PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 55 



the apparent proprietor of a piece of ground planted 

 with potatoes drove away the mob, who, with very 

 little consideration for the owner, were taking the Nov - 

 crop out of the earth to barter with our party. 



The Island, though situated nearer the Continent 

 of America than any other of the Archipelago to 

 which it belongs, has been less frequently visited ; 

 and unfortunately for its inhabitants, some of those 

 visits have rather tended to retard than to advance 

 its prosperity, or improve its moral condition ; and 

 they afford a striking example of the necessity of an 

 extensive intercourse with mankind, before a limited 

 community can emerge from barbarism to a state of 

 civilization. One consolation for this privation is 

 their exemption from those complaints by which 

 some of the ill-fated natives of these seas have so 

 dreadfully suffered. 



The gigantic busts which excited the surprise of 

 the first visiters to the island, have suffered so much, 

 either from the effects of time, or maltreatment of 

 the natives, that the existence of any of them at pre- 

 sent is questionable. At first they were dispersed 

 generally over the whole island : when Cook visited 

 it there were but two on the western side near the 

 landing-place : Kotzebue found only a square pedes- 

 tal in the same place : and now a few heaps of rub- 

 bish only, occupy a spot where it is doubtful whe- 

 ther one of them was erected or not. When it is 

 considered how great must have been the labour 

 bestowed upon these images before they were hewn 

 from the quarries with the rude stone implements of 

 the Indians, and before such huge masses of rock 

 could be transported to, and erected on, so many 

 parts of the island, it is nearly positive that they 



