206 



NATURE 



\Jan. i, i! 



With regard to the language and dialects. This study 

 was attended with great difficulty because there was at 

 hand no go-between who could play the part of a mutual 

 interpreter, for the terms which were required could only 

 be learnt either by pointing to the corresponding object, 

 or through such signs as would be employed in barter. 

 These two methods were, however, the source of 

 many misunderstandings and mistakes, for the same 

 object was variously named by different people, and for 

 weeks Maclay was uncertain as to which term was the 

 correct one. Here is an instance of what frequently 

 happened. Dr. Maclay showed a leaf, hoping to arrive at 

 its name, a native mentioned a name, which was forth- 

 with written down ; another Papuan gave another name 

 on being shown the same thing ; a third, fourth, and 

 fifth, each gave a different word. Which out of all these 

 was the proper name of the leaf in question ? 



After a time and by degrees it was discovered that the 

 word first mentioned was the proper name of the plant to 

 which the leaf belonged, the second betokened its colour, 

 e.g., green, the third dirt or useless, probably because the 

 leaf had been picked up from the ground, or belonged to a 

 tree not turned to account by the Papuans. And so it came 

 to pass with many words with abstract expressions and 

 such as could not'be explained by signs. Maclay, too, had 

 obviously greater difficulties, for instance, how to inquire 

 the equivalent word for "friend," and that for "friend- 

 ship," and it was only after the lapse of four months that 

 the corresponding word to "seeing" was arrived at, but as 

 to the equivalent of "hearing," this was never come upon. 

 The writing down of words was involved in further diffi- 

 culties ; there were certain tones of the Papuan language 

 which were absolutely impossible to imitate. This 

 Maclay lightly attributes to fundamental differences in 

 the anatomical structure of the larynx and the whole 

 muscular system of the organ of speech in the two races. 

 Not only the organ of speech but also that of hearing plays 

 an important part, for the same word may be heard in a 

 totally distinct manner by different individuals. There is, 

 too, in the denotation of the words of such a tongue quite a 

 series of sources of fallacy— (i) the aborigines have not 

 the same pronunciation ; (2) the translator hears the 

 words with his individual organ of hearing ; (3) previously 

 to writing it down he pronounces it with his individual 

 organ of speech ; (4) and finally, after pronunciation, the 

 foreign word must be expressed in the characters of a 

 known language. Nearly every village on Maclay Coast 

 has its peculiar dialect, and these vary so much, that when 

 lvuking an excursion of two or three days, M. Maclay 

 required the assistance of two, and even three, inter- 

 preters. It is only the old who understand two or three 

 dialects, and it not infrequently happens that young 

 persons do not know words of their own dialect, in which 

 case they resort for information to some old Papuan. 

 From this it may come to pass that upon the death of 

 elders new words must be brought out by the young and 

 introduced into the vocabulary. On the other hand the 

 Papuans are fairly quick at learning a new language, 

 consequently there are now to be heard on Maclay Coast 

 a number of Russian equivalents for such words as axe, 

 knife, nail, &c. The names of various birds are founded 

 upon the cry which they utter. There are, moreover, 

 among the dialects of Maclav Coast a number of Malayo- 

 Polynesian words. J. C. GALTON 



(To be continued.) 



JAMES R. NAPIER, F.R.S. 

 ~\1\ ANY cultivators of science, both at home and abroad, 

 J-"- more especially those engaged in engineering and 

 shipbuilding, will deeply regret to learn of the decease of 

 Mr. James R. Napier, F.R.S., the eldest son of the late 

 Mr. Robert Napier of Shandon, the eminent pioneer of 

 the shipbuilding and marine engineering industries of 

 the Clyde. The sad event occurred on Saturday, the 



13th ult, at his house in Glasgow, after an illness which, 

 had confined him to his room for about three weeks. 

 His health had been very unsatisfactory, however, for a 

 number of years, and, with the view in a great measure 

 of securing a better bodily condition, he had travelled a 

 good deal — to Australia, twice to America, several times 

 up the Mediterranean, wintering once at Malta, and on. 

 another occasion at Madeira, where he had the melancholy 

 satisfaction of having as a brother invalid the late Prof. 

 W. K. Clifford. 



Born in the year 1821, and educated at the High School 

 of Glasgow, Mr. Napier studied mathematics under Dr. 

 James Thomson (Sir William Thomson's father), natural 

 philosophy under Dr. W. Meikleham (Sir William's im- 

 mediate predecessor), and practical astronomy under the 

 late Prof. J. P. Nichol. 



When quite a young man he was installed in his father's 

 shipbuilding yard at Govan in a responsible position, 

 having had, however, an excellent practical training in 

 the workshop under the late David Elder, a man who did 

 much to train the present race of mechanics who have since 

 secured prominent positions in their profession. By and. 

 by the firm of Robert Napier and Sons was constituted, 

 the sons being the deceased and his brother John ; and 

 the firm eventually attained a position in connection with 

 marine engineering and naval architecture that has never 

 been excelled in the annals of steam navigation. About 

 twenty years ago Mr. James R. Napier retired from the 

 firm, and for a time he conducted a shipbuilding businsss 

 of his own, when he availed himself of the opportunity of 

 putting into practice a number of his most advanced 

 notions in ship construction. But it would seem as if he 

 was not destined to shine as a man of business, being very 

 unlike his father in this respect. During his subsequent 

 career he occasionally executed a number of commissions 

 in connection with matters in which his special knowledge 

 could be profitably turned to account, and much of his 

 time was devoted to scientific pursuits. 



From time to time Mr. Napier communicated many 

 interesting papers to learned societies with which he 

 became connected. One of those bodies was the Philo- 

 sophical Society of Glasgow, which he joined in the year 

 1S50, when its presidential chair was filled by Dr. Thomas 

 Thomson, F.R.S. , the eminent chemist and mineralogist. 

 In 1 85 5 he became a life member of the British Associa- 

 tion, on the occasion of its second meeting in Glasgow, 

 and he long took a deep interest in its affairs, by serving 

 on special committees, and otherwise. He was one of 

 the founders, and subsequently president, of the Institu- 

 tion of Engineers in Scotland (now Institution of Engi- 

 neers and Shipbuilders), the birth of which took place in 

 1857, with Prof. Rankinc as the first president. When 

 the Institution of Naval Architects was formed in the 

 vear 1S60, he became a member, and was honoured by a 

 seat in its first council. 



Following the example of Prof. Roscoe in Manchester, 

 a number of people of scientific proclivities, a few years 

 ago, originated the Glasgow Science Lectures Association, 

 the first lecture of which was, appropriately, delivered by 

 Roscoe himself. The movement in Glasgow met with very 

 hearty co-operation from the deceased. His sympathy 

 with scientific progress was shown in a great variety of 

 ways ; and as an inventor who had often to apply to the 

 Patent Office, he was leagued with Sir William Thomson 

 and others in the recent movements for bringing about a 

 comprehensive reform of the patent laws. 



One of the leading features of Mr. Napier's career was 

 the unbroken intercourse, personal and professional, 

 which was maintained between him and Prof. Rankine. 

 They had numeious joint undertakings in experimental 

 investigation, and each was of very great service to his 

 fellow, and in the end to science. As might well be 

 understood, to no person was Rankine's too early decease 

 a greater loss than to James R. Napier. John Mayer 



