Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0220
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[Page 220]
216.
Some account of New Zealand
a small depth only she was old & had outlivd probably those violent impressions that greif as well as other passions of the mind make upon young people her greif also was probably of long standing the scarrs upon the bodies of the greater part of these people evincd however that they had felt sorrows more severely than she did
Thus much for the manners & customs of these people as far as they have come to my knowledge in the few opportunities I had of seeing them they differ in many things but agree in more with those of the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands their Language I shall next give a short specimen of which is almost precisely the same at least in fundamentals it is true that they have generaly added several letters to the words as usd by the inhabitants of Otahite &c. but the original plainly appears in the composition the language of the Northern & southern parts differ cheifly in this: the one has added more words letters than the others the original words are however not less visible to the slightest observer I shall give a short table of each compard with the Otahite taking care to mention as many words as I know which are either of a doubtfull or different original