178 MELANESIA AND ITS PEOPLE. 
islands to the east of New Guinea can be shown to be Melanesian by 
reason of their languages, and if Melanesia be taken as a starting- 
point for nomenclature, the Malagasy language of Madagascar might 
even be classed as Melanesian. ‘The peoples of New Guinea have the 
same three distinguishing physical characteristics that we have noted 
above, and the languages of a very considerable proportion of at least 
the coast peoples there can certainly be classed as Melanesian. 
Dr. Codrington has shown in “Melanesian Anthropology ”’ that there 
is a large general resemblance in the religious beliefs and practices, 
the customs and ways of life, which prevail in Melanesia proper, and 
further research on the lines indicated by him will probably reveal the 
presence of similar beliefs and conditions of life among the Melanesian 
peoples of New Guinea and the neighboring islands. 
A distinguishing social condition of Melanesia is the complete ab- 
sence of tribes, if the word tribe is to be applied as it is to the Maori 
people of New Zealand, or as used in Fiji. Descent in nearly every 
part of Melanesia is counted through the mother and the people are 
everywhere divided into two classes which are exogamous. ‘This 
division of the people is the foundation on which the fabric of native 
society is built up. 
THE GOVERNMENT OF MELANESIA. 
Previous to 1914 Germany held an important part of Melanesia, 
viz., the Bismarck Archipelago, which comprises the two large islands 
Bales prior to their annexation by Germany as New Britain and New 
Ireland, with many smaller islands in the group, notably the Duke of 
York, wid also with two large islands in the Solomons, Bougainville 
and Choiseul, and the small island Buka. France holds New Cale- 
donia and the Loyalties, and a joint British and French protectorate, 
known as the Condominium, prevails in the case of the New Hebrides, 
Banks, and Torres groups, with the center of government at Vila, 
Sandwich Island. The Solomons and Santa Cruz are a British pro- 
tectorate with a resident commissioner stationed at Tulagi, Florida, 
Solomon Islands, and under the orders of the governor of Fiji, who is 
high commissioner for the Pacific. 
THE PROGRESS OF THE MELANESIAN MISSION. 
‘The nominal field of work of the Melanesian Mission is all the Mel- 
anesian islands from and including the Solomon Islands to the three 
northern New Hebrides, Raga, Omba, and Maewo, but excluding 
Fiji. All of the islands in this sphere as far north as Ysabel (with a 
few exceptions noted below) are more or less occupied by the Mission. 
‘The total number in its schools in 1914 was 15,000, of whom 9,000 are 
baptized. Many of the smaller islands are now completely Christian, 
but even on islands of moderate size, like Ulawa in the Solomons or 
