Crusoe's island . OEUSOE AT HOME. 28 CRUSOES ISLAND. CHAPTER IV. CONDITION OF THE ISLAND IN 1849. We first went up to a bluff, about half a mile from theboat-landing, where we spent an hour in exploring theruins of the fortifications built by the Chilians in Was nothing left but the foundation and a portionof the ramparts of the principal fort, partly imbedded inbanks of clay, and neatly covered with moss and was originally strongly built of large stones, whichwere cast down in every direction by the terrible earth-quake of 1835; and now all that remained perfect wasthe fro
Crusoe's island . OEUSOE AT HOME. 28 CRUSOES ISLAND. CHAPTER IV. CONDITION OF THE ISLAND IN 1849. We first went up to a bluff, about half a mile from theboat-landing, where we spent an hour in exploring theruins of the fortifications built by the Chilians in Was nothing left but the foundation and a portionof the ramparts of the principal fort, partly imbedded inbanks of clay, and neatly covered with moss and was originally strongly built of large stones, whichwere cast down in every direction by the terrible earth-quake of 1835; and now all that remained perfect wasthe front wall of the main rampart and the groundworkof the fort. Not far from these ruins we found the con-vict cells, which we explored to some These cells ai-e dug into the brow of a hill, facing theharbor, and extend underground to the distance of sev-eral hundred feet, in the form of passages and vaults, re-sembling somewhat the Catacombs of Rome. During CRUSOES ISLAND. 29 the penal settlement established here by the Chilian gov-ernment, the convicts, numbering sometimes many hund-reds, were confined in these gloomy dungeons, wherethey were subjected to the most barbarous gates or doors by which the entrances were securedhad all been torn down and destroyed, and the excava-tions were now occupied by wild goats, bats, toads, anddifferent sorts of vermin. Rank fern hung upon thesides; overhead was dripping with a cold and deathlikesweat, and slimy drops coursed down the weeds, and theair was damp and chilly; thick darkness was within inthe depths beyond—darkness that no wandering gleamfrom the light of day ever reached, for heaven neversmiled upon those dreary abodes of sin and sorrow. Afew of Jhe inner dunge
Size: 1635px × 1528px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectminesandmineralresources
