1870, palmer, a visit to easter island

7/26/2019 1870, Palmer, A Visit to Easter Island

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10808

LETTER

FROM

MR.

HAYWARD.

ETTER

FROM

MR.

HAYWARD.

[JAN

24,

1870.

JAN

24,

1870.

a

comparatively

asy

task,

and

that

here

physical

difficulties

and

privations

ill

alone

have

to

be

surmounted.

Should

all

Co

well,

you

may,

I

think,

ount

on

my

being

near

the

great

object

of

my

research

and

the

termination

f

my

laboursaboutthe time of yourannivelsarymeetingnext

May.

Arrived

at

the

Karakul,

shall

find

myself

placed

n

a

peculiar

position.

lone

in

the

heart

of

Gentral

Asia,

it

will

be

a

subject

of

much

consideratio

hether

an

attempt

should

be

made

to

return

to

India

through

he

frontiel

ribes,

or

the

shorter

and,

perhaps,

afer

way

illtO

Russian

Turkistan

should

e

followed.

lahe

latter

would

be

desirable,

ince

a

connected

eries

of

observa-

ions,

carried

on

from

Booliji,

on

the

Ihdus,

across

the

Pamir

and

into

the

Dasin

f

the

Jaxartes,

hould

securevaluable

cientific

results.

I

will

not

fail

to

report

the

proCress

f

the

expedition

as

far

as

is

practi-

able;

but

postal

communication,

ven

up

to

GilCit,

s,

at

this

time

of

tlle

ear,

very

difficult.

"

May

I

beg

yon

to

be

good

enouoh o rememberme kindly to the Collncilf he GeoCraphicalociety,

whc)se

ood

wishes

for

the

success

of

the

entelprise

feel

sure

that

I

have,

and

"

Believe

me,

my

dear

Sir,

-ollrs

very

truly,

To

Sir

R.

Murchison.

"

GEORGE

.

HAYWARD.

"

The

Rashmir

Government

s

tryinffl

o

dissuade

me

from

going

via

ilait,

not

wishing

an

Enalishman

to

see

the

exact

state

of

that

fiontier.

he

danvers

are,

I

think,

exaCgerated

y

the

Kashmir

officials,

and

I

feel

ertairl

hat

every

obstacle

will

be

thrown

in

the

way

of

proceeding

beyolld

he

Gilgit

frontier.

I

shall

find

it

very

difficult

to

communicate

with

the

assin

r

Hnnza

and

Nagar

people.

The

Maharaja

as himself told rrle hatnlyately the Hunzapeoplehavemadea raid

and

burnt

some

of

his

villaCes,

nd

estelday

the

news

was

received

hele

that

the

Kashmir

cominandant

f

he

Gilvit

district

had

cauCht

half-a-dozeIl

f

the

lIunza

folks,

htld

mutilated

hem

nd

then

killed

them,

so

that

reprisals

seem

certain.

It

is

impossible

o

ay

how

an

EnClishman

may

be

received,

or

if

even

they

would

allow

llinw

o

ome

on.

Even

then

he

might

not

be

allowed

o

proceed

beyond

Yasslll

r

Iunza,

and

thus

the

prospect

f

being

able

to

penetrate

o

the

i'amir

seelles

imited.

However,

shall

nzake

he

attempt

and

if

not

allowed

o

go

on

cxr

ven

o

enter

from

Gilgit,

it

will

be

a

satisfaction

o

have

tried

one's

best.

7lII

he

vent

of

having

to

turn

back,

an

attempt

mtlst

be

made

from

some

other

iontier.

believe

that

I

shall

eventually

succeed

n

the

object

of

my

labours,

ut

t

nlay

takemonths,nay, years,to do so." I find

that

XasAghar

s

the

proper

erldering

f

the

northerll

apital

of

the

ush

egie,

and

not

Kashkar,

as

given

on

my

map.

Tlle

word

was

written

ut

or

me

in

Turkistan,

nd

I

have

mistaken

lle

g

for

:

It

would

be

desirable

f

the

elerations,

a3

given

on

my

Inap,

&c.,

wele

omputed

y

some

one

appointed

by

the

Society?s

ecretary.

I

belielre

hey

re

ll

somewllat

under

the

true

elevation,

and,

the

boiling-point

of

wate

aving

een

recorded,

will

admit

of

correction.

"

By

computation,

ccording

o

the

tables

used

by

the

Survey

Department,

make

he

followinC

o

be

the

trtle

elevations:

Yarkand,

076

feet

Yang-

issal,

632

feet;

Kashghar,

512

feet."

The ollow-ingaperwasthenread:-

A

Visit

to

Easter

sland,

or

Rapa-Xus.

By

J.

L.

PALMER,

sq.,

R.N,

[E2ATRACTS.]

IT

ill

suffice

o

say

that

this

island

is

about

12

miles

lollg,

by

in

ts

greatest

breadth;

n

sllape

ike

a

cocked-hat,

ts

ends

bluff

a

comparatively

asy

task,

and

that

here

physical

difficulties

and

privations

ill

alone

have

to

be

surmounted.

Should

all

Co

well,

you

may,

I

think,

ount

on

my

being

near

the

great

object

of

my

research

and

the

termination

f

my

laboursaboutthe time of yourannivelsarymeetingnext

May.

Arrived

at

the

Karakul,

shall

find

myself

placed

n

a

peculiar

position.

lone

in

the

heart

of

Gentral

Asia,

it

will

be

a

subject

of

much

consideratio

hether

an

attempt

should

be

made

to

return

to

India

through

he

frontiel

ribes,

or

the

shorter

and,

perhaps,

afer

way

illtO

Russian

Turkistan

should

e

followed.

lahe

latter

would

be

desirable,

ince

a

connected

eries

of

observa-

ions,

carried

on

from

Booliji,

on

the

Ihdus,

across

the

Pamir

and

into

the

Dasin

f

the

Jaxartes,

hould

securevaluable

cientific

results.

I

will

not

fail

to

report

the

proCress

f

the

expedition

as

far

as

is

practi-

able;

but

postal

communication,

ven

up

to

GilCit,

s,

at

this

time

of

tlle

ear,

very

difficult.

"

May

I

beg

yon

to

be

good

enouoh o rememberme kindly to the Collncilf he GeoCraphicalociety,

whc)se

ood

wishes

for

the

success

of

the

entelprise

feel

sure

that

I

have,

and

"

Believe

me,

my

dear

Sir,

-ollrs

very

truly,

To

Sir

R.

Murchison.

"

GEORGE

.

HAYWARD.

"

The

Rashmir

Government

s

tryinffl

o

dissuade

me

from

going

via

ilait,

not

wishing

an

Enalishman

to

see

the

exact

state

of

that

fiontier.

he

danvers

are,

I

think,

exaCgerated

y

the

Kashmir

officials,

and

I

feel

ertairl

hat

every

obstacle

will

be

thrown

in

the

way

of

proceeding

beyolld

he

Gilgit

frontier.

I

shall

find

it

very

difficult

to

communicate

with

the

assin

r

Hnnza

and

Nagar

people.

