horn.
The loss and danger he mad experienced led
70 establish a sort of recruiting station on
Juan Fernandez, for his own and 9th dis
abled ships He devoted months to the
production heTe Of such fruits and vegetables
as sailors crave, and caused quantities of
seeds 20 be scattered all over the island, so
that future voyagers might find variety of
refreshment He also left ashore great
many domestic animals, that they might be-
come numerous, for the benefit of vessels in
distress for provisions, castaways and ship
wrecked mariners.
"He who plants an olive, plants for his
children's children" Lord Anson could
not expect to derive much personal sdyant-
age from these benevolent acts, but how
many lives have been saved by his philan-
throphy there is no human record to show.
After his death his papers fell into the
hands Of Mr.. Richard Walters, Chaplain of