INTR OD UCTION. xxi 



lies Marquises, Sandwich, Gambler, etc., is by no means a per- 

 fect work, but at present it is the only published dictionary 

 of the Marquesan language. The services of M. Pinard, who 

 has resided some time in the islands, have, however, been 

 secured for the ' Comparative Dictionary,' and he will con- 

 tribute material from the two dialects known to exist in the 

 group. 



The same gentleman will also furnish that portion of the 

 same important work which deals with the Bapanui and 

 Gambier Islands. Most of the people of the Tuamotu, or Low 

 Archipelago, are now speaking the Tahitian language, and I 

 conclude that M. Pinard's contribution on the Gambier Islands 

 dialect is likely to be all that will be obtained from that widely 

 scattered cluster of small islands. 



As regards Nine (or Savage Island, sometimes spelt Nieue), 

 a grammar of its language has been prepared by the Eev. 

 W. G. Lawes, who was many years a missionary there, for in- 

 corporation in a proposed ' Comparative Grammar.' 



The languages of the Tokelau, or Union, and the Ellice 

 Islands are approximate to the Samoan. Yet they use more 

 sounds than are found in most of the other Sawaiori languages. 

 Samoan books have been used in both of these groups, and 

 most of the people now use that language. I learn that a 

 moderately full vocabulary has been secured for the ' Compara- 

 tive Dictionary.' 



As I have already stated, the Fijians, as a Papuan (or Mela- 

 nesian) people, are much crossed with Sawaiori or MalayO' 

 Polynesian blood, so that in the language of Fiji we find many 

 Sawaiori words. This occurs, too, again in llotuma (a volcanic 

 island to the north-west of the Fiji Group and recently annexed 

 to the British Empire in answer to the prayers of the inhabi- 

 tants, in consequence of the unseemly squabbles between 

 the followers of the Catholic and Protestant missionaries), in 

 the language of which island there are a few Sawaiori or 

 Malayo-Polynesian words to be found. 



Again, in Uvea, one of the Loyalty Group, and at Fotuna 



