120 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Vegetation of Juan Fernandez. — The trees, of which the woods on the northern side of the island are composed, are most of 

 them aromatics, and of many ditferent sorts. There are none of them of a size to yield any considerable timber, except the myrtle trees, 

 which are the largest on the island, and supplied us with all the timber we made use of; but even these would not work to a greater 

 length than forty feet. The top of the myrtle tree is circular and appears as if it had been clipped by art; it bears on its bark an 

 excrescence like moss, which in taste and smell resembles garlic, and was used by our people instead of it. We found here, too, the 

 the plemento (palmetto '?) tree, and likewise the cabhage tree, though in no great plenty; aud, beside, a great number of plants of various 

 kinds which we were not botanists enough either to describe or attend to. 



To the vegetables I have already mentioned, of which we made perpetual use, I must add that we found many acres of ground 

 covered with oats and clover; there were also some few cabbage trees upon the island, as was observed before; but as they generally 

 grew upon the precipices ami in dangerous situations, and as it was necessary to cut a large tree for every single cabbage, this was a 

 dainty that wo were rarely enabled to indulge in. 



The excellence of the climate and the looseness of the soil render this place extremely proper for all kinds of vegetation ; for if the 

 ground be anywhere accidentally turned up it was immediately overgrown with turnips and Sicilian radishes. 



This may in general suffice as to the soil and vegetable productions of this place, but the face of the country, at least the north part 

 of the island, is so extremely singular that I cannot avoid giving it a particular consideration. I have already taken notice of the wild, 

 inhospitable air with which it first appeared to us, and the gradual improvement of this uncouth landscape as we drew nearer, till we were 

 at last captivated by the numerous beauties we discovered on the shore. Aud I must now add that the inland parts of the island did in 

 no way fall short of the sanguine prepossessions which we first entertained in their favor. For the woods which covered most of tho 

 steepest hills were free from all bushes and underwood, and afforded an easy passage through every part of them ; and the irregularities 

 of the hills aud precipices in the northern part of the island necessarily traced out by their various combinations a great number of 

 romantic valleys, most, of which had a stream of the clearest water running through them, that tumbled in cascades at the bottom of the 

 valley by the course of the neighboring hills, was at any time broken into a sharp, sudden descent; some particular spots occurred in 

 those valleys where the shaded fragrance of the contiguous woods, the loftiness of the overhanging trees, and the transparency aud 

 frequent falls of the neighboring streams, presented scenes of such elegance and dignity as would be with difficulty rivaled by any other 

 pari of the globe. It is in this place, perhaps, that the simple productions of unassisted nature may be said to excel all the fictitious 

 descriptions of the most animated imagination. 



Animals of Juax Fernandez. — It remains now only that we speak of the animals and tho provisions which we met with at this 

 place. Former writers have related that this island abounded with vast numbers of goats; and their accounts are not to be questioned, 

 this place being the. usual haunt of the buccaneers and privateers who formerly frequented those seas. And there are two instances, 

 one of a Mosquito Indian and the other of Alexander .Selkirk, a Scotchman, who were Left here by their respective ships, and lived alone 

 upon this island for some years, and consequently were no strangers to its produce. Selkirk, who was the last, after a stay of between 

 four and five years, was taken off the place (in 170S) by the Duke and Dutchess privateers of Bristol, as may be seen at large in the 

 journal of their voyage. His manner of life, during his solitude, was in most particulars very remarkable; but there is one circumstance 

 which he relates, which was so strangely verified by our own observations, that I cannot help reciting it. He tells us, among other things, 

 that he often caught more gouts than he wanted ; ho sometimes marked their ears and let them go. This was about thirty-two years before 

 our arrival on this island. Now, it happened that the first goat killed by our people at their landing had its ears slit, whence we 

 concluded that he had doubtless been formerly under the powerof Selkirk. This was indeed an animal of most venerable aspect, dignified 

 with an exceeding majestic beard, aud with many other symptoms of antiquity. During our stay on the islands we met with others 

 marked in the same manner, all the males being distinguished by an exuberance of beard and every other characteristic of extreme age. 



But the great number of goats, which former writers describe to have been found upon this island, are at present very much 

 diminished ; as the Spaniards, being informed of the advantages which the buccaneers and privateers drew from the provisions which 

 goats' flesh here furnished them with, have endeavored to extirpate the breed, thereby to deprive their enemies of this relief.- For this 

 purpose they have put on shore great numbers of largo dogs who have increased apace and have destroyed all the goats in the accessible 

 part of the country; so that there now remain only a few amongst the crags aud precipices, where the dogs cannot follow them. These 

 are divided into separate herds of twenty or thirty each, which inhabit distinct fastnesses, and never mingle with each other. By this 

 means we found it extremely difficult to kill them ; and yet we were so desirous of their flesh, which we all agreed much resembled 

 venison, that we got knowledge, I believe, of all their herds, and it was conceived, by comparing their number together, that they 

 scarcely exceeded two hundred upon the whole island. * * * These dogs, who are masters of all the accessible parts of the island, 

 are of various kinds, some of them very large, and are multiplied to a prodigious degree. They sometimes came down to our habitations 

 at night, and stole our provisions, and once or twice they set upon single persons ; but, assistance being at hand, they were driven off 

 without doing any mischief. As at present it is rare for goats to fall in their way, we conceived that they lived principally upon young 

 seals ; and, instead, some of our people bad the curiosity to kill dogs, sometimes, and dress them, and it seemed to be agreed upon that 

 they had a fishy taste. 



Seals at Juan Fernandez. — Goats' flesh, as I have mentioned, being scarce, we rarely being able to kill above one a day, and our 

 people growing tired of fish (which as I shall hereafter observe abound at this place), they at last condescended to eat, seals, which by 

 degrees they came to relish and called it lamb. The seal, numbers of which haunt this island, hath been so often mentioned by former 

 writers, that it is unnecessary to say anything particular about them in this place. But there is another amphibious creature to be met 

 with here, called a sea-lion, that bears some resemblance to a seal, though it is much larger. This, too, we eat under the denomination 

 of beef; and as it is so extraordinary an animal, I conceive it well merits a particular description. [This is the southern sea- 

 elephant, Maerorhinus Uoninus; not, the sea-lion, Otaria jubata.— H. W. E.] They are in size, when arrived at their full growth, 

 from twelve to twenty feet in length, and from eight to fifteen in circumference. They are extremely fat, so that after having 

 cut through the skin, which is about an inch in thickness, there is at least a foot of fat, before you can come at either lean or 

 bones; and we experienced more than once that the fat of some of the largest afforded us a butt of oil. They are likewise very 

 full of blood; for if they are deeply wounded in a dozen places, there will instantly gush out as many fountains of blood; spouting 

 to a considerable distance; and to try what quantity of blood they contained, we shot one first and then cut its throat, and 

 measuring the blood that came from him, we found that, beside what remained in the vessels, which, to be sure, was considerable, we got 

 at, least two hogsheads (!). Their skins are covered with a short hair, of a light, dun color, but their tails and their fins, which serve them 

 for feet on shore, are almost black ; their fins, or feet, are divided at, the ends like fingers, and the web which joins them not, reaching to 

 tho extremities, aud each of these lingers is furnished with a nail. They have a distant resemblance to an overgrown seal, though in some 

 particulars there is a manifest difference betweeu them, especially in the males; these have a large trunk, or snout, hanging down live or 

 six inches below the end of the upper jaw, which the fomales have not, aud this renders the countenance of the male and the female 



