NEPTUNIAN STOCK. 



265 



language and that of Tahiti being, as Cook states, not greater than that 

 between the dialects of the northern and western parts of England.* 



The New Zealanders believe in the existence of spiritual powers, and, 

 among them, in a malignant demon, whom they term Atua,f an immortal 

 shadow, as a native explained it to Mr. Marsden. The custom of tatoo- 

 ingj is universally practised, as it is now among the most savage nations ; 



202 



A native of New Zealand. 



* The testimony of La Perouse is to the same effect : " At first," he says, " we perceived no 

 resemblance between the language of the people of the Navigator's Islands and that of the people of 

 the Society and Friendly Islands, the vocabularies of which we had with us ; but a closer examination 

 taught us that they spoke a dialect of the same tongue. A fact which may tend to prove this, and 

 which confirms the opinion of the English, respecting the origin of these people, is, that a young Manil- 

 lese servant, who was born in the province of Tagayan, on the north of Manilla, understood and in- 

 terpreted to us most of their words. Now, it is known that the Tagayan, Talgal, and all the dialects of 

 the Philippine Islands, in general, are derived from the Malay ; and this language, more widely spread 

 than were those of the Greeks and Romans, is common to the numerous tribes that inhabit the 

 islands of the South Sea. To me it appears demonstrated, that these different nations are derived 

 from Malay colonies, who conquered these islands at very remote periods ; and, perhaps, even the 

 Chinese and Egyptians, whose antiquity is so much vaunted, are modern, compared to these." 



t This word, which occurs in the languages of most of the South Sea Islands, is conjectured to 

 come from the Sanscrit Dewa ; whence the Greek Zeus, and the Latin Deus. 



t Tatooing is called moko, or amoko, in New Zealand. The word tatoo, used in most of the islands 

 of the Pacific, is derived from ta, to strike. 



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