EFFORTS TO ACQUIRE THE LANGUAGE. 13 
minds of the natives, others were equally diligent 
in exploring the adjacent country, planting the 
seeds they had brought with them from Europe 
and Brazil, and studiously endeavouring to gain an 
acquaintance with the native language, which they 
considered essential to the accomplishment of their 
objects. In this opinion they were correct; for 
whatever qualification a man may possess, unless 
he manifests application and ability sufficient to 
acquire the language of those among whom he la¬ 
bours, he will make but a very inefficient teacher. 
The language was altogether oral; consequently, 
neither alphabet, spelling-book, grammar, nor dic¬ 
tionary existed, and its acquisition was a most 
laborious and tedious undertaking. On their arrival, 
they found two Swedes, Peter Hagersteine, and 
Andrew Cornelius Lind; the former had been 
wrecked in the Matilda, and the latter had been 
left by Captain New of the Dsedalus, only a few 
years before the Missionaries arrived. Peter had 
a slight knowledge of the colloquial language of 
the natives ; and in all their early communications 
with the chiefs and people, the Missionaries were 
glad to avail themselves of his aid as interpreter. 
He was a man of low education, and bad princi¬ 
ples ; and if he did not intentionally misrepresent 
the communications of the Missionaries, his state¬ 
ments must often have conveyed to the minds of 
the natives very erroneous impressions of their 
sentiments and wishes. From him, as an instruc¬ 
tor, they derived no advantage; as he seldom 
came near them, excepting when he bore some 
message from the king, or the chief with whom he 
resided. The remarks of former voyagers, and the 
specimens of the language they had given, were of 
little service, as they could only be the names of 
