xx INTRODUCTION. 



knowledge of the language now possessed by some of the 

 missionaries. Mr. Whitmee tells me that he has been engaged 

 on a ' Comparative Polynesian Dictionary,' in con j unction with 

 the Eev. J. E. Moulton, and says, modestly enough, ' From 

 Mr. Moulton 's ability and thorough knowledge of the language, 

 I am sure this will be a very valuable contribution to our 

 knowledge.' We may safely add the name of the I lev. 

 S. J. Whitmee after that of the Ilev. J. E. Moulton in this 

 quotation. 



A grammar and a dictionary of the Tahitian language were 

 published in Tahiti in 1851 ; and the Rev. J. L. Green, of 

 Tahiti, has been at work, in conjunction with Mr. Whitmee, 

 upon the last-named gentleman's 'Comparative Dictionary.' 

 Gaussin's ' Grammar of the Tahitian' can be safely relied 

 on, and Buschmann and Baron William 'von Humboldt, in 

 their works on the Marquesas, also deal with the language of 

 Tahiti. 



Of the Hercey Islands dialects, of which the principal is that 

 of Karotonga, no dictionary has been published, but a brief 

 grammar by the Rev. A. Buzacott was published in the island 

 in 1854. The assistance of the Rev. W. W. Gill, B.A., has 

 been secured for the ' Comparative Dictionary,' which will take 

 some time yet to complete. 



In regard to the Marquesas I have already mentioned Gaus- 

 sin's work, and I learn there is also an Essai de la Lanf/uc des 

 lies Marquises in existence, but do not know when it was pub- 

 lished or where. The Aperru, de la Langue des lies Marquises et 

 de la Langue Taiticnne, par J. Ch. Ed. Buschmann (Berlin, 1843), 

 contains, besides the last-named gentleman's essay, a short 

 French Marquesan vocabulary and some Marquesan and 

 Tahitian texts, with interlinear French translations. To these 

 are appended a grammar of Marquesan and Tahitian, and a 

 vocabulary of the Tahitian by Baron William von Humboldt, 

 which will be found useful Abbe Boniface Mosblech's book, 

 published in Paris in 1843, under the title of Vocaluloirr 

 Oceanien-Francais et Franniis-Oce'anien des Dialectes partts aux 



