Commencing the description of the Spanish South American islands from
the coasts of Chili, our attention is first led to the islands of
JUAN FERNANDEZ, three in number; the largest, which alone properly
bears that appellation, is in 33° 40' south latitude, and 80° 30'
west longitude, distant from Chili 110 leagues, and was discovered by
a Spaniard, who gave it his name, in 1563. This island was so much
spoken of by navigators in early times that it was supposed to be a
terrestrial paradise. It is, however, in fact, merely a small spot,
rising out of the ocean to a considerable height, not more than four
leagues in length from east to west, and generally mountainous, but
there are some fine valleys and plains, which are full of trees and
herbage. The hills towards the north are also covered with large
woods, but those on the south are destitute of timber; every place is,
however, overspread with coarse grass, which grows to the height of
six feet. Among all the species of trees there are few of the tropical
kinds, owing to the coldness of the climate; for being surrounded by
the sea, it is even cooler here than on the coast of Chili, under the
same parallel: but the European and American fruits peculiar to these
latitudes flourish and grow abundantly.
Juan Fernandez has been the abode of several English navigators in the
voyages round the world, and into the Pacific, from the circumstance of
its being excellently adapted as a place of shelter and refreshment to
squadrons or vessels cruizing against the trade of Peru and Chili; but
the government of the former country made a settlement here in 1750,
which completely prevented all vessels from touching here excepting
those belonging to powers in amity with Spain. Its western side is
composed of cliffs rising perpendicularly out of the sea, but the
north-west point is the first anchoring place, and here the Spaniards
have a guard-house and battery. About half a mile east north-east of
this is the great bay, where the anchorage is close to the shore;
and in this bay is seated the village or principal settlement; in a
fine valley between two high hills. A battery of five guns on the
right commands the road, and there is another on the left, with seven
embrazures to the anchorage, and seven towards the town.
In this village the houses amount to about forty; but there are several
dispersed over different parts of the island. Each house has a garden,
with grape vines, fig, cherry, plum and almond trees, and plenty of
vegetables.
The officer who commands at this island is sent from Chili, in which
government it is included, and the island is called _La de Tierra_ by
the Spaniards, on account of its lying nearer the shore of Chili than
the next largest, which is distinguished by the name of _Mas-afuera_,
or the farthest, and is 80 miles west from Juan Fernandez, in 80°
46' west longitude, and 33° 45' south latitude. This last is very
high and mountainous, and at a distance appears one hill; its form is
triangular, and seven or eight leagues in circuit; the southern part is
much the highest, and on the north end are some clear spots, but the
rest is covered with wood. Several parts of the coasts of this isle
afford good anchorage, but the bottom is generally deep; and it abounds
in goats, which are easily caught and afford a good supply of fresh
provision. On the south-west point of the island is a pierced rock,
which proves a good mark for the anchorage on the western shore.
Mas-afuera contains plenty of wood and fresh water, falling in cascades
from the high ground of the interior; but these articles cannot be
procured without difficulty, on account of the rocky nature of the
shore causing the surf to beat violently. Several birds, and amongst
these large hawks, are seen on the land, and hovering over the fish
which abound on the shores, and may be easily caught. Sea wolves,
seals, and other aquatic animals, are also very common.
Off the south-western extremity of Juan Fernandez is a small
uninhabited isle, or rather rock, named Isla de Cabras, or Isle of
Goats.
These islands are noted for having been the residence of two persons
whose adventure gave rise to the novel of Robinson Crusoe. The one was
a Mosquito Indian left there by the Buccaneers, and the other Alexander
Selkirk, a Scotchman, also left there by his ship, and who lived four
or five years on Juan Fernandez, subsisting upon the goats he caught,
which were introduced into the islands by Fernandez, the discoverer,
who settled and died in La de Tierra.
