OUR FIJI LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 236, 7 October 1886, Page 4

OUR FIJI LETTER.

Luvuea, Seplembor 20, Episcopal.

Tiir ivenfcof tlie month has boen the visit to Fiji of the Right Reverend the Bishop of Nelson. His Lordship arrived in Suva by H.M.S. Miranda, from Samoa on the 11th. Hitherto the Anglican Church in Fiji has been a sort of ecclesiastical waif and stray, and hia Lordship's visit has been in accordance with a resolution of the General Synod for an epiecopal visit to the Islands prior to any arrangements being made for their permanent supervision. His Lordship has been very cordially received, and in Sura in particular has found ample opportunities for the exercise of his sacred function. Ho consecrated the newly erected Church of the Holy Trinity on the 18th. He has administered the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper and the rite of confirmation. He has twice every Sunday, and held meetings of the church members to discuss the position of affairs, and generally ho has had a busy