Identifier: threevoyagesofna00nico (find matches)
Title: Three voyages of a naturalist : being an account of many little-known islands in three oceans visited by the "Valhalla" R.Y.S.
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Nicoll, M. J. (Michael John), 1880-1925 Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
Subjects: Valhalla (Yacht) Scientific expeditions Voyages and travels Voyages around the world Birds West Indies -- Discovery and exploration
Publisher: London : Witherby & Co.
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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, and proceededwestwards, bound for the South Sea Islands. CHAPTER XX. EASTER ISLAND. Fourteen days after leaving Valparaiso, EasterIsland, the Mystery of the Pacific, wassighted. Easter Island is 2300 miles west of Chile, and,though it is comparatively well-known by reputeon account of the huge images, hewn out of lava,that are to be found in many parts of the island,especially near the sea shore, it has been veryseldom visited. When first discovered by Roggewein, a Dutchcaptain, on Easter day, 1721, it was uninhabited,but the island is now used as a sheep and cattlerun, and belongs to a Chilian company. Duringhis second voyage Cook estimated the number ofinhabitants as 700, but this was evidently anunder-estimate, as in 1860 they numbered 3000.Three years later the depredations of slavers hadreduced the population to one-half, and later anepidemic of measles wrought further havoc, so thatby 1868 only some 900 inhabitants remained. In1872 there were only 295, and ten years later only
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HUMAN SKULLS FROM EASTER ISLAND. (192J LAVA STATUES 193 150, while at the time of our visit the populationwas not more than 100. When we arrived the weather was rough, andwe were unable to lower a boat, and but for thefact that Lord Crawford had taken the mailsfrom Valparaiso for the inhabitants, we shouldno doubt have sailed away without landing.Fortunately, however, the people on shore sawthe yacht, and sent a surf-boat out to us, and bythis means we were able to go ashore. We were only there a very short time, and inconsequence were unable to see many of theinteresting caves and carvings which abound onthe island; and this was especially unfortunate,as practically nothing is known of the formerinhabitants, while the fauna and flora, such asthey are, have never been collected. There are now, I believe, two Easter Islandimages in the British Museum. The images,we judged, are on an average at least twentyfeet in height, while some of them are probablyconsiderably more. They have been

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