'288 cook's second voyage march, 



CHAP. VIII. 



A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND, ITS PRODUCE, SITUATION, 



AND INHABITANTS; THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



CONJECTURES CONCERNING THEIR GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, 

 AND OTHER SUBJECTS; WITH A MORE PARTICULAR AC- 

 COUNT OF THE GIGANTIC STATUES. 



1 shall now give some farther account of this 

 island, which is undoubtedly the same that Admiral 

 Roggewin touched at in April 1722, although the 

 description given of it by the authors of that voyage 

 does by no means agree with it now. It may also 

 be the same that was seen by Captain Davis in 1686; 

 for when seen from the east, it answers very well to 

 Wafer's description, as I have before observed. In 

 short, if this is not the land, his discovery cannot lie 

 far from the coast of America, as this latitude has 

 been well explored from the meridian of 80 to 110. 

 Captain Carteret carried it much farther, but his 

 track seems to have been a little too far south. Had 

 1 found fresh water, I intended spending some days 

 looking for the low sandy isle Davis fell in with, 

 which would have determined the point ; but as I 

 did not find water, and had a long run to make be- 

 fore I was assured of getting any, and being in want 

 of refreshments, I declined the search, as a small 

 delay might have been attended with bad conse- 

 quences to the crew, many of them beginning to be 

 more or less affected with the scurvy. 



No nation need contend for the honour of the dis- 

 covery of this island, as there can be few places 

 which afford less convenience for shipping than it 

 does. Here is no safe anchorage, no wood for fuel, 

 nor any fresh water worth taking on board. Nature 



