essentially to occur, is in answer to the question who or what? and will then generally bear to be translated by the verb, it is or it was, &c. Thus, who is there? a man, co he tangata: what is that? an axe, co he togi: who was with you? a woman, co he fafine: it is a man, it is an axe, it was a woman, &c.

Before proper names it is used in like manner, the article being left out, as in answer to these questions, who did you see there? co Finow: who else did you see there? co Toobo Nuha. But if the names of a number of persons are mentioned, the particle co is only put before the first, as, who came in afterwards? co Havili, mo Mooala, mo Talo, mo Latoo, &c. (mo being a repetition of the conjunction). In like manner, it is used before the proper names of brutes and of inanimate things, as dogs, hogs, canoes, clubs, axes, &c. ; for axes formerly had proper names, on account of their extreme scarcity and consequent value; and clubs also, which have become valuable on account of having been used in killing great chiefs, or from having done much execution.

Before the names of different varieties of the same species, this particle is also used, but the article he is omitted; as, co tooa, co cowmele, co caho-caho, co gnoo, all which are different kinds of yam. But when speaking of the yam in general, they would put the article he after co: as co he oofi, the yam; that is, in answer to a question, as before.

Sometimes (not particularly in answer to a question) the name of the species and variety are both mentioned, as the chief Ooloo Valoo, the man Boboto; and in such cases the particle co is always used (the article he being omitted) before the proper name of the person spoken of, and often before the word expressing chief, man, &c.; but in this latter case (i. e. without the article) it seems to show that the party spoken of is supposed to be known to the person addressed; as co egi co Ooloo Valoo, the chief Ooloo Valoo; co tangata co Boboto, the man Boboto. If, on the contrary, the chief Ooloo Valoo, or the man Boboto, is supposed to be unknown to the party addressed, then the article he, as well as the particle co, would be used before egi, or tangata; as, co he egi co Ooloo Valoo, i. e. a certain chief called Ooloo Valoo; co he tangata co Boboto, a certain man named Boboto. *

We have intimated just now that the particle co is not always

*I do not mean, however, to lay down this rule as a fixed and certain one. To Mr Mariner's perceptions of the language, it appears in general correct; but he thinks they sometimes violate it through inadvertence, and, I may add, sometimes perhaps for the sake of euphony.

used before the words egi and tangata, and we shall now point out when it is not to be used. If the above phrase, the chief Doloo Valoo, or the man Boboto, were to occur in the latter part of a sentence, the particle co would be left out before egi or tangata, but the article he would remain: as, nai how giate au he tangata co Paloo, there came to me the man Paloo: but if the arrangement of the sentence be altered, thus, the man Paloo came to me, then both the article and particle may be prefixed to tangata, as before: as, co he tangata co Paloo nai how giate au. These two examples, however, intimate that the man Paloo is unknown to the party addressed; but if the contrary were the case, the last form of the sentence only could be used, and the article he must be left out: as, co tangata co Paloo nai how giate au, the man Paloo came to me; but nai how giate au co tangata co Paloo would not be gramatically expressed for any

sense.

In consequence of the frequent use of co before he, the two, in the rapidity of speech, are coalesced into one, the aspirate being omitted; thus, coe instead of co he, as coe tangata co Boboto. We have hitherto expressed them separately for the sake of clearness, but shall henceforth write coe, according to the strictest pronunciation; for co he tangata would not sound very well in the ears of a Tonga chief who took pains to pronounce his language correctly.

THE NOUN.

The noun has, properly speaking, neither gender nor number: i. e. the gender is distinguished neither by any peculiarity in the word, nor by any sign; and the number is only distinguished sometimes by a sign, or by some other word of singular or plural signification; but the use of this prefixed sign or word will depend upon whether the noun be significant of an animate or inanimate nature; if of an animate nature, it will depend upon whether it be a rational or irrational nature.

The singular number of inanimate beings is usually expressed by the simple noun, with the article he before it: as, he togi, an axe; he falle, a house. When it is intended to lay a particular stress upon the circumstance of their being only one, the numeral is used with the word be (only), and the article is left out: as togi be taha, axe only one; falle be taha, house only one. When a certain and fixed number of inanimate objects are meant to be expressed, the numeral is used according to the following form: togi e ooa, axes two; falle e toloo, houses three; vaca e fa, canoes four; wherein it is seen that the particle e comes between the noun and the numeral, and which in all probability is the article, with the aspirate omitted, and placed in this situa

tion for the sake of euphony. When speaking of an indefinite number of inanimate things, the word lahi (many or several), is used before the noun, the article intervening, with its aspirate dropped, as lahi e togi, many the axes; lahi e vaca, many the

canoes.

This sign of the plural, however, is not always used; as, for instance, whose axes are these? coe togi ahai co-eni, i. e. the axes whose these? Here there is nothing of a plural signification, for cöéni means this as well as these, and only the general sense or the visible objects can determine it: or it would be better perhaps to express the rule thus: the singular number is often used for the plural, when it is sufficiently evident that the plural must be meant though not expressed, as in the foregoing example.

