Note 5 — Chapter XXIII

With respect to the dialects, though the difference is considerable, they are evidently derived from a common source; but it is remarkable that some words in the Millanow and Kayan are similar to the Bugis and Badjow language. This intermixture of dialects, which can be linked together, appears to be more conclusive of the common origin of the wild tribes and civilized nations of the Archipelago than most other arguments; and if Marsdenʼs position be correct (which there can be little or no reason to doubt), that the Polynesian is an original race with an original language,5 it must likewise be conceded that the wild tribes represent the primitive state of society in these islands.