of Lord North’s Island. 211 
time in common use among them,—the types being set up, and 
the printing done, by native workmen,—and, what will, perhaps, 
still more surprise the reader, I have now lying before me two 
different newspapers published in the native language, and which, 
in their external appearance and contents, are as respectable as 
the greater part of our own gazettes. 
One further remark may be made, which is suggested by the 
subject of their language. Our English tongue is now, beyond 
all question, destined soon to be the language of commercial inter- 
course throughout the Pacific Ocean and the coast of America, 
and, perhaps, at a more remote period, of the Eastern Asiatic 
coast also. The enterprise and activity of the two greatest com- 
mercial powers — England and the United States — will probably 
defy all competition, and the common language and commerce of 
these two nations will mutually codperate in giving additional 
interest to that whole region of the globe. 
These are some of the considerations, which must excite an 
interest in all Americans to acquire a more accurate knowledge 
of the various parts of this division of the earth. But, in a more 
enlarged view, the physical characters of the islands throughout 
the Pacific Ocean, and of the races of people who have inhabited 
them for ages, present the most noble and interesting objects of 
philosophical research, that can at this day be offered to the con- 
templation of civilized man; and I trust it will not be deemed out 
of place to advert very briefly to some of them. 
The general extent of the Oceanic region has been already 
stated; but I may here add, that the whole quantity of land com- 
prehended in it is estimated by some geographers at not less 
than 2,500,000 square miles, while others have even reckoned it 
at 3,500,000. New Holland alone is nearly equal to all Europe, 
