TO KAMTSCHATKA. 141 



judge by the vivacity of these people, they seem 

 perfectly contented with their situation ; they are 

 probably not in want of provisions, as they brought 

 us a considerable abundance of banana-fruit, yams, 

 sugar-cane, and potatoes ; and do not neglect 

 cultivation, as we saw the hills near the bay en- 

 tirely covered with fields, which, by their various 

 green, afford a very agreeable prospect. The 

 seeds which La Peyrouse gave the islanders have 

 probably not succeeded, as they did not bring us 

 any of their fruits ; we also looked in vain for the 

 sheep and hogs which he left there : a fowl was 

 offered us for a large knife, but was taken away 

 again when we refused the bargain ; a proof how 

 much they value these animals, and how few they 

 have of them. Their habitations are exactly the 

 same as described by La Peyrouse, and the long 

 house, as marked in his map, still stands, as well as 

 the stone-hut on the shore. In general, I believe, 

 that since the time he was there, with the ex- 

 ception of the disappearance of the remarkable 

 statues, no change has taken place ; and of these 

 we saw two, after we had doubled the south-point, 

 but they were of little consequence. At our depar- 

 ture from Easter Island, the inhabitants again 

 pelted us with stones, which they threw after us 

 with the loudest cries, and I was very glad to 

 find ourselves, at seven o'clock, with no bones 

 broken, on board the Rurick, and under full sail. 

 A piece of intelligence, which explains the hos- 



