62 



Transactions. — Miscellaneous i 



probable. From my kuowledgo of the South Seas, I have often been 

 inclined to consider that the Maoris, Tongese, Samoans, Earotougans, and 

 Hervey Islanders are all sprung from the same tribe, and that their islands 

 were originally peopled from Tahiti. Often indeed, even now, Tahitian 

 canoes are driven a three weeks' journey to the westward, or westward and 

 southward, the people, happening to be in them, living upon a few cocoa- 

 nuts as long as such a supply lasted. Also, that Tahiti itself may have 

 been peopled by a migration from the Sandwich Islands, unless indeed these 

 two groups of islands were peopled at one and the same time by a migrating 

 tribe from the parent Malay country. It is, however, a strange circum- 

 stance, that nearly all these islanders claim some acquaintance with Hawii, 

 the principal island of the Sandwich group, the Savii (^Tharii) of Samoa 

 being almost similar in pronunciation, and the Hauraki of New Zealand 

 being a derivative. The Hawaiian mythos pervades the different groups, 

 especially, as I have before said, the deeds of the great god Maui. I might 

 indeed go further, and say that the natives of all the islands of Eastern 

 Polynesia are sprung from the same origin, and in support of this statement 

 I attach a comparative view of the numerals of the different dialects that I 

 have taken from a table compiled by the Eev. G. Turner, LL.D., to which 

 I refer my hearers : — * 





Marque- 

 sas. 



Tahiti. 



Sand- 

 wich or 

 Hawaii. 



Earo- 



tonga. 



Mana- 

 hiki. 



Samoa. 



Savage 

 Island. 



Union 

 Group. 



Tonga. 



New 

 Zea- 

 land. 



1 



Tahi 



Tahi 



Kahi 



Ta'i 



Tahi 



Tasi 



Taha 



Tasi 



Taha 



Tahi 



2 



Ua 



Kua 



Alua 



Eua 



Lua 



Lua 



Ua 



Lua 



Ua 



Eua 



3 



Toil 



Torn 



Akolo 



Torn 



Toru 



Tolu 



Tolu 



Tolu 



Tolu 



Toru 



4 



Fa 



Ha 



Aha 



A 



Fa 



Fa 



Fa 



Fa 



Fa 



Wha 



5 



Ima 



Bima 



Alima 



ELma 



Lima 



Lima 



Lima 



Lima 



Ntma 



Eima 



6 



Ono 



Ono 



Eono 



Ono 



Ono 



Ono 



Ono 



Ono 



Ono 



Ono 



t7 



Pita 



Hitu 



AJiikn 



Itu 



Hitu 



Fitu 



Fitu 



Fitu 



Fitu 



Whitu 



8 



Van 



Varu 



Aualn 



Valu 



Varu 



Valu 



Valu 



Valu 



Valu 



Waru 



9 



Iva 



Iva 



Aiwa 



lua 



Iva 



Iva 



Iva 



Iva 



Hiva 



Iwa 



10 



Onohn'u 



Ahuxu 



Umi 



Ngaulu 



Launga- 

 hulu 



Sefulu 



Hongo- 

 fulu 



Sefulu 



Honga- 

 fulu 



Nga- 

 huru 



20 



Eu'a ono- 

 hu'u 



Ta'au 



Iwaka- 

 lua 



Elua nga 

 ulu 



Takau 



Luafulu 



Ua hon- 

 gofulu 



Lua- 

 fulu 



Luo- 

 fulu 



Euate- 

 kau 



100 



All 





Uniiunii 



Lau 



Lima 

 takau 



Selau 



Te au 



' Selau 



Teau 



Eau 



1,000 



Mano 







Mano 



Ua lau 



Afe 



Afe 



Afe 



Afe 



Mano 



10,000 



Mano 



Mano 





Mano 



Mano 





The reason that the numerals of the Union Group (Bowditch Island) 

 happen to be so exactly hke those of Samoa, arises, I believe, from the fact 

 that Samoans colonized the group. The same reasoning applies to Savage 

 Island and Tonga. The only other islanders in the Pacific whose numerals 



* " Nineteen years in Polynesia." 



