The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-04-06
AN ACCOUNT OF THE POLYNESIAN
RACE.

This book, to which we briefly referred in oul
last, is now on sale at the bookstores of Messrs
T. G.. Thrum and Whitney & Robertson, and
will be found of absorbing interest. 1t is an
octave of some go pages, well printed on good
paper. The only criticism which we care to
make, is the remark that perhaps a division oil
the work into chapters with an index at the end,
might have been an improvement and that &C.
casionally we have met with a misprint in words
"a fault, however, to be expected when the
author has not the opportunity TO correct proofs.
But as a whole, the book is truly a surprising
monument of the Hon. Mr.. Fornander's patient
industry, research and literary ability. With
characteristic modesty he introduces himself to
the reading public in the opening paragraph Of
the Preface as follows:
When a gentleman, whose genius and talents have
secured for himself one Of the curule chairs 10 the
republic of letters, introduces a ~blushing aspirant,
his name becomes a voucher for the respectability Of
the latter, and his "faUefe liRguiS ensures an at
tentive hearing until the close Of the performance.
But we are not all born with a silver spoon, and
many an author, like myself, has had to bear the
double burden Of introducing himself as well as his
subject. But when a writer presents himself with
new discoveries, and new ideas based upon them,
the reader has a right 10 inquire who the writer is,
ana II MS discoveries are genuine, before he eNer-
cises ms judgment upon the ideas submitted for his
acceptance. 1t is meet and proper, therefore, on
entering upon ground so little Travelled as that Of
Polyneslan Archaeology, on presenting myths and
legends to the inspection Of the literary world some
OF which have never darkened a sheet Of paper be-
fore, that | should state my right to present them,
how l came by them, and also the lights which
guided and the aids which assisted me on the
journey.
The object and aim Of the work is best stated
in the following sentence, which we take from
the Introductory chapter:
That the reader may know at a glance the result
to which my Investigations in the Polynesian folk
lore, as well as its comparison with that of other
peoples, have led me-. it may be proper here at the
outset to say that L believe that L can show that the
POlynesian family can be traced directly as having
occupied the Asiatic Archipelago, from Sumatra to
Timor, Gilolo, and the Philippines, previous to the
occupation Of that archipel by the present Malay
family; that traces, though faint and few. lead up
through Deccan to the northwest part Of India and
the shores of the Persian Gulf; that, when other
traces here fail, yet the language points farther
north, to the Aryan stock in its earlier days, long
before the Vedic irruption in India; and that for
long ages the Polynesian family was the recipient Of
q Cushite civilization, and to such an extent as al
most entirely to obscure its own consciousness of
p~arentage and kindred to the Aryan stock.
The question as to how these Islands originally
became peopled, has always been one of deep in
terest to the student of ethnography. DIR. Lang,
of Sydney, has recently issued a work from the
London press, of which we published a review in
our issue of February l6, entitled 1.-THE Origin
and Migrations of the Polynesian Race" wherein
the reverend gentleman assumes-and we think
on quite insufficient data-the identity of the
Polynesian and Malayan races. Others have
held that these islands were peopled from the
coast of America. We think however that a
careful perusal of Judge Fornander's first volume
will show that his conclusions as to the migra-
tions of the POlynesians are "not only plausible,
but extremely probable" At all events, he has
in the work before us made a valuable contribu-
ton to the p~hilology of the Pacific islanders, and
has rescued from oblivion many deeply interest
ing legends of their dim past. We shall await
with much interest the appearance of the prom
iced second volume, wherein we are told to ex-
pect Il" a sketch of Hawaiian history proper, from
the period of Maweke and Paumakua to the times
of Kamehameha $50 far as such history may
be gathered from a critical research into the
traditions, songs and genealogies Of the
Hawaiian people"