Account of a Voyage of Discovery Part 34

[Footnote 37: See Sentences Nos. 18, 19, and 21.]

[Footnote 38: The compa.s.s was generally called _Ka.s.see tooee_, which two words signify wind and a c.o.c.k or fowl; but the landsmen called it _Karahigh_, which signifies a watch.]

[Footnote 39: This is probably _Oowhoko_, signifying a great many persons.]

[Footnote 40: The day at Loo-Choo is divided into six hours, as also the night. In counting a number of days they apply the numerals in a similar manner to that which will be found in a note on _Twitchee_, an hour; but they did not seem to have any names to denote the days of the week.]

[Footnote 41: This word is generally used by the master of the house when his guest announces his intended departure, by saying, _Cung, cung_.]

[Footnote 42: See Sentences Nos. 74 and 76.]

[Footnote 43: See Sentences Nos. 29, 32, 33, and 37.]

[Footnote 44: See Sentences Nos. 24 and 107.]

[Footnote 45: See Sentences Nos. 31, 36, and 27.]

[Footnote 46: See Numerals, Loo-Choo and j.a.pan, Part II. after the Sentences.]

[Footnote 47: This word, which is composed of _addee_, this, and _coodee_, that, I am not positive of, and I have therefore affixed a query against it.]

[Footnote 48: This is a very difficult word to p.r.o.nounce, and I am not certain of having conveyed its true sound.]

[Footnote 49: See Sentence No. 111.]

[Footnote 50: See Sentence No. 55.]

[Footnote 51: See Sentence No. 20.]

[Footnote 52: See note on Numerals.]

[Footnote 53: The nearest sound to that of _flail_ which a native of Loo-Choo could utter was that of _Freyroo_; generally speaking they found great difficulty in p.r.o.nouncing English words. The nearest sound to that of our _l_ was _Airoo_, and to that of _vil_ was _Bayroo_.]

[Footnote 54: See note on Numerals.]

[Footnote 55: See Sentences Nos. 45, 47, and 48.]

[Footnote 56: The intention of departing from a house is generally announced by _Cung, cung_.]

[Footnote 57: The hair of the natives is formed into a knot on the crown of the head, and fastened by two pins of silver or bra.s.s, the one ornamented by a flowered head, called _kamma-s.h.i.+shee_, and the other _ooshee-thushee_. That worn by the children is called _jeefa_.]

[Footnote 58: This word is used to denote a _tree_ as well as a _hand_; this probably arises from the similarity; considering the _hand_ as the trunk, and the fingers the branches of the _tree_.]

[Footnote 59: A piece of China c.r.a.pe, or very fine paper, is used as a handkerchief by the superior cla.s.ses of the natives, and is generally worn in the bosom: the lower orders subst.i.tute a coa.r.s.er kind of paper.]

[Footnote 60: A negative in frequent use.]

[Footnote 61: This word may be applied to being in want of water.]

[Footnote 62: See Sentence No. 2.]

[Footnote 63: A strong aspirate.]

[Footnote 64: See note on _I_ or _me_ (first person) next page.]

[Footnote 65: These two expressions were obtained by catching a b.u.t.terfly and then letting it go.]

[Footnote 66: The _jeeshee_, or _vase_, is a stone jar in which the bones of the dead are deposited at the expiration of seven years after burial.]

[Footnote 67: The same word (_obee_) signifies both the hoop of a cask and the girdle worn round the waist; this probably originated in the girdle being subst.i.tuted for the hoop, which appears to have been worn formerly.]

[Footnote 68: _Ma_, signifying a horse, is a Chinese word, and was probably introduced into Loo-Choo with that animal.]

[Footnote 69: The names of the hours will be found in the second part; the divisions of time will be found under their different heads of day, month, year, &c.]

[Footnote 70: While seeking to obtain from the natives the p.r.o.nouns _I_, _you_, and _him_, I at first got _chooee, lay_, and _meechay;_ but on further enquiry I found that these had not that meaning, they were superseded by _w.a.n.g_, _ya_, and _aree_, for _I_, _you_, and _him;_ but as I heard _chooee_, _lay_, and _meechay_ repeated in enumerating persons, I have set them down as first, second, and third persons, that being the sense which they seem to bear. The word _chooee_, or _choo_, it would seem signifies man (h.o.m.o) in a general sense.]

[Footnote 71: See Sentence No. 96.]

[Footnote 72: See Sentence No. 99.]

[Footnote 73: See Sentence No. 101.]

[Footnote 74: See Sentence No. 6.]

[Footnote 75: See note, "Holding a thing."]

[Footnote 76: See Sentences Nos. 81 and 82.]

[Footnote 77: See Sentences Nos. 38 to 44.]

[Footnote 78: Literally to sew clothes.]

[Footnote 79: Literally to work rope.]

[Footnote 80: _Skoyoong_, or _Sookooyoong_, signifies to bake.]

[Footnote 81: This word, which is composed of _ickkee_ and _ya_ (_ickkee_ signifying _there_, and _ga_, which may possibly have been originally _ya, you_), appeared to me to bear a similar meaning to our _you, sir_, or _you, there_, as the natives invariably called out _ickkeega_, when wis.h.i.+ng to attract the attention of any one.]

[Footnote 82: See note on the _kawroo_. The _kaw_ is also burned when an offering of rice is made on the _kawroo_.]

[Footnote 83: The following are the names of the months or moons.

January Shaw gwautsee.

February Nee gwautsee (lit. 2d month).

March Sang gwautsee (lit. 3d).

April Shee gwautsee (lit. 4th).

May Goo gwautsee (lit. 5th).