ALONE ON A SOUTH SEA ISLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8449, 23 March 1889, Page 5

ALONE ON A SOUTH SEA ISLAND.

A MODERN ROBINSON CRUSOE.

(London Daily Telegraph.) It was but a few months ago, on the occasion of England's taking under her Imperial annexing wing the Hcrvey or Cook's Islands, that we pointed out the many and varied beauties of the wondrous archipelagoes which stud the Southern Pacific Ocean. Veritable little " earthly paradises " are these exquisite snots thrown up from the vasty deep by some earth-and-sea shaking volcanic disruption in bygone cycles of time, and in due course circled with a protecting coral reef and filled with rare flora and all varieties of pleasant, peaceful, and picturesque fauna. Rich beyond description are the slopes of these islands, where the air is ever soft and gentle, where tropical vegetation luxuriates, where the cooling breezes are fragrant with the perfume of countless

flowers, and the sun shines almost all the year round. The birds and animals are quite as harmless as the inhabltauts of the modern Noah's Ark, and vastly pleasanter to look at; rich streams fertilise the land, ■which has no need of plough or spade or harrow; for, with the natives of such sweet seclusions, agriculture is a lost art. The suggestion was thrown oub that these lovely resorts might be made places of gentle retirement for all who, wearied of civilisation, wished to lead the gently lazy life of an indolent, primitive, meditative savage, and to bask in the soft sunshine of the ocean pleasaunccs, no\y the property of her Most Gracious Majesty. However, it was made clear at the time that the islands were inhabited, and that the local chiefs and their dusky daughters were friendly and inclined to barter. Hotels, casinos, and smoky manufactories were " barred," but the existence of man was presupposed as a basis of life, and we never dreamt of suggesting solitary confinement and personal isolation from one's fellow creatures. Intelligence, however, reaches us from Professor Lee, who went out as naturalist on a recent expedition to the South Pacific Ocean, to the effect that this experiment has been tried, and A VERITABLE NEW " ROBINSON CRUSOE* discovered in a sub-equatorial paradise. The exact place is Charles Island, one of the Galapagos Archipelago of 15, and the new Eobinson Crusoe is an ex-convict. These delightful localities were discovered by the wandering Spaniards early in the 16th century, and christened on account of the numerous "galapagos," or giant tortoises, they found there. The islets had never been inhabited by man or interfered with by aborigines, and it is only in the present century that deported criminals have disturbed to a very limited extent the indigenous life. Professor Darwin took a great interest in the Galapagos, and thought that the study of their fauna and flora would have an important bearing on the question of the genesis of species. Deep I channels, scoured by rapid currents, sweep between the islands, and their direction and that of the winds does not tend to favour intermigration; consequently we find that certain remarkable animal and vegetable forms are entirely confined to one islet of the gronp, and are represented ou neighbouring islands by similar and allied but really different species. As for the flora, it differs by upwards of one-half of its species from that of the rest of the globe; and, though it possesses an affinity to that of South America, yet natural selection and new conditions have varied and altered it, and no man can tell how first the winged seeds came to these originally barren spiracles and huge cauldrons of rolcanic matter, or how the beasts got there, for the giant tortoises and the birds are, of course, explicable. So for many a long century they were simply beautiful mysteries. In 182 D the Ecuador Government turned the group into A PENAL SETTLEMENT for political offenders, who where sent tomeditate on their sins in a, sort of golden prison. They lived on bananas, Indian corn, the sweet potatoes which grow so' readily in the black, fertile loam of the lower parts, where the moist air lies—for the higher grounds are entirely parched and rocky—and, the wild herds of cattle, swine, and goats. Charles Island was at one time the principal settlement, with a population of 200 or 300 inhabitants. However, when the United States steamer Hassler visited the spot in 1871, ifc was found to contain little more than a dozen souls. But the dozen were a daring dozen, and one fine day they revolted, killed the Governor, and escaped, leaving the flocks and. herds behind them. Charles Island was then supposed to be entirely deserted, and no one set foot on the lonely place until Professor Lee curiously invaded it the other day. Then he came across a man, nearly naked, with long flowing hair and patriarchal beard, who was engaged in the homely occupation of bringing home his dinner in the shape of a pig oa his back. He had

