THE "HOLY WAR" AT TONGA.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 265, 14 November 1885, Page 5

THE "HOLY WAR" AT TONGA.

rtl9 subject Mr Edwin C. Wilson writes 0 tfiualofa nnJer date October 21st :- ' e r correspondents, nswoll as others, keep in view the old aphorism ,>L esseico of a Ho is the intention to "*'•. "and at the outset I acknowledge deceit' .^ trut ),_ Allow me to submit "^""rewtera the outlines of what I confciyour gt .j t utoan independent view of the "H 6'00 difficu "y wmou ' ias for somo t' mo ""frtUd in TonEß> °nd t0 la9tify mj to candour let it be at onco admitted '""".^jny parts of this group, a long ■ • difference of opinion on tho subject •"r livanChurch f/onnimeiil is still moro «|ff t.Yelv nursed, and that, in conseorl a very unsettled state of things pro- < nCo'rf the harmony which once existed fIU thn representatives of tho \Y csloyan >> jWeS°.»nt hero by tho Conference had 011 • jI undisturbed, there would to liavo ariien n 0 two th». 'consideration of tho original P* of tho split in tho Wcsloyan c"" 0.. bes ido the question under review, O"P.,' w l.o can road botweon Uio linos kaL able to connect cause and effect, as *'? jAhp and possibly arrive at tho same I»?ta? My impression h that tho «»*''°!es its origin and growth not to W»^°!fl but rothoi to on ancient feud *°l tho leaders and ox-loaders of tho Wf B MMon. Behold! It is well ffSew (and elsewhere for that mattor) Khn Rev. S. W. Baker, some ti years " .recited tho political post or Premier, *Mi ci to f«ce whatover opposition might ''•I om the keeping open of the old sore '?i !,<! to his severance from tho Mission. I'Smenced a kind of Kilkennycat Ible brtween tho head of the Minion jikbeadofthoGuvemmeiit. Forajong theffcsleyanConforenceandaU-nanner Tnrindpalitiea and powers wore moved Ch unsuccessfully) by each of those 1 »tlemen to get the othor deported from f Sy. Partisans from amongst tho „!« ranged thomselves on either side. Tto cms beUl thoncoforth ceased to with any other thing than Lnl likes and dislikes to llcv. J. E. fil and Rev. Shirley W. Baker. Slit this was ROing on, Mr Moulton was frmeniMike enough to create a porsonal Mketo himself in tho mind. of the King ' Micttrhich tho King has never attomptod < tate»W Wel!' the Xi" X an^ chioh ' I ~ large say in matters affecting the Sal welto of the poople, and whilst ' Sits a Constitution so framed as to < Ire to all freedom to enjoy their religions ' «iiict)oßß, they, in common with tho Zm oi all semi-civilised communities, ' aJiob to uphold their. acquired and ' Story rights, their station to regulate ' mtten 1 of which tho criminal or civil law ' Jtiibnocognijance. Tho people, too, J uto themsolves, cheerfully submit ' h the unwritten law, under which it is j gto true that sovoral, who have mado ' prominent in fomenting J {affection by inflammatory and libellous i ■wchesconsidered likely to raise sedition, l In come under tho displeasure of tho J Btlorities, and have been divested of l niiiew which they should never have s jstogered iv that way. That a very * tot number of natives of thia country * rtoha>"eadopted the Roman Catholic creed ' iaGovernmentprofessedly Wesloyan) ntiM in every privilege belonging to ' ild^arj subject, and that they '' sit under' c feiroKO vine and tig tree, none during to J nistem afraid," should, I think, bo a J slaent proof of the disposition of tho * EoTffnmSDt to recognise tho right of every c sijiet to worship according to his con- L I him, When it began to bo realised r (tiii Wedey-an matters tho elements of °. foldweiegetting very pronounced, tho *• liedeclared his wish that such a state of I fctssbonld be ended byall again becoming v iXdbody, taking into their own hands n is religions affairs. This stop would *■ iiplyiaTolve a change ofmanagemait, and " Sibtgged of tho people, "if thoy loved ° a," to support tho Church to which ho * Wlavour. Tho appeal, thus mado, re- " (Slliiitheestablishment, somofewmonths * $o! the Independent Wesloyan Froo v larehnfTonga. It is entirely misleading s to import into the question r s' aScri6Bas"Dewroligion, &c." ; tho only * Btlty about tho