(Alexander), whose adventures gave rise to a well known historical romance, was born at Larro, in the county of Fife, about the year 1676, and was bred a teaman. He went from England, in 1703, in the capacity of sailing-master of a small vessel called the Cinque-Ports Galley, Charles Pickering captain, burthen about 90 tons, with 16 guns and 63 men; and in September the same year sailed from Cork, in company with another ship of 26 guns and 120 men, called the St George, commanded by that famous navigator William Dampier, intending to cruise on the Spaniards in the South Sea. On the coast of Brazil, Pickering died, and was succeeded in his command by his lieutenant Thomas Stradling. They proceeded on their voyage round Cape Horn to the island of Juan Fernandes, whence they were driven by the appearance of two French ships of 36 guns each, and left five of Stradling's men there on shore, who were taken off by the French. Hence they sailed to the coast of America, where Dampier and Stradling quarrelled, and separated by agreement, on the 10th of May 1704. In September following, Stradling came again to the island of Juan Fernandes, where Selkirk and his captain had a difference, which, with the circumstance of the ship's being very leaky, and in bad condition, induced him to determine on staying there alone; but when his companions were about to depart, his resolution was shaken, and he desired to be taken on board again. The captain, however, refused to admit him, and he was obliged to remain, having nothing but his clothes, bedding, a gun, and a small quantity of powder and ball; a hatchet, knife, and kettle; his books, and mathematical and nautical instruments. He kept up his spirits tolerably till he saw the vessel put off, when (as he afterwards related) his heart yearned within him, and melted at parting with his comrades and all human society at once.

"Yet believe me, Arcas, Such is the rooted love we bear mankind, All ruffians as they were, I never heard A found so dismal as their parting oars."

Thus left sole monarch of the island, with plenty of the necessaries of life, he found himself in a situation hardly supportable. He had fish, goat's flesh, turnips and other vegetables; yet he grew dejected, languid, and melancholy, to such a degree as to be scarce able to refrain from doing violence to himself. Eighteen months passed before he could, by reasoning, reading his bible, and study, be thoroughly reconciled to his condition. At length he grew happy, employing himself in decorating his huts, chaining the goats, whom he equalled in speed, and scarcely ever failed of catching. He also tamed young kids, lambs them to prevent their becoming wild; and he kept a guard of tame cats about him, to defend him when asleep from the rats, who were very troublesome. When his clothes were worn out, he made others of goats' skins, but could not succeed in making shoes, with the use of which, however, habit, in time, enabled him to dispense. His only liquor was water. He computed that he had caught 1000 goats during his abode in the island; of which he had let go 500, after marking them by slitting their ears. Commodore Anson's people, who were there about 30 years after, found the first goat which they shot upon landing was thus marked, and as it appeared to be very old, concluded that it had been under the power of Selkirk. But it appears by captain Carteret's account of his voyage in the Swallow sloop, that other persons practised this mode of marking, as he found a goat with his ears thus slit on the neighbouring island of Mas-a-fuerz, where Selkirk never was. He made companions of his tame goats and cats, often dancing and fingering with them. Though he constantly performed his devotions at stated hours, and read aloud; yet, when he was taken off the island, his language, from disuse of conversation, was become scarcely intelligible. In this solitude he continued four years and four months; during which time only two incidents happened which he thought worth relating, the occurrences of every day being in his circumstances nearly similar. The one was, that, pursuing a goat eagerly, he caught it just on the edge of a precipice, which was covered with bushes, so that he did not perceive it, and he fell over to the bottom, where he lay (according to captain Roger's account) 24 hours senselessly; but, as he related to Sir R. Steele, he computed, by the alteration of the moon, that he had lain three days. When he came to himself, he found the goat lying under him dead. It was with great difficulty that he could crawl to his habitation, whence he was unable to stir for ten days, and did not recover of his bruises for a long time. The other event was the arrival of a ship, which he at first supposed to be French; and such is the natural love of society in the human mind, that he was eager to abandon his solitary felicity, and surrender himself to them, although enemies; but upon their landing, approaching them, he found them to be Spaniards, of whom he had too great a dread to trust himself in their hands. They were by this time so near that it required all his agility to escape, which he effected by climbing into a thick tree, being shot at several times as he ran off. Fortunately the Spaniards did not discover him, though they stayed some time under the tree where he was hid, and killed some goats just by. In this solitude Selkirk remained until the 2d of February 1709, when he saw two ships come into the bay, and knew them to be English. He immediately lighted a fire as a signal; and on their coming on shore, found they were the Duke captain Rogers, and the Duchess captain Courtney, two privateers from Bristol. He gave them the best entertainment he could afford; and, as they had been a long time at sea without fresh provisions, the goats which he caught were highly acceptable. His habitation consisting of two huts, one to sleep in, the other to dress his food in, was so obscurely situated, and so difficult of access, that only one of the ship's officers would accompany him to it. Dampier, who was pilot on board the Duke, and knew Selkirk very well, told captain Rogers, that, when on board the Cinque-Ports, he was the best seaman on board that vessel; upon which captain Rogers appointed him master's mate of the Duke. After a fortnight's stay at Juan Fernandez, the ships proceeded on their cruise against the Spaniards; plundered a town on the coast of Peru; took a Manilla ship off California; and returned by way of the East Indies to England, where they arrived the 1st of October 1711; Selkirk having been absent eight years, more than half of which time he had spent alone in the island. The public curiosity being excited respecting him, he was induced to put his papers into the hands of Defoe, to arrange and form them into a regular narrative. These papers must have been drawn up after he left Juan Fernandez, as he had no means of recording his transactions there. Captain Cooke remarks, as an extraordinary circumstance, that he had contrived to keep an account of the days of the week and month: but this might be done, as Defoe makes Robinson Crusoe do, by cutting notches in a post, or many other methods. From this account of Selkirk, Defoe took the idea of writing a more extensive work, the romance of Robinson Crusoe, and very dishonestly defrauded the original proprietor of his share of the profits. Of the time or place or manner of this extraordinary man's death we have received no account; but in 1792 the chief and musket which Selkirk had with him on the island were in the possession of his grandnephew, John Selkirk weaver in Largo, where doubts they are at present.