172 C. SKOTTSBERG 



maqui not less abundant; it is not clear whether or not he regarded them as a 

 source of wealth. 



As a more promising industry than forestry \'iel recommends raising cattle. 

 The island could easily maintain 1000, during the Spanish time there had been 

 800, and now the number of domesticated animals was 98 cows and 50 horses, 

 but man\- had run wild. The 3000 wild goats ought to be protected by a closed 

 season; 800 skins had been exported recently. Apparently the fur seals did not, 

 in his opinion, need protection: "the output was mediocre, a consequence of the 

 settlers not being sufficiently intelligent and industrious"^ — he forgot that the 

 poor result of sealing was a consequence of ruthless persecution during a cent- 

 ury. The average number of seals killed per annum was 700 — one would call 

 this a fair number considering the small size of the islands. F"ishing was neg- 

 lected, only very little salted or dried fish had been exported. There was plenty 

 "langosta", and it ought to be made into preserves. \'iel concludes his report 

 with the following words: "Kl estado actual es bien lamentable." Had the Govern- 

 ment listened to his recommendations the situation would have become much 

 more lamentable. 



Of this official report to the ^Minister of Finance and to the Governor of 

 Valparaiso Fellenbekg published a translation, but he protests against Viel's belief 

 that the disappearance of the forest would not harm the water supply. As an appen- 

 dix he published 3 letters from the new tenant, addressed to his relatives in I^ern. 



Alfred vr)X Rodt, of Swiss descent, an ex-officer in the Austrian army 

 and a well-educated gentleman, settled on contract on Masatierra as tenant of 

 the islands. Encouraged by the many favorable reports on their resources, he ex- 

 pected to make his fortune, and he liad some money to invest in the enterprise. 

 His first letter, written shortly after his arri\al and dated June 5, 1877^ contains 

 dates on the size and [jositimi of the place; he tells that there were 7000 wild 

 goats and pasture for 1000 head of cattle and that he intended to start "verschie- 

 dene Industrien". Evidently he went to work without delay; on March 13, 1878, 

 he writes that he had timber worth 3000 Dollars ready to be shipped to the coast. 

 He reported from Masafuera 17.6. 1878 that this island was considerably larger 

 than Masatierra (!) and that there were large forests and the most beautiful grass- 

 lands where it would be cas}- to feed 20000 sheep. He had killed more than 

 700 fur seals. 



The castle in the air vanished, \on Rodt ne\er founded an\- new industries 

 on Masatierra, there never was a sheep-farm on Masafuera. He lost his money, 

 but he remained true to his beloved Masatierra, where it is easy enough to make 

 a living, but perhaps not a fortune. The von Rodt d}-nasty was still going strong 

 when we v isited the islands; the sons of Alfred made their living as lobster^ fish- 



1 Translated from Spanish. 



2 Professor Karl L.\ng, head of the Dept. of Evertebrates in the Nat. Hist. Museum, Stock- 

 holm, on my request kindly made a diligent search for an English equivalent to the Spanish 

 word langosta as name of the large Decapod Jasiis Lalandci formerly known as Palinnrus 



frontalis,, which from a scientific viewpoint is no real lobster. He reports that Palinurus vul- 

 garis and related forms are called "rock-lobster"; "spiny lobster" is another name. For the sake 

 of brevity "lobster" or "langosta" will be used here. 