The

Maharaja

as himself told rrle hatnlyately the Hunzapeoplehavemadea raid

and

burnt

some

of

his

villaCes,

nd

estelday

the

news

was

received

hele

that

the

Kashmir

cominandant

f

he

Gilvit

district

had

cauCht

half-a-dozeIl

f

the

lIunza

folks,

htld

mutilated

hem

nd

then

killed

them,

so

that

reprisals

seem

certain.

It

is

impossible

o

ay

how

an

EnClishman

may

be

received,

or

if

even

they

would

allow

llinw

o

ome

on.

Even

then

he

might

not

be

allowed

o

proceed

beyond

Yasslll

r

Iunza,

and

thus

the

prospect

f

being

able

to

penetrate

o

the

i'amir

seelles

imited.

However,

shall

nzake

he

attempt

and

if

not

allowed

o

go

on

cxr

ven

o

enter

from

Gilgit,

it

will

be

a

satisfaction

o

have

tried

one's

best.

7lII

he

vent

of

having

to

turn

back,

an

attempt

mtlst

be

made

from

some

other

iontier.

believe

that

I

shall

eventually

succeed

n

the

object

of

my

labours,

ut

t

nlay

takemonths,nay, years,to do so." I find

that

XasAghar

s

the

proper

erldering

f

the

northerll

apital

of

the

ush

egie,

and

not

Kashkar,

as

given

on

my

map.

Tlle

word

was

written

ut

or

me

in

Turkistan,

nd

I

have

mistaken

lle

g

for

:

It

would

be

desirable

f

the

elerations,

a3

given

on

my

Inap,

&c.,

wele

omputed

y

some

one

appointed

by

the

Society?s

ecretary.

I

belielre

hey

re

ll

somewllat

under

the

true

elevation,

and,

the

boiling-point

of

wate

aving

een

recorded,

will

admit

of

correction.

"

By

computation,

ccording

o

the

tables

used

by

the

Survey

Department,

make

he

followinC

o

be

the

trtle

elevations:

Yarkand,

076

feet

Yang-

issal,

632

feet;

Kashghar,

512

feet."

The ollow-ingaperwasthenread:-

A

Visit

to

Easter

sland,

or

Rapa-Xus.

By

J.

L.

PALMER,

sq.,

R.N,

[E2ATRACTS.]

IT

ill

suffice

o

say

that

this

island

is

about

12

miles

lollg,

by

in

ts

greatest

breadth;

n

sllape

ike

a

cocked-hat,

ts

ends

bluff



JAN. 24,18,0.]

VISIT TO EASTER

SLAND, OR RAPA-NUI.

109

and high,

and there is a tall hill

(1100 feet) in its centre. There

are no trees.

In rnany parts of the

island, which is entirely of

volcanic origin, are craters of large size; but they have been long

since extinct, and no tradition of

their activity remains. I

may

mention one or two of them.

Terano

Rau. This is at the south

end, is akollt a lnile in

dialneter

at its brim,

and about 700 feet deep.

The bottom

i6

of bog

and

sedgy grass;

pools of water are

scattered about it.

Terano

Hau, much smaller, and

quite dry. Here is the quarry

of red tuS,

from whence the crowns of

the images were dug.

Otuiti, the Little (iti) Hill (otu), at the north-east end of the

island.

This is very similar to 'reranoKau, but smaller. It

stands

isolated in a

large plain, and from

the grey lava of which its sides

are composed all the images are

made. Near the Terano Hau

is a

large hill of obsidian, which is

capped with some kind of

white

earth. -I

was not at its summit. All the hills are rounded,

and

the soil on their slopes, which

consists of decomposed ava, is

very

fertile.

The appearanceof the natives has

been comrnented n by

neally

all visitors, especially the early ones. Mendana says many were

almost

white, and had red hair;

they were well-shaped, and of

such stature

that they had much the advantage of the

Spaniards.

Roggewin

(1722) says the same, and so does Cook. The

last

account, sent

by a Jesuit missionary(1864) to the Superior of

his

Order,agrees thoroughly; that

alnong Pc)lfirnesianshey most

re-

semble the

Marquesan slanders; the features more

European in

type; as a rule, they were slightly

copper-coloured, ut many

quite

white.

1'hree skulls were broughthome, two of which are in

the

Museumof the Royal College of Surgeons.

" In their

habits they were all

thier7es, and distrusted one

allother," ays Frere Eug;ene; " and as

the island abounds n

grottoes

and artificial hiding-places, these

were, in consequence of

theil

filchin^,s,

onstantly in request." This disposition has now

(1868)

been

entirely removed by the

teaching of the Fathers, as we can

vouch. They seem a very

good-temperedrace, indolent,

fond of

adornint

themselves after their own

fashion, very dexterous in

plaitin^,

grasses and carving wood,which they do with

splinters of

obsidian.

Their

langllage has so much

altered that it is inlpossible, o

say

what it was

originally. We gleaned a

good many wordsv

generally

Polynesian. In Cook we find that

the Ota.heitan Oedi-di

could

:not make

himself readila

under.stood. The Fathers to]d us the

language was

very poor.



110

VISIT

TO

EASTER

SLAND,

OR

RAPA

NUI.

[JAN.

24,

1870-

The

houses

they

now

live

in

are

much

smaller

han

formerln7.

They

are

something

ike

a

canoe

overset:

a

framemrork

f

sticks

made,and on this grassis thatched. A fair-sizedhousenoa7vs

30

feet

long

by

12

or

14

broad,

nd

5-

lligh.

But

they

were

200

feet

long;

and

hose

used

for

their

assemblings,

ancings,

nd

choral

purposes,

were

raised

on

low

stone

walls,

on

which

thatching

xvas

arched.

The

house

is

windowless;

no

hearth

nor

fire;

one

aperture

n

the

side,

of

about

18

to

20

inches

ql1are:

his

is

closed

by

a

net,

to

exclude

he

fowls.

As

the

natives

pack

pretty

closely

in

these,

he

heat

and

smell

are

ndescribable.

Befole

the

missionaries

alue

hese

people

helieved

n

one

God,

spirit,fromwhomand by whomtheywere made roln

the

earth,

not

as

a

pot

or

image,

bllt

as

a

plant;

that

they

vt

re

his

children,

but

that

there

was

no

female

deity.

They

did

not

Brorship

mages,

althollgh

hey

had

plenty

of

little

wooden

ones,

which

they

llunr

up

n

their

dwellings.

Nor

were

the

giant

mages,

oon

o

be

men-

tioned,

bjects

of

worship.

Taboo,

or

persons

as

well

as

ra7aui,

or

ossessions

and

crops,

were

n

full

force,

as

in

the

other

,slands.

In

burJing

their

dead,

all

that

was

done

was

to

swatlae

lae

corpse

n

a

bale

of

grass

and

sedge,

and ay it ontheceinetery lat-form,with its headto tEle

ea,

each

tribe

having

ts

own

platform.

