FIJI NEWS

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4529, 4 December 1884, Page 2

FIJI NEWS

(Per s.s. Arawata),

Our Fiji dates per Arawata are to Sunday last.

A boat race at Levuka excited more than ordinary interest. The competing crafts were the Sunbeam, a three-ton cutter, built by Messrs F. and W. Swarm and H. St. Julian as a first amateur attempt, and an Auckland built open boat, tho' Helena, owned by Mr Collins. Tho race was for £10 a-sido and the course was from the buoy at the Queen's Wharf to the buoy at Waitovu Passage twico round. The result was an easy victory for the local boys as they passed the winning post about half-on-hour before the loser. H. St. Julian sailed the winner, and A. McFadyon sailed the loser. Captain Wilson, of the schoonerElizabethj. roporte the floating on shore on the Windward Islands of a quantity of wreckage and copra, the latter evidently the freight of the wrecked vessel. In a note to him Mr Chris Hennings says " I suppose you saw some of the wreckage to VVindward. I called at Eatafagar and found that the galley bad drifted on shore there. The stanchions or studs are colonial hardwood, the planking, kauri. There are two deck beams about 21 feet long, also colonial hardwood, deck planks kaui-ij 3 inches wide. I think it must be a New Zealand vessel, I should think over 200 tons in bize." Captain Wilson differs from this opinion, because New Zealand vessels would be built with kauri, and not hardwood deck beams, while from the length of the deck beam he estimates the vessel to be about 80 or 90 tons. He thinks it more likely that it is a Sydney trader which has met with mishap. The labour schooner Winefred, Captain John Meredith, returned to Suva on the 12th inst. with 89 recruits, equal to 79 adults. She left on July 21st and has thus been absent nearly four months. Captain Meredith reports Queensland vessels recruiting with firearms and amunition by "special permit" from the Colonial Secretary of Queensland. He 3ays recruits offered for Fiji, but when they heard "no guns" they declined. H.M.S. ships Miranda and Undine have been investigating the murder of. Captain Leahy, of the John Hunt. Several shells were fired into the bush, and a party from the Miranda and Undine went inland to attack the village of the murderers, but had to return without reaching it as it came on dark. Afterwards heard that four menhadbeenkilled. TheFijilabourschooner John Hunt was spoken on October 27th in Mab Strait with 16 recruits, all well. The men by the Winefred are the first recruited for Fiji under the arms and ammunition prohibition. The Winefred does'not go again for labour, and Captain Meredith joins the Meg Merrilies.