LOST ALL SENSE OF TIME, not having the acuteness of Defoe's more or less mythical hero who cut notches with his knife on his wooden almanac. He was at first in mortal dread of his visitors, bub thawed by degrees, and was finally induced to talk, whereupon he told his curious story. There is a valuable species of moss on this island which is still sought for by parties from Guayaquil—the purple-dye-produciag orchilla, and this Robinson Redivivus went out with his comrades to sciape-ithe colourbeariDg cryptogam off the trees and. rocks. It seems that he took a fancy to Charles Island, its climate, its pigs, goats, and cattle, and indigenous giant tortoises, and accordingly deserted his companions. As they sailed away into the swift tropical sunset, he sat on a moss-clad rock and softly murmured, "I am monarch of all I survey," before setting about the Eobinson Crusoe business in earnest. There is a certain fascination about the idea, and hardly a boy lives who at some time or other has not dreamt of solitary glory, with the traditional umbrella, the goatskin garments, the pistols and hanger, the raft, the parrot, and the frightening footprint, as a joyful relief from the necessity of paying daily attention to his education, or getting down to business with remorselessly exacted punctuality. The bananas and potatoes were plentiful. There were fruits and herbs, and there was a pleasing excitement in capturing wild cattle by setting traps for them—much finer fun than four bricks and a forked twig in a back garden on the off-chance of a sparrow—and it must at first have been excellent sport to slay the horned beasts with a spear made out of a pocketknife tied on a stick, and to construct a hut, all for one's very own self, out of their hides. It is not stated whether this exiled gentleman, whose political views were not quite in accord with those of the Ecuador Government, took any deep interest in " volcanic spiracles" or was passionately devoted to the study of the origin of species. If these were his tastes lie had abundance of interesting evidence and plenty of the raw material about him to write a bulky three-volume treatise with a thorn of Peruvian cactus, or plantain, on banana leaves, bind them in such fragments of " calf" as he did not require for architectural purposes, publish them at his own expense, and read them aloud in the cool of the evening to the assembled giant tortoises without fear or dread of rude repartee, or frivolous criticism. Those tortoises mu3t have been, at first,

A CONTINUOUS SOURCE OF DELIGHT. It is stated by well-informed scientific persons, in large expensive books, that of these testaceous monsters there are two sorts, one terrestrial —the aldermanic turtle of commerce—and the other not celestial, but marine, of a peculiar species of lizard. Now all the fun that sweet little Alice had when she met the immortal Mock Turtle and the Gryphon in Wonderland must have been as nothing compared with the joy of playing and making friends with these gelatinous " galapagos." Who knows but that some of the very finest and fittest may have survived from the Pliocene in this out-of-the-way corner of the globe 1 'And the inestimable scientific value of making a pet of a playful plesiosaurus, or any other .amiable antedeluvian, cannot be over-estimated. A " woollyelephant " of the size of an average suburban villa would have been rather, a cumbrous companion in the little hide nut; but just think of the charm of going out, sporting with a flying lizard, taught to fish or retrieve at the word of command 1 Surely all artistic souls will feel the delight of this fascinating idea, and exclaim, with unanimous intensity, " How precious 1 How pre-Adamic 1" Nevertheless, the old truth crept in, that

