"Upon this he pulls out an old pouch" — illustration for Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" (1891)

Upon this he pulls out an old pouch (See p. 201), unsigned. The centrally positioned illustration foregrounds the commercial and monetary activities of Crusoe once he returns to Europe. The retired sea-captain (right) across the table from Crusoe rescued him after his African adventure three decades earlier, but is still alive and living in Lisbon. One-half of page 201, vignetted: 9 cm high by 12.5 cm wide. Running head: "The Old Captain's Accounts" (page 201).

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.]

The Passage Illustrated: Crusoe visits an old friend in Lisbon

After a few days’ further conference with this ancient friend, he brought me an account of the first six years’ income of my plantation, signed by my partner and the merchant-trustees, being always delivered in goods, viz. tobacco in roll, and sugar in chests, besides rum, molasses, &c., which is the consequence of a sugar-work; and I found by this account, that every year the income considerably increased; but, as above, the disbursements being large, the sum at first was small: however, the old man let me see that he was debtor to me four hundred and seventy moidores of gold, besides sixty chests of sugar and fifteen double rolls of tobacco, which were lost in his ship; he having been shipwrecked coming home to Lisbon, about eleven years after my having the place. The good man then began to complain of his misfortunes, and how he had been obliged to make use of my money to recover his losses, and buy him a share in a new ship. “However, my old friend,” says he, “you shall not want a supply in your necessity; and as soon as my son returns you shall be fully satisfied.” Upon this he pulls out an old pouch, and gives me one hundred and sixty Portugal moidores in gold; and giving the writings of his title to the ship, which his son was gone to the Brazils in, of which he was quarter-part owner, and his son another, he puts them both into my hands for security of the rest. [Chapter XIX, "Return to England," pp. 200-201]

Commentary: Paget brings the aged mariner to life

Nothing convinces the reader of the truth of an account like specifics: dates, times, and places. These Crusoe now supplies in abundance once he leaves his island. Arriving back in England on 11 June 1687, he discovers that his parents are both long dead, but feels no connection with his siblings' children. The following April he sets out for Lisbon to learn the fate of his Brazilian plantations. He has the good fortune to receive an accounting from the aged sea-captain who rescued him after his African adventure. As it turns out, the old man has acted as Crusoe's agent for the plantations, receiving from the partner and trustees "the first six or eight years' profits" (200), some of which he has had to lay out on a new venture after being shipwrecked. In the illustration, the old sailor is laying down one hundred and sixty Portuguese moidores in gold, to which he promises to add when his son returns from Brazil. Paget's Crusoe, however, does not regard the money, but the old man counting them out. Thoughtfully he may be considering the ravages of time upon his old friend, or even his being so fortunate as to have a son to carry on the family business.

Related Material

Reference

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 6 May 2018