[15]. See Pernety’s Journal, p. 244, and p. 213.
[16]. See English Translation of Bougainville, p. 51.
[17]. See Bougainville, p. 64
[18]. About 147 west longitude, as I reckon.
[19]. See Don Antonio d’Ulloa’s Book, vol. ii. chap. 3. page 95 to 102, where there is a very particular account of this island.
[20]. Ulloa says, that the chart places this island sixty leagues from the coast of Brazil; and that the Portuguese pilots, who often make the voyage, judge it to be eighty leagues; but, by taking the mean between the two opinions, the distance may be fixed at seventy leagues.
[21]. It may be easily perceived, that notwithstanding some words are entirely different, the first five Indian languages are radically the same; though the distance from Easter Island to New Zealand is upwards of fifteen hundred leagues. The principal difference consists in the mode of pronunciation, which in Easter Island, Amsterdam, and New Zealand, is more harsh, or guttural, than at the Marquesas Isles, or Otaheite. The other three differ totally, not only from the preceding, but from each other; which is more extraordinary than the agreement of the others, as from Malicollo to Tanna, you never lose sight of land, nor is New Caledonia at a great distance from the last place. In the language of Malicollo, a great number of harsh labial sounds prevail, very difficult to be represented in writing. At Tanna the pronunciation is likewise harsh, but rather guttural, and the inhabitants of New Caledonia have many nasal sounds, or snivel much in speaking. It may, however, be observed, that in the three last languages, some words are found, which seem to have a distant resemblance to those that go before; as Brrooas in Malicollo, and ´Booga, or Boogas, in Tanna, both signifying a hog, which at Otaheite, and the Marquesas, is expressed by the word ´Böa, and at Amsterdam by Boo´acka. Yet, whether these may not have been accidentally introduced, is hard to determine; because they frequently use two words to express the same thing; as, for instance, in New Caledonia, they call a star both Peejoo and Fy’fatoo: the first seems most consonant to the general composition of their language, whereas the second differs very little from E’faitoo or Whettoo, the name of a star at Otaheite. When they mention puncturation, it is commonly called Gan, Gan,galang; but sometimes they say Tata’tou, which is almost the same as Ta’tou, used to express the same thing at Otaheite and Amsterdam.
[22]. The letters in italic, as oo, ee, &c. are to be sounded as one. Those with this ¨ as öe, &c. separately. The accent at the beginning of a word, signifies the chief stress in pronunciation is to be laid there: if over it, at any other part, the stress is laid on that part immediately following. A comma in the middle of a word, either signifies, that it is compounded of two; or, that the same syllables repeated, make the word; in both which cases, a small stop, or pause, must be made in pronouncing it.
Transcriber’s Note
This book uses inconsistent spelling and hyphenation, which were retained in the ebook version. Some corrections have been made to the text, including normalizing punctuation. Further corrections are noted below: