APPENDIX. 
461 
Ocean on tlie one hand, and that spoken by the natives of Mada¬ 
gascar on the other, does not now admit of doubt. Verbal and 
grammatical differences characterise the several families of lan¬ 
guages or dialects, in their respective regions, and also prevail 
to some extent amongst collections of languages or dialects be¬ 
longing to the same region; but, underlying these, appear indu¬ 
bitable traces of one primitive language, of which the verbal or 
structural features may, in a greater or less degree, still be dis¬ 
covered in them all. 
Regarding Sumatra or the Malayan peninsula as a centre, this 
language has extended to the eastward across the Pacific Ocean 
to Easter Island, a distance of 150 degrees ; and, on the other 
hand, it has stretched over the Indian Ocean to Madagascar, 
50 degrees to the westward,—thus reaching, chiefly within the 
tropics, over 200 degrees of longitude, or 20 degrees more than 
half the circumference of the globe. This same language also 
prevails from the Sandwich Islands, in lat. 23° 30' N., to New 
Zealand, in lat. 46° S., thus spreading in a direction north and 
south over 70 degrees. The latter two clusters of islands, although 
nearly 5000 miles apart, appear more closely allied to each other 
by language than, with one or two exceptions, either of them 
is united in the same manner to any of the intervening groups. 
The researches of Sir George Grey *, late Governor-in-Chief of 
New Zealand, as well as those of Mr. Hale of the United States’ 
exploring expedition, and of Captain Erskine of H.M.S. “Havan- 
nah,” and others, furnish conclusive evidence that the inhabitants 
* Polynesian Mythology, and Traditional History of the New Zealand Races. 
This work by Sir G. Grey is not only extremely interesting, but valuable on 
account of the information it contains ; and it is earnestly to be desired that 
the missionaries in those regions, or other persons equally well qualified, should 
be able, without neglecting more important duties, to collect, while it is still 
possible to do so, and preserve, as has been done to some extent in the “ Samoan 
Reporter,” the legendary history, and even the fabulous mythology, of other 
portions of the same widely-scattered family. Such records, besides proving 
serviceable in communications with existing races, would be deeply interesting 
to future generations of the people, whose destiny, it is to be hoped, is not 
extinction, but amalgamation with the civilised and Christian races, whose 
dominion is so rapidly advancing in those distant regions. 
