It sounds as though when you access localhost you’re reaching a _different_ CouchDB instance. Are you sure the machine doesn’t already have a CouchDB running, perhaps bound only to the loopback interface? For instance, GNOME desktop, at least on Ubuntu, uses a local CouchDB to manage the user’s address book/calendar data. Maybe you’re hitting that one.
Try looking at <http://localhost:5984/_utils/> and see if your missing documents are showing up there. —Jens
