154
Captain Gaunt's confidential report on the latter island is forwarded in case it may be of interest to Sir Edward Grey, but their Lordships are not in accord with his views on the strategic value of Tahiti.
The Society Islands possess some excellent harbours, but they are not on the direct route between any two very important places. The direct route from Panama to New Zealand or Australia passes by the Gambier Islands (Manga Reva), and this group (now in French possession) would be very valuable to us, as pointed out in Admiralty Letter M. 7517 of the 25th July 1905, and Admiralty Letter M. 01362 of 15th December 1905.
Tahiti (Society Islands) might form a useful base to an enemy to disturb the trade between Panama, Australia, and New Zealand, being only 500 to 600 miles off that trade route, but it is not likely to be of any other use strategically, and any possible enemy would require great power at sea to make it really useful.
There is, moreover, no information in this Department as to the intention of the French to give up Tahiti; the French squadron on the station is to be kept up to its usual strength during 1907.
I am, &c.,
The Under Secretary of State,
Foreign Office.
C. I. THOMAS.
155
the natives do not appear to have been considered either at the annexation or with reference to the sale of the island.
+
A very cheese-paring policy is adopted as regards the island; it is badly understocked, carrying 20,000 sheep, 4,000 cattle, 400 horses, and the stock is not sufficiently often replenished by new blood.
A brig used to go to and fro between the island and Valparaiso, but was lost, and has not since been replaced. A Government schooner, "Sarita," was borrowed in November last, but she also was lost on the island, and there had been no communication until the arrival of His Majesty's ships.
The images on the platforms, of which Cook and La Perouse wrote, have all fallen down and been broken, but many are still standing at the base, up the side, and inside the crater of Mount Hoty-iti, from which they are cut out; these however have no crowns; the crowns of the fallen images are lying near them.
I measured the largest image cut out of the rock, lying on its back and the back not yet detached from the stone of the hill:-
Total length
width
"
Length of nose
Width of lip
From lip to chin
Chin projects from neck
Length of ear
Height of forehead
-
68 ft. 0 inch.
10 0 "
11
"
"
"
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
mului
Reference :-
C.O.885
17 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
(No. 13.)
SIR,
應
*
*
His Majesty's Ship "Cambrian,"
at Suva, August 13, 1906.
*
On the 9th July I anchored the two ships in Cook's Bay, Easter Island, but finding the wind inclined to draw to the westward, proceeded round to Ovinipoo, where the ships lie comfortably in 17 fathoms, as long as the wind is not from the southward.
I enclose a separate report of the island.
Nothing having been heard from the island for over a year, at the request of Messrs. Williamson and Balfour I had shipped a number of stores, which I found the inhabitants badly in need of; the schooner which had been employed to carry stores there in November last had been wrecked on the island.
I embarked two of her crew as distressed British seamen, and left at noon on Saturday, 14th July, for Pitcairn.
Q
→
I arrived at Papeete, Tahiti, on the 29th July.
你
At Papeete the entente cordiale was very generally recognised, the Governor and the Captain of the "Zelée" French man-of-war gave enter- tainments in honour of the visitors, and I entertained them on board the
Cambrian" in return.
45
I attach a separate report
*
The Secretary
of the Admiralty.
Confidential," on the island,
*
I have, &c.,
EASTER ISLAND,
E. F. A. GAUNT,
Captain and Senior Officer.
THE anchorage off Ovinipoo is in 17 fathoms, half a mile from the shore, and well protected from any winds but S.S.W. to E.S.E.; the boats can get into a small cove, protected by an outer ridge of rocks, for landing passengers, but the climb up the rocks is awkward.
The island is covered with grass from knee to ankle deep; no trees are observable from the south side, but 45,000 are being planted yearly, and begin to show on the west side.
The island is owned by a Mr. Molet, a Chilian, who bought it from the Chilian Government for 4,000l.; lately he sold a half share to Messrs. Williamson and Balfour, of Valparaiso, for 5,000l. The wishes or interests of
• See Sub-Enclosure in No. 9.
Width
6
"
6
"
The illustrations of the images in "La Perouse's Voyages are very good, those in Cook's do not at all do them justice.
The stone houses, in appearance like inverted canoes, mentioned by
La Perouse, have entirely disappeared, but there are stone huts on the S.W”. edge of the summit of the Volcano Ranakao, built out of layers of basaltic rock; interior dimensions 15 ft. by 8 ft. by 6 ft. high, but with the entrance so low it is only possible to crawl in on the stomach. Near these huts are inscriptions on the rocks, and some of them have hieroglyphics on some of the stones forming their sides. Captain Cook mentions as a peculiarity that the natives drank sea water. A previous manager to the present one began building a wall right round the island to prevent the sheep getting to the sea, as he thought they drank it and that it would be harmful. As a matter of fact at various places on the sea shore there are fresh-water springs at sea level, uncovering at half tide, and no doubt both natives and sheep were aware of this, and drank fresh, not salt water.
Most of the image platforms are more or less broken, but the facings of huge stones remain, and under these morais may be found skeletons and flint spear heads, &c.
Partridge (Chilian) are numerous on the island, they are not in coveys, and both in feather and habits seem akin to Californian quail. Tame cats run wild are the only wild beasts, except the cattle, which on the north and east of the island are practically quite wild.
From the positions at which the platforms with the images were placed, namely, overlooking coast indentations where there were possible landings, it seems probable that though these images may have been memorials to the dead, they were also intended to intimidate the living, and frighten any strangers away from the island.
The red tuff crowns of the images do not look as though they were cut out of rock, and I was told there is no similar rock to be found on the island, they look as though they were made of red volcanic clay and sun-dried.
Fish, and sea cray-fish or spiny lobster, are fairly plentiful.
E. F. A. GAUnt,
Captain and Senior Officer.
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