"Brought abundance of things to sell" — illustration for Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" (1891)

"Brought abundance of things to sell." (See p. 371), unsigned. Rowed ashore in China, Crusoe encounters peasants selling provisions on the wharf. One-half of page 372, centre, vignetted: 9 cm high by 12 cm wide. Running head: "Anxious Meditations" (page 373).

Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Passage Illustrated: Crusoe at the docks in a Chinese port

. . . but this I remember, that the Chinese or Japanese merchants we ' corresponded with called it by a different name from that which our Portuguese pilot gave it, and pronounced it as above, Quinchang.

As we were unanimous in our resolution to go to this place, we weighed the next day, having only gone twice on shore where we were, to get fresh water; on both which occasions the people of the country were very civil, and brought abundance of provisions to sell to us; but nothing without money.

We did not come to the other port (the wind being contrary) for five days; but it was very much to our satisfaction, and I was thankful when I set my foot on shore, resolving, and my partner too, that if it was possible to dispose of ourselves and effects any other way, though not profitably, we would never more set foot on board that unhappy vessel. Indeed, I must acknowledge, that of all the circumstances of life that ever I had any experience of, nothing makes mankind so completely miserable as that of being in constant fear. Well does the Scripture say, “The fear of man brings a snare”; it is a life of death, and the mind is so entirely oppressed by it, that it is capable of no relief. [Chapter XIII, "Arrival in China," pp. 370-71]

Commentary

Crusoe has himself rowed into the port of Quinchang by two of the sailors from his ship, seen in the background. His object is to arrange for fresh water, and to re-provision the vessel since, haunted by the charge of piracy, he has been reluctant to pull into port before this point. Having fled from the maritime authorities in Cambodia, he remains apprehensive that meeting either a Dutch or English captain may result in his being arrested without sufficient evidence to exonerate himself as a result of inadvertently having purchased a stolen ship in India.

For Crusoe's purposes, then, this small Chinese port, really little better than a fishing village as the illustration suggests, is ideal. He can barter for food, purchase water, and stretch his legs on shore without fear of encountering either Chinese or western officials.

Relevant Illustration by the Cassell illustrators (1864)

Above: The Cassell illustrators in this sequence of illustrations for China emphasize buildings and landscape rather than people: Crusoe entering a Chinese Port (1864). [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Related Material

References

Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner. Related by himself. With upwards of One Hundred Illustrations. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1863-64.

Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Exciting Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner, as Related by Himself. With 120 original illustrations by Walter Paget. London, Paris,and Melbourne: Cassell, 1891.

Last modified 19 April 2018