228 K. N. Oust — Languages of tJie Indo-Chinese [Nov^ 



** To the east, and separated by the Macassar Straits, is the curiously- 

 shaped island of Celebes, the centre o£ a civilization independent of Java ; 

 the population at a remote period were Hindu. The Muhammadans had 

 only just arrived, when the Christians came on the field ; a certain propor- 

 tion of the people are Protestant Christians, as the Dutch power is para- 

 mount. The language and literature essentially differ from that of Java 

 and Malay ; there is a distinct written character in use, preserving the clas- 

 sification of the Nagari, but differing in appearance ; there is also another 

 and obsolete alphabet ; there are two great languages, with a literature, the 

 Bugi or Wugi, and the Mangkasara or Macassar ; there are other langua- 

 ges, the Mandhan, Buton, Salayer, Tomore, Garontolo, and Menado, and 

 some are spoken by savages. The Bugi are a powerful people, and their 

 literature copious, but both languages have a soft and vocalic pronunciation. 

 The grammar is exceedingly simple, but -differing in many particulars wide- 

 ly from the Malay and Javanese ; out of 1700 words 1300 are native, the 

 remainder loan-words from Malay and Javanese ; their language has exerted 

 an influence upon other islands ; they have an ancient literature and laws, 

 and by some are asserted to have an archaic language, but no specimen has 

 been obtained. The Macassar and Bugi are not dialects of the same lan- 

 guage, though they have much in common ; they are mutually unintelligi- 

 ble. To Dr. Matthes we are indebted for grammars, dictionaries, an essay 

 on folklore, selections, and a translation of a portion of the Bible both in 

 Bugi and Macassar. Vocabularies are supplied by Crawfurd, Thompson, 

 Ley den. Raffles, and others ; a vocabulary of the dialects of Tomore, Buton, 

 Salayer, is supplied by Wallace, one of Menado by Latham, and of Man- 

 dhan and Buton by Raffles. The Keran has been translated into Bugi. 

 Professor Niemann gives instruction in Bugi and Macassar in the College 

 for Training Dutch Colonial Servants at Delft in Holland. There are 

 several languages spoken in the Celebes by the Alfura, or Harafura, or Tu- 

 rajah, head-hunting savage races. We have contributions from several 

 Dutch scholars, Jansen, Rhidell, and Professor Niemann, 1866, and others. 

 The flourishing Dutch settlement of Minahassa is in their neighbourhood. 

 We have a translation of the Bible by Herman in one of these languages, a 

 catechism in Malay and Alfura by the same, and materials for a dictionary 

 by Millies. There is no written character, and indeed very little is known 

 as to the names and numbers of these languages. 



" Crossing the Molucca Passage to the east, we come to the Spice- 

 Islands. It was here that the Portuguese were met in 1521 by Magellan 

 and the Spaniards, who had crossed the Pacific from the west. We find 

 that then, as now, the Malay language was the language of commerce, yet 

 each island, Amboyna, Tidor, Ternate, Banda, Gilolo, and others, had pre- 

 served their peculiar languages totally different from Malay. There was no 



