950 AVOYAGETO 



>776' of courfe, were lefs flrikine; than the coincidence of Ian- 

 February. J 1 1 -I 



guage. Indeed, the languages of both places may be faid 



to be almoft, word for word, the fame. It is true, that we 

 fometimes remarked particular words to be pronounced ex- 

 a(ftly as we had found at New Zealand, and the Friendly 

 I/lands ; but though all the four dialeds are indifputably 

 the fame, thefe people, in general, have neither the ftrong 

 guttural pronunciation of the former, nor a lefs degree of 

 it, which alfo diftinguifhes the latter ; and they have not 

 only adopted the foft mode of the Otaheiteans, in avoiding 

 harlh founds, but the whole idiom of their language ; ufing 

 not only the fame affixes and fuffixes to their words, but the 

 fame meafure and cadence in their fongs ; though in a man- 

 ner fomewhat lefs agreeable. There feems, indeed, at firft 

 hearing, fome difagreement, to the ear of a flranger ; but 

 it ought be confidcred, that the people of Otaheite, from 

 their frequent conneflions with the Englifli, had learnt, in 

 fome meafure, to adapt themfelves to our fcanty knowledge 

 of their language, by ufing not only the moft common, 

 but even corrupted expreffions, in converfation with us ; 

 whereas, when they converfed among themfelves, and ufed 

 the feveral parts nece/Tary to propriety of fpeech, tliey were 

 fcarcely at all underftood by thofe amongfl us, who had 

 made the greatefl proficiency in their vocabulary. A cata- 

 logue of words was collected at Atooi, by Mr. Anderfon, 

 who loft no opportunity of making our voyage ufeful to 

 thofe, who amufe themfelves in tracing the migrations of 

 the various tribes, or families, that have peopled the globe, 

 by the moft convincing of all arguments, that drawn from 

 affinity of language. 



How fliall we account for this nation's having fpread it- 



felf, in fo many detached iflands, fo widely disjoined from 



5 each 



