THE ISLAND OF MYSTERY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Issue XX, 24 June 1892, Page 4

THE ISLAND OF MYSTERY.

PT*M?<*K gpoT Itf THE PVCIFIC,

What has ahv&f* been retarded aa an island 'f mystery and wonder baa beer recently explored by an expedition of the Smithsonian Institution, with the result of throwing a Bood of light upon its history, and the origin of the marvels of human handiwork round there. This far-off spot in the midsc of the vast Pacific goes far to realise, in sober matter of fact/the description given by Rider Haggard of the imaginary kingdom of Kor, once the residence of a numerous population and afterwards an immense cemetery, its thousands of rocky ct/erns filled with the bones of mouldering dead. Such, in truth, is the famous Easter Island, which Las so long been a puzze to ethnologists and students of antiquity. Tablets of wood have been discovered, bearing inscriptions in an ancient language, which tell many surprising things, and these, together with numerous curiosities for the National Museum, and a great amount of information, hare been brought away. Although but a rock of Tara thrown up from the depths of the sea, and having an area of only 32 square miles, Easter Island possessed a population of more than 20 thousand. It is actually honeycombed wUb caves formed by bubbles of expanding gases daring volcanic action, and these were used for dwelling places by tho people while alive, their bones reposing ie them after death. The entire island is one necropolis. Not merely are the caverus crowded with skeletons, but everywhere are scattered the ruins of enormous tombs and catacombs. The huge quaatities of human remains found, not less than the gigantic | character of the ruined works, prove [the oocauaucy of a large population tor a period covering many hundreds j of year*. The most rem^rkahle of j the toiubs are immense platforms built of rough and hewn stones, which were formerly surmounted by colossal statues. Inside of a huge extinct crater is discovered one of these statue factories, where the effigies may be seen in all stages of incompletion, from the rude outline drawing on the rock to the finished work of a l l, ready to be cut loose and taken away. The biggest of them is 70ft in height, the head alone measuring 28ft, and it is in as perfect condition as arhen first completed. There are 93 such statues within the crater, of various sizes, and forty of them are finished nnd ready to be transported to the burial platforms which they were designed to adorn. Outside of the crater, on the west side of the raounvnin, is a bigger workshop, where 150 statues are to be seen, including those which stand at the foot of the volcano, ready for removal to the platforms. To form an estimate of the magnitude of the labour performed by the image makers the expedition counted all the effigies on the island, which were found to number 555. It used to be supposed that these stone giants were gods, but it is now known that they represent persons of distinction, and were set up aa monuments to perpetuate their memory. The smallest of them has been found to measures 3ft in height. They are all very much alike, each being the upper half of a human figure cut off at the hips. The faces are of an unvarying type, with heavy brows, long none, and short upper lip. In every case the head is cut fiat on the top so as to hold the crown. The image makers wee a privileged class, and their profession descended from father to son. For some reason, which in all probability will for ever remain a mystery, their work was suddenly discontinued, never to be resumed. The statues in all stages of completion at the workshops and those abandoned on the roads to the coast indicate that the labour was suddenly arrested, presumably l*y some extraordinary calamity, but tradition is | silent as to the reason why. | Wonderful monuments of antiquity are scattered all through Polynesia, and there is hardly a group of islands on which the explorer cannot find great works, architectural and other- : wise, of peoples which passed away years ago. In the Friendly Islands are the graves of the Tui-Tongaa — 19 truncated pyramids, each 100 feet pquare at the bsse, and rising to the height of 25ft. The stones of which they are composed are huge blocks of coral concrete, many of them 18ft long and weighing 20 tons. They were cut three miles away, and it is a mystery how they could have been transported for such a distaoce. The construction of these pyramids extended over a period of 1250 years. They are overgrown with banyan and other trees. The Tui- Tongas were hereditary high priests. According to law they could only marry the daughters of the king. Their sons became priests, while their daughters were brought up to the duties of vestal virgins. The latter served in the temples, and were not permitted to many, In 1863 the last of the Tui-Tongas died.