Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1836-09-22

The Sand,cich Islands and the Missionaries
The American Quarterly Review, for
September. gives the following delightful
picture Of some Of the benefits which the
Sandwich Islands have derived from A
merican Missionaries.
Since the establishment OF the Ameri-
can mission, now about sixteen years, a
most material change has taken place in
this people, in many respects; and when
we state that reading and writing-aye
and printing too-have been introduced
by the missionaries, and now extensively
oiffuscd, and that the natives feel the
most intense interest in those precious
arts, we have said all that an intelligent
reader will desire TO know, in order to
form an estimate oftheir future prospects.
For these advantages, Of which the
grateful natives are fully sensible, they
have been indebted to Americans.
Their curiously constructed language,
of more than Italian sofness, was first
reduced TO writing by American mis-
sionaries, according to a plan originally
proposed by an American, and by which
their children and adults learn to read in
vastly shorter time than it is possible
for us to learn our language. They have
their elementary books of all the most
useful and necessary kinds-primers,
spelling books and reading books; and
among these we cannot omit to mcntlonI
a book Of arithmetic, the study Of which
is almost a passion with them, and in the
opinion Of the Missionaries has done
more to excite their thinking powers,
than has been effected by any other
work ever published for their instruction.
The Gospels and other parts Of the New
Testament have been for some time in
common use among them--the types sci
up and the work done by native printers,
but of course not without the aid Of A.
mericans-and what will more surprise
our readers, We have now lying before
US two different newspapers, published in
the language Of the island; yes two
newspapers, one on whole sheet and
the other OH a half sheet, Of the large
quarto size, and quite as respectable in
their external appearance as the average
Of our own gazettes. Our readers, we
are sure, will not be displeased to have
a brief notice Of these two journals, the
first fruits Of what we must call, however
strange it may sound to our civilized
ears, the literature Of the Sandwich
Islands.
In their "Shipping List" an American
reader will be struck with their mode Of
writing our difficult names. 1t is well
known, that all the sy labes Of their Ian
guage end with voicei sound, and that
they cannot pronounce the harsh COM
bination Of two or more consonants,
which occur so continually in the Euro
pean language. We accordingly see
our Englis names all soflened in con-
lormity with this principle; New Bedford
becomes M Bedefoda; Boston is made
a word Of four syllables, }osetona; Nan
tucket is Nonetuketa; Philadelphia be-
comes Piladclpia; and Britain, Beritania.
The letter Is one Of the stumbling
blocks; they cannot pronounce ii but
always change il into OF &; hence Mr..
Ellis, the missionary was called EIhki.
From similar cause, il is said (though
we will not vouch for the fact) that their
celebrated prime minister, Boki, dcri-
we'd his name from an attempt To- initiate
the sound of the English word Boos (or
Bose) the sailors abbreviation of Boats.
rain, which was the name of n dog, that