PALMERSTON ISLAND.

RENEWAL OF LEASE. j COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. The Government of New Zealand j has under consideration the question of renewing the lease of' Palmerston Island to the Marsters family, in connection with which they received! an interesting report from the Resident Commissioner. The most interesting of New Zealand's scattered dependencies in the Pacific, is Palmerston Island, an atoll, with a land area of one square mile, lying to the north-west of Raratong; l ., some 273 miles distant. The reef carries a number of small islets, which are in the occupation of the descendants of the late William Marsters, [ who settled there in 1862. He had a j numerous family, and the population according to a report now to hand from the Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands (Mr Tf. F. Ayson) is j about 100. The lagoon, which is j about eight miles in diameter, does J not carry pearl-sheil at present, but the matter of introducing spawn from other islands is under consideration by the Government. . The island has :<•>. interesting his- ; l tory. It was discovered by Captain Cook in 1774, on his second voyage, although it is said by some authorities to be the ''Pan Pablo" of Magellan,, the first island discovered in the South ! Seas. On Captain Cook's third and j last voyage the great navigator land- j ed there to get. fodder for his perish- ! ing cattle. Later on the mutineers of J the Bounty touched at the island, but did not care to make it their homo after their pleasant experiences at Tahiti. William Marsters, the elder. wer.t to Palmerston if. ISG2, and managed the island for one Brander, who. how ; ever, did not return, and Marsters stayed oil, although without title. In 1892 he was granted a lease for 21 years. He died in. 1899. By deed, I dated October 18, 1913. made between | His Majesty the King and Joel 1 Marsters, a renewal of the lease was J granted to the latter in trust for all the issue of William Marsters, th<' i elder, for ten years from January 1, . 1913. A renewal of the lease for a j further period of ten years has now j been arranged. j The Resident Commissioner reports | that with one exception he found all j the people on Palmerston Island { healthy and strong, showing no signs, j so far as a lavman was able to judge, t of degeneracy. All the inhabitants j speak Engl-sh The output of "i-pra last year was j t'<n«. w'tli 50 tons in the previous year.