170 The Classijicatory System of 



Imperative, each form being an inflexion of the verb, one 

 expressing command absolute, as " spear ;" another command 

 detiant, as "spear, if you dare;" and a third command with 

 delay in execution, as " spear, by and bye." The Tongan 

 has two sets of possessive pronouns, the active and the 

 passive, each set being subdivided into two others, the 

 definite and the indefinite. The Fijian has two sets of 

 personal pronouns, at least in the first person, the inclusive 

 and the exclusive ; whereof the former includes the persons 

 addressed, wJiile the latter excludes them. This peculiarity 

 is found in the North American Indian languages also. 

 Moreover, while all, or almost all, the Polynesian dialects, and 

 the Australian also, have three numbers, the Fijian has no 

 fewer than four, singular, dual, trinal, and plural. It has 

 three sets of possessive pronouns, one for ordinary possession ; 

 another for possession of eatables, which their possessor 

 either is going to eat or has eaten ; and yet another for the 

 possession of drinkables, which their possessor is either going 

 to drink or has drunk ; while to words expressing parts of a 

 whole, it postfixes its possessive pronouns in an abbreviated 

 form. I may observe in passing, that under the blessed 

 influence of civilisation, caused by contact with the superior 

 race, resulting in acquaintance with its strong waters, these 

 drinking pronouns are coming into much more frequent use 

 than of yore. 



Having set before you the principal systems hitherto 

 discovered among savage nations, I propose now to examine 

 as briefly as possible, certain terms of kinship in the 

 language of one particular nation, with a view to summon, as 

 it were, those terms as witnesses in the case, to cross-examine 

 them, and to extract from them the information which the 

 degrees wherein they are used, and, wliere it can be 

 ascertained, their etymology, ought to disclose. For this 

 purpose I take the Fijian system, because it is that with 

 which I am best acquainted, and especially because, being 

 thoroughly familiar with the Fijian tongue, I can draw from 

 its terms of kinship the evidence which their etymology 

 affords. This evidence is not a little curious, and it is, to me 

 at least, extremely interesting. 



Under a system which allows promiscuous intercourse of a 

 number of males with a number of females, or where the 

 influence of such a system is still lingering in spite of 

 advanced regulations, we should naturally expect to find the 

 terms by which the conjugal relationship is expressed to be 



