NO. 1 FRASER: SCIENTIFIC WORK, VELERO III, EASTERN PACIFIC 3 



The history of the Galapagos Islands dates back to 1535, when Fray 

 Tomas de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, visited the islands, but appar- 

 ently they remained little known until the buccaneers made use of them 

 during the period between 1675 and 1775. When the last of the buc- 

 caneers disappeared, their place was taken by the whalers, who continued 

 operations here until 1858. The whalers, and probably also the bucca- 

 neers, made use of the large tortoises (galapagos) for food, thus begin- 

 ning the slaughter that lasted for long, and has led to the near extermina- 

 tion of these animals. 



In the meantime, in 1831, Ecuador secured possession of the islands 

 and proceeded to establish a penal colony that remained in existence for 

 some time, during which horses, donkeys, cattle, and goats were intro- 

 duced, and their descendants, since gone wild, have done much to disturb 

 the biological equilibrium of the islands. In 1832 a small settlement was 

 established on Charles Island, on the shore at Post Office Bay, where an 

 oil rendering plant gave an added impetus to the slaughter of galapagos, 

 and probably accounted for the total extermination of these tortoises on 

 Charles Island. This settlement has long since disappeared, but the office, 

 the oil-drum lighthouse (now no longer lighted), and the "Barrel Post 

 Office" still remain as evidences of habitation. In 1869, Manuel Cobos 

 started a settlement on Chatham Island, which has developed into "Pro- 

 greso," the only sizable settlement in the Galapagos. 



In 1826 the yacht Discoverer set out from Valparaiso with the pio- 

 neer conchologist Hugh Cuming aboard. Included in the itinerary, ac- 

 cording to the Report of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science for 1856, were five of the Galagapos Islands, which were reached 

 in 1827. For so early a cruise, that of the Discoverer is remarkable in that 

 dredging in shallow water was accomplished. Cuming's collections of 

 Crustacea and Mollusca were extensive and contained a high proportion 

 of species new to science. 



In 1830, Alcide d'Orbigny spent three months, February through 

 April, between Valparaiso and Arica, stopping at Cobija en route. After 

 extensive travel overland, he returned to the coast in July, 1833, and 

 proceeded to Callao via Islay, remaining in the environs of Lima until 

 September of that year. The historical account of his voyages, in three 

 volumes, appeared between 1835 and 1844. The reports on specimens 

 collected by him form the basis of all subsequent work in marine zoology 

 of coastal Peru. 



From the scientific angle, the year 1835 stands out by itself, for in 

 that year the Beagle sailed northward along the coast of Chile and Peru 



