APPENDIX. 



457 



gascar, where the name for watei' is rano ; but in one or more of the 

 islands of the Archipelago, dano and rano signifies water. In other 

 instances, the identity is more evident in words common to the 

 Archipelago and Madagascar, but unknown in the other languages, 

 as in orang and olona, the word for man : masin, also, is the word 

 for salt in both these languages. But the most conclusive evi- 

 dence of identity is found in the numerals, which, with but few 

 exceptions and exceedingly slight variations, prevail throughout 

 the whole range of the language. This will appear by glancing 

 over the subjoined lists, two of which are from the Asiatic 

 Archipelago, one from Madagascar, and the other from Eastern 

 Polynesia. 



Traces of the numerals and other parts of this language also 

 exist in the languages of the races inhabiting Western Polynesia, 

 whose language is said to resemble those of some African tribes. 



Few things appear more remarkable in connection with this 

 language than the length of time during which so large a por- 

 tion of it has been preserved among small detached communities, 

 in regions widely separated, and destitute of any means of inter- 

 course with each other. Sir George Grey expresses it as his 

 opinion that the traditions and mythology of New Zealand have 

 existed among the inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific Ocean 

 for a period considerably above two thousand years ; and the lan- 

 guage in which those traditions are preserved must have had 

 an earlier origin. Tlie antiquity of this language is the more 



* The in all Malagasy words is pronounced as u. 