The,y,

or

this

reason,

lislike

Christian

burial;

and

ust

before

tlr.

arisit

1868)

a

woman,

whose

child

had

been

buried,

ose

at

night,

exhllmed

he

body,

and

deposited

t

on

the

plat:>rm

f

the

tlibe,

which

vvtas

(->me

lea^,ues

distant.

All

the

survivors

of

tlqese

people

ow

are

massed

t

Angaroa.

NVe

were

not

able

to

find

out

much

of

their

history

cxr

heir

tradi-

tions,

or

many

reasons.

All

we

learnt

rom

he

Jesuit

Fathers

was

that

t

wasa currentbeliefthatmanycentuliesago

a

larte migra-

tion

ook

place

from

Oparo

Rapa-iti)

hitherwards;

hat

the

chief

or

king

was

called

Tc)o-koo-i-oo;

hat

for

some

time

he

lived

at

Otuiti,

nd

caused

he

iiawages

o

be

made;

that

subsequently

e

went

o

reside

at

the

Hare-maia,

t

the

Teoano

Kau;

tllat

the

i

nat,es

cyllowed

him

of

their

own

accord,

walking

by

night;

that

some

ent

upon

the

platforms

others

were

eft

on

the

road,

uThele

nosar

hey

can

be

seen;

that

at

his

death

he

disappeared

rom

earth

in

he

form

of

a

butterfly

called

purllpuru),

nd

the

small

people

nomrall, on seeing these insects,whichare not >7eryonlmon,

sc

ookooioo

Tookooioo

"

There

s

no

hint

as

to

his

reappearance.

Frola

his

migration

he

island

s

called

Pwapanui.

)paro

s

distant

above

9()0

niles

due

west.

I

Tnust

ow

speak

of

tlle

remains,

which

apparently

ave

been

made

y

a

race

passed

away,

although

tis

possible

hat

these



JAN. 94,

1870.] VISIT

TO EASTER1SLAND, OR

RAPA-NUI.

lll

people may have

partially

continued their

constructionand fabri-

cation.

Those of the most

moderndate are

the wooden "

household

idols," hough not idols, really lares or teraphim.

These

are very

various, many peculiarly

gIotesque; some

I saw

of imlnense age,

some made

only a few months. Bith

regard to

those

which are carved in

human shape,

they are generally of 11n-

doubtedmale sex,

and give the

implession of

a

human

body when

fayed. They are a

foot or more

in length, lmadeof a

dark compact

wood(Toromiro, n

Edwardsia);

he profilestrongly

aqlliline,the lips

apart, so as to give

a grin;

obsidianeye-balls; a small

tuft on the

chin;

the ears with long,

dilated lobes; the

figure a little bowed;

arms by

the side, and

the handsflat on the

side of the

thighs. They

are very

well carved. The

female figures

are ruder and flatter, as

well as

larger in

size; a slnall tuft on the

chin also;

the attitude

that of

a pancake

Venus de Medici.

Lizards, sharks,

fowls, and

other

things were also carved;

soule are in

the possession c)f the

Rev. WATm.earden.

On

the heads of the male

imap;es re carved,

n very low

relief, the

most peculiarfigures,

evidentlJT

mvthic; sometirnesa

double-headed

bird, or a fish, or a rnonkey, or lizard, or solne figures in which

cannot

bf3recofflnised

likeness to anything.

I saw but

one female

figure

thus adorned.

Although they still

carve them,

I believe

that the present

people ale not

awarf3of the Inyths

they repre-

sent;

we could not

find it out. These lares

were not

worshipped.

The next remains

which are of

the greatest

age arethe sculptured

stones

on the brink

of sea-cliSs a.tthe Terano

liau; they

are at the

part

where the last lava-strenam

ssuecl, and

now overlookthe sea.

The

blocks are of various sizes,

carved qnSittb

with rude tortoise-

form, or have odd faces made on them. The vervain-bushes and

grassmuch obscure

thern; and I

was mucll pressed or

time and my

visit was

at that most

unfavourable iine

midday, or I

should have

lzeenable to trace

and sketch

lnany snore

tllan I have been able to

do.

They are arery

worthy of study.

Closeto the

blocks7 n

irreg,ularrovvs,are a number,

say eighty

or more,

of houses, of great ag;e,

now not used,

and mostly in capital

preservation.

Each house is

oblong oval,

built of irreglllarflat pieces

of stone;

the walls rise to about S feet, the door

being in the

side, as in

the

present grass ones, and of the

same size,

always towardshe sea,

20

inches. The

walls are very thicl<,

5

feet

at least?

which makes

the

entrance quite a

passage; on entering

are found for

the side

walls slabs, say 4 feet

high, and

not so hroad,ranged

vIpright;aboxe

these,

srnall thin slabs were

ranged like

tiles o+rerlapping, nd so



112

VISIT

TO

EASTER

ISLAND,

OR

RAPA

SUT.

[JAN.

24,

18,Q.

gradually

arching

till

the

roof

was

able

to

be

spanned

over

by

long

hin

slabs

of

5

or

52

feet.

The

roofing

slabs

being

not

more

than

6

nches

thick

and

2

feet

wide. The interior,or Big Hall, would ben dimension,

16

paces

long,

by

5

wide,

and

fully

62

feet

high

under

he

centre

slab.

The

passage

or

door

leading

to

it

was

paved

with

thin

slabs,

and

nder

tllese

was

a

kind

of

blind

drain,

which

extended

to

the

istance

of

about

6

feet

outside,

and

there

also

was

covered

with

lat

slabs,

its

dimensions

being

still

those

of

the

passat,e;

it

was

arefullnr

uilt,

squared,

and

terminated

abruptly

and

squarely.

n

these

drains

I

was

inforined

the

dead

men

(heaka,

ictilns)

ere

kept till requiredfor the feasts.

Outside

this

Big

Eall,

and

at

right

angles

to

it,

were

s1naller

hambers;

hese

did

not

usually

comrnunicate

with

it,

but

had

pecial

doors

from

the

outside.

I

was

told

they

were

general]y

sed

s

wornen's

partments.

The

upritr,llt

labs

which

formed

the

wall

of

the

Hall,

and

th?

oofing

labs,

lvere

painted

in

red,

black,

and

white,

with

all

kinds

f

igures

and

devices;

some

were

like

geometric

figures,

or

rapas,

I'hanus,

ronie,

faces,

birds,

Eiki

Nau,

and

other

figures.

Amonghesenuralpaintingswere rudetracin(rsof

sheep,

horses,

and

ships

vith

atlines

to

the

rigging.

These

were

all

very

new,

and

have

isled

soane

to

the

impression

that

the

struetures

were

equally

ecent.

There

was

no

apparent

pavement

in

the

Big

Hall,

and

in

any

f

them

a

great

qlaantity

of

small

unival>res

ike

periwinlSles

as

ound.

It

was

in

one

of

these,

the

nzost

south-westerlJr,

hat

the

Image

Hoa-haka-nana-Ia

as

found

and

removed.

