Dr and Mrs Miller were missionaries of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand on the Island of Tongoa in the Shepherd Group, (New Hebrides), Vanuatu, from 1941 to 1947 when Miller became principal of the Tangoa Teachers Training Institute, on Tangoa Island (not Tongoa) off the coast of Santo Island. In 1952 the Millers took a parish in Auckland, New Zealand, returning to Tangoa in 1971 to set up the Presbyterian Bible College. The left New Hebrides/Vanuatu in 1973.

This typescript manuscript (370pp) is based on the diaries, articles and cultural and topical jottings by the Rev. J. Graham Miller and his wife Flora during their missionary service in Tongoa, Shepherd Islands(Vanuatu), 1941-47. It includes maps, press clippings and reproduces relevant reports, statistics and comments. See also PMB 1012, 1025 and 1028.

This book is not only rare, but also has been printed on very weak paper. The copy held in the Baker Papers (PMB 1203/227) is disintegrating. The copy held by the National Library of Australia, microfilmed here, is in better condition but the paper is very fragile and has cracked in several places. Other surviving copies are also likely to be deteriorating due to the poor quality of the paper. The PMB also has available a digital version of Baker’s Tongan Vocabulary, scanned from this microfilm, converted to text, and searchable.

Baker’s English and Tongan Vocabulary consists of the following parts:
Preface
List of abbreviations
English-Tongan Vocabulary, pp.1-133.
Tongan – English Vocabulary, pp.1-206.
List of Idiomatic Phrases, pp.207-209.
Errata, p.210.
Addenda, p.211.
List of Pronouns Omitted, p.211.
Grammar of the Tongan Language, pp.1-42.

The author was a Latter Day Saints missionary to Samoa, 1890-93. He describes his missionary experiences and includes observations on Samoan life and customs.