" IT IS NOT GOOD FOR MAN TO BE ALOXE." None of the big tortoises were up to the mark of Crusoe's parrot, the marine lizards never chuckled " Poor Robin Crusoe! " and the local turtles were not of the sort that coo; so it was that this voluntary hermit grew uneasy in his isolation. He probably told himself all the stories he could remember, and repeated all the scraps of poetry he knew; but lie must have longed for a " Man Friday." There Crusoe had the advantage of him; he had some one to teach, some one to talk to, some one to play with.aridevery day he could hear the sw.eetest music in all nature, the sound of a human, voice. The solitary Galapagoan, however, enjoyed none of these charms, and so he grew a beard, killed pigs, left off clothes, and was frightened when he saw a man. Then the swift reaction: the desire for re-entering the human community, if only as a convict, came strong upon him, and we read and understand the simple but profoundly true words, "He was glad to see men agfKuT He asked to be taken back to Chatham Island, now the principal settlement, and of course his request was granted. Better 50 years of Chatham Island, with people to talk to, than a eyele of loneliness and lizards. The moral of it all is that ambitious Crusoes would do well to provfde themselves with faithful " Friday's," or to take care that they select an islet which lies in the paths of seagoing professors. Those who dwell among multitudes can make solitudes for themselves at will; but he who lives perforce alone, be he never so wise and philosophical, must at last come to the moment when he is " glad to gee a mbp<"

martial in its appearance, is now subsiding into its ordinary peaceful aspect. The call for volunteers was promptly responded to by the various corps, and there would have been no difficulty in getting 500 drilled men if the Government had so desired it. It was a sight to see the departure of the expeditionary force for ' the East Coast. The streets were lined with the populace. There was no gasconading, or band playing, or moving off " with a light heart," but the men, at two hours' notice, mustered on the parade ground, and inarched through the streets silent and stern, with their blankets rolled and slang on their shoulders; officers with revolvers in their belts, ready for any and every emergency which might present itself. Throughout tho expedition the volunteers behaved equally well, and returned homewards again without marring the favourable opinion expressed on their going away. The expedition had one good effect in showing the Natives the readiness and efficiency of the local forces. A number of the local corps have been strengthened through the scare, many young men joining in tho hope of being called out. It also gave additional interest to the volunteer encampment at the North Shore, and led to the field operations at camp being extended for a week longer than would otherwise have been the case. At the same time the Government have been severely blamed for not dealing with Te Kooti firmly at the outset, and putting down their foot firmly on his proposal to revisit Poverty Bay, the scene of. his early misdeeds. The hesitancy and vacillation shown drifted the colony into a useless expenditure of from £5000 to £10,000, which in these days of retrenchment is a consideration. The closing scene at Mount Eden Gaol savoured of the ridiculous—the Government imploring Te Kooti to "have nothing to do with lawyers and they would let him out, and decorating him with tho ' blue ribbon,' as a precaution against his signalising his release from bondage in flowing bumpers." As for the Auckland bar, they are simply green with envy at the cheap advertisement gained by Sir George Grey's " talented young friend," Mr W. J. Napier. He roamed round the gaol fruitlessly in an endeavour to see Te Kooti and take steps for his release, careless of "refreshers," but Te Kooti was too old a bird to be limed on that twig, and while thanking " friend William" for his philanthropic exertions, religiously adhered to the injunction of the Government to "have nothing to do with lawyers." It is believed by those by those best capable of judging the Native character that the loss of mana sustained by Te Kooti in being "run in " by the police, will prevent his ever being troublesome again, anfl if this prove so, the colony will not grudge the " little bill" which will have to be presented to Parliament on his account. Aucklanders hare been greatly pleased at the action of Admiral Fairfax in getting as much as possible of the repairing and refitting of the vessels of the squadron done in Auckland. H.M.S. Dart has been docked, thoroughly overhauled, and tenders accepted for refitting and equipping her, even to the engines. A considerable sum of money will thus be spent among our tradesmen. The ■ Harbour Board has thus been stimulated by this action to enter npon further contracts for increasing the efficiency of the dock by enlarging tbe repairing plant and adding the buildings necessary if the Calliope dock is to be the resort of the vessels of the Australasian squadron. So far the naval authorities are well satisfied both with the work done ■ and the rates charged, some of the tenders being 20 per cent, under the estimates of the expsrts. It will be the fault of the Auckland tradesmen themselves if they do not get all the work that can be executed here, as the admiral seems disposed to give every assistance in that respect. All that the officers concerned desire to satisfy themselves about is the extent of the engineering plant and the resources of the workshops, and on that head they are making a personal inspection. Already, it is said, the repairing and refitting of H.M.S. Dart and the other measures taken are exciting some degree of jealousy in Sydney in certain circles.

Hitherto the country settlers have exhausted all the arts of vituperation in abusing Mr Maxwell, the general manager of New Zealand railways, but the concessions now granted to the small country settlers as respects the carriage and freight of country produce have elicited manifestations of gratitude and thanks on all hands. Indeed he bids fair to become as popular as he was once hated, and the concessions given show that the railway commissioners are making a strong bid for the goodwill and support of the farmers at the very outset of the new regime. The financial results of the experiment have yefc to be seen.

Some very scandalous disclosures Lave taken place as to the way in which the manufacture of " faggot" votes is carried on, in order to" ccntrol the licensing, and which unless. stopped by legislation threaten to render abortive any appeal to the ratepayers, as a mere farce. la Auckland in the northern districts, at the goldfields, and even in Auckland city and suburbs the disreputable practice has been reduced to a science. Sometimes it is effected to force the liquor traffic upon the reluctant settlers of a country district, at other times to facilitate the estanlishment of an additional public house to those existing ; but in the latest case it was effected by the temperance party, who completely turned the tables on their opponents, and met "faggot"by "faggot." The former, it is but the part of candour to say, have improved upon their trainers. Government profess their inability to remedy such a disgraceful state of things. At the late session of Assembly Mr Goldie, member for Auckland City West, consulted Mr Fulton and Mr Downie Stewart on the matter, in the interests of the temperance party, but these gentlemen also failed to see how a clause could be drafted and put into any oE the local acts which might not possibly do an injustice to bona fide leaseholders. The success of tha one party or the other seems now to depciiid on which side is troubled with the least scruples.

An attempt has been made in our Ednca- . tion Board recently to reverse the wholesome rule adopted by the board some time back namely, to dispense with teachers who failed to pass their examinations, once or oftener, in class E. It seems that there are some fcuch teachers who have repeatedly failed and yet have been in the service of the board for eight years. Mr Luke, the mover of the rescinding resolution, is an ex-chairman of the board, and intimated in moving it that he did not think he would return to the board at the coming elections—a remark which savours somewhat of the prophetic. The chairman of the board, Mr J. H. Upton, who at the ti.-ne was attending the sittings of the Anglican Synod at Dr.nedin, telegraphed a strong protest against the motion as soon as he heard of it, and referred to what was being done in Otago in the following terms:—"ln the recent examinations for Otago 40 had passed D and 21 E. This means that they are rapidly strengthening their staff ; while we, if the resolution pass, should be doing the opposite." The appeal of the chairman was effective, and the rescinding resolution was rejected by a, majority of two to one. Professor Thomas, who is at present a candidate for a seat on the board, is endeavouring to get the principles of agricultural science more largely taught in the schools than hitherto, and is endeavouring to interest the New Zealand University Senate in the matter. In his letter to the senate bringing the question tinder notice he says:—" It will be unanimously admitted that no calling in New Zealand is so important as that of agriculture, using this term in its widest sense. This is and must always be the mainstay of the colony. The recognition of the subject of agricultural science by the university would give a powerful impetus to agriculture in the colony and at the same time strengthen the influence of the university by securing the sympathy of a wider circle of population." Returns furnished to the Auckland Board of Education show that the principles of agricultural science are not taught, even imperfectly, in one-third of the country schools. ( The new Surveyor-General, Mr Percy Smith left Auckland during the past week for Wellington, having finally closed up Jiis duties here, and receiving on his departure, trom his departmental subordinates, a handsomely illuminated complimentary address The appointment of his successor as Crown Lands Commissioner has not yet been determined on, but it is rumoured that the Auckland officer next in seniority is not likely to be appointed, but will be sent South, while an Otago man, who cannot possibly know anything of the lands of the province, will be , put in his place, thus in both cases losing to the countiy the special local knowledge possessed by the respective officers. This project will not be viewed favourably. A good deal of interest was taken in the meetings of the Congregational Union, held here recently. One of the proposals carried at its sittings has elicited some criticism, and approving comment—namely, that for establishing guilds in conn/SCtion with each

