TE PITO TE HENUA, OR EASTER ISLAND. 449 



found a similar error of 300 miles in the course of that passage. It is fair to presume 

 that Davis was Longer in crossing from the Galapagos to Easter Island than either of 

 those vessels or, ;it least, than the Blossom ; and it is consequently but reasonable to 

 allow him a greater error, particularly as the fust pari of his route was through a 

 much stronger current. But taking the error in the Blossom's reckoning as a fair 

 amount, and applying it to the distance given by Wafer, there will remain only 204 

 miles unaccounted for between it and the real position of Easter Island, which, from 

 the foregoing considerations, added to the manner in which reckonings were formerly 

 kept, does not appear to me to exceed the Hunt that might reasonably be ascribed to 

 those causes. 



M. La Perouse was of the opinion that the islands of Felix and Ambrose were those 

 under discussion, ami in order to reconcile their distance from CapiapO with that given 

 by Wafer, has imputed to him a mistake, of a figure in his text, without considering 

 that it would have been next to impossible for Davis to have pursued a direct course 

 from the Galapagos to those islands (especially at the season in which his voyage 

 was made), but on the contrary that he would be compelled to make a circuit which 

 would have brought him much nearer to Easter Island, and that Davis acquainted 

 Dampier with the situation of his discovery, which agreed with that contained iu 

 Wafer's account. 



The alteration of a figure, it must be admitted, is rather arbitrary, as it has noth- 

 ing to support it but the circumstance of the number of islands being the same. A 

 mistake certainly might have occurred, hut in the admission of it either party may 

 claim it as an advantage by interpreting the presumed error iu a way which would 

 support his own opinion. 



Cook and Perouse differ in a very trilling degree from each other, and also from us, 

 in the geographical position of Easter Island. The longitude is, by Cook, 101) degrees 

 40 minutes 20 seconds, and deducting 18 minutes 30 seconds, in consequence of cer- 

 tain corrections made at Fetegu Island, leaves 109 degrees, "27 minutes, 50 seconds 

 west. That by Perouse, allowing the longitude of Coucepcion to be 72 degrees 50 

 minutes 30 seconds west, is 109 degrees 32 minutes 10 seconds west, and our own is 

 109 degrees 24 minutes 54 seconds west. 



Admitting that the land was first sighted by Davis, the fact is be. 

 yond question that the Dutchmen under Koggeveen were the first 

 Europeans to land on the island. From the unfortunate termination of 

 bis cruise, and the suppression of his official journal for so many years, 

 but little has been handed down to us in the way of description of the 

 island as it then appeared. 



The Spaniards sighted the island in 1770, and gave it the name of 

 St. Carlos. Captain Cook called it Easter Island in March, 1774, and 

 sent an expedition on shore, but his log affords little in regard to its 

 general appearance beyond the fact that it was parched and desolate, 

 and of no value as a place of refresh men t. 



M. Bernizet, geographical engineer, who visited the island in April, 

 1786, with the La Perouse expedition, describes its appearance with 

 care, and after the lapse of a century his notes are found to be suffi- 

 ciently accurate for ordinary purposes. 



Amasa Delano, Kotzebue, Lisiausky, and many other voyagers made 

 brief calls at the island, and their journals afford little information. 

 The recent French, Spanish, and English charts are sufficiently accurate 

 in the main features, but some of the coast lines were evidently estab- 

 lished from running surveys, ami are incorrect. During the stay of the 

 U. Mis, 224, pt. ': 29 



