"Began to examine the particulars." — illustration for Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" (1891)

Began to examine the particulars (p. 138) depicts Crusoe and his faithful companion a final time, rummaging through one of the sea-chests that he has just recovered from the Spanish wreck. His boat (lower left) is almost overwhelmed by a huge cask he has salvaged. Momentarily, Crusoe has laid aside a pistol from the chest as the dog curiously looks into the chest. Middle of page 140, vignetted: 8.1 cm high by 12.3 cm wide, unsigned. Running head: "Salvage from the Wreck" (p. 133).

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: A Final View of Crusoe and His Dog

I found, besides these chests, a little cask full of liquor, of about twenty gallons, which I got into my boat with much difficulty. There were several muskets in the cabin, and a great powder-horn, with about four pounds of powder in it; as for the muskets, I had no occasion for them, so I left them, but took the powder-horn. I took a fire-shovel and tongs, which I wanted extremely, as also two little brass kettles, a copper pot to make chocolate, and a gridiron; and with this cargo, and the dog, I came away, the tide beginning to make home again—and the same evening, about an hour within night, I reached the island again, weary and fatigued to the last degree. I reposed that night in the boat and in the morning I resolved to harbour what I had got in my new cave, and not carry it home to my castle. After refreshing myself, I got all my cargo on shore, and began to examine the particulars. The cask of liquor I found to be a kind of rum, but not such as we had at the Brazils; and, in a word, not at all good; but when I came to open the chests, I found several things of great use to me—for example, I found in one a fine case of bottles, of an extraordinary kind, and filled with cordial waters, fine and very good; the bottles held about three pints each, and were tipped with silver. I found two pots of very good succades, or sweetmeats, so fastened also on the top that the salt-water had not hurt them; and two more of the same, which the water had spoiled. I found some very good shirts, which were very welcome to me; and about a dozen and a half of white linen handkerchiefs and coloured neckcloths; the former were also very welcome, being exceedingly refreshing to wipe my face in a hot day. Besides this, when I came to the till in the chest, I found there three great bags of pieces of eight, which held about eleven hundred pieces in all; and in one of them, wrapped up in a paper, six doubloons of gold, and some small bars or wedges of gold; I suppose they might all weigh near a pound. In the other chest were some clothes, but of little value; but, by the circumstances, it must have belonged to the gunner’s mate; though there was no powder in it, except two pounds of fine glazed powder, in three flasks, kept, I suppose, for charging their fowling-pieces on occasion. Upon the whole, I got very little by this voyage that was of any use to me; for, as to the money, I had no manner of occasion for it; it was to me as the dirt under my feet, and I would have given it all for three or four pair of English shoes and stockings, which were things I greatly wanted, but had had none on my feet for many years. I had, indeed, got two pair of shoes now, which I took off the feet of two drowned men whom I saw in the wreck, and I found two pair more in one of the chests, which were very welcome to me; but they were not like our English shoes, either for ease or service, being rather what we call pumps than shoes. I found in this seaman’s chest about fifty pieces of eight, in rials, but no gold: I supposed this belonged to a poorer man than the other, which seemed to belong to some officer. Well, however, I lugged this money home to my cave, and laid it up, as I had done that before which I had brought from our own ship; but it was a great pity, as I said, that the other part of this ship had not come to my share: for I am satisfied I might have loaded my canoe several times over with money; and, thought I, if I ever escape to England, it might lie here safe enough till I come again and fetchedit. [Chapter XIII, "The Wreck of a Spanish Ship," pp. 137-138]

Commentary: The Last Appearance of Crusoe's Dog

Crusoe has already discovered the remains of the cannibals' beach-fire and grisly feasting several pages earlier, and is now making defensive arrangements by carrying two pistols, a broad-sword in his belt, and his musket. Throughout this sequence, Crusoe's dog accompanies him — and then disappears from the narrative-pictorial sequence after Crusoe checks the contents of the chests he has salvaged from the Spanish wreck:"I was now in the twenty-third year of my residence. . . . My dog was a pleasant and loving companion to me for no less than sixteen years of my time, and then died of mere old age"(Chapter XIII, "The Wreck of a Spanish Ship," page 129).The running head, "A State of Siege" (129) reveals Crusoe's disturbed mental state after his discovery of the footprint on the beach and the cannibals' fire. Until the arrival of Friday, Crusoe's sole companion will be Poll the parrot.

With other programs of illustration before him, Paget followed his inclination to focus on the protagonist's salvaging goods from the wreck rather than show the wreck itself — and indeed the wreck is nowhere in sight. The parallel scenes in the earlier Cassell edition show both the beached Spanish galleon and Crusoe in his boat, asleep after his salvage expedition and the boat fully loaded.

Related Material

Parallel Illustrations from the 1863-64 Edition

Left: Crusoe visits the Spanish Ship . Right: Crusoe sleeping in his Boat. [Click on images to enlarge them.]

References

Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe Of York, Mariner. As Related by Himself. With upwards of One Hundred and Twenty Original Illustrations by Walter Paget. London, Paris, and Melbourne: Cassell, 1891.

Last modified 2 May 2018