Teegear. — The Aryo- Semitic Maori. 405 



" living, not dead," even if backed up by many Melanesians.* 

 Williams' "New Zealand Dictionary" says that Maori means 

 "native;" the " Tahitian Dictionary" gives maori, "indigenous, 

 not foreign;" the "Hawaiian Dictionary" also gives maoli, 

 "indigenous, native;" there is not the slightest reason for sup- 

 posing the word refers to the Mauri or Moors of ancient history. 

 Mr. Atkinson seems to have taken up (without acknowledgment) 

 the late Eev. Mr. Taylor's idea as to the Moors and the Mauri, 

 although Mr. Taylor's derivation of mauri (i.e., ma + uri, as 

 being the "black blood of the heart") would scarcely coincide 

 with the sense of "indigenous, native," and would be rejected 

 with scorn by the Maoris, if "Moor" and " blackfellow " be 

 offered as the explanation of the national name of all the 

 fair Polynesians. There is, however, a race of people whose 

 ancient language, called Sanscrit, does contain the word, or 

 one very like it. In Monier Williams' " Sanscrit Dictionary" 

 we find maulika, "original," "radical;" maulya, "being at 

 the root ;" mania, " living from olden times or for genera- 

 tions in any country," " indigenous." This word thus agrees 

 in sense, and nearly in sound, with the "maol" of the Poly- 

 nesian maoli; "Moor" does not so agree, either in sound or 

 meaning. 



Mr. Taylor is a very curious guide for Mr. Atkinson to follow. 

 I do not by this expression mean to decry Mr. Taylor's ability — 

 it would be well if there were a few more men in New Zealand 

 actuated by a spirit of inquiry and love of knowledge akin to his. 

 But, as Mr. Atkinson says he has been a student of the Maori 

 language for a long time, he must know that Mr. Taylor is a 

 very doubtful authority. Mr. Atkinson says that one proof of the 

 Maoris having known the kava root, as chewed for intoxicant, is 

 that Mr. Taylor so considers, on the strength of a place named 

 "Kawaranga!" This must be jest: the name of the place 

 is correctly spelt " Kauwaeranga." In Mr. Codrington's book 

 there is much that is of very great value, but it is not all of 

 equal value. As a grammar, etc., of the Melanesian languages 

 it is quite unique, and has won so much of praise for its 

 author that it can afford a few points of dissent being raised 

 without suffering. But when the grammar, etc., has been con- 

 sidered, and the author then theorizes outside the technical 

 part, we are at liberty to totally dissent from that theory 

 and the conclusions. The theory is that the whole of the 

 Oceanic languages are (in base) one : Malay Archipelago, 

 Madagascar, Papua, Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia — all the 



* 



Mr. Atkinson's exanrple of mauri meaning "living" is the "God 

 save you" expression, used when one sneezes : Tihe, mauri ora ! (" Sneeze, 

 living soul !") Only, unfortunately for Mr. Atkinson, the word for " living" 

 in this sentence is ora, so that as an example of mauri meaning " living" it 

 is very weak. 



