280 REPORT— 1891. 



by its co-operation with New Zealand in the matter of the 

 light on the Snares, has frankly admitted its liability to assist 

 in removing aiiy difficulty which exists on the Cape Horn 

 route ; and it is an extremely pleasing thing to see : and if, in 

 addition, Australia and New Zealand would co-operate in 

 solving the mysteries of the Antarctic Circle, they would win for 

 their new world a peaceful victory which would outshine in 

 splendour many of the warlike achievements of the old. 



5. Notes on the Geographical Knowledge of the Polynesians. 



By S. Percy Smith, F.E.G.S. 



Part I. 



In presenting the following notes for the consideration of Sec- 

 tion B, I will preface my remarks by saying that the subject is 

 one which has occupied my spare moments for some years 

 past, and, notwithstanding the fact that I have been, and 

 continue to be, always on the watch for information which 

 will complete our acquaintance with the state of geographical 

 knowledge of the Polynesians, the point at which I have 

 arrived so far leaves a very great deal to be desired. The only 

 excuse which can be offered in bringing the subject forward at 

 this imperfect stage is the hope that many of those who have 

 the opportunity will be induced to supplement the information 

 already collected, or will correct errors which their wider 

 knowledge may enable them to detect. We may thus in the 

 course of time acquire a great deal of knowledge, which will 

 prove of utility in the extensive field of inquiry which is still 

 open to us for the solution of many questions relating to the 

 Polynesian race, its origin, migrations, antiquities, rehgion, 

 customs, habits, &c. 



It is obvious that a fall acquaintance with the state of 

 geographical knowledge of the Polynesians will involve that of 

 their origin, and at the same time throw light on their migra- 

 tions from island to island ; and this, again, will elucidate the 

 history of the people in point of time : so that, if ever a history 

 of the South Seas coines to be written, the inquiry which we 

 are entering on should form a very important branch of the 

 subject, supplying, as it were, the framework on which other 

 lines of research must be built up. 



The period in the history of the race to which these notes 

 refer is that just prior to the discovery and exploration of the 

 numerous groups of the Pacific by the expeditions sent out by 

 various European nations at the end of the last and the begin- 



