128 



ISLAND OF JUAN FERNANDEZ. 



[1824 



men against the scurvy. I have had these animals on board my own 

 vessels from five to six months, without their once taking food or 

 water ; and on killing them I have found more than a quart of sweet 

 fresh water in the receptacle which nature has furnished them for that 

 purpose, while their flesh was in as good condition as when I first 

 took them on board. They have been known to live on board of some 

 of our whale-ships for fourteen months, under similar circumstances, 

 without any apparent diminution of health or weight. 



The Gallapagos Islands have been so frequently and so accurately 

 described, by navigators who have visited them solely for that pur- 

 pose, that I do not deem it necessary to detain the reader with any 

 remarks of my own, except to refer him to the following authentic 

 works, in which he will find all the necessary sailing directions, in 

 connexion with such other information as may assist a stranger in ex- 

 ploring this interesting archipelago, viz. Nora Delano's Voyages, Van- 

 couver's, Colnett's, Hall's, Porter's Journal, &c. 



December 2d. — We remained among these islands about two months, 

 during which period we took about five thousand fur-seal skins ; when, 

 finding that these animals had abandoned the shores, we thought it 

 time to abandon them also. Accordingly, after taking on board one 

 hundred of the elephant tortoises, which completely covered our decks, 

 we got under way on Tuesday, the 2d of December, at two P. M., 

 and took our departure from Charles's Island, shaping our course for 

 that of Juan Fernandez, once the solitary residence of Alexander Sel- 

 kirk, alias Robinson Crusoe. 



This celebrated island bears about south-south-east from the Galla- 

 pagos group, distant seven hundred leagues. The wind now blew 

 from the south-east, a fine breeze, and fair weather. We stood to the 

 south, with our larboard tacks on board ; and for several days after 

 leaving the group we had a steady royal breeze from east-south-east 

 to south-south-east, with pleasant weather, occasionally falling in com- 

 pany with sperm whales. In lat. 16° IT S., long 90° 13' W., we 

 were surrounded, for nearly twenty-four hours, by large flocks of gan- 

 nets ; but on reaching lat. 17° 21' S., long. 90° 11' W., we saw no 

 more of them until near the island for which we were bound. 



January 12th, 1824. — On Wednesday, the 24th December, we lost 

 the south-east trade-wind, in lat. 26° 0' $., long. 9l'° 4' W., and 

 from that time until the 6th January we had a continuation of calms. 

 A fresh breeze then visited us from west-south-west, which wafted us 

 to the easternmost island of Juan Fernandez, where we arrived on 

 Tuesday, the 12th day of January, and anchored in a small bay on 

 its north-eastern side, about half a mile from the shore, in five fathoms 

 of water, with the centre of the village bearing west-by-north. The 

 boats were immediately lowered, and the water-casks taken on shore 

 to the watering-place, on the north-west side of the bay, where there 

 is a rivulet of fresh water, of excellent quality. 



The two islands discovered by Juan Fernandez, in 1563, are about 

 one hundred and ten leagues from the continent, bearing nearly west- 

 by-south from Valparaiso. The largest of the two, or Robinson 

 Crusoe's Island, where we were now watering, is nearest to the main, 



