The Selvagens, Forgotten Atlantic IslandsBetween the Canary and Madeira Islands, we find the tiny, barren and uninhabited Selvagens. Far from the tourist crowds, these volcanic outcrops house fantastic seabird colonies and unique species of flora and fauna. The Selvagens were colonized by Portugal in 1438. Being virtually destitute of water, they have only had temporary inhabitants like fishermen, bird hunters and scientists. Many stories have been told about buried pirate treasures; we do not know whether those treasures ever existed but this book reveals some spectacular stories of genuine treasure hunts. Born in 1963, the author is a non-fiction author about islands and maritime history. His website is www.aworldofislands.com. |
Common terms and phrases
Admiralty Archives in Kew Atlantic autobiography Sea Drift British Consul British treasure hunters buried Canary and Madeira Canary Islands captain Cory’s Shearwaters Creuse crew endemic Enseada das Pedreiras Epinephelus marginatus expedition fish fishermen Flora and fauna Francis Zino Funchal Funchal in Madeira German treasure hunter goats Graciosa hectares Henry Veitch Hercules Robinson HMS Prometheus hotspot hunter Reinhold Ostler John Wesley Kidd’s kilometers Lanzarote letter logs of HMS Macaronesian Madeira and Selvagens Madeira Islands Madeira Wind Birds Mellersh meters National Archives Navy officer Hercules officer Hercules Robinson ofSelvagem owner Pequena and Ilhéu Portuguese primary documents rabbits Regrettably Robert O’Hara Robinson’s autobiography Sea Robinson’s treasure hunt rock Roger E Royal Navy Royal Navy officer Salvage Islands seabirds Selvagem Grande Selvagem Pequena Selvagens ship ship’s Spanish species story Tenerife treasure hunt treasure hunter Reinhold Ulbrich sourced ursellam Veitch wrote White-faced Storm-petrel Wikipedia Commons Yellow-legged Gull