nowlyformod church [' S.ilJ:in ita members undertaking to " uaj's their own business (and providing irasary funds for that purpose) without itas to a parent body (tho Wesleyan Mmnce) very many hundreds of miles ], my. It now employs the eamo teachers lie, accredited by that body, have for il ■Klbeen preaching tho precepts of Wch- o Htpni, and uses precisely the same form |, Hliniegaeef old. Surely the causo is in p ■^maleliands]a3herotoforo. Itcannotbo ■faHthat during the struggle for supro- * ■Bt;teen the respective adherents of > Hi to Churches, many irregular ordors ~ Bisulapven and executed by eomo of , H&iU; but the moro serious of th_e?o [_ uvelempromptly repudiated by tho King Hwwiiniinient so soon as they becamo q Hhn, Charcheß havo been seized (and (-, ■?«iieiti)red), chiefs havo been degraded 0 ■biW» punished (but for purely 0 Hsialoffences), "banishment" to tho a H^t bI Snding numbers of peoplo who a ■S «o respect to the King's desire in o jfH.KjtiißMw Church has been resorted JJ H'iWtliß application of such a term to \ ( ■jAjimlcontetitsa fow miles out of one q into another in this small kingdom, g ■j™TKy like exiling an Aucklander to ,< ■fejo^ Tho air may be, as Mr Moulton with rumours of hanging, \ 4c," but the air hero is quite i. H*™jfollof rumours—chiefly of a lying t .^^••Koonohasbeenhungyct. "Mon.not ■^ra," and similar catch cries, have on -j the populace, no mutter in what r , be spoken ;if not ex- o the inchoat sentiment has equal f, H^opyenibg men'e actions in mattors j. IBS""1' I quote from your Vavau cor- o ■Wtit(inyour issue of tho 12th ulto.) „ B^Wicwhoopsas "turn to" "Mossra g ■R'wWatkin'B now faith," but thoy j, ■PW'rdigion," etc., are quite us com- g j^K™*Mre throughout the group, aro {, ■R^JMppted by the non-adherents of „ and aro apparently o '1 ™ as much importance as tho -^ X ,™Popny " once upon a timo was. :. ■Categorically with the different wKnf lowments1 owments in this so-called J l^ff! War" would involve space „ ■?• W qaite sure is not at your Kj; tat a plain unvarnished v H|T V™™ tried to give ought to c HIS'' 4? interesting to your readers as a HE ™«dly)tliedisingonuous correapon- j ■^™» Tonga published in the issue ■l,]?"above quoted. As St. Paul r Hl ■« m hear tho conclusion of the ~ • "™8 is> 1 think> most C ■hPi, B0SgMted by the ending of t Hu' *■ Crosby^ letter. I quoto t W-, v mono >' recontly collected for . «T"iKlßgGeorge) : "But who is r ■af' Has Mr Baker anything to „ ■SMiiy ? Who will vouch for . W/l?1 wing epeat only wholly on tho f HRi W ffe are askod t0 contribute t fflfc.jtj 6 "6 quite ready to show our ( Hltjiji,. 8® if ho will atop porsecu- ~ H*rftV ome ono olso to nave con' ! ■nj.^iey." (In reading this one . ■all utbo cbink of " the awncJ7'") , ■i" w M presumed that with these [ |BiWP,Mticularly tljo ousting of : ■CSS" Wee%an Mission will be able , m^ '".it frame of mind when thoy , K;'wetothoir King, and to all B' Well • cllarity wllich tQink6tll n 0 ( ■P"»tt» ft D 0 morotnan we have a HHbi,! a Christian ministers Hwi er need' I think, bo said , ■HoW°?lS. feßt that tho mainspring ' B>% t. 0;. 6 tro«blQ can be traced j X, | , a struggle for supremacy ffl le"w 8 M d ex-leaders of tho ML/;* Mu» 81 on, and that at first tho ■(iCWoared no bigger than a §Hh J, ". a8 ultimately grown to a ■T^ on ? B' the importance of a Wfc'« C-° n ; "aild if th" bs st). it ■%;i lnie th«t in tho interest of WFI ihmu l ? Pro^Bß, all unworthy i at onco abandoned, and ■jiC? ad«c'eiir to the people. I K^t«, ~m a discourse of varyWb" & • aut>' of tho 'yp6 of Hf5!0l !Blnl In Sparing it, with the B^^Ck ffles' Let me commend '■PBilti b» k ymP'c woe in which the B'?^la il WlTied a lam P and the B^'win/ ■ mB firat t0 tho V ost B!LC'B llroolMnlSßionerls VlsitKSailav^ Writcß M 'follows :- R'^Cf fT U's Excellency »>«1 Z „ ' and are tha°kful. It ■I^^PMsecution, but I bslievo BK. *hi * will n of investigation, tho BiVß»»it mf- Pear hereafter. Moan■B^*™^ rf v and confidently B^tol.^i'fr^e attempts havo B§ k'JSnt 6 Kl^iatW aii utter«l no unWn^'^or 0*^1'' buthaa "■;irra!y BS?li^LHsabai> wnsequently Bi^aVuS,^"' a"J:'!" thefoljM "> a very large gather

