Arrival at St. Maloes.
Being determined to put into Brest, I resolved to ply with variable winds, from S. W. to N. W. when the 15th in the morning our people came to inform me, that our fore-mast was near being carried away under the rigging. The shock it had received when its yard broke, had made it worse; and though we had eased its head by lowering the yard, taking in the reefs in the fore-sail, and keeping, the fore-top-sail upon the cap close reefed, yet we found, after an attentive examination, that this mast could not long resist the pitching caused by the great sea, we being close-hauled; besides this, all our rigging and blocks were rotten, and we had none to replace them; then how was it possible in such a condition to combat the bad weather of the equinoxes between two coasts? I therefore resolved to bear away, and conduct the frigate to St. Maloes. That was then the nearest port, which could serve us as an asylum. I entered it on the 16th in the afternoon, having lost only seven men, during two years and four months, which were expired since we had left Nantes.
Puppibus & læti Nautæ imposuere Coronas. Virg. Æneid. Lib. iv.
VOCABULARY
OF THE LANGUAGE OF
TAI TI ISLAND.
| A. | |
| Abobo[[136]] | Tomorrow. |
| Aibou | Come. |
| Ainé | Girl, (fille). |
| Aiouta | There is some. |
| Aipa | The term of negation, there is none. |
| Aneania | Importune, tedious. |
| Aouaou | Fy; term of contempt, and of displeasure. |
| Aouereré | Black. |
| Aouero | Egg. |
| Aouri | Iron, gold, silver, every metal, or instrument of metal. |
| Aoutti | Flying fish. |
| Aouira | Lightning. |
| Apalari | To break or destroy., |
| Ari | Cocoa-nut. |
| Arioi | Bachelor, and a man without children. |
| Ateatea | White. |
| I know of no word that begins with these consonants of ours, B, C, D. | |
| E. | |
| Ea | Root. |
| Eaï | Fire. |
| Eaia | Parroquet. |
| Eaiabou | Vase. |
| Eaiabou-maa | Vase which is used to put their victuals in. |
| Eame | Drink made of cocoa nuts. |
| Eani | All manner of fighting. |
| Eao | Clouds, also a flower in bud, before it opens. |
| Eatoua | Divinity. The same word likewise expresses his ministers, and also the subordinate good or evil genii. |
| Eeva | Mourning. |
| Eie | Sail of a periagua. |
| Eiva-eoura | Dance or festival of the Taitians. |
| Eivi | Little. |
| Eite | To understand. |
| Elao | A fly. |
| Emaa | A sling. |
| Emao | A shark; it likewise signifies to bite. |
| Emeitai | To give. |
| Emoé | To sleep. |
| Enapo | Yesterday. |
| Enene | To discharge. |
| Enia | In, upon. |
| Enninnito | To stretch one’s self yawning. |
| Enoanoa | To smell well. |
| Enomoi | Term to call, come hither. |
| Enoo-te-papa | Sit down. |
| Enoua | The earth and its different parts (a country). |
| Enoua-Taiti | The country of Taiti. |
| Enoua-Paris | The country of Paris. |
| Eo | To sweat. |
| Eoe-tea | An arrow. |
| Eoe-pai | A paddle or oar. |
| Emoure-papa | The tree from which they get the cotton, or substance for their stuffs, the cloth-tree. |
| Eone | Sand, dust. |
| Eonou | Turtle. |
| Eote | To kiss (baiser). |
| Eouai | Rain. |
| Eonao | To steal or rob. |
| Eououa | Pimples in the face. |
| Eoui | To belch or eruct. |
| Eounoa | Daughter-in-law. |
| Eouramaï | Light (not darkness). |
| Eouri | A dancer. |
| Eouriaye | A dancing girl. |
| Epao | Luminous vapour in the atmosphere, called a shooting-star. At Taiti they are looked upon as evil genii. |
| Epata | Exclamation to call one’s wife. |
| Epepe | Butterfly. |
| Epija | Onion. |
| Epoumaa | Whistle; they make use of it to call the people to their meals. |
| Epouponi | To blow the fire. |
| Epouré | To pray. |
| Epouta | A wound; this word likewise signifies the scar. |
| Era | The sun. |
| Era-ouao | Rising sun. |
| Era-ouopo | Setting sun. |
| Era-ouavatea | Noon sun. |
| Eraï | Heaven. |
| Erepo | Dirty, unclean. |
| Ero | Ant. |
| Eri | King. |
| Erie | Royal. |
| Eroï | To wash, to cleanse. |
| Eroleva | Slate. |
| Eroua | A hole. |
| Erouai | To vomit. |
| Eroupe | Very large species of blue pigeon, like those which are in the possession of marshal Soubise. |
| Etai | Sea. |
| Etao | To dart, or throw. |
| Etaye | To weep. |
| Eteina | Elder brother or sister. |
