Hall. — On the Island of Bapa. 75 



and afterwards the Franks and Normans, with the Kymry, (who occupied 

 the north side o£ Finance more particularly), imposed their pronunciation 

 and orthography on the whole of France. The distinction of character and 

 appearance between the Gaels and Kymry of France is well desciibed in 

 Merivale's "History of the Eomans under the Empire," Vol. I., chapter 5 ; , 

 and amongst other points he quotes from Tacitus the fact confirmed by 

 Cgesar, that the Ivymry " affected to have a German origin," and imitated 

 the Germans. This would agree with the theory I have propounded, that 

 the Kymry as well as the Teutonic Franks and Scandinavian Kormans 

 introduced the present " continental " pronunciation of vowels into France, 

 and controlled the orthography. 



The Kymry who followed the Celts into Britain seem to have been a 

 different horde from the Belgic Kymry who " affected Germanism " in 

 France ; and their numbers would seem almost to have been smaller, 

 for the Gaels held their own in Scotland, Ireland, and great parts of Wales. 



"With some diffidence, but on the whole with a reasonable expectation of 

 approval, I offer my theory, that the English vowel sounds come through 

 the Celtic portion of our mixed race, to the criticism of philologists; and 

 I am rather encouraged in the view I have taken by the success v-^hich has 

 attended the labours of such men as Dr. Guest and Mr. Matthew Arnold, 

 in ascribing much more of our language and civilization than used to be 

 conceded to the Celtic inhabitants of Great Britain. 



Art. YIII. — On tlie Island of Bapa. By Captain John Vine Hall. 



Plates II.-IV. 

 [Head before the Wellington FJiilosoplilcal Sociefy, 12t7i October, 1868.] 



I MAT commence my notes by saying that the island has been hitherto 

 erroneously called Opara, but on my recent visit to it I inquired particu- 

 larly as to its proper native name, which I found was pronounced nearly 

 as if spelt with an L and two p's, or Lappa. Opara, they said, was "English 

 name." In future it will be called Bapa. 



This island, Hke other places one might mention, has acquired a tempo- 

 rary and adventitious value principally from its position and the possession 

 of a harbour. It was first discovered by the English navigator Vancouver, 

 since which time it has apparently been very little visited except by small 

 trading vessels from the. neighbouring islands. Vancouver described it 

 truly as rugged, formed of craggy mountains, Avith very little level ground ; 

 the narrow valleys between the precipitous hill sides affording the only 

 space for a limited cultivation. 



