94

by the high-sounding Greek name Dinornis, it is in-
teresting and gratifying to the philologist, I find that in all
the Malay dialects of Polynesia, Moa is the name given to
common poultry. The proper name, Samoa, signifies,
according to some, sacred fowl; sa, sacred, moa, fowl.
This etymology, I understand, is incorrect; sacred fowl
would be Moa-sa. Moa was the name of a great chief,
or of a powerful tribe; sa is a prefix signifying be-
longing to. Samoa would therefore mean the people or
followers of Moa; and as these occupied the most of the
group, it was an easy and natural process to transfer the
name from the people to the islands. The fact that the
natives of New Zealand have a specific name for this
extinct fossil bird, shows that its disappearance must
have been very recent. The universality also of the word
among all the branches of the Malay Polynesians is
somewhat curious, and may merit farther investigation.

(5) Ma’icola.—U and R have a peculiar sound in
Malicola. U has the obscure French sound, or the
Scotch sound of u or oo very strong. R is pronounced
after B with a strong trill, as if three R’s were pro-
nounced at once. Ambrim is pronounced as if written
Ambrrr. Captain Cook observed this peculiarity of the
R. It is somewhat analogous to the burr in the North-
umberland dialect.

(6) New Caledonia.—Pig.—The New Caledonians
have no pigs, and hence no name for this animal. From
the name being the same in all the groups, Malay and
Papuan, and so nearly allied to the Spanish word
puerco, a hog, it is probable that pigs were introduced
by Mendana or Quiros, when they first discovered these
groups, and that the name has agreed with the animal.
Captain Cook left a bull and a cow at several of the
groups which he visited; the natives, not understanding
the principles of our language, and evidently supposing
that bull and cow were one word, applied both names to
each animal in a slightly corrupted form; and now, in
most of the groups, the name for ox or beef is
bull-amo-cow.

(7.) Samoan, &c.—K.—In Samoan and Tahitian
the k is generally dropped both in the beginning and
middle of words, thus koe, kai, korero, ika, in New
Zealand, become ‘oe, ‘ai, ‘orero, i‘a in Samoan and
Tahitian; but the want of the k is supplied in the mid-
dle of words by a break, and in the beginning by a
sharper pronunciation of the vowel. In Hawaii k is
substituted for t.

The Malay language, simple, smooth, and essentially
one, is more aggressive than the Papuan. The Malay
is to a small extent become the conventional language
of the Papuan tribes in the New Hebrides, the Loyalty
Islands, and New Caledonia. But were there much in-
tercourse with any well-conducted English-speaking
community, from the ease and readiness with which
they appear to acquire and pronounce English, it would
spread rapidly among them, furnishing a key to price-
less treasures, and carrying the elementary but undying
principles of true religion, sound knowledge, and lasting
prosperity and happiness.

John Inglis.

Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Auckland, 6th May, 1851.

HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF
has directed that

Captain C. L. NUGENT, H. M. 55th Regt.,
is to remain in charge of the Native Secretary’s
Department, as Acting Native Secretary.

By His Excellency’s command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

Private Secretary’s Office,
Auckland, May 3rd, 1851.

HIS EXCELLENCY the LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR
directs it to be notified, for general information, that he will attend at the Council

Chambers for the transaction of Public Busi-
ess, every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, at
12 o’clock.

By His Excellency’s command,
W. COCKCRAFT,
Private Secretary.

PRINTING.

Native Secretary’s Office,
Auckland, 5th May, 1851.

TENDERS will be received at this Office
until noon on Monday, the 9th of June
next, from persons desirous to Contract for Print-
ing the Maori Messenger for the six months
commencing with the 1st July, 1851.

Security will be required for the due per-
formance of the Contract, and the Tenders
should be accompanied by a notification of the
consent of the parties who may be proposed as
Sureties.

Further particulars may be obtained on ap-
plication at the Native Secretary’s Office.

C. L. NUGENT,
Acting Native Secretary.

Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Auckland, 28th April, 1851.

HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF
directs it to be notified for general infor-
mation that he has authorized the sum of
Twenty Pounds to be paid to the Chiefs
Rawiri and Tahana and other Puketapu
Natives, as a reward for their meritorious
exertions in saving the crew and a considerable
portion of the cargo of the schooner John
Whiteley, wrecked near New Plymouth,
during the night of Sunday the 30th ultimo.

By His Excellency’s command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Auckland, 6th May, 1851.

A MEMORIAL having been presented to
His Excellency the GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF,
from several of the Butchers of Auckland,
praying that the Slaughter House in Free-
man’s Bay, commonly known as “Chadwick’s
Slaughter House,” might be continued as a
Public Slaughter House, and the said Memo-
rial having been referred for the Report of the
Wardens of Auckland, those officers have
given it as their opinion that the said Slaughter
House should be forthwith discontinued. His
Excellency the LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR there-
fore directs it to be notified that the Slaughter
House in Freemans Bay, commonly known as
“Chadwick’s Slaughter House,” which was
proclaimed on the 30th December last to
be a Public Slaughter House, shall cease to be
a Public Slaughter House from and after the
31st instant.

By His Excellency’s command,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.