C H A N G E S 



OF 



OUR 



GLOBE 



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evident marks, of its having undergone a great and total change from 

 a volcano and earthquake, which perhaps .funk the greatefl part of 



it in the iea. 



Easter-Island, or Wa-ihu, is another illand of the fame 

 nature. All its rocks are black, burnt, and honey-combed : fome 

 have perfectly the appearance of flags ; nay, even the foil, which is 



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but thinly fpread over the burnt rocks, has the appearance of a dark 

 yellow ochre. We found a great many black glaffy Hones, fcat- 



•tered among the great quantity wherewith the whole ifle is covered, 

 which are known to mineralogiils by the name of Iceland-agate, 

 and are always found near volcanos, or places expofed to their vio- 



lence: thus, for inftance, they abound. in Italy and Sicily, and in 

 Iceland near the volcanos, and likewife in Afcenfion. V/e found 

 the whole ifle very poor in vegetables ; and, though I walked over 

 -a great part of it, I found no more than about twenty plants, in- 

 .eluding. thofe that are cultivated, and no trees at all, which is very 

 remarkable in an ifle of this extent, under fo fine a climate, and in- 



r 



ihabited for a long time pafl: : for, when Roggewein flrfl difcovered 

 it in 1722, he even then found thofe ftone pillars, which we like- 

 wife faw, and which feemicd to us to have been creeled manv vears 

 ^ago. The writers of Roggewein' s voyage faw likewife v/oods on this 

 ifle ; it fliould therefore feem, that flnce that tim.e, fome difafter had 



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.befallen this fpot, and ruined the woods, and thrown down man}- 



FORMA- 

 TION OF 

 ISLES. 



X z 



Ox 