In proceeding to the north from these, the next isles of any
consequence off the coasts of Peru, are those named _St. Felix_ and
_St. Ambrose_; but these are mere rocks of some extent and very high,
on which innumerable seals and marine animals are found. They are not
more than five miles in circumference, and are four leagues and a half
distant from each other, between 26° 19' and 26° 13' south latitude,
and between 79° 41' and 79° 26' west longitude.
On the coast of Peru, opposite the town of Pisco are the _Isles
of Lobos_, or the Sea Wolves, where numbers of seals and other
aquatic animals may be caught; they are also, however, mere rocks;
north-north-west of these rocks is the small isle of _Sangallan_ in 13°
45' south latitude, famous for seals and sea wolves, and north of this
are the isles _Chinca_, _Pachacamac_, and _St. Lorenzo_, all small, but
the latter of which is famous as forming the road of Callao, being the
place where the Dutch fortified themselves in 1624, when they made an
attempt against Lima.
North of these are the _Farellones de Huara_, which are dangerous
rocks, and the isles _de Saint Martin_, _de Santa_, and _de Chao_, also
very small, and close to the coast of Peru.
The next are the _Lobos de Mar_, formerly the resort of the Buccaneers,
and the _Lobos de Tierra_, the first sixteen leagues from the shore,
and the latter close to it; they are twelve miles from each other, in
6° 25' and 6° 45' south latitude, but are unimportant.
North of these, in the gulf of Guayaquil, is the large island of _Puna_
already mentioned.
The next on the coast of New Granada is _Salengo_, a small isle near
Cape Santa Elena, and still further is _La Plata_, the place where
Sir Francis Drake divided his plunder, and is a very small isle
close to the coast, in 1° 10' north latitude, which is followed at
a considerable distance on the shore of Atacames, by the _Isla del
Gallo_, a small uninhabited spot, furnishing good wood and water, in 2°
28' south latitude, and 76° 47' west longitude.
The next is _Gorgona_, in 3° 36' south latitude, and 77° 52' west
longitude, 10 miles in circumference, and eighteen from the coast;
opposite to these, but at a great distance from the land, are the
_Gallapagos or Tortoise Islands_, but as they are uninhabited, and more
than 110 leagues from the land, a description will take us beyond the
limits we have prescribed to the work.
From Plata there are no isles of any consequence on the coast, till
those which lie in the bay of Panama, occur, but they have already been
mentioned in the description of the isthmus.
Crossing to the western side, and beginning at the northern boundary of
Panama, we find several groups of rocky islets on the shores of that
province, but none of them are of sufficient size or importance to
merit a detail of their figure or qualities; passing therefore along
the northern shore, the island of _Baru_, or _Varu_, presents itself
near the southern part of that which Carthagena is built. It is large,
fertile, and inhabited; its length is about sixteen miles, and breadth
three, in 10° 12' north latitude, and 75° 25' west longitude.
Off the coast of Caraccas are several large islands, of which _Aves_,
_Rocca_, _Orchilla_, _Blanca_, Tortuga-Salada, _Margarita_, _Cubagua_,
_Cocke_, _Los Testigos_, and some others belong to the Spaniards, and
are included within the limits of the captain-generalship of Caraccas.
_Aves_ and _Rocca_, are barren and uninhabited rocks; _Orchilla_ or
_Horchilla_, is a small cluster, in 12° north latitude, and 65° 20'
west longitude, the largest isle being in the form of a crescent, and
is low, excepting on the east and west capes, which are very hilly;
on this part the trees and verdure abound, whilst the other sides are
barren and salt. The only animals on it are goats and lizards, and it
contains but little fresh water; _Blanca_, or _Blanquilla_, in 11° 56'
north latitude, and 64° 40' west longitude, is also desert, but higher
and more rocky than the former.
_Tortuga-Salada_ is in 10° 53' north latitude, and 65° 18' west
longitude, ninety-five miles east-north-east of La Guayra on the main
land, and forty-eight west of Margarita, being about thirty miles in
circumference, and abounding in salt ponds. The southern part contains
some fresh-water springs, and is well covered with trees, but the rest
is barren, naked and full of salt-pools, for which reason it was much
frequented by vessels of all nations, in order to take in cargoes of
that substance, but the Spaniards have lately laid these pools under
water; this island is, however, still used by foreign vessels in time
of peace, and on it are some goats which have multiplied very much.
_Margarita_ has been already noticed; its western side is a noted
sea-mark, on account of a cape in 64° 26' west longitude, named Cape
Macanao, the mountains of which are 3500 or 4000 feet in height above
the sea.
_Cubagua_, _Coche_, _Los Testigos_ and _Los Frayles_, are small
uninhabited islands in the neighbourhood of Margarita, but were
formerly noted for their pearl fishery, and they were first discovered
by Columbus. On Cubagua a town was founded soon after by Ojeda, who
named it New Cadiz; but no vestiges of it now remain. At that time the
coast from Paria to Cape Vela, was named Costa de las Perlas, the Coast
of Pearls, the first Spaniards who landed on this shore, finding the
natives every where decorated with those valuable jewels. So actively
was the trade carried on in these islands, that at the conquest,
_Coche_ alone furnished to the value of 1500 marks a month; and the
King's annual fifth amounted to 15,000 ducats; til 1530, the pearl
fishery averaged yearly 173,000_l._, while the American mines furnished
only during the same period, 434,000_l._ sterling. But this fishery
diminished rapidly afterwards, and was entirely at an end before 1683.
The destruction of the oysters contributed to this decay, as well as
the cutting and setting diamonds which had become common in the 16th
century. At present the Indians are the only persons concerned in
this traffic, and they sometimes procure a few pearls, but they are
generally of the seed kind, and they sell them at Cumana for five
shillings a dozen.
The island of _Cubagua_ is full of small deer, which are of a brownish
red on the back, white under the belly, and beautifully spotted, some
of them are quite white; the Guayqueria Indians frequently land on the
island to kill them for the sake of the venison and skins.
Nearer the coasts of Caraccas, and between La Guayra and Cumana, in
the bays of Mochima and Santa Fé, are some extraordinary islets named
_Caraccas_ and _Chimanas_ the former being three, and the latter eight
in number, but they are nearly barren rocks, some of which, as _Picua_,
_Picuita_, _Caraccas_, and _Boracha_ which is the largest, rise to
the height of 930 feet above the surrounding ocean. On one of them
are large wild goats, which were originally left there by a family
who settled on it from the continent; but the father outliving his
children, and becoming rich enough to purchase slaves, he brought two
blacks from Cumana, who murdered him, and living on the produce of the
farm, were undiscovered in so lonely a spot, for a length of time; but
by some accident the affair becoming known, they were taken to Cumana,
where one was beheaded, and the other turned public executioner in
order to save his life.
Between Cape Unare and Barcelona are the two _Piritoo_ islands, which
are low and covered with herbage, but are uninhabited and of small size.
In the channel between the British island of Trinidad and Cape Paria
are several small and desert isles which are of little importance;
and descending further to the south, the islands of the mouths of the
Orinoco present themselves, inhabited by a fierce and warlike tribe of
Indians, named the Guarounoes.
No island of any importance occurs on the Spanish coast of South
America, till we reach the mouth of the La Plata, where the island of
_Lobos_, Wolves, in south latitude 35° and fifteen miles south-west
of Cape Santa Maria, is found; it is small and chiefly noted for the
quantity of sea-wolves, seals and other marine animals which are taken
on it.
The _Falkland_ or _Malouin Islands_, on the east of the Straits of
Magellan, are at present possessed by the Spaniards, as they have a
fort and barracks on the eastern one, which they have named _Soledad_;
here all the male criminals from Peru and Buenos Ayres are sent for
life; vessels sail with these convicts, and with provisions at stated
seasons, but as no woman ever accompanies them, Soledad cannot be named
a Spanish colony; and it is even doubtful, whether in the present
state of the government of Buenos Ayres, they continue to send their
delinquents to this banishment.