136 president's address— section r. 



from prejudice and hasty conclusions, and, above all, free from any 

 favored theory of our own conception or misleading theories 

 advanced by others. We shall find ourselves on a dangerous road, 

 which will undoubtedly lead us astray, if we start with a pet 

 supposition, and seek to bend facts to support a mistaken theory, 

 and deem such warped facts as truths and evidences. 



The tastes and proclivities of students vary, but each will find 

 abundant scope to exercise his mind and direct his study of anthro- 

 pology in its several phases of genealogy, ethnology, archaeology, 

 and comparative philology ; and each may work towards a solution 

 of the question here proposed regarding the origin of the Poly- 

 nesian people — Whence they came and what directed their various 

 migrations ? It is difficult to conceive that the various islands were 

 entered and populated by series of accidental circumstances of 

 waifs and castaways, as some have supposed Settlements have 

 been made by large numbers at different periods. We find the 

 Indo-Polynesian races occupying large territories and forming dis- 

 tinct nationalities in certain groups of islands, and Melanesian races 

 possessing other groups ; and in some countries, as in New Guinea 

 and the Fiji Islands, the two races commingling or preserving 

 distmct boundaries. In Eastern Polynesia — from Tonga to Easter 

 Island and from New Zealand and the Paumotu Archipelago 

 southward to the Sandwich Islands northward — the Indo-Polyne- 

 sians hold possession of the entire area, covering some thousands of 

 square miles. Then, again, north-west to the Caroline Archipelago 

 the same race prevails, and are found in like preponderance in the 

 Malay Archipelago. On some of the groups in the west, in the 

 New Hebrides and other islands, this conquering race are found 

 established in settlements which were evidently made long ages ago. 

 In the western regions of Polynesia the Melanesian race prevails, 

 under the form of what are denominated Papuans and Negritos. 



Evidences have been obtained of the manner in which some 

 Polynesians have been carried to islands at considerable distances 

 fi'om their native lands, and where they have settled among other 

 races and maintained their distinctiveness for several generations. 

 I may mention some instances which have come under my own 

 observation. About fortv years ago we discovered a tribe of 

 Samoans occupying a district on the island of Efate (Sandwich I.), 

 in the New Hebrides Group, with whom easy intercimrse was held 

 through the medium of the Samoan language. The account of 

 their immigration was to this effect : Before Christianity was intro- 

 duced to Samoa, in one of their sanguinary conflicts, a canoe party 

 eft'ected an escape from the conquered district and fled to seek 

 refuge in Tonga. Owing to adverse winds these natives missed 

 their intended destination and were carried to the New Hebrides, 

 and reached the island of Efate. Here, after several conflicts with 

 the natives, they were able to establish themselves. Many years 

 afterwards they were visited by the missionary ship John Williams, 