It

was

but

a

sanall

ouse

bout

2()

feet

across,

and

txvo

chamberscommunicatednsideritht, no painting on

the

slabs

could

I

trace,

the

doors

were

lways

owards

the

sea.

NVe

nquired,

but

were

all

told

that

in

no

ther

ouse

was

there

another

image.

The

Papalvoo,

or

cemetery,

is

a

terrace

or

platform,

generallJr

ear

he

sea,

made

of

the

rolled

sea-stones,

faced

seawards

by

a

trong

all

made

of

large

irreglllarly

square

stones,

fitted

together

vithout

enaent;

the

ends

of

this

terrace

are

whitened.

These

erraces

re

about

100

yards

long;

one

or

two

were

found

without

he

acing

wall,-they

were probablyunfinished.There

were

a

few

inland,

but

I

have

no

notes

of

them,

except

hat

n

the

flank

of

the

Terano

liau,

leading

frola

Winipoo,

there

sas

moated

enclosure,

and

at

one

side

of

it

a

raised

terrace,

over-

rown

ith

turf

and

grass,

yet,

we

svere

told,

a

papakoo,

and

near

it

small

runk

image,

like

Hoa-hava,

llree-fourths

buried

in

the

soil.



JAN.

24s

1870.]

ATISIT

O

EASTERISLAND, OR

RAPA-NUI. 113

XVhere

here nTas

solitary

small image, we

wele led to

infer a

papakoo

had existed; as

to

Hoa-hava,we

were told, "

Many, many

deadroundabout "

The

square structures

used

for sepulture I

noticed

under the

head of

houses,they were

whitened, and I could

not learn

for what

individuals in

especialthey were

used.

I must DOW

describe

the

images, &c., the

platforms

on which

they

stood, with

the leculiarities

found

in their

neighbourhood, s

no images stood

on the

papakoo

in a like

manner; and

to begin

with the

platforms.

These

structures can be

seen on nearly

every

headland,and, as a

rule, they al^e t

no great

distancefrom

the sea;

being built on the

sloping

land, the

sea-front is

always

taller than that

which looks

landwards.

They are

sariable in size,

sometimes

very

large, and, to

give an idea of

thenl, I

had better pelhaps

describe a very fine one

which is on the

coast,

half-way

between

\Ninipoo and

Otitui: I

have

usllally

called it the

fifteen-image

platform.

Seawards, ust

where

the

groundbecomes

broken as it

nears the

cliis, is

built a

arerJr

tout wall. The

height of

this is now very

much obscured in consequence of rubbish, broken images which

have been

toppled over,

and reDetahle

growth, as

reeds, c.; but

it seems

about 7 or 8

yards.

The

stones, which are

large, are

irregular

both in

size and shape,

though

more or

less four-sided, nd

some

fully 6 feet in

length,

unhewn, and fitted

together

without

cement

or mortar,but

with great

exactness.

This

wall is

built flat and level

at the

top, and is about

30 feet

broad,by 100

paces long,

squaredat each

end;

parallel to the sea-

shore in

its direction.

This

constituted,

in fact, the

platform, on

wllich were thin slabs which served as pedestalsfor the images.

Landwards, t seemed

to be not

muchlnore than

a :,Tard

igh, and

on this

side also was

much

dilapidated,

especially about ths

centre.

Before

it, in this

direction, was a

smooth space

or

terrace, of tlle

samelength as

the

platform, but of four

times its

breadth,at least;

and this

terminated in

front b-

a

low

fagade or

step, built of stone

and about

as high

as that of the

platform

seemed o be from

the same

point of view.

The

tetrace sloped gently

to this

step, and the ends

were

built square and

raised

above the adjoining

ground,

so as to

join the ends c)f the platform. The image platform was strewn

with

bones ill

all

directions. They were

very

old and weather-

worn,but tore

no marks

of fire on them.

The

images had been

thronrndown in

ntarious

irections,and

were all

more or less muti-

lated.

The

debris

preventedmJrbeint

able to

see if there was

anJr rypt



114

VISIT TO EASTERISLAND, OR RAPA-NUI. [JAN 24, 1870.

under these images, or in the platform, as at Winipoo, and the

operlingsmust have been either at the ends of the platforln or in its

sea-front, think, if any exist.

At a little distance from the low terrace,and somewhat near the

centre line,

M

as a red pillar or cylinder of red tufE, tanding on an

area paved with large smooth sea-wore stones. This pillar stood

Ql1

a low pedestal slab of the same material as itself.

It was about 6 feet high, and as much in diameter; its top was

flat and was cut away a little on each side, so as to make a step or

shelf. On it I found two skulls very much perished,which, from

the dentition, I judged to be of youths l2 or 14 years old. The

faces of these skulls were directed tomrardshe platfolm.

Again, in

a

dilect line landwaIds,and at about 80 or 100 yards

from this, is one of the low, slanting, saddle-topped illars used for

cremation. It is of red tuS also, but only 4i or 5 feet hig;h; as

there is a. vera fine one at Winipoo, I append ts description.

On a paved area, similar to that of the Altar(?), is a pillar of red

tuff, in height 8t to 83 feet and 32 feet square. The top projects

foIwards, and ends in two horns with a saddle-shapednotch cut

deeply betveen thern. Each horn had a face traced on it, in very

low relief; but that to the north-west has crumbled away. The

plojecting part is indicated as low as the breast, lower down a

lound prc)jectin^, avel is rnarked,and just above, shere the pillar

jc)insthe area, the fingers are sculpturedflat and clasping the hips,

as in the images.

WAieere told victims (heaka) were burnt here; at the foot of

one pillar we found many burnt bones.

The images are now all thlown down. In no place, we were

assured, s one on its platform. They are very numerous,even to

hllndreds. In my walk to Otuiti I began to count, but found them

so plentiful as to render it lost time.

They are madeof but one material,a grey compact ava (Trachyte),

folllld in the crater of Otuiti; and there is a distinct slsde ()rthem

to be taken out by, so to say; and imperfect ones are found. Ill

forln they are tlunks, terminating at the hips, the arms close to

the side, the hands sculptured n low relief and clasping the hips.

They are flatter than the natulal body. The longest I measured,

34 feet; the usual size 15 to 18. The srnallest,as Hoa-hava,4t oz

5 feet; and these were more boulder-^shaped.The head is very flat,

tlle top of tlle forehead cut off level, so as to allow

a

crown to be

put on. This was not done till the imate was on its platform.

In the giant ilalages ound outside the crater of Otuiti, the head

seemed to project before the line of the trunkXwhich I did not



JAN.

24,1870.] +'I>IT TO EASTER

ISLAND, OR

RAPA-SUT.

11o

observe n any

othere. These

were of the largest size;

the head

and

neck lneasured

ull 20 feet. Manyof

themwere

upright, m-

bedcledn the soil,and weretllose n the bestpreservation.Those

insidethe crater

were also of

greatsize, andvery

weather-worn;

they seemed o differ

a little in

profile,andalsoto be the

oldest n

the islandof thoseI

samt.