more exciting scenes, and under less wholesome restraints. The programme now sketched out is based on the principle of "making the best of both worlds," and of bringing the minister into touch with his people, not merely in the Sabbath ministrations and in the relations of pulpit and pew, but in every-day life. Though these guilds are to be held as subsidiary to the religious work of the church, they are in the direction *of meeting a felt want, and may go far to arrest the unquestioned decadence of the influence of the pulpit. At all events the experiment is worth trying, and has received the approval of the secular press. The proceedings of the Congregational Union were marked throughout by a feeling of harmony and Christian courtesy, which does not always mark the deliberations of ecclesiastical bodies.

There have been some further indications of the practice of late of incendiarism in tbe community. One company has offered a reward for the detection and conviction of the perpetrators, while in another case a warrant is out for the apprehension of a tradesman who mysteriously disappeared after a fire on bis premises, in which the "incendiary rat" commenced operations simultaneously on the ground floor and the first storey. The facts brought out at the inquest were that he had started in business with a little over £50, and in the space of a few months had a stock valued at £1000, almost wholly on credit. The creditors are of course left lamenting, but the exercise of a little more business prudence, by both the insurance company and the business men who parted with their gooes so lightly without any security, would probably have saved all parties a good deal of xroubld. There is some excuse for the police authorities allowing their prey to slip through their hands, as owing to the eccentricities of juries they are doubtful of procuring convictions, unless they can produce evidence that the suspected party was actually seen firing the premises. Evidence which would hang a man in a case of murder is not regarded as sufficient in a case of arson, and the police, deterred and disheartened by this state of affairs, allow the community to bear the penalty of its own default in increased premiums and a high fire tariff. There seems at last some prospect of the j Onehunga Woollen Factory being put once '(. more on a satisfactory basis. The syndicate' which has just nurchased it has got for a little over £10,000 a going concern which has cost its shareholders three times that amount, so that the margin for success seems ample enough. Hitherto the mistake made by most of our local enterprises is either in commencing operations on insufficient capital or with a bank overdraft, the interest on which generally proved fatal to success. The men who are members of the present syndicate are able, if necessary, to find the needed funds without recourse to either the banks or the loan companies, so on that head the enterprise seems likely to have a prosperous future before it. Still it is a matter for regret that the smaller shareholders have been practically frozen out, and have lost their money in an honest and well-meant effort to foster another local industry, but this seemed to be inevitable if the control of the institution was not to drift into Southern hands. The woollen factory starts under its new proprietary with excellent prospects, as one firm alone can give it an order for two months' work, and believes that when its arrangements are completed it could dispose of the whole output of the factory itself single handed.

Business seems to be improving, and the number of traders calling upon the official J assignee, or desirous of escaping their liabilities through the wondrous loopholes of the Bankruptcy Act, are few and far between. Such a thing as the sacrifice of property is unheard of, though there are still too many vacant houses to let. As good a test as any that property is hardening is the lesser number of objections to the municipal assessment valuations this year, while the amount of reduction made is wholly inappreciable. At the outset of the summer an attempt was made by bringing into the market some speculative blocks to establish " a land boom," but the. movement ended in a fizzle. Judging from the results of the last Crown lands sale the demand for country land seems at last to be pretty wall satisfied, although one 01 two sections in the East Coast went at fancy prices. It is probable that the fall iii country produce may have had something to do with it. There are still strong complaints coming to hand as to the condition in which New Zealand produce is put upon the New South Wales market, and which cannot but prove injurious to all concerned. These complaints as to produce placed at public auction upon the local market are also repeated in a milder form, and gives reason to believe that the adage, "Honesty is the best policy," is but indifferently practised by some people.