An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean

With an Original Grammar and Vocabulary of their Language

Bibliographic Data

ID23799656
AuthorsWilliam Mariner (corresponding author)
EditorsJohn Martin (0000-0002-3209-7340)
Year2012
Publication date2012-11-15
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueAccount of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean : Volume 1 (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9781139565264
OpenAlexW2484664060
ISBN9781139565264
LanguageEN
Citations received16

In November 1806, the damaged Port-au-Prince arrived at what Captain Cook had called the Friendly Islands. William Charles Mariner (1791–1853) was among the few crew members spared by the native inhabitants. He lived there for four years. Published in 1818, this two-volume second edition offers an important early insight into Tongan customs and language. As editor John Martin (1789–1869) explains, the structure of a nation's language is vital to the consideration of its history. So successful was the first edition of 1817 - expanded upon here to include 'generally corroborative, and in a few instances somewhat corrective' information from another erstwhile inhabitant - that within months of its publication a French translation appeared; German and American editions soon followed. Volume 1 comprises Martin's extensive introduction, the story of the ship's voyage and destruction, and an account of Mariner's stay on the islands and the events leading to his departure.

Archaeology · Crew · Genealogy · Geography · German · Port (circuit theory) · Engineering · History · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

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