38 VOYAGE TO THE 



chap. J s h a n h er e only remark, that Captain Kotzebue's 

 * — ^w latitude is nine miles in error, which perhaps may 

 1825 be a typographical mistake. 



From hence we bore away to the westward, with 

 the intention of passing near the situation of an 

 island named Washington and Coffin, reported to 

 have been discovered by an American ship. At 

 sunset we were within four leagues of the spot, 

 with a perfectly clear sky and horizon, but could 

 see nothing of it ; nor had we any indication of 

 land in the immediate vicinity, but rather the con- 

 trary, as the birds which had followed us from Sala- 

 y-Gomez had quitted the ship some time before. As 

 the night was fine, and the moon gave sufficient 

 light to discover in time any danger that might lie 

 in the route of the ship, the course was continued 

 toward Easter Island, and daylight appeared with- 

 out any thing being seen. Had such an island been 

 in existence, and answered the description of that 

 upon which Davis was so near losing his vessel, 

 geographers would not have been long in reconcil- 

 ing their opinions on the subject of his discovery ; 

 as, in all probability, they would have waived their 

 objection to its distance from Copiapo, in considera- 

 tion of its identity. 



The subject of this supposed discovery has been 

 often discussed ; and where the data are so unsatis- 

 factory as to allow one party to choose the Islands 

 of Felix and Ambrose for the land in question, and 

 the other, Easter Island, two places nearly 1600 

 miles apart, they are not likely to be speedily recon- 

 ciled, unless two islands exactly answering the de- 

 scription given by Davis, and situated in the proper 

 latitude, shall be found. Such persons as are curi- 



