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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 9, 29 August 1861, Page 3

Lexicon of the Maoki Language.—Reference is made, in our report of the proceedings in the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, to a motion on (his subject, introduced by Mr. Colenso, member for Mapier, and withdrawn in deference to the wsh of the Government, and the majority of the house. An interesting debate took place, in the course of which various subjects, bear. i;:g on the civilization of the Maoris, were discussed. , The question of whether the early missionaries could not have taught the Matures of Mew Zealand the English language as easily as creating a lit m ature, and giving them a new, because a corrupt, language, was raised by Mr. Firth ; and answered by Mr. Colenso, who said that the earlymission aides had enough to do to retain a recollection of their mother tongue, which at this dav, after years of intercourse with Englishmen, lie spoke wilh a hesitancy he never felt when addressing the natives. Mr. t'olenso intimated that he contemplated a lexicon of all the dialects spoken by the dilierent tribes in Incw Zealand. He was of opinion that this work would be of great service in courts of law, and especially to the resident magistrates, who had often to depend upon interpreters of the lowest character, in making their judicial awards. He also slated that the collection of Maori songs collated by Sir George Grev, and printed after much careful revision, were so erroneous that he was compelled to abandon an attempt ho had made at a translation. The compilation of such a lexicon must bo a work of much time, labour, and expense, and wiii be valueless for all pi aetical purposes when completed. Long before it has been finally revised, the Polynesian language will have ceased to bo spoken in Mew Zealand. The English language, apart from its absolute superiority, is the language of commerce, not in Mew Zealand alone, but throughout the world : it is yearly extending among foreign nations for this purpose ; and therefore, while it is the bounden duty of this colony to preserve a record of the Maori tongue of savage times, let no unhealthy sentiment lead to the delusive hope that any such record will conserve the native language, or necessitate its adoption by Europeans. To enable us to rule the natives well, they must first be taught English in its purity—not English words based on Maori ideas. YvTien that has been done thoroughly, we have no doubt as to the preservation of the native race. It will then have become a necessity ; but should that not be done, it will tax the energies of our statesmen to devise social and moral fences wherewith to enclose their human game from the deadly snares of European vices unchecked by European sagacity. The chief fault, may we venture to add, of all our efforts to improve the natives, has been our imitation of tho old Tory practice of “ over preservation.” By all means let us have the lexicon, when there is a plethoric treasury ; but we do not sec the absolute necessity for it until then. Vv T c believe the thousands of pounds sterling which (bis work must ultimately cost, would go far towards giving a suitable English commercial education to the rising generation of natives, British teachers being employed for that purpose. The difficulties may bo great ; but when the statement made by Mr. Cracroft Wilson during the debate is remembered, that the coolies who spent five years iu the Mauritius learned the French language without instructors, no faint-heartedness should be felt in making a great experiment to give the Maorics an English secular education. These coolies, when accosted in Hindustani, replied in French, shewing that they rightly appreciated tae idiom of the language ; and why should the Maorics be incapable of appreciating English ?—Southern Cross, Aug. 9.