NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 
825 
In 1814, during the revolutionary wars on the South American continent, the 
Spaniards withdrew the garrison from Juan Fernandez, destroying, when they left, all the 
valuable trees, such as sandalwood, 1 &c. In a moment of victory during these wars, the 
Spanish royalist Osorio banished to the island a number of Chilian patriots, who were 
afterwards, when fortune favoured their side, brought back to Chili with much triumph 
and exultation. 
Shortly after 1818 Juan Fernandez was utilised as a state prison, and the Chilian 
Government sent such convicts there as were condemned to hard labour. In 1824 there 
appear to have been three hundred convicts on the island, guarded by one hundred 
regular troops. In that year the valleys of the island were swarming with wild cattle, 
horses, hogs, sheep, and goats, and vegetables and fruit were abundant, consisting of 
radishes, water cresses, parsley, turnips, purslain, apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, 
figs, cherries, and strawberries ; but the Fur Seals and the Elephant Seals found formerly 
in such abundance had almost wholly disappeared. Fish was, however, as plentiful 
as ever. 
In 1830, when Juan Fernandez was visited by H.M.S. “Adventure,” Captain P. P. 
King, there w T ere no convicts, but the island was rented from the Chilian Government by 
Don Joachim Larrain for fishing purposes. His establishment consisted of forty persons, 
who caught and dried the fish for the Chilian market, particularly the rock lobsters, the 
tails of which when cured are much esteemed and fetch a high price in Chili. At the 
time of Captain King’s visit no supplies could be procured except wild goats, wild 
peaches, figs, and fish, the cattle so abundant in 1824 having entirely disappeared, but in 
what manner does not appear to be known. As vessels frequently touched at the island, 
particularly whalers, the establishment of forty persons might naturally have been expected 
to cultivate the land, grow vegetables and fruit, &c., but their first effort to raise potatoes 
having been defeated by the destructive ravages of a worm, they discontinued their 
agricultural pursuits. 
In 1833 Juan Fernandez was again utilised as a convict station by the Chilian 
Government, and in that year a number of prisoners took possession, during the night, of 
a French brig that had called at the island for supplies, and compelled the crew to take 
them to Chiloe. 
In 1835 the island appears to have been governed by a Mr. T. Sutcliffe, an Englishman 
in the Chilian service. He was present when the earthquake took place on the 20th 
February of that year, of which he gives the following account: — “At 11.30 a.m. the sea 
rose over the mole and afterwards retired, leaving the greater part of Cumberland Bay 
dry, so much so that old anchors on the bottom became visible ; the earth then began 
to shake violently, and a tremendous explosion was heard, the sea still receding in 
immense rollers, which afterwards returned violently, rising to such a height that the 
1 See Bot. Cball. Exp., part iii. pp. 11 et seq., 1885. 