The

face s square,

massinre,

nd sternlydisdainfuln

e2cpression,

the aspect always

upwards. The

pecllliareature s the

excessi+Te

shortness

f theupper ip orthe

upthrusting f

the lowerone,wllich

would

produce he

sarne Sect.

(This gestures now and

then seen

in thepresentrace.)

The

eye-sockets

are deep,close under the

brow;and,

as far as

we

could malseOtlt,

eyeballs of

obsidianwere inserted,

but we

werenot

fortunate

nough to Snd any. The

nose broad,

nostlils

expanded. The

profile, I have

said, varieda little in

various

images.

The ears

were

sculptuled lwayswith very long

pendant

lobes.

The

heautifully

perfect one,

Hoa-haka-nanaa (each

has its

name),

which s now

in the

BritishMusellm,was bund in

the stone

house calledTau-ra-re-gna,t the l'eranoWau. It is elaborately

traced

overthe back

and headwith rapasand

bird.s,wo

of whicl

muchreseluble he

apteryx. It

was also

coloured ed andvhite,

but this

colour was

washed off in its

trarlsit o the

Topaz. Its

height is

about8 feet, and

weight 4 tons.

It was found buried

waist-deep n the ground, ad

no crown, ts

face turned

rorn he

sea, as

thoseof all theothers

were.

It was

the onlyimage under

cover, hough

some idea has been

that

therewere somesubmerged

n a cave.

Mtebelievethat thiss

was entertained y misconceptionf somemuralpaintings otlnd

in one.

The

crowns(Eau)

whichwere put on

these images

are lnade

of red

tuS found in the

Terano Hau

crater, down t]le outer

slope of

whichwere

as manyas

thirtywaiting or

reinoval o tlle

various platforuls.

The largest

I measuredwas 102

feet in

diameter.

In. shape

they are short

truncatedcones, or

nearly

cylindricalF

In

the coast

track both to Otniti from

Winipoo

and fl om

Anakena,manyof these imageswerefoundon either side of tile

svay;

but on the mid-island

rack I passed

but two

or three.

These

wereall sery large, 24 to

33 feet.

They all lie facedown-

ward:3.

The numberon

each platform

s veryvariable,nor are

they of

uniform ize on the

salne

platforre; at one (the north

east) end



116

DISCUSSION

N

HIR.

PALMER'S

PAPEP

[JAN.

24,

1870.

of

the

fifteen-iz:nage

latfornl,

ome

ire

are

quite

dwarfs

ll

compa-

rison

o

the

rest.

They

all

faced

andwards,

hen

n

position

Theimpleluent sed in carving hesennas longboulder-pebble,

in

shape

onuewhat

ike

a

large

rolling-pin

r

irlcis;or-tooth,

ith

an

edge

produced

y

chipping

and

t]len

rubbing

down

with

obsidian-

dust.

There

was

but

one

seen;

it

is

nonv,

believe,

n

the

British

Aluseum.

It

was

given

by

the

Fathers

o

Commodore

owell.

Its

Lame

was

Tingi-tingi.

Our

argument

n

favollr

of

the

images

being

the

work

of

a

former

race

s

this

salne

ack

of

chisels.

Thepaperwill bepublishedntire

n

the

'

Journal,'

Vol.

s1.

The

PRESIDENT

aid

that

Mr.

Palmer

described

he

island

in

so

graphic

a

manner

that

all

who

had

listened

to

the

paper

must

be

willinC

to

return

their

best

thanks

to

hile.

The

gigantic

monuments,

specimens

of

which

have

been

placed

in

the

British

Museum,

open

out

a

larCe

ield

of

inquiry.

How

is

it

that

this

little

island,

only

12

miles

bv

4,

contains

these

immense

statues?

They

seemed

to

point

to

former

times,

and

to

a

powerful

people.

Mr.

C.

MAR1ZHAM

aid,

n

reflectin

upon

the

origin

of

the

civilization

of

Peru,

one

naturally

urIls

first

to

the

east,

for

it

is

almost

certain

that

the

Peruvians

had

no

commt1nication

ith

any

civilization

on

the

American

onti-

nent to the north,eitherwith the Muyscasor+ith Mexico. He hadalways

looked

to

find

some

stepping-stone

y

which

the

Peruvians

might

have

reached

tlae

west

coast

of

America

rom

Asia,

and

it

now

struck

him

that

it

was

possible

Easter

Island

was

such

a

stepping-stone.

Captain

Cook

n

his

account

merely

conveyed

the

idea

that

there

were

six

or

seven

imaaes

on

one

plat-

form,

but

now

Mr.

Palmer

had

informed

them

that

there

are

many

hundreds

scattered

over

the

island.

He

thouaht

it

szas

impossible

to

suppose

that

any

people

permanently

stablished

here

wouid

have

been

in

the

habit

of

con-

structing

these

gigantic

works.

It

migllt

have

been

that,

ages

aCo,

when

the

route

was

first

found

ollt,

migrations

continued

year

after

year,

and

people

arriving

on

this

island,

and

fillding

he

monllments

of

their

comrades'

resence,

continuedthe works. Of coursethis

was

but

speculation,

ut

it

is

strength-

ened

by

what

is

known

of

Peru.

In

that countrytherewere two distinct

civilizations,

of

diSerent

origin;

one

the

Quichua,

he

other

the

Aymara,

near

the

lake

of

Witicaca.

The

Qllichua

works

onsist

of

walls

and

slabs

of

masonrJr

but

with

no

carvint,

of

any

description,

beyond

a few

representations

f

ser-

pents

in

relief.

The

Aymara

works,

on

the

contrary,

are

covered

with

images

and

sculpttlres

f

various

kinds.

1'hese

are

found

especialla

on

the

islands

of

the

Lake

Titicaca,

nd

n

the

ruins

of the

city

of

Tiahuanoca,

t

its

sollthern

nd.

When

the

Spaniards

onquered

he

country

here

were

at

TiaLtlanoca

uins

of

platforms

similar

to

those

on

Easter

Island,

upon

which

were

statues

a]so

resembling,

o

a

celtain

extent,

those

of

Easter

Island.

They

rey)resented

giants

with

enormous

ears,

and

with

crowns

on

their

heads,

or

conical

caps.

There,however, he resemblanceppearedo end,fortheAymara maCeswere

very

ornate.

Curves

or

circles

ran

around

the

upper

parts

of

the

caps,

aLId

circles

of

human

heads

were

placed

just

above

the

foreheads.

The

ears

had

long

pendants

ending

in

human

heads,

and

theze

were

also

curves

runninC

from

the

corner

of

the

eye

and

terminating

n

serpents

crawling

all

rollnd

he

neck.

Some

had

necklaces

of

human

heads.

One

of

the

old

Spaniards

who

visited

the

ruins

says

that

the

images

were

not

confined

o

the

platforms,

but

were

"

marchinO

ll

about

the

countly,"

and

through

he

rivers,

n

vast

quan-



JAN. 24,1870.] DISCUSSIONON MR. PALMER'S

PAPER.

