PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 477 
has imposed its language upon the higher Polynesian races, 
but it is not necessary to assume this at all. What is 
assumed, is that these words were in the language of the 
original settlers in Malaysia, as they still are in those of 
other Melanesian races at the present time; that they 
were retained in the language of the mixed race which 
inhabited Malaysia prior to the Malay irruption; and that 
many of them were adopted into the speech of the Malayan 
people who drove out the mixed race which now consti- 
tutes the Polynesian peoples. 
The points of resemblance between the modes of thought, 
manners and customs, and social organisation of the 
Melanesian and Eastern Polynesian are very significant ; 
but the subject is too large to be dealt with here. They 
all share, in common with many other peoples in a similar 
condition, the belief in sorcery, augury from omens, wail- 
ing for the dead in the full belief that the spirit of the 
dead man or woman hears them, the belief in rainmakers, 
in the power of certain men to cause disease or death by 
the use of portions of food which have been touched by 
the man or woman to be injured, or by blood, spittle, hairs, 
or anything else belonging to him, offerings and addresses 
to the dead. Names given at birth as mementos of some 
special occurrence at the time, interment of property 
with the dead, disease from evil spirits, strangling of 
widows, and many other similar customs which are prac- 
tised by savage people. There are, however, a few of these 
customs which may, I think, be specially considered. 
Most of the Melanesian races are cannibals, whilst the 
Polynesians as a rule will indignantly deny that it was 
ever practised amongst them; and yet when we examine 
into the origin of some of their customs, it is very evident 
that the habit was common even amongst such superior 
races as the Tongans and Samoans. When the Samoans 
went to beg pardon for any great offence, they bowed down 
in front of the offended chief’s house, each man holding 
in his hand a piece of firewood, leaves, stone, earth, &c. 
These were symbolic of the deepest humiliation, and meant, 
“here are we, and here are the stones, firewood, leaves, &c., 
to make the oven in which you can cook us.’”’ A Samoan 
would take out the eye or tongue of a fallen foe, put it on 
a banana leaf, and pretend to eat it, to show his hatred. 
These are surely proofs of cannibalism in other days. The 
Samoans use a polite language when addressing others, 
and ordinary words when speaking of themselves. The 
traces of this are found also in Melanesia. The Duke of 
York people say “un turu”’ (stand up) as a polite form of 