ing of tho people I say the Tongan Government must have forwarded it him, for it is as inconceivable that it should havo coma from an irresponsible person as from ii -mS Comm>ssioner. It is as follows : — I bo Governor of Fiji has como in a small steamor, not in 'a man-of-war.'

1. He is vory angry with Mr Moulton and the iiiuropoans for talking about a man-of-war. Ho says a man-of-war will cortainly not come to inquire into theso things. 2. Ho is vory grioved with the Consul for continually finding fault with thoCovornmont, and ho is tired of telling him not to (io it, for England does not approve of it. In fact, tho Consul has fallon into a hole, and the Governor strongly supports Mr Baker.

3. Mr Moulton must go. Tho Ciovernor Tl S lv 'V'S'it «o should go, and ho will tell tho Sydney Conference co ; and Mr Moulton has shullled about his lotter to Fiji asking for a grant of land, and the twisting of language has bcon something oxtraordinnry.

•t. Tho Govornor assembled all tho Wesleyans, and told them ho had come in a miserable littlo stoamor to show that tho matter ho had como about was not important enough for a man-of-war. There would bo no man-of-war, thero would bo no inquiry, for the Wosleyans woro themselves tho cause of tho trouble. Mr Moulton would bo taken away, tho Wosleyaus would bo in a hole, and it was for Tubon to nloaso himself in his own land."

I have arranged tho speech under tho above four topics, and now J ask your readers, do not thoy carry tho word " Lin " written on thoir face ? J do not mean 1.0 say tho King has knowingly uttered falsehoods, an■! 1 ask Mr Baker to particularly notico this ; should ho do mo the honour M translating my lettor to Jlis Majesty. Tho King had to rely upon reports and letters, mid those aro responsible for (ho inis-strttements, tho An of which does not lie nt His Majesty's door. Mr Crosby goes on to remark on other topic-!, bui; our spaco will not allow of further quotation.

The Persecuted Wesleyans.

Another correspondent -writes from Y avail:—Sinco the return of tho cMurches to tho Wesloyan Jlission, persecution in church mattors has entered upon a now phase. The buildings were given up, as is generally understood, in obodienco to commands from high quarters through tho Consul. No doubt tho leaders of tho mission thought thoy had scored a point, and oxpected that their congregations would again assemble in them, but our groat Tongan Bismarck is n. man of many resources. It was soon determined that tho churches should bo without worshippers. Orders woro given to bring in all the Wesleyans in Tonga to ono town, thoy had to leave house?, plantations and evcrything,and herd togethor in, miserable huts on a low place near tho beach, In Haabai they wero brought in from tho various small islands to Lifuka, and thero they run a very good chance of being starved unless tho Mission or sympathising foreigners sent food to thorn, in Vavau tho adherents or known sympathisers with tho Mission Church wero few in number, the suspected ones were brought up and mado to swear on oath that they did not belong to tho Wesloyan Church, those who were known to bolong to that church Here sent, to Lifuka, there to livo or starve with their co-religionists. Threo or four men, including a native minister, had just been sent on here from Tonga to look after tho Mission property, and to bold or organise services in tho newly-restored churches Ordors were publicly givon not to lay violent hands upon theeo men, but they woro to bo strictly " boycotted"—no one was to hold communication with them, givo thorn food, rcceivo thorn into their houses, or in any othor way have anything to do with them. Special ollicors wore appointed to ■watch people suspected of having any sympathy with them or thoir cause in order that tho above ordors might bo strictly enforced. One unfortmiato being was bold enough to make " kava " and give bread to tho " boycotted " Native Minister. The noxt day tho special ollicers appointed for this work brought him in preparatory to sending him to Lifuka. .In v few days f» hotter means was found of getting rid of him. lie hod said that k; his opinion tho King had done wrong in turning from tho old Church. That was called speaking ill of the King, for which ho was sentenced to two years' imprisonment'!