William Wyatt Gill
Encyclopedia
William Wyatt Gill was an English missionary, active in Australia and the South Pacific region after 1831.
He was the author of several works, his first, Life in the Southern Isles; or, Scenes and Incidents in the South Pacific and New Guinea (London, 1876) was followed by Myths and Songs from the South Pacific (London, 1876), a more thorough study prompted by Max Müller
; both helped establish his reputation amongst missionaries and in scholarly circles. From 1877 he was placed at Rarotonga
, retiring to England after the death of his wife. He returned to Sydney, then to New Guinea
, the record of which is found in Work and Adventure in New Guinea 1877 to 1885. Gill was commissioned by George Grey
to produce Historical Sketches of Savage Life in Polynesia (Wellington, 1880), a revised version intended for missionaries was issued in London as From Darkness to Light in Polynesia.,
He was the author of several works, his first, Life in the Southern Isles; or, Scenes and Incidents in the South Pacific and New Guinea (London, 1876) was followed by Myths and Songs from the South Pacific (London, 1876), a more thorough study prompted by Max Müller
Max Müller
Friedrich Max Müller , more regularly known as Max Müller, was a German philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion...
; both helped establish his reputation amongst missionaries and in scholarly circles. From 1877 he was placed at Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, retiring to England after the death of his wife. He returned to Sydney, then to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the record of which is found in Work and Adventure in New Guinea 1877 to 1885. Gill was commissioned by George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
to produce Historical Sketches of Savage Life in Polynesia (Wellington, 1880), a revised version intended for missionaries was issued in London as From Darkness to Light in Polynesia.,