364 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



In 1685 Davis had seen it in 28. It is true that in 1722 

 Roggeveen had failed to rediscover Davis Land ; but in 

 the same locality he had discovered Easter Island, an 

 island of singular interest in respect to the continent 

 which must lie near at hand. " It is from the descriptions 

 of that island that we are enabled to form some idea of 

 the continent adjoining; no voyage hitherto performed 

 points out so strongly the original of the Peruvian manners 

 and religion. That country whence Mango Capac intro- 

 duced arts, laws, manufactures, and all the comforts of 

 civilised life, cannot fail of amply rewarding the fortunate 

 people who shall bestow letters instead of quippus, and 

 iron in place of more awkward substitutes." Easter Island 

 is not the Southern Continent, but its archaeological relics 

 confirm the theory that this continent was the source 

 of the civilization of Peru. 1 



Its great- What, then, is the geographical conclusion ? It is 

 1 tnat tne coast f tne Southern Continent runs Northward 

 on a line " but a very little West of the common track 

 towards Juan Fernandez island," that it turns Westward 

 about 28, and joins the land of which Quiros saw signs 

 in 26 and in 17. Thence it probably runs South-West 

 to Tasman's Staten Land (New Zealand), which may, no 

 doubt, be islands, but which is more likely to be the Western 

 side of the continent. It appears, then, that in Latitude 

 40 the continent extends over one hundred degrees of 

 Longitude, that is to say it is larger than the whole of 

 Asia from Turkey to the extremity of China, and it has 

 the riches of the country from which the first Inca came 

 to Peru ! What a country, he added in the edition of 

 1770, for the British merchant now in trouble about de- 

 clining trade in America ! The American colonies have 

 a population of two million. The Southern Continent 

 probably has a population of fifty millions ! ' The scraps 

 from this table would be sufficient to maintain the power, 

 dominion, and sovereignty of Britain by employing all its 

 manufacturers and ships." 



1 See elaborate description of these relics in Mrs. Routledge's Easter 

 Island. 



