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OCEANIA OKEEFE. 



the real number of Oceanic words that exist in 

 these dialects, is, after all, but inconsiderable. 

 We suspect that they will not exceed 100 or 150; 

 a small addition indeed to a language which, in 

 common with others of the same class, we have no 

 doubt, will be found to contain not less than from 

 5000 to 6000 words. Neither do the borrowed 

 words seem to be radical, but, on the contrary, 

 such as men would naturally adopt in the progress 

 of improvement, or such as all languages are liable 

 to receive through caprice or accident, a process 

 of which we have already given sufficient exam- 

 ples. The people of Madagascar are, in reality, a 

 Negrito, or at least a Negro race, and if the 

 Oceanic words found in their language were really 

 radical, this ought to prove them to be of the 

 yellow complexioned race, and disprove that part 

 of Mr Marsden's theory, which proceeds on the 

 belief that the languages of the Negritos and yel- 

 low complexioned race are radically and essen- 

 tially distinct. 



We have but very few words to say respecting 

 the origin of the races that inhabit the Oceanic 

 region. The yellow complexioned bears, as al- 

 ready noticed, the nearest resemblance, in form 

 and complexion, to the Hindoo-Chinese race ; but 

 notwithstanding this, and their immediate neigh- 

 bourhood, the evidence of language shows that 

 there is not the slightest connection between 

 them. The Malays and Siamese meet at the 

 seventh degree of north latitude their territories 

 and their people are intermixed, and several of the 

 Malay states have been for ages subject to the 

 power of Siam ; notwithstanding all this, their 

 respective languages and manners are preserved 

 perfectly distinct. Living among each other, they 

 'continue, to almost every intent and purpose, two 

 distinct nations. The Oceanic tribes, therefore, 

 did not emigrate from the Hindoo-Chinese coun- 

 tries ; and the idea of a Chinese or Tartar origin 

 is too ridiculous to deserve a moment's considera- 

 tion. Neither did they emigrate from the conti- 

 nent of America. An examination of the nearest 

 languages of that continent has detected no resem- 

 blance whatever in their genius, structure, or 

 sound, to the Oceanic languages. It would be 

 quite useless to attempt to trace their origin to the 

 country of the Hindoos, of the Persians, or of the 

 Arabs; for from all these people they are as dis- 

 tinct in physical form, and in all the essentials of 

 language, as both are from the nations of Europe. 



With respect to the Negrito races, the only 

 people to whom they bear the least resemblance 

 are the Negroes of the continent of Africa ; but 

 from them they are clearly a distinct race, being 

 eminently wanting in the stature, figure, and gen- 

 eral physical form of the Africans, while similarity 

 of language has not been proved to exist in even a 

 single instance. Besides this, there is the insu- 

 perable difficulty of reaching the Oceanic region 

 from Africa, distant from 3000 to 4000 miles, in 

 the very teeth of a vigorous trade wind. The 

 fable of a Portuguese ship or ships being wrecked 

 on the islands of the Oceanic region, with African 

 slaves on board, is unworthy of all sober attention. 

 With respect to the third race, if such it really be, 

 intermediate between the yellow complexioned and 

 the Negrito, nothing whatever exists to show its 

 foreign origin. The three races then must be 

 concluded to be aboriginal ; and when we are re- 

 duced fo adopt this position, we are certainly in 

 no worse situation than when we attempt to trace 



the migrations of the old inhabitants of any other 

 quarter of the globe. The races of the Oceanic 

 islands are peculiar, like those inhabiting Europe, 

 or Africa, or America. An indigenous and inde- 

 pendent civilization hns sprung up among them, and 

 in the course of many ages this civilization has been 

 gradually, widely, and silently spread, in the manner 

 in which we have endeavoured to explain. History, 

 of course, makes no mention of the changes which 

 this civilization has eifected, because a people so 

 rude have no history. The utmost length to 

 which we can carry back the annals of the more 

 civilized nations of the Oceanic region does not 

 exceed six centuries, and even to this length we 

 can only proceed with the aid of medals and monu- 

 ments. It is but a poor antiquity that can hardly 

 carry us back within two centuries of the Norman 

 conquest of England ! It by no means follows, how- 

 ever, that the Oceanic nations, and even their civili- 

 zation, are not of very considerable antiquity; and 

 we shall, probably, not mislead ourselves if we 

 ascribe a period of several thousand years as hav- 

 ing elapsed between their emerging from the 

 savage state, and the time in which they are first 

 mentioned in history. To the civilized nations of 

 the ancient world they were nearly as unknown as 

 the inhabitants of America; and the first acquain- 

 tance with them made by the nations of modern 

 Europe goes little further back than three cen- 

 turies, when they were found very nearly in the 

 same state of civilization as that in which they 

 exist at the present day. 



O'KEEFE, JOHN, a well-known dramatic wri- 

 ter, was born at Dublin ; his father was a native 

 of King's county, and his mother an O'Connor of 

 the county of Wexford. He was educated by 

 Father Austin, a learned Jesuit, and an able ora- 

 tor ; and vvas pursuing the study of drawing with 

 the view of following the profession of an artist, 

 when he imbibed a passion for the stage. Having 

 been introduced to Mr Mossop, he obtained an en- 

 gagement for three years at the Royal Dublin 

 Theatre ; and he continued to perform in that city, 

 and in the most respectable towns to which the 

 company made summer excursions, for the space of 

 twelve years. Though tragedy was his first choice, 

 an accident soon discovered his forte to be comedy, 

 to which he then turned his principal attention. 

 His ambition to figure as an author was coeval 

 with his theatrical taste ; for, at the age of fifteen, 

 he attempted a comedy of five acts, which, though 

 wild and in parts puerile, he conducted to a denoue- 

 ment with considerable ingenuity. When esta- 

 blished as an actor, he every year produced some 

 local trifle at his benefit. His first production, 

 however, which attracted any important public at- 

 tention, was his farce of " Tony Lumpkin;" which, 

 after it had been acted successfully in Dublin, he 

 sent to Mr Colman, and it was played with equal 

 success at the Haymarket in 1778. This was suc- 

 ceeded in 1779 by " The Son-in-law," another 

 farce, which was a great favourite at Dublin. Soon 

 after this he left Ireland ; and, on his arrival in 

 London, applied for an engagement ; but his ser- 

 vices as an actor were declined. He then devoted 

 himself entirely to dramatic composition, and pro- 

 duced in succession the following pieces: The 

 Dead Alive, a comic opera; the Agreeable Sur- 

 prise, a farce; and the Banditti, a comic opera, all 

 in 1781. Lord Mayor's Day, a pantomime, 1782. 

 Maid the Mistress, a burletta; the Shamrock, a 

 farce; the Young Quaker, a comedy ; the Birth- 





