Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1903-04-09
ROBINSON CRUSOE'S ISLAND.
y am monarch Of aii survey.
ny right there is none to dispute,
From the center al rnund 20 the sea.
ann Lord 0f the fowl and brute-w


From the center al round 20 the sea,
am Lord of the fowl and brute--
The tourist who goes ashore at the
island OF Juan Fernandez, about 425
miles from the coast Of Chile, starts
FIRST of all for the lookout from which
Defoe says poor Robinson Crusoe
used TO watch for sail, land yet no
sail from day 10 day." But he is
likely TO be long on the way, though
il is less than n mile from the land
ing place, because there are several
points OF interest to be viewed en-
route. First. there are the people
"a hundred hands to be shaken aud
. Thousand eager questions to bean
swered; for the arrival of ship is
by no means matter OF every day,
and when one does appear in the
harbor, the lonesome islanders, old
and young. troop down to meet her.
Though voluntary exiles in this
beautiful place, where nature has
been lavish in supplying everything
necessary to sustain life without la
Dor. the colonists pine for news from
the distant world, whose echoes
come to them like angels visits,
few and far between. Though no
longer o convict colony, as in days
long past, the island is virtually a
prison, whose bolts and bars are
ocean pillows, and many modern
Crusoe voices his predecessors SEN
timents:
20 Solitudel Where are the charms
That sages have seen I'm thy face?
Better dwell In the midst OF alarms
Than reign In this horrible place ~
There are about one hundred res
idents on Juan Fernandez, mostly
German and Chilean ranchmen and,
their families; for some years ago
the island was leased TO rich cat
tie company, which has now as many
as 30, 900 head Of horned cattle, and
twice as many sheep, grazing
in the narrow valleys and on the
green foothills. The cottages of
the colonists are mostly within sight
of the landing, set in the midst of
orchards on the side of hill slop-
ing down to- the sea, and the oppres-
sive silence of Selkirk's time has
given place to the bleating and low.
ing OF fiocks and herds, the merry
shouts of children and sounds of hu-
man activity. The houses are ex-
tremely picturesque, and made OF
the bright yellow straw of wild
oats, woven in and out through bam-
boo wattles and thatched 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 the French Canadian cot
tages or chalets in the valley of the
Seine. Each little home is inclosed
within a wall of stones and brush
wood, it's rustic gateway overrun
with luxuriant vines and within
the inclosure are granaries, store
houses and other outbuildings, all
set up on 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 northern ice and snow.
Visitors Welcomed.
Whoever goes to Juan Fernandez
finds himself enthusiastically vel
coined by every soul on the island,
and receives just as many pressing
invitations to lunch, TO dine, and to
stop over until some other boat
comes along, as there are homes on
the island, and If he has been so
thoughtful as TO bring along a few
old books or newspapers, he has
earned the lasting gratitude of the
people. Besides caring for their
fiocks, the settlers raise fruits and
vegetables to sell to passing vessels.
The soil is wonderfully productive,
in the northern valleys,
where decayed vegetable matter End
rich deposits of burned earth have
washed down from the mountains.
Grass and oats spring up spontan-
eously in the open space, and vege-
tables of all kinds grow abundantly
wherever the seeds are scattered.
Wild grape vines and fig trees bear
ing excellent fruit flourish on the
slopes, and there are many natural
orchards grown from seeds planted
a century ago by Selkirk and other
mariners. Besides peaches, april
cots, pears, ounces and other fruits
common to temperature climates, the
chuta is everywhere-a species of
palm which produces a delicious ber-
ry-and among an endless variety
of indigenous trees are pimento
(pepper,) sandalwood, corkwood and
Ii appears that Lord Anson, an
Englishman, has done more for the
settlement and cultivation of the is