In respect to animate beings, the singular is formed in the same way as exemplified in regard to inanimate: as, he booaca, a hog; he gooli, a dog; he tangata, a man; and if a particular strees is laid upon there being only one, the same form as with inanimate natures is used, provided it be an irrational living being, as booaca be taha, hog only one; goolli be taha, dog only one; and such might be the answer to the question, how many hogs, (dogs, &c) are there; but if the word booaca, (gooli, &c.) be not repeated in the answer, then taha must come before be, as taha be, one only. But if the living object spoken of be a rational being, as, only one god, one man, one chief, &c. then the word toca (for which no particular meaning, in this case, can well be given, unless we translate it person or rational individual) must be used before taha, as tangata be toca taha, man only person one; and if in answer to such a question, as, how many men were there? the word tangata be not repeated in the answer, it must be constructed thus: toca taha be, person one only; toca coming first, and be last.

In respect to this word toca, another observation must be made, viz. that it is never used unless with a numeral, or some word expressive of number, as, lahi, many; chi, few.

The plural number of animate irrational beings is sometimes formed exactly in the same way as exemplified when speaking of inanimate beings, as in the following instances: if a certain, definite number be expressed, thus, booaca e ooa, hogs two; gooli e toloo, dogs three; if an indefinite number be expressed, thus, lahi e bocaca, many hogs; lahi e gooli, many dogs: but if, in similar instances, rational beings were to be spoken of, then toca must be used, and the article e left out, according to this form, tangata toca ooa, two men; fafine toca toloo, three women; but if the number of rational beings be indefinite, the mode of expression will be the same as with the irrational

beings, with this only difference, that toca will come before lahi as toca lahi e tangata, many men; toca lahi e hotooa, many gods. There are two other modes of expressing the plural number of nouns of animate natures, and these are by the words cow and toonga, which appear to be collective nouns, and to have the signification of company, body, society, or multitude: they may be used indifferently, either with rational or irrational natures; always observing, that in the former case, where a numeral is used, or the word lahi or chi (many or few), toca must also be used, but not otherwise: as cow tangata, or toonga tangata, men, or a body of men, cow booaca, or toonga booaca, a quantity of hogs and if besides such a collective noun a numeral be also added, then the word toca must be used before the numeral, as in this phrase; a body of men to the amount of a hundred. cow tangata toca teaoo; i. e. a body of men, a hundred; o toonga tangata toca teaoo.

The Tonga nouns cannot be said to have the signs of cases, or any sort of declension; and although the particle gi has frequently a dative signification, it is much more frequently to be taken in the sense of a preposition. The genitive case, where the proper name of a person or place is used, is often expressed by the sign a, as, Finow's speech, Mafánga a Finów: but other wise, as in this example, the name of the person, there is no sign as, he hingoa he jiéna, i. e. the name the person.

There is one more remark to make in regard to nouns expressing animate natures, (whether intelligent or not); but a this regards rather the personal pronouns which are used fo them, we shall only mention it here by the way, and speak mor fully upon the subject under the proper head. The remark t be made is, that when such pronouns are the subjects of a verb or of a question, as (speaking of dogs for instance), give THE to me; or in the question, what did you do with THEM? they ad mit either of a dual or plural number, accordingly as there ar two or more: the dual number of the third personal pronou (in the above sense) being ginówood, and the plural number ginówtóloo. But more of this hereafter.

ADJECTIVES.

The words of this class, for a general rule (not without ex ceptions), follow the substantives whose qualities they express as he tangata lillé, a good man; he togi machila, a sharp axe They have no distinction of gender or number: as, cow tangat

*The particle cow is sometimes used to inanimate su stances, as, cow mya, cordage; cow oofi, yams; but these a particular phrases,

lillé, good men; cow fafine lillé, good women; lahi he togi machila, several sharp axes.

In the exceptions to the rule that the adjective follows the substantive, it never comes immediately before the substantive except in one or two instances, that we can discover, and that is with the adjective (and sometimes adverb), foo, great, very; and foe, whole, entire, single; which always comes immediately before its substantives: as foo lahi, very many, or it may be be translated as an adverb, exceedingly great; foo ita, great anger, or as it may also be rendered, very angry. Foe ooloo, a single

head, or the whole head; foe oofi, a single yam, or an entire yam. In other instances, where the adjective precedes the substantive, some word or words always intervene. Of this we have an instance in one of the examples to the former rule, viz. lahi he togi machila; where the adjective machila immediately follows its noun, serving to illustrate that rule; and the adjective lahi comes before the noun, serving to illustrate the present rule, where it is seen that something intervenes, viz the article he but for another instance, we have this, viz. he has many axes, gooa lahi enne togi, i. e. are many his axes; † here the possessive pronoun enne (his) comes between the adjective and substantive.

The adjective in this, as well as other languages, is often used for a substantive; as, I regard those brave men, ginówtóloo toa gooa te ofa angi, i. e. (to) those brave (men) do I esteem give: here it is seen that the adjective toa, brave, is used as a substantive, signifying brave men, tangata being understood.

On the other hand, substantives are often used as adjectives: thus, tangata, a man, often signifies manly: as, he jiéna tangata, a manly person, i. e. a person being such as a man ought to be; he vaca Fiji, a Fiji canoe.

* Lahi may also mean great or large; in these examples we have instances of the indeterminate nature of the elements of the Tonga language.

+ In this example gooa is the sign of the present tense, and as it has a plural signification, we translate it by the word are.

Here the word ginówtóloo implies that three or more persons are spoken of; had there been only two, it would have been in the dual number: thus, ginówood, them two, those two, &c. The word angi may admit of two meanings; it may either be the verb to give, or the preposition towards; if the first, then ofa (esteem) must be a substantive, as above translated; but if angi be the preposition, then ofa must be the verb, (to esteem, to feel esteem), and the sentence may be thus translated: those brave (men) I feel esteem towards. See angi, under VERBS.