United States Exploring Expedition. 9i. 



tor. They are sixteen in numbei*, all of coral formation, the 

 highest land on any of them rising not more than twenty feet 

 above the level of the sea, and their united superficies not ex- 

 ceeding 1 50 square miles. They afford no stone but coral, 

 no quadrupeds but rats, and not more than thirty species of 

 plants. Yet on this confined space, thus scantily endowed 

 by nature, was found a dense population of more than 60,000 

 souls, in a state not inferior, as regards civilization, to any of 

 the other islands of the Pacific. It is obvious that the charac- 

 ter and customs of this people, as modified by their peculiar 

 condition, must have presented much that was novel and 

 striking. By the aid of two sailors who were fortunately 

 found living on those islands, one of whom had been detained 

 there five years without an opportunity of escaping, these 

 points were minutely examined, the relations of the language 

 determined, and the probable origin of the natives ascertained. 



In the territory of Oregon, vocabularies have been obtained 

 of twenty-six languages belonging to thirteen distinct fami- 

 lies, a surprising and unexampled number to be found in so 

 small a space. In general, where a multitude of unrelated 

 idioms have been believed to exist, more careful researches, 

 by discovering resemblances and affinities before unperceived, 

 have greatly reduced the number. On the north-west coast 

 of America, however, this rule does not hold good, and care- 

 ful investigation, instead of diminishing, has actually increased 

 the number of languages between which no connection can be 

 proved. On the other hand, traces of affinity have been dis- 

 covered where none were supposed to exist ; and it is worthy 

 of note, that one family of languages has been found extend- 

 ing from the vicinity of Bheering''s Straits to some distance 

 south of the Columbia River. 



At Singapore the expedition procured from an American 

 missionary there resident, a collection made by him with great 

 pains, and at considerable expense, of valuable Malay and 

 Bugis manuscripts relating to the history, mythology, laws, 

 and customs of the East India islands. Since the loss of the 

 splendid collection of Sir Stamford Raffles, which was burned 

 along with the vessel in which it had been shipped for Eng- 

 land, this is believed to be the best in existence. It is likely 



