ROBBEN

ISLAND  , an island at the entrance of Table Bay, 7 M . N.N.W. of Cape Town . It is some 4 M. long by 2 broad . At its southern end is a lighthouse with a fixed light visible for 20 M . It got its name (robben, Dutch for seal) from the seals which formerly frequented it, now only occasional visitants . The island when discovered was uninhabited . It is first mentioned by an English seaman named Raymond, who states that in 1591 seals and penguins were there in large numbers . In 1614 ten criminals from London were landed on the island to form a settlement and supply fresh provisions to passing ships . The attempt, which ended in failure, is interesting as the first recorded settlement of English in South Africa . In the 18th century the slate quarries of Robben Island were extensively worked by the Dutch of Cape Town . The island is now noted for its leper asylum and its convict establishment . For many years an asylum for lunatics was also maintained, but in 1904 the lunatics were removed to the mainland .

The

common rabbit, brought from England, abounds, but its introduction to the mainland is prohibited . As early as 1657 criminals were banished to the island by the Dutch authorities at Cape Town; it has also served as the place of detention of several noted Kaffir chiefs . See G . F . Gresley, " The Early History of Robben Island," in The Cape Illustrated Magazine (Oct . 1895) .