117

tities. It was impossible ot to be struolzwith he

resemblance etween llese

renzainsand those on

Easter Island. Acosta informs

us that the Peruvians

rvere n the habit of sending boats to certain islands,but that is all that is

known of their navivation.

hIr. Palmer had told

him, that further to the

eastward, on Malderl

Island, betsveenTahiti and

the Sandwich Islands, a

masonryplatformhas

been foundunder the gtlanosomewhat

resemblinffl

hose

of Easter Island. This was another ndication f the

direction thich he Peru-

vians might have talSen.

He lookedut)on t as ljerfectly

lear that the present

inhabitants of Easter Island

are simply Polynesians,

lthouh the vocabulary

of the island has not yet

been collected o any crreat

xtent, and that they can-

not belongto the race that erected hese enolmous

wolks. As it was difficult

to say what numberof

years t had taken to accunlulatehe t,uano oundabove

these masonry platforms,

he thought CaptainPeacock

miaht lDe ble to give

some information n this point.

CaptainPEACOCKaid,in some parts of the ChinchaIslands he had follnd

the guano120 feet deep. He had examined omeof

it, cut into inch eubes rom

the lower portions,with

a microscope, ml {ound the

layers very distinct, one

above the other, ike the

leaves of a book, and he had calculated, rom what

he consideredwenty-four

houls' deposit, hat fotlrthousand

years must have

been ocollpied n accun1ulatinC

he auano o a depthof 120 feet, but of course

this was to a certainextent

a speclllative heory.

Mr. P. P. BLYTHaid,

he visited EasterIsland n 1826. The peoplewele a

very Sne race,and he

was delighted o hear that missionaries

ave been thele

and have succeeded n somewhatamelioratint, heir

condition. They did not

lesemble the people of

Tahiti, beinC perfectlywhite.

The island is fal too

small for them, affordinfflo room foz an increaseof population.

Admiral BELCHER

aid, in 1825 he visited the

island in the Blossom.

Thirty-sis persons landed,

and, at first, it appearedas though they would be

received n a most frien(lly

way- but, when the first lieutenantbe.gan o dis-

tribute his presents, he natives were dissatisfied,

nd be(Yano throw stones.

The landinCparty were.driven

ofF,many of them

beinz severelywounded.

rl'hewomen of the Marquesas

slancls are leputed

to be the finest in the

Pacific, bllt those of

Easter Island surpass them. The men are of much

greater stature than tlle Peruvians. rl'erraces,imilar

to those on 13aster

Island, are found in

Tahiti and sevelal of the low islands of the Pacific.

Cl'her re cut with remarkabie

accuracy, ome of tlie stonesbeinC from4 feet

to 5 feet lono, 16 inches n depth, and 18 inches wide.* The oloamentsworn

by the natives of Easter

Island a.reprecisely similar to those worn by the

natives of New Guinea.

He met with some nati+Tesn one island who had

been driventhere Otltof

their course. 'ilhey had intended

o go west, but had

beell driven to the south-east.

It was not, therefore,mprobable hat some

might have been driven

to Easter Island from1'ahiti,

n their double canoes

which are about80 feet lon. The languaCe f the isTand

s also totally different

from that of Peru. It is the languaaeof the whole

of the SandwichIslandsg

or South Sea group,andis also the languaCe f :New

Zealand. It was, therefore

perfectlyuseless to look

to Peru as their oriCin. Fifflures

omewhat imilar o

thosewhichhadbeendescribed

ontinue romPeruup

to Behlin?'sStraits. Some

*

Extract from journal-:-

" Eleven steps of 5 feet

4 inches by 3 feet 9 inches,

each stone squared,making

the perpendicular height to be 44 feet; lower stones,

3 feet; length at base, 240

feet (external measurement);

width, 78 feet- height, 44 feet. This immense

structure is raised on a rocky, paved, basaltic base-blocks

of first course 4 feet 6

inches by 2 in height.

Two inches within this course,

3 tons of stone rounded bg

attrition (beach or torrent), but squared on the longest

sides, leaving the projecting

ends convex. All the angular

outlitles were of worked

coral slabs, and exhibited

a white glarillg mass, 'rhe

summit had images, but of small size."



118

in

British

Columbia

re

most

beautifully

cut

and

engraved,

havinC

rather

an

gyptiarl

han

any

other

forn.

Mr.

A.

W.

FRANKS

aid

the

tradition

of

the

Easter

Islandersseemedtooint to one of the islands of I'olynesiaas

their

oriU,in.

1'his

question

ust,

to

a

great

extent,

be

settled

by

nautical

observatiotls

s

to

direc-

ions

of

currentx,

Ac.

rl'he

natives

themselves

say

they

came

irom

Oparo

ne

of

the

Avlstral

Islands.

With

reCard

o

the

oriain

of

the

stone

nlacres,

t

seemed

to

him

that

the

small

wooden

igures,

which

are

still

naade

nd

sold

to

visitors,

bear

a

certaill

imilality

to

the

stone

maoes,

which

would

carcely

xist

if

the

present

nhabitalsts

were

not

intimatelv

onnected

with

the

ace

that

formed

the

eallier

statues.

The

modern

images

ShOW

he

same

peculiarities

n

the

ears,

as

well

as

in

the

projecting

bones

of

the

ankles

nd

wrists.

In

all

alike

certain

parts

are

left

in

high

relief,

while

ther

equally

pronlinent

parts

of

the

structule

are

not

exhibited.

'l'here

s

a

similarity, too, in the pecllliarway of drawing the back-bone. One

f

the

larae

imat,es

has

on

its

back

representations

f

three

of

the

little

dancing-paddles

r

clubs

which

are

still

used

by

the

natives

in

their

ances.

l'he

inlaying

of

the

eye-balls

with

obsidian,

too,

is

charac-

eristic

both

of

the

wooden

and

the

stone

fi^,ures.

AllC

hese

little

pOiIlts

f

resemblance

ed

him

to

the

conclusion

hat

all

the

figures

were

the

work-

anship

f

the

sa1ne

ace,

holltrh,

o

doubt,

here

was

a

considelable

iSrence

f

time

between

hem.

rl'here

has

been

a

coilsiderable

hange

n

the

style

of

rt

n

the

island

since

the

dass

of

Captain

Cool.

l'he

attenuated

wooden

ivures

lluded

to

by

Mr.

Palmer

are

of

recent

date;

those

of

the

tiNleS

of

aptain

Cook

are

plumper,

without

stlch

excessively

projectillg

noses.

As

hen,

cllarlae

has

takell

place

in

moderntimesXt is not iruprobablehatpreviouslychan^,e afloccurred

llfficient

o

account

or

the

difference

etween

he

wooden

fi<ftlres

nd

tlle

stolle

ones.

rl'he

slanders

themselves

say

that

he

statues

were

those

of

chieS,

if

so,

this

would

resemble

he

practice

ir

Sandwich

nd

other

islands

of

the

Pacific,

tone

being

substituted

fil

wood.

'he

diSerencf3

f

material

mivht

be

accoullted

or

by

the

scarcity

of

wood

in

aster

sland,

her

being

no

[orest

rees

here

of

sufficient

ize

for

the

purpose.

Admiral

BELCHER

aid,

tbe

fiures

and

ornaments

brouCht

ff

to

the

boats

n

1825

were

entirely

of

stolle.

MThen

he

landing-party

would

not

purchase

hem

hey

were

thrown

nto

the

boats,

and

on

the

seamen

castinC

hem

over-

oard

he

women

dived

instantly

and

recovered

hem

beire

they

reached

he

bottom.

Sir GEORGEREYaidhis viesvscoincidedwith thoseof Mr.

Franks.

The

ew

ealanders,

ike

all

the

Polynesian

races,

have

a

peculiar

facility

in

the

rt

f

carving,

and

they

delivht

to

)ractise

t.

Tlley

are

rather

an

idle

peolJle,

nd

ike

to

occupy

themselves

n

carving

or

malKing

ets,

or

other

employ-

ents

f

that

kind,

durill(r

which

they

can

talk

and

feast.

l'he

New

Zea-

anders

arve

maaes

n

wood,

extremely

ike

those

on

Easter

Island,

tor

the

urpose

f

commernoratinsW

heir

acestors,

and

they

give

to

them

tne

names

f

heir

foretathers.

l'he

Polynesi:+ns

re

also

an

e2zeeedingly

nlitative

and

ealous

eople:

anythint,

that

one?

hief

possesses

others

must

possess

alsv

f

hey

can

possibly

obtain

them.

'l'here

s

in

Ness

Zealand

a

tradition

monffl

he

atives

that

in

the

countly

from

which

they

came

originally

he

people

alved

n

stone,

and

he

(Sir (Teor(rerey)had in his possessiona smallstonemaCef a kindof red

basalt,

a

sort

of

stone

which

is

not

known

to

exist

on

he

sland,

and

it

was

su>posed

o

have

been

brouCht

ere

flom

the

original

ollutry.

e

had

also

seen

a

stolle

image

there,

which

was

considered

s-

remely

acred,

bout

4

feet

high.

He

tnouCrht

t

was

extremely

asy

to

account

or

he

imaaes

on

FXaster

sland,

if

the

inhabitants

had

for

cel1turies

beell

Polynesians.

f

only

eiaht

or

ten

imatres

were

mavle

n

that

number

of

years,

very

ew

Centtlries

oukl

stlffice

to

cover

the

island

with

them.

lf

the



JAN.

12,

1870.]

DISCUSSION

ON

MR.

PALMER'S

PAPER.

119

wooden

images

of

New

Zealand

had

not

decayed

there

would

be

hun-

dreds

of

thousands

f

them

by

this

time.

Most

probably

here

are

at

present

as

many

as a

hundred

housand

therse

of

wood.

The

language,

oo,

of

Easter

Island s distinctlya Polynesianlanguage. Buton this pointa difficultyarises

about

Peru,

for

"

Titicaca,"

he

name

of

the

lake

which

Mr.

Markham

lluded

to,

is

a

Polynesian

word.*

BIr.

MARKHAM.

t

means

the

rock

of

lead.

Sir

GEORGE

REY

aid

it

wollld

not

mean

that

in a

Polynesian

lanauage.

Hovever,

he

felt

convinced

that

the

imaves

were

the

work

of

a

Polynesian

race,

an(l

what

he

had

heard

rom

Admiral

Belcher

confirmed

hat

view.

The

PRESIDENT

aid

he

was

to

a

preat

extent

convinced

by

the

reasoning

that

had

been

opposed

o

the

Peruvian

theory.

He

certainly

was

astonished

that

in

this

small

island

such

wondelful

works

had

been

calried

out.

Still

the

material

of

which

the

large

ilna(res

are

made

is

so

friable

and

easily

worked,

hat

the

difficulty

of

formincr

hem

would

probably

be

even

less

than

if woodhadbeenuse(l.

Mr.

PALM;R

aid,

he

found

the

people

he

most

happy

n

the

world.

Nothing

collld

exceed

their

joy

at

seeinffl

he

strangers

'l'hey

danced

abollt

and

wel-

comed

them

just

like

pet

dogs.

l'here

are

now

only

about

900

there,

of

wllom

30()

are

women,

and

they

are

rapidly

dying

out.

They

were

living

on

half a

rat a

day

when

he

was

there.

They

would

not

work

it

was

much

easier

to sit

down

and

look

at

anythinC

hat

was

goinC

on.

There

appeared

to

be

pleuty

of

fowls

on

the

island,

but

he

llever

saw

one

cooked,

and

the

people

blo

not

care

about

es.

Since

the

raid

made

uron

them

by

the

Peru-

vians,

they

have

all

lived

near

Cook's

Batr,

and

there

they

seetn

to

be

com-

placently

waiting

their

doom.

They

have

been

entirely

cured

of

thieving.

A very fewyearsago they filched like all the other Polynesians,but now

they

never

think

of

touching

anything

that

does

not

belong

to

them

without

permission.

NVhen

hey

were

allow-ed

o

take

some

pie?es

of

soiled

paper

they

ran

and

washed

it in

sea-water,

howing

what

impression

hey

had

of

it.

They

were

very

good

peol)le

ndeed.

Sixth

Meettng,

ebruary

4th,

E370.

SIR

RODERICK

I.

MURCHISON,

BART.,

.C.B.,

RESIDENT,

n

the Chair.

PRESENTATIONS.

r.

Wm.

Fl.

Coletll;

R.

G.

Clements,

sq.

ELECTIONS.

ev.

Thomas

.

Braim,

D.D.;

John

Edteard

Dawson,

Esq.;

Edward

l?btchins,

sq.;

James

Irvine,

Esq.;

Mark

EIenry

Lackersteen,

sq.,

M.D.,

&c.;

Joseph

Moore,

Esq.;

Commander

oel

Osborn,

.N.;

James

Nisbet

Robertson,

sq.;

Joseph

Starling,

Esq.;

:enry

Sttllwell,

Esq.,

M.D.;

Charles

Stennina,-

sq.;

John

Wilton,

Esq.,

M.D.

*

Since

the

Meeting,

Sir

George

Gres

has

informed

he

Editor

hat

an

account

of

stone

platforms

and

chambers,

naiogous

o

those

of

Easter

sland,

has

been

given

by

(:aptain

.

Vine

Hall, n

a

Memoir

n

the

Island

of

Rapa

or

Oparo,

pub-

lished

n

the

*

Trarlsactions

nd

Proceedings

f

the

New

Zealand

nstitute,'

ol.

i.

p.

1*28.

This

is

important,

n

connexion

with

the

traditiotl

of

the

present

nha-

bitants

f

their

migration

rom

Oparo.

VOL.

X1v.



12020

THE

RUNS

OF

CUTCH,

AND

HE

RUNS

OF

CUTCH,

AND

[FEB.

14,

1870,

[FEB.

14,

1870,

ACCESSIONS

O

THE

LIBRARY

ROM

ANUARY

4TH

TO

FEBRUARY

4TH.

s

Marocco,

1814.'

By

J.

G.

Jackson.

Third

Edition.

