POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
71 
and ease of acquisition. In addition to the printed 
specimens^ they had a small vocabulary^ compiled by one 
of the officers of the mutineers in the Bounty^ who had 
resided some months in Tahiti^ prior to the arrival of the 
Pandora; when he was arrested^ and brought a prisoner 
to England^ where he was executed at Portsmouth. 
This vocabulary he left with the worthy clergyman who 
attended him in his confinement, and by him it was 
kindly given to the Missionaries ; who found it more 
useful than every aid besides. On their voyage, 
they had carefully studied it, but though they were thus 
put in possession of a number of words, in their proper 
collocation they discovered they had every thing to 
learn. They had arranged a number of words in sen¬ 
tences according to the English idiom, which they sup¬ 
posed would be serviceable on landing; but the use of 
which they soon found it necessary to discontinue. One 
of these sentences, Mity po tuaana^ often afterwards 
amused the king, when he came to know what they 
intended by it. Maitai is good, po is night, and tuacma 
brother. Good-night, brother, was the sentiment in¬ 
tended ; but if the natives understood the English word 
mighty^ it would mean. Mighty night, brother; or, if 
they understood mity as their word maitai^ the phrase 
would be an assertion to this effect. Good (is the) night, 
brother. This circumstance shews the difficulties they 
had to contend with, even when they had acquired the 
meaning of many of the substantives and adjectives in 
the language. 
In these embarrassments they had no elementary books 
to consult, no preceptors to whom they could apply, but 
were obliged, partly by gestures and signs, to endeavour 
to obtain the desired information from the natives; who 
