THE GREAT OCEAN. 899 



The opinion of Zuniga*, and of those wlio have 

 attempted to deduce and explain the peopling of 

 the islands of the Great Ocean, according to the 

 course of the monsoon, from east to west, from 

 America to Asia, is refuted. 



In case it should appear, from examination, that 

 sufficient grounds really existed, to recognize in 

 the inhabitants of South America, and the islanders 

 of the Great Ocean, or the people of Eastern 

 Asia, the same aboriginal people, and in their lan- 

 guages the same branch, the inhabitants of the 

 New World would, perhaps, rather, according to 

 Molina's opinion, be derived from the Old World 

 over the ocean, by the island chain of the 

 second province, and against the course of the 

 monsoon, or over New Zealand,* and under the 

 dominion of the varying winds. 



We set aside the comparison which has been 

 attempted to be made between the colossal statues 

 of the island of Pascha, and the monuments 

 of Peruvian architecture. We recognize in the 

 former figures, which are made of a light volcanic 

 stone, merely the common idol, which is to be 

 found in the moral of most of the islands, and 

 which are called in the Sandwich islands, Aktia^ 

 gods ; and in the Society islands, Tighiy spirits, 

 souls. 



We observed that the islands situated nearest to 



* In the second chapter of the Historia de las PhiHpinas. 



