﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  321 
  

  

  You 
  ask, 
  also, 
  for 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  scenery 
  of 
  Easter 
  Island. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

   means 
  by 
  which 
  I 
  could 
  obtain 
  a 
  photographic 
  view 
  of 
  that 
  kind. 
  But 
  after 
  

   somewhat 
  lengthy 
  conversations 
  with 
  the 
  natives, 
  Mr. 
  De 
  Greno, 
  and 
  others 
  on 
  

   that 
  subject, 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  can 
  give 
  you 
  a 
  pen-picture 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  scenery. 
  Fancy 
  

   an 
  island 
  which 
  raises 
  smoothly 
  from 
  the 
  principal 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  to 
  

   hills 
  of 
  moderate 
  height, 
  divested 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  rocks 
  and 
  roughnesses. 
  

   In 
  three 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  are 
  extinct 
  volcanoes, 
  as 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  chart. 
  

   Their 
  craters, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  rounded 
  down 
  by 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  elements," 
  

   and 
  the 
  whole 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  indicates 
  great 
  age, 
  much 
  older 
  than 
  Ta- 
  

   hiti 
  and 
  its 
  surrounding 
  islands. 
  There 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  tree 
  or 
  bush 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   island, 
  except 
  some 
  few 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  planted 
  near 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Dutron- 
  

   Bornier, 
  a 
  French 
  sea-captain 
  now 
  residing 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  who 
  is 
  connected 
  

   with 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Brander, 
  of 
  this 
  place, 
  in 
  sheep 
  and 
  cattle-raising 
  there. 
  

  

  In 
  reference 
  to 
  your 
  question, 
  " 
  How 
  do 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  Easter 
  Island 
  obtain 
  

   fire 
  ? 
  " 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  answer 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  tell. 
  Their 
  forefathers, 
  like 
  the 
  an- 
  

   cient 
  Romans, 
  had 
  their 
  " 
  vestal 
  " 
  fires, 
  preserved 
  from 
  ancient 
  times 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   " 
  Vestal 
  Virgins 
  " 
  of 
  Easter 
  Island 
  were 
  gray-headed 
  and 
  gray-bearded 
  old 
  

   heathen 
  priests. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  duty, 
  sacredly 
  attended 
  to, 
  to 
  guard 
  the 
  

   eternal 
  fire, 
  which 
  was 
  neutral, 
  together 
  with 
  its 
  guardians, 
  in 
  all 
  wars. 
  From 
  

   this 
  sacred 
  fire 
  the 
  whole 
  community 
  — 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  a 
  large 
  one 
  — 
  could 
  obtain 
  that 
  

   useful 
  " 
  element 
  " 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  as 
  they 
  needed 
  it, 
  for 
  culinary 
  and 
  other 
  

   purposes. 
  This 
  custom 
  is 
  still 
  kept 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  community, 
  while 
  

   another 
  portion 
  rely 
  on 
  the 
  matches 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Dutron-Bornier 
  for 
  their 
  supply. 
  

   Another 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  have 
  learned 
  from 
  Gambler 
  Islanders 
  (who 
  

   were 
  sent 
  there 
  by 
  the 
  Catholics, 
  to 
  assist 
  the 
  priests) 
  how 
  to 
  make 
  fire 
  : 
  not 
  by 
  

   rubbing 
  two 
  sticks 
  together, 
  as 
  you 
  ask 
  in 
  your 
  letter, 
  but 
  by 
  rubbing 
  the 
  point 
  

   of 
  one 
  stick 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  other, 
  until 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  hot 
  groove 
  and 
  eventually 
  

   fire 
  — 
  a 
  work 
  generally 
  of 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  ten 
  minutes. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  illustrate 
  this, 
  

   I 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  photograph 
  taken 
  for 
  you, 
  showing 
  you 
  the 
  natives 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  act 
  

   of 
  producing 
  fire, 
  and 
  have 
  also 
  sent 
  you 
  the 
  identical 
  sticks 
  used 
  on 
  that 
  occa- 
  

   sion. 
  Tou 
  will 
  notice 
  that 
  the 
  wood 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  soft 
  and 
  spongy 
  nature. 
  It 
  grows 
  

   abundantly 
  on 
  these 
  islands, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  variety 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Hibiscus 
  tiliacus, 
  

   and 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  " 
  Purau 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  Fau," 
  pronounced 
  " 
  Purow 
  " 
  and 
  

   " 
  Fow," 
  " 
  ow 
  " 
  being 
  sounded 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  word 
  " 
  how." 
  You 
  can, 
  if 
  you 
  wish, 
  

   obtain 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  it, 
  by 
  going 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  vessels 
  carrying 
  oranges 
  

   from 
  these 
  islands 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco 
  ; 
  the 
  orange 
  crates 
  are 
  mostly 
  made 
  of 
  it. 
  

   And 
  you 
  could 
  also 
  get 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Tahitian 
  or 
  other 
  islanders, 
  sailors 
  on 
  board 
  

   of 
  such 
  vessels, 
  to 
  make 
  fire 
  for 
  you 
  by 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  these 
  sticks, 
  and 
  thus 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  or 
  ocularly 
  answer 
  your 
  own 
  question, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  experienced 
  in 
  the 
  art. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  cord 
  of 
  human 
  hair, 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  of 
  very 
  modern 
  origin, 
  and 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  in 
  investigating 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  inscriptions 
  or 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  

   language. 
  I 
  have, 
  therefore, 
  not 
  sent 
  you 
  any 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  

   are 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  making 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  value 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  matters 
  of 
  

   antiquity. 
  

  

  T 
  spoke 
  to 
  the 
  natives 
  about 
  the 
  white 
  men 
  seen 
  by 
  Roggewein. 
  They 
  state 
  

  

  