94 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



tlie bottom gave way, as miglit reasonably be expected ; so poor Clark 

 could not effect the new mode of cooking. I told bim under Ms circum- 

 stances roasting beef was an easier task tban boiling. He is a man of 

 some information ; his library amounted to seventeen volumes 

 — Bible and Book of Common Prayer, which he had to keep in 

 a secret place when his Spanish friends were there ; an odd volume 

 of 'Tales of My Landlord' and 'Old Mortality,' some of voyages, 

 Cowper's Poems. He had the one by heart addressed to Alexander 

 Selkirk ; but what is still more worthy to be noticed, a fine bound copy of 

 Crusoe's adventures, who himself was the latest and most complete 

 edition. Like all other English saUors he had no aversion to rum ; I gave 

 him a single dram, which, not being accustomed to before for a great 

 length of time, made him forget his exile. He was like the heroes of 

 Troy : ' fought his battle over again and slew the slain three times.' 



Here a few years ago the Spaniards formed a colony ; but it is now 

 abandoned, all the houses are destroyed, and the fort, on which were some 

 very large guns. Twenty-six cannons lay on the shore just below. The 

 vestiges of a church are to be seen ; on the lintel of the door the following 

 inscription, ' La casa de Dios puerta del cielo y so colocoesta a 24 de 

 Septiembre, 1811 ' ' — ' The house of God consecrated 24 September, 

 1811.' Near this a circular oven of brick, seven feet within, marked on 

 it 1741 ; probably built by Anson during his residence, it is now occupied 

 by a small species of blue pigeon as their cote ; in it I found some eggs, 

 but no young ones. This I told Clark he should use. In the old gardens 

 were abundance of three or four difierent peaches in a half ripe state, 

 very luxuriant ; one apple, a quince, and two pears ; a quantity of the last 

 three we took for puddings. Abundance of figs in vigorous state of bearing, 

 and vines, one which thrives luxuriantly ; it is just in blossom. The 

 only ripe fruit was a sort of strawberry with large fruit of a pale whitish- 

 red, not unpleasant ; leaves, stem, and calyx very downy ; dried a paper 

 of seeds of this species lest it may prove indigenous to the island or the 

 coast of Chile. The only culinary vegetable was radish, which grows 

 to a large size. I sowed a small portion of vine, pear, and some other 

 fruit seeds which I had of Mr. Atkinson and some culinary vegetables, and 

 gave some to Clark to sow on various parts of the island. Saturday after- 

 noon was set apart for fishing ; a sort of rock codfish and a smaller fish un- 

 known to me were caught in abundance, both good eating, and after such 

 a length of time on salted food were considered a luxury. 



Dec. I9,ih. Thermometer on the top of the hill on right of Cumberland 

 Bay, at 2 p.m., 70° Fahr. in the shade ; in the valley at 4 p.m., 74° \. 

 cloudy and calm, light rain in the evening. 



On our quitting the shore Clark presented us with a fine female 

 goat, but not one of Robinson Crusoe's, for it was young. We 

 left him standing on a large stone on the shore on the evening of 

 Saturday, intending to visit him again in the morning. Scarcely had 

 we reached the ship when a strong south-easterly wind set in, which 



' We cannot vouch for the correctness of the Spanish, but it is given exactly as 

 written in the MS. — Ed. 



