On this island Alexander Selkirk resided from the year 1705 to 1709 ; and from his history, Daniel Defoe is un derstood to have composed the interesting adventures of Robinson Crusoe. In this place also, in 1741, Lord Anson recruited the health of his crew, when they were so de bilitated by the scurvy, and exhausted by the storms which they had encountered, as to be scarcely able to muster strength sufficient to heave the anchor. In 1766, the Spaniards formed a settlement, and established a garrison on the island. In the year following, Captain Carteret, in the course of his voyage round the world, attempted to enter Cumberland-bay, and was surprised to find it in the possession of the Spaniards. He neither anchored, nor had any communication with the shore; but was able to observe a number of men upon the beach, a house, and four pieces of cannon near the water side, a fort upon a rising ground about 300 yards farther from the sea, faced with stone, provided with 13 or 20 embrazures, with the Spanish colours flying on the top of it. There were 20 or 30 houses of different kinds scattered around it, a number of cattle feeding on the brow of the hills, and several spots enclosed for cultivation. Since that period no ac counts respecting this settlement were laid before the public, as all access to its shores was invariably denied to strangers. But in 1792, Lieutenant John Moss of the royal navy, then commanding the ship William, employ ed on the southern whale and seal fishery, visited both the islands of Fernandez ; and from his MS. the following notices were first published in the 4thencum for 1807. He was not aware of its having been occupied by the, Spaniards, and went in his boat to look for a safe ancho rage and to catch fish. Upon finding the place inhabited, he landed, and applied to the governor for leave to anchor and fish. Neither of his requests was formally granted ; but getting into a position where none of the guns could bear on the boat, he caught as many fish as served the whole ship's company. Several months afterwards, how ever, touching a second time at Juan Fernandez, he ob tained from the governor, Don Juan Calvo dc la Canteza, free permission to supply the wants of his crew. The town, or village, is pleasantly situated in a fine valley between two high hills. A battery of five guns is placed round the
west point of the harbour, and commands the road. It is built entirely of loose stones, piled up breast high, and formed into embrazures ; but on the left of the valley, on a little eminence, another battery was then constructing of masonry, which had two faces with fourteen umbra zurcs in each, one face pointing to the anchorage, and the other flanking the village. Two small guns also have been conveyed by a serpentine path to the top of the west ern hill. The whole force on the island, however, accord ing to the report of the commandant, consisted only of six soldiers, and forty of the settlers armed and trained. There are about forty houses in the town, and several others in different parts of the island. Every house has a garden, with arbours of grape vines ; and figs, cherries, plumbs, and almonds, appeared in a green state. There was abundance also of potatoes, cabbages, onions, thyme, and other vegetables; but none of them in perfection, as a kind of grub is said, in a great measure, to destroy the kitchen gardens. Great numbers of goats were seen on the sides of every hill. The dress of the women is of a singular description, and was stated by the governor to be the same as that of the ladies of Chili and Peru. They wear a petticoat which reaches only a little below the knee, and which is spread out by a hoop at the bottom to a great distance round them, leaving the legs entirely ex posed, which arc, however, covered by drawers. They wear long hair, plaited into forty or fifty small braids, hanging straight down the back. In every house that Captain Moss entered, the women presented him with mate, the infusion of the herb of Paragua, which is suck ed up through a pipe or tube, handed from one person to another. The women were, in general, handsome, and every house swarmed with children. Thus there was a prospect of the colony increasing rapidly in population ; but it was lately stated in some of the public prints, that the Spaniards had withdrawn the whole of the garrison and settlers; so that Juan Fernandez, with all- its advanta gesis probably again-abandoned to its original uninhabit ed and uncultivated state. (9)