Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/103

 POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES. 85 guage produced so strange and extensive an Influ- ence, — where its country, — what its state of society, — and what its name and history ? On the evidence of language, we may pronounce as to the state of civilization of such a nation, that they had made some progress in agriculture, — that they understood the use of iron, — had artificers in this metal, and in gold ; perhaps made trinkets of the latter, — were clothed with a fabric made of the fibrous bark of plants, which they wove in the loom, — were ignorant of the manufacture of cotton cloth, which was acquired in after times from the continent of India, — had tamed the cow and buf- falo, and applied them to draught and carriage,— and the hog, the domestic fowl, and the duck, — and used them for food. Such a nation, in all proba- bility, was in a state of social advancement beyond tl,e ancient Mexicans ; for they not only under- stood the use of iron, and of the larger animals, which the Mexicans did not, but the wide spread of their language across many seas proves that they had made considerable progress in maritime skill, which the Mexicans had not. If they possessed the art of writing, and a national kalendar, the pro- bability of which will be afterwards shown, their superiority was still more decided. There is no living language of the Archipelago, and still less of any nation, modern or ancient, be- yond its limits, which can be denominated the pa- rent stock of the Great Polynesian language. It