| Etouana | Younger brother or sister. |
| Etere | To go. |
| Etere-maine | To come back. |
| Etio | Oyster. |
| Etipi | To cut, cut (particip.) |
| Etoi | A hatchet. |
| Etoumou | A turtle-dove. |
| Etouna | An eel. |
| Etooua | To grate. |
| Evaï | The water. |
| Evaie | Moist. |
| Evaine | A woman. |
| Evana | A bow. |
| Evare | A house. |
| Evaroua-t-eatoua | A wish to persons when they sneeze, meaning that the evil genius may not lull thee asleep, or that the good genius may awaken thee. |
| Evero | A lance. |
| Evetou | A star. |
| Evetou-eave | A comet. |
| Evi | An acid fruit, like a pear, and peculiar to Taiti. |
| Evuvo | A flute. |
| The following words are pronounced with a long e, like the Greek η. | |
| ηti | Wooden figures representing subordinate genii, and called ηti-tane, or ηti-aine, according as they, are of the masculine or feminine gender. These figures are employed in religious ceremonies, and the people of Taiti have several of them in their houses. |
| ηieie | Basket. |
| ηou | A fart. They detest it, and burn every thing in a house where one has farted. |
| ηouou | A muscle-shell (moule.) |
| ηreou-tataou | Colour for marking the body; with it they make indelible impressions on different parts of the body. |
| ηriri, and likewise | |
| ouariri | To be vexed, to be angry. |
| I know of no word beginning with the consonants F, G. | |
| H. | |
| Horreo | A kind of instrument for sounding, made of the heaviest shells. |
| I. | |
| Ióre | A rat. |
| Ioiroi | To fatigue. |
| Iroto | In. |
| Ivera | Hot. |
| I do not know any of their words beginning with the consonant L. | |
| M. | |
| Maa | Eating. |
| Maea | Twin children. |
| Maeo | To scratch one’s self, to itch. |
| Maï | More, is likewise said maine; it is an adverb of repetition etere, to go, etere-maï or etere-maine, to go once more, to go and come again. |
| Maglli | Cold. |
| Mala | More. |
| Malama | The moon. |
| Malou | Considerable, great. |
| Mama | Light, not heavy. |
| Mamaï | Sick. |
| Manoa | Good-day, your servant; expression of politeness or friendship. |
| Manou | A bird, swift (leger.) |
| Mao | Hawk for fishing. |
| Mataï | Wind. |
| Mataï-malac | East or S. E. wind. |
| Mataï-aoueraï | West or S. W. wind. |
| Matao | Fish-hook. |
| Matapo | One-eyed, squinting. |
| Matari | The Pleïades. |
| Matïe | Grass-herbage. |
| Mato | Mountain. |
| Mate | To kill. |
| Mea | A thing (chose.) |
| Meia | Banana-tree, bananas. |
| Metoua | Parents. Metouatane, or eoure, father; Metouaaine, or erao, mother. |
| Mimi | To make water, to piss. |
| Móa | Cock, hen. |
| Moea | Mat. |
| Mona | Fine, good. |
| Moreou | A calm. |
| Motoua | Grand-son. |
| N. | |
| Nate | To give. |
| Nie | A sail of a boat. |
| Niouniou | A jonquil. |
| O. | |
| Oaï | Walls and stones. |
| Oaite | To open. |
| Oorah | The piece of cloth which they wrap themselves in. |
| Ooróa | Generous, he that gives. |
| Opoupoui | To drink. |
| Oualilo | To steal, to rob. |
| Ouaouara, | Aigret of feathers. |
| Ouaora | To cure, or cured. |
| Ouanao | To ly in. |
| Ouare | To spit. |
| Ouatere | The helm’s-man. |
| Ouera | Hot. |
| Oueneo | That does not smell well, it infects. |
| Ouetopa | To lose, lost. |
| Ouhi | Ho! ah! (hé.) |
| Ouopé | Ripe. |
| Oupani | Window. |
| Oura | Red. |
| Ouri | Dog and quadrupeds. |
| P. | |
| Pai | Periagua. |
| Paia | Enough. |
| Papa | Wood, chair, end every piece of furniture of wood. |
| Papanit | To shut, to stop up. |
| Paoro | A shell, mother-of-pearl. |
| Parouai | Dress, cloth. |
| Patara | Grandfather. |
| Patiri | Thunder. |
| Picha | Coffer, trunk. |
| Pirara | Fish. |
| Piropiro | Stink of a fart, or of excrements. |
| Pirioi | Lame. |
| Piripiri | A negative, signifying a covetous man, who gives nothing. |
| Po | Day, (light.) |
| Póe | Pearl, ornament for the ears. |
| Poi | For, to. |
| Poiri | Obscure. |
| Poria | Fat, lusty, of a good stature. |
| Porotata | Dog-kennel. |
| Pouaa | Hog, boar. |
| Pouerata | Flowers. |
| Poupoui | Under sail. |
| Pouta | Wound. |
| Poto | Little, minute. |
| I know no word that begins with Q. | |
| R. | |
| Rai | Great, big, considerable. |
| Ratira | Old, aged. |
| Roa | Big, very fat. |
| Roea | Thread. |
