30 United States Exploring Expedition. 



speaking dialects of one general language closely allied to the 

 Malay. Materials have been obtained for a comparative 

 grammar and dictionary of the most important dialects (in- 

 cluding those of the Sandwich, Society, Friendly, Navigator, 

 and Hervey Islands, and New Zealand), and from this com- 

 parison, and the traditions of several of those islands, it is be- 

 lieved that the original seat of the population, viz. in the Na- 

 vigator Islands, has been satisfactorily determined, and the 

 course of the migrations has been traced out by which the dif- 

 ferent groups were peopled. 



The vast island or continent of New Holland has hereto- 

 fore been generally supposed to be inhabited by numerous 

 tribes speaking languages entirely distinct. An opportunity, 

 liowever, was found of obtaining a grammatical analysis of the 

 languages of the inhabitants of two tribes living more than 

 two hundred miles apart, and ignorant of each other's exist- 

 ence, which has resulted in shewing a clear and intimate re- 

 semblance, not merely in the great mass of words, but in the 

 inflections and minute peculiarities of the two languages. By 

 the aid of several vocabularies, the comparison has been ex- 

 tended across the entire continent, and has afforded fair 

 grounds for believing that the inhabitants of New Holland, 

 like those of Polynesia, are one people, speaking languages 

 derived from a common origin. Much information was ob- 

 tained from the missionaries and others concerning the cha- 

 racter, usages, and religious belief of this singular race. 



The inhabitants of the extensive and populous Feejee group 

 have been viewed with peculiar interest, from their position 

 between the yellow Polynesian tribes on the east, and the 

 Oceanic Negroes on the west. The result of inquiries, pur- 

 sued with care during a stay of nearly four months, has been 

 to throw new and unexpected light on the origin of this 

 people, and their connection with the neighbouring races. A 

 mass of minute information in regard to the customs, tradi- 

 tions, and languages of these islanders, including a grammar 

 and a dictionary of about 3000 words, will be given to the 

 public. 



The Kingsmill Islands are another interesting group, first 

 accurately surveyed by the vessels of the expedition. They 

 lie in the western part of the Pacific, directly under the equa- 



