[An-lang] P.A.Lanyon-Orgill

[Ross Clark (FOA DALSL)]

I have just learned that Peter A. Lanyon-Orgill, who published a number of
works on Austronesian and Papuan languages, and also edited the Journal of
Austronesian Studies during the 1950s and 60s, died about a year ago in a
nursing home in Marazion, Cornwall.
Some will remember the review of Lanyon-Orgill's book "Captain Cook's South
Sea Island Vocabularies" (JPS 92:552-559, 1983) in which Paul Geraghty
presented compelling evidence that a number of previously unknown
vocabularies contained in the book, purported to have been collected on
Cook's voyages, were spurious. Examination of other works by Lanyon-Orgill
in the light of this finding raises many other questions of authenticity and
originality, of fact and fiction.
Lanyon-Orgill in life was also a somewhat enigmatic figure (to me, at
least). He lived in England, Scotland and Canada at various times, mainly
exercising the profession of schoolmaster. He refers here and there to
having done field work in Australia, New Guinea and the New Hebrides, but I
have not been able to confirm this. Perhaps someone on this list met him in
one of these places, or can otherwise confirm that he was there? Equally
mysterious are persons credited by Lanyon-Orgill with supplying information
or assistance, whose existence has been impossible to document -- "Dr
Siegfried Passman of Rabaul", "Prof Schwarzenburg" of Vienna, "Garibaldi
Galizzani", to name a few. Do any of these names ring a bell?

Ross Clark
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