| No word is come to my knowledge beginning with S. | |
| T. | |
| Taitai | Salted. |
| Taio | Friend. |
| Tamai | Enemy, at war. |
| Tane | Man, husband. |
| Tao-titi | Name of the high priestess, who is obliged to perpetual virginity. She has the highest consideration in the country. |
| Taoa-tane | Married woman. |
| Taporai | To beat, abuse. |
| Taoua-mai | Physician. |
| Taoumi | Gorget of ceremony. |
| Taoumta | Covering of the head. |
| Taoura | Cord. |
| Tata | Man. |
| Tatoue | The act of generation. |
| Tearea | Yellow. |
| Teouteou | Servant, slave. |
| Tero | Black. |
| Tetouarη | Femme barée? |
| Tiarai | White flowers, which they wear in their ears instead of ornaments. |
| Titi | A peg, or pin. |
| Tinatore | A serpent. |
| Twa | Strong, malignant, powerful. |
| Tomaiti | Child. |
| Toni | Exclamation to call the girls. They add Peio lengthened, or Pijo softly pronounced, like the Spanish j. If the girl slaps her hand on the outside of the knee, it is a refusal, but if she says enemoi, she thereby expresses her consent. |
| Toto | Blood. |
| Toua-pouou | Hump-backed. |
| Touaine | Brother or sister, by adding the word which distinguishes the sex. |
| Toubabaou | To weep. |
| Touie | Lean. |
| Toumany | Action of fencing; this they do with a piece of wood, armed with a point, made of harder materials than wood. They put themselves in the same posture as we do for fencing. |
| Toura | Without. |
| Toutai | To make the natural evacuations. |
| Toutη | Excrements. |
| Toupanoa | To open a window or door. |
| Touroutoto | A decrepit old man. |
| Toutoi-papa | Light or fire of the great people; niao-papa, light of the common people. |
| V. | |
| Vereva | Flag which is carried before the king and the principal people. |
| I know no words beginning with the letters U, X, Y, Z. | |
| Names of different parts of the body. | |
| Auopo | The crown of the head. |
| Boho | The skull. |
| Eouttou | The face. |
| Mata | The eyes. |
| Taria | The ears. |
| Etaa | The jaw. |
| Eiou | The nose. |
| Lamolou | The lips. |
| Ourou | The hairs. |
| Allelo | The tongue. |
| Eniou | Teeth. |
| Eniaou. | Tooth-picks, they make them of wood. |
| Oumi | The beard. |
| Papaourou | The cheeks. |
| Arapoa | The throat. |
| Taah | Chin. |
| Eou | Teats, nipples. |
| Asao | The heart. |
| Erima | The hand. |
| Apourima | The inside of the hand. |
| Eaiou | The nails. |
| Etoua | The back. |
| Etapono | The shoulders. |
| Obou | The bowels. |
| Tinai | The belly. |
| Pito | The navel. |
| Toutaba | The glands of the groin. |
| Etoe | Buttocks. |
| Aoua | Thighs. |
| Eanai | Legs. |
| Etapoué | The foot. |
| Eoua | Testicles. |
| Eoure | The male parts. |
| Erao | The female parts. |
| Eomo | The clitoris. |
| Numerals. | |
| Atai | One. |
| Aroua. | Two. |
| Atorou | Three. |
| Aheho | Four. |
| Erima | Five. |
| Aouno | Six. |
| Ahitou | Seven. |
| Awarou | Eight. |
| Ahiva | Nine. |
| Aourou | Ten. |
| They have no words to express eleven, twelve, &c. They repeat Atai, Aroua, &c. till to twenty, which they call ataitao. | |
| Ataitao-mala-atai | Twenty, more one, or twenty-one, &c. |
| Ataitao-mala-aurou | Thirty, i. e. 20 more 10. |
| Aroua-tao | Forty. |
| Aroua-tao mala atorou | Forty-three, &c. |
| Aroua-tao mala aourou | Fifty, or 40 more 10. |
| I could not make Aotourou count beyond his last number. | |
| Names of Plants. | |
| Amiami | Raisins. |
| Oporo-maa | Pepper. |
| Pouraou | Cayenne-rose. |
| Toroire | Heliotropium, or tournesol. |
They have a kind of article answering to our articles of and to (de & à). This is the word te. Thus they say parouai te Aotourou; the clothes of or (belonging) to Aotourou; maa-te-eri, the eating of kings.
THE END.
ERRATA.
Page 2, line last, for main-yards, read lower-yards—p. 9. l. 3, for one quarter, read by—ib. l. ib. for one quarter, read by—ib. l. 6. for one quarter, read by—p. 17. l. 16. for the river of Plate, read Rio de la Plata—p. 33. l. 15. for top-masts handed, and main-yards lowered, read yards and top-masts struck—ib. l. 19. for main-sails read courses and top-sails—p. 34. l. 12. for one quarter, read by—p. 245. note, l. 1. for cooes nutisera, read cocos nucifera—ib. l. 2. for parasidiaca, read paradisiaca.