458 Transactions. 



Quiros, who sailed with Mendana in 1595, and, later on, made another 

 voyage across the Pacific in 1606, spent much time in wondering how the 

 isles received their population. He maintained that, ^vith no compass, 

 the Polynesians could not voyage to any island not m sight from their own 

 Hence he judged that the islands must be close together, or that a great 

 mother-land existed in the south, from which the various islands had been 

 settled, "as otherwise the islands could not have been populated without 

 a miracle." Nearly three hundred years later Colenso wrote, " I note you 

 seem to adhere to the myth of the Maoris coming to this land ; I had 

 thought I had fully exposed that many years ago." But neither Quiros 

 nor Colenso could do that. Between these two comes James Cook, who 

 saw clearly how the islands had become populated, and puts the case in 

 clear, simple language. 



A voyage made by one Uenga, of Samoa, about the twelfth century, 

 extended to Tonga, Tongareva, Rimatara, the Austral Group, Tahiti, and 

 the Paumotus, a jaunt of over three thousand five hundred miles. Tangihia, 

 a voyager of the thirteenth century, made a yet longer one. Starting, 

 apparently, from Samoa, he visited Nine, Keppel Isle, the Marquesas, 

 Tahiti, Rapa, the Austral and Cook Groups, Rimatara, and other isles. 

 Whiro took a party of settlers to Rarotonga, then sailed to the Marquesas, 

 Tahiti, Rapa, and other places. 



In 1616 Le Maire and Schouten encountered a double canoe under sail, 

 out of sight of land, west of the Paumotu Group, with twenty-five men, 

 women, and children on board. These folk had exhausted their water- 

 supply, and were seen to drink sea-water. These natives being unarmed, 

 the Dutch gentlemen had quite a pleasant time shooting them. The 

 historian remarks on the enterprise of natives who " without compass, 

 or any of the aids from science which enable the navigators of other 

 countries to guide themselves with safety, ventured beyond the sight of 

 land." 



In former times the Tongans were in the habit of making frequent 

 voyages to Fiji, which group was reached in three days' sail from Tonga- 

 tapu. They also made voyages to the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. 

 Futuna, in the New Hebrides, and Tikopia to the north of that group, are 

 occupied by Polynesians. The Tongans have been the most daring and 

 energetic of Polynesians voyagers in modern times. 



Marquesan traditions tell us of voyages made in double canoes to lands 

 to the westward. These vessels carried not onh^ stocks of food and water, 

 but also hogs, fowls, and food plants, and that is how these things were 

 spread over the Pacific. These plants were yams, sweet potatoes, taro, 

 gourd, also the breadfruit, banana, coconut, &c., while the orange was 

 advancing eastward when Europeans began to traverse Pacific waters. 

 Most of these are traced by Candolle to a western source. The animals 

 introduced into New Zealand were the dog and rat ; the other food products 

 were the sweet potato, taro, and gourd, possibly the yam. The aide tree 

 was also introduced. 



The Maori voyager recognized the influence of ocean currents on navi- 

 gation, and had his peculiar method of asce'rtaining their movements. 

 Even as the Great Black River carried many Japanese vessels to the 

 western coast of North America, and its reflux bore one such to Oahu, 

 Hawaiian Isles, in 1833, so did the ocean streams farther south affect the 

 Polynesian voyager. These currents flow in different directions, some for 

 long distances. Thus the branch of the antarctic drift that swerves 