Pur-

hased.

Murray's

'

Handbook for Spain.' By R. Ford. 1869.

urchased.

'

1'he

Native

Races

of

Russia

lllustrated

'

(in

Russian).

onor,

W.

Egerton

Hubbard,

Esq.

'

Les

Hindous.'

Par

F.

Balta-

ard

Solvyns.

Paris,

1808-1811.

Donor,

C.

Holte

Braceb]idge,

sq.

*

Spain

to

the

Sahara.'

By

M.

B.

Edwards.

1868.

Purchased.

Two

Years

in

Ava,

1824-26.'

Purchased.

'

Winter

Tour

in

Spain,

868.'

Purchased.

'Roughing

it

in

Crete,

1868.'

By

J.

E.

St.

H.

kinner.

Purchased.

'

Ralubles

in

the

Deserts

of

Syria,

1864.'

urchased.

'

Life

of

Las

Casas.'

By

A.

Helps.

1868.

Purchased.

Japan, 1869.' By E. P. Elmhirst and R. M.

Jephson.

Pur-

hased.

'

A

Year

in

Sweden.'

By

H.

Marryat.

1862.

Purchased.

Ruined

Cities

within

Numidian

and

Carthagenian

Territories.'

y

N.

Davis.

'

The

Levant,

the

Black

Sea,

and

the

Danube.'

:By

.

Arnold.

2

sols.

1868.

Purchased.

'

Victoria,

1864.'

By

W.

;Vestgarth.

Purchased.

Siebold's

'

Nippon.'

6

vols.

Leyden,

852.

Purchased.

'

A

iE'ortnight

n

Egypt,

1869.'

By

Sir

F.

rrow.

Donor,

the

author.

The

following paperwas read:-

On

he

Runn

of

C?tch,

and

Netghbourtng

egton.

By

Sir

H.

BARTLE

E.

FRERE,

.C.B.,

C.

[ABSTRACT

THE

uthor

commenced

by

defining

the

region

he

was

about

to

escribe,

s

a

broad

belt

of

country

lying

between

the

Indus

on

the

est

nd

the

Arivalli

Mountains

on

the

east,

and

extending

from

he

oot

of

the

Hima]aya

to

the

Peninsula

of

Cutch on the Indiancea.n;he length vvasabout 600

miles,

and

its

breadth

varied

rom

00

to

150

miles.

The

southern

portion

was

formed

by

the

ingular

ract

of

country

called

the

Runn

of

Cutch,

which

forms

e+Tel

lain

150

miles

in

length,

lying

a

little

lovvter

han

the

egion

round

it,

and

distinguished

by

the

total

absence

of

vegeta-

ion.

t

forms,

during

the

greater

part

of

the

year,

a

plain

of

firm

and,

aturated

with

.salt,

on

which

the

hoofs

of

horses

and

carnels

n

assing

make

scarcely

any

impression.

It

is

so

level

that

a

mo-

erate

ainfall

remains

like

a

vast

slop on tlle sulface,and is blounbouty the wind

until

it

evaporates.

During

the

south-west

mon-

oon,

owever,

the

high

tides

flow

into

it

aIld

llleeting

heavy

land-

loods

rought

down

by

the

River

Loonee,

cover

it

otith

water

to

the

epth

f

one

or

two

feet.

Travellers

and

caravans

pass

over

it,

but

ravellers

ithout

a

gllide

are

sometimes

lost,

for

there

are

absolutely

ACCESSIONS

O

THE

LIBRARY

ROM

ANUARY

4TH

TO

FEBRUARY

4TH.

s

Marocco,

1814.'

By

J.

G.

Jackson.

Third

Edition.

Pur-

hased.

Murray's

'

Handbook for Spain.' By R. Ford. 1869.

urchased.

'

1'he

Native

Races

of

Russia

lllustrated

'

(in

Russian).

onor,

W.

Egerton

Hubbard,

Esq.

'

Les

Hindous.'

Par

F.

Balta-

ard

Solvyns.

Paris,

1808-1811.

Donor,

C.

Holte

Braceb]idge,

sq.

*

Spain

to

the

Sahara.'

By

M.

B.

Edwards.

1868.

Purchased.

Two

Years

in

Ava,

1824-26.'

Purchased.

'

Winter

Tour

in

Spain,

868.'

Purchased.

'Roughing

it

in

Crete,

1868.'

By

J.

E.

St.

H.

kinner.

Purchased.

'

Ralubles

in

the

Deserts

of

Syria,

1864.'

urchased.

'

Life

of

Las

Casas.'

By

A.

Helps.

1868.

Purchased.

Japan, 1869.' By E. P. Elmhirst and R. M.

Jephson.

Pur-

hased.

'

A

Year

in

Sweden.'

By

H.

Marryat.

1862.

Purchased.

Ruined

Cities

within

Numidian

and

Carthagenian

Territories.'

y

N.

Davis.

'

The

Levant,

the

Black

Sea,

and

the

Danube.'

:By

.

Arnold.

2

sols.

1868.

Purchased.

'

Victoria,

1864.'

By

W.

;Vestgarth.

Purchased.

Siebold's

'

Nippon.'

6

vols.

Leyden,

852.

Purchased.

'

A

iE'ortnight

n

Egypt,

1869.'

By

Sir

F.

rrow.

Donor,

the

author.

The

following paperwas read:-

On

he

Runn

of

C?tch,

and

Netghbourtng

egton.

By

Sir

H.

BARTLE

E.

FRERE,

.C.B.,

C.

[ABSTRACT

THE

uthor

commenced

by

defining

the

region

he

was

about

to

escribe,

s

a

broad

belt

of

country

lying

between

the

Indus

on

the

est

nd

the

Arivalli

Mountains

on

the

east,

and

extending

from

he

oot

of

the

Hima]aya

to

the

Peninsula

of

Cutch on the Indiancea.n;he length vvasabout 600

miles,

and

its

breadth

varied

rom

00

to

150

miles.

The

southern

portion

was

formed

by

the

ingular

ract

of

country

called

the

Runn

of

Cutch,

which

forms

e+Tel

lain

150

miles

in

length,

lying

a

little

lovvter

han

the

egion

round

it,

and

distinguished

by

the

total

absence

of

vegeta-

ion.

t

forms,

during

the

greater

part

of

the

year,

a

plain

of

firm

and,

aturated

with

.salt,

on

which

the

hoofs

of

horses

and

carnels

n

assing

make

scarcely

any

impression.

It

is

so

level

that

a

mo-

erate

ainfall

remains

like

a

vast

slop on tlle sulface,and is blounbouty the wind

until

it

evaporates.

During

the

south-west

mon-

oon,

owever,

the

high

tides

flow

into

it

aIld

llleeting

heavy

land-

loods

rought

down

by

the

River

Loonee,

cover

it

otith

water

to

the

epth

f

one

or

two

feet.

Travellers

and

caravans

pass

over

it,

but

ravellers

ithout

a

gllide

are

sometimes

lost,

for

there

are

absolutely

1870, palmer, a visit to easter island

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