Wellington Philosophical Society. 427 
This was the last of a series of five papers devoted to an inquiry on the “ Whence of 
the Maori.” The author explained the various steps he had taken in his investigations— 
(1) ethnological, (2) philological, and latterly, glossarial He by this means originally 
traced the connections between the various tribes of Polynesia, Malaya, and Madagascar, 
and latterly the affinities between them and the primitive races of Hindostan. During 
is enquiries his attention had wide scope, he having had to scrutinize about 150 vocabu- 
laries of Asia, 200 of Africa, 25 of Australia, and 50 of America, in none of which, 
outside of the area occupied by the Malagas-Malayo-Polynesian races, had he detected 
root or fossil words, excepting in Hindostan and borders, and exceptionally on the east 
coast of Africa, near to Madagascar. All the evidence adduced, including that of fossil 
words, pointed to archaic Hindostan as the original seat of the Malagas-Malayo-Poly- 
nesian race. That country was therefore the '* whence of the Maori,” a fact particularly 
interesting to New Zealand settlers. To get rid of a long name for one race, he ha 
taken the liberty to call them Barata, ancient Hindostan having been termed the land of 
Barat by the Malays, as expressed by their poetry—to wit: Angin Barat galombang 
sulissei, ahioh nona, ete.; as by the Hindoos, Bharata, and as by the Malagasi, Avaratra, 
all one word, according to the phonology of each language. This interference with the 
dogmas of old New Zealand writers and historians was no doubt very obnoxious, yet he 
would hold to the designation till he saw some facts brought forward to overturn his theory. 
The author next alluded to subsequent glossarial though pre-historic influences in the lan- 
guages of the Malay Archipelago, particularly of the Aryan or Sanscritic, which, though 
imposing many words, these, in no case were radicals. Later again, and within historic 
times, Arabic, Persian, and even Portuguese, had affected the languages, but only in a simi- 
lar manner. None of these languages had imposed a single word on Polynesia, the Arabie 
alone having had slight influence on Malagasi as regarded tertiary terms. The whole 
inquiry indicated a very remote or archaic connection between the insular tropical tribes 
extending from Madagascar to Easter Island and the Land of Barat, i.e.,—ancient 
Hindostan. 
In the discussion that succeeded, Dr. Buller made remarks on the Moriori of the 
Chatham Islands; Mr. Knorpp, on the Todas of the Nilgherries iu India; the Hon. Mr. 
Waterhouse, on Sanserit in Polynesia; Mr. Chapman, on the physical geography of the 
area occupied, on the Tamil Bell,* on the navigation between Sumatra and Madagascar, 
and on the ideal continent once occupying the site of the Pacific Ocean ;—to all of which 
the author shortly replied. 
8. * Moriori Connection,” by J. Turnbull Thomson, F.R.G.S., ete. 
(Transactions, p. 237.) 
Firta Meetine. 13th September, 1879. 
Martin Chapman, Vice-president, in the chair. 
1. ** On the Medical Aspects of Education ” (Part IL), by W. G. Kemp, 
L.R.C.P.Lond., M.R.C.S.Eng. (Appendiz.) 
Mr. Woodward thanked the author for having drawn attention to this subject in such 
a carefully thought out paper. He stated that the questions of lighting and seats would 
in future receive more consideration. 
* Vide Trans. N.Z, Inst., Vol. IV., p. 40, and plate, 
