It May Also Be The Same That Was Seen By Captain Davis
In 1686; For, When Seen From The East, It Answers Very Well To Wafer's
Description, As I Have Before Observed.
In short, if this is not the land,
his discovery cannot lie far from the coast of America, as this latitude
has been well explored from the meridian of 80 deg.
To 110 deg.. Captain Carteret
carried it much farther; but his track seems to have been a little too far
south. Had I found fresh water, I intended spending some days in looking
for the low sandy isle Davis fell in with, which would have determined the
point. But as I did not find water, and had a long run to make before I was
assured of getting any, and being in want of refreshments, I declined the
search; as a small delay might have been attended with bad consequences to
the crew, many of them beginning to be more or less affected with the
scurvy.
No nation need contend for the honour of the discovery of this island, as
there can be few places which afford less convenience for shipping than it
does. Here is no safe anchorage, no wood for fuel, nor any fresh water
worth taking on board. Nature has been exceedingly sparing of her favours
to this spot. As every thing must be raised by dint of labour, it cannot be
supposed that the inhabitants plant much more than is sufficient for
themselves; and as they are but few in number, they cannot have much to
spare to supply the wants of visitant strangers. The produce is sweet
potatoes, yams, tara or eddy root, plantains, and sugar-canes, all pretty
good, the potatoes especially, which are the best of the kind I ever
tasted. Gourds they have also, but so very few, that a cocoa-nut shell was
the most valuable thing we could give them. They have a few tame fowls,
such as cocks and hens, small but well tasted. They have also rats, which
it seems they eat; for I saw a man with some dead ones in his hand, and he
seemed unwilling to part with them, giving me to understand they were for
food. Of land-birds there were hardly any, and sea-birds but few; these
were men-of-war, tropic, and egg-birds, noddies, tern, &c. The coast seemed
not to abound with fish, at least we could catch none with hook and line,
and it was but very little we saw among the natives.
Such is the produce of Easter Island, or Davis's Land, which is situated in
latitude 27 deg. 5' 30" S., longitude 109 deg. 46' 20" W. It is about ten or twelve
leagues in circuit, hath a hilly and stony surface, and an iron-bound
shore. The hills are of such a height as to be seen fifteen or sixteen
leagues. Off the south end, are two rocky islets, lying near the shore.
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