THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

H.M.S. Eosabio has returned to Australia after a cruise amongst the South Sea Islands. At Nukapu (Swallow Group), where the late Bishop Patteson was murderad, Captain Markham did all he could to hold communication with tha natives, but his efforts failed. The natives showed decided hostility, and met the boat's crew with a shower of poisoned arrows, wounding three of the men, one of whom, Corporal Marcus, afterwards died. Captain Markham then ordered the village to be shelled, and this act has bsen strongly condemned by a portion of the Colonial Press, which look upon the Rosario's cruise as a mission of vengeance, but the following extract from an account of the cruise sent to the New Zealand Herald shows that good has resulted from, the Rosai io's visit to the islands:—

" Tno months after punishing the natives of the island of Nguna, for the massacre of the crew of the English schooner Fanny, the Rosario returned to that island, when Captain Markham had an interview with the chiefs, who told him that the murder bad been committed on account of one of their women —an albino woman, the wife of one of their chiefs, having been stolen from the island by the schooner Donald M'Lean, taken down to Tanna, and sold for labor. By a curious concideuce, about a fortnight afterwards, the Rosario was cruising about visiting the different villages on the west coast of Tanna, and in one of them the identical women was discovered. She was released from slavery, and aithongh it detained the ship several days, taking her many hundred miles out of her way, the woman was returned to her own friends. Captain Markhnm received quite an ovation from the islanders, who were' anxious to load] his boat with pigs, bananas, &o. On leaving, the Datives ran along the beach, cheering the boat as it pulled off to the ship. There can be no doubt that what was done at this island will have a good effect on the natives, and will quite e*fablish their confidence in men-of-war and honestwhite men. The Rosario visited, during the last three months, no fewer than six-and-twenty different islands in the New Hebrides"and Santa Cruz groups; and the natives who have come under the influence of missionaries were everywhere quiet and well disposed, and willing to trade. Ab other places, where the missionaries had noc obtained a footing or influence, the natives were wary, and inclined to hostile and treacherous, which is attributed entirely to the numerous cases of kidnapping aud other outrages which are continually being committed by the slavers, or, as they are generally termed, labor vessels. Until this nefarious traffic is put a stop to, no man's life will be safe amongst these islands. The cruise of the Rosario was a most eventful one, and was productive of benefit to the unhappy natives in the islands visited."