EuTLAND. — History of the Pacific. ^ 43 



occasionally sweep across the tropical zone of the Pacific* 

 But the following instructions for a voyage from Hawaii to 

 Tahiti, handed down by a native historian of the Sandwich 

 Group, shows how the ancient mariner found his way when not 

 in sight of land : " If you sail for Kahiki you will discover new 

 constellations and strange stars over the deep ocean. When, 

 you arrive at the piJco-o-ivakea (equator) you will lose sight 

 of Hoku-jMCt (the North Star), and then Neive will be the 

 southern guiding-star, and the constellation of Humu will 

 stand as a guide above you."f 



From these instructions we gather that the ancient as- 

 tronomers of Polynesia had discovered the two hemispheres 

 into which our globe is naturally divisible. They had a name 

 for the equator, and consequently some idea of latitude. Thus 

 they surpass the Greeks at the time of Herodotus, for that 

 observant writer, whom there is no reason to suppose was 

 behind the learning of his time when commenting on the cir- 

 cumnavigation of Africa, remarks : " Libya shows itself to be 

 surrounded by water, except so much of it as borders upon Asia. 

 Neco, King of Egypt, was the first whom we know of that 

 proved this. He, when he had ceased digging the canal lead- 

 ing from the Nile to the Arabian Gulf, sent certain Phoenicians 

 in ships with orders to sail back through the Pillars of 

 Hercules into the northern sea, and so to return to Egypt. 

 The Phoenicians accordingly, setting out from the Red Sea, 

 navigated the southern sea. When autumn came they went 

 ashore and sowed the land, by whatever part of Libya they 

 happened to be sailing, and waited for harvest. Then, having 

 reaped the corn, they put to sea again. When two years had 

 thus passed, in the third, having doubled the Pillars of Hercules, 

 they arrived in Egypt, and related what to me does not seem 

 credible, but may to others — that as they sailed round Libya 

 they had the sun on their right hand. Thus was Libya first 

 known. "I 



Evidently it is unnecessary to go outside Polynesia in order 

 to discover people who were capable of maintaining an inter- 

 course between the widely-scattered islands, or of going 

 beyond the region to procure what it was incapable of pro- 

 ducing. 



VII. — Conclusions. 



In the population of the Pacific region defined in the first 

 chapter of this inquiry two very distinct ingredients are 



* " Origin and Migrations of the Polynesian Nation." John Dunmore 

 Lang. 



{"Notes on the Geographical Knowledge of the Polynesians." 

 By S. Percy Smith, " Transactions of the Australasian Association for 

 the Advancement of Science," 1890. 



\ " Herodotus." Henry Gary. 



