TE PITO TE HEXUA OR EASTER ISLAND. 711 



ail unfinished condition ; tliat many more are to be found in the quarries, 

 both inside the crater and on its outer slope, in all stages of develop- 

 ment: and inferring; from this that the workmen suddenly ceased their 

 labors, the thouj>ht readily suggests itself, in explanation of the mys- 

 tery, that either Kana Ivoraka or one of the neighboring volcanoes 

 suddenly entered into a state of activity, threw out these showers of 

 stones and, jji-obably destroying many lives, stopped the labors of the 

 workmen, which were thenceforth never resumed. Perhaps, too, the 

 same calamity overthrew many of the idols, of which not one is now 

 standing on its pedestal, laid waste the island, and wrought the 

 destruction of the trees which once adorned it, and from the period of 

 the occurrence of that disaster, the time of which can only be remotely 

 guessed at, dates the decadence of the ancient people of Te Pito te 

 henua. 



The soil of the island is very rich and productive, scant and unprom- 

 ising as it may appear in many places, and with proper clearing and 

 cultivation, and the planting of the appropriate varieties of food, such 

 as could be stored for consumption during the dry season, supple- 

 mented by the sustenance to be derived from the supplies of fish taken, 

 with which the waters abound, a very large population might, no 

 doubt, be maintained. 



As to the supply of water requisite for such a number of i^eoplej 

 objection on that ground is not insuperable. Diligent search was made 

 by the writer for the remains of cisterns, or any other evidences which 

 they might have left of having had reservoirs for the storage of the 

 Iirecious fluid. ^NTone such were to be seen anywhere, and yet they 

 might have possessed them, but of so perishable a character that all 

 traces have long since been obliterated. It seems certain that they 

 had no knowledge of any cement; it is not likely, therefore, that their 

 reservoirs would have been built of stone. Then, too, there remains 

 the fact of the immense bodies of water stored mi these natural cisterns, 

 the craters, particularly of Rana Kao. Here is a volume of water, at 

 the present time at least 300 feet in depth, with a circumference at the 

 surface of 2^ miles, and, if the parts of the crater visible above the 

 water line be extended downward, probably conical in shape. A 

 moment's consideration will show that here is a supply of water suffi- 

 cient for an almost unlimited number of beings for an indefinite period. 

 It may easily be imagined, also, that measures were most likely taken 

 to maintain its purity, and that a people as intelligent as they appear 

 to have been had some device for obviating the labor of transportation 

 to the top of the crater. 



From what has been said it would appear that, even at the present 

 day, the physical characteristics and natural conditions governing the 

 island are not incompatible with the existence and well-being of a 

 large population. I was not surprised, therefore, when Mr. Salmon 

 informed me that from 1850 to 1800 the number of inhabitants was 



