breasts of mankind. Whether their contempt of other people were greater
than their indifference to the real interests which necessary connexion
with them recommended, it is impossible to ascertain in some cases. It
is on either supposition, to their indelible disgrace, that not the
least pains were almost at any time bestowed by them, to acquire a
knowledge of the languages of the people whom they had subdued. The
Javanese, a language venerable from its antiquity, as certainly
connected with the Sanscrit or sacred dialect of the Hindus, and
important from its own excellence, as well as because spoken by some
millions of people with whom the Dutch had very long intercourse, was so
completely neglected, that till very lately not a single individual
among them could write or converse in it. Of the Malayan tongue, which
is quite distinct, though it has borrowed much from it, in consequence
of certain commercial and even religious intercourse, a little knowledge
had been acquired, and plainly for this reason, that without it no
communication could have been carried on with the people inhabiting the
sea-coasts and islands of the eastern parts of India. But even this
knowledge, it is probable, extended no farther than to the names of
substances imperatively alluring to the cupidity of Dutch merchants.
What, alas! could be expected of intellectual energy or enterprize, from
men who had surrendered their souls to _mammon_, and whose only
remaining care it was, to guzzle gin and devour enough of victuals?--E.]

To this account of Savu, I shall only add a small specimen of its
language, by which it will appear to have some affinity with that of the
South-Sea islands, many of the words being exactly the same, and the
numbers manifestly derived from the same source.

_A man_, Momonne. _A sheep_, Doomba.
_A woman_, Mobunne. _A goat_, Kesavoo.
_The head_, Catoo. _A dog_, Guaca.
_The hair_, Row catoo. _A cat_, Maio.
_The eyes_, Matta. _A fowl_, Mannu.
_The eye_ } Rowna matta. _The tail_, Carow.
_lashes_, } _The beak_, Pangoutoo.
_The nose_, Swanga. _A fish_, Ica.
_The cheeks_, Cavaranga. _A turtle_, Unjoo.
_The ears_, Wodeeloo. _A cocoa-nut_, Nieu.
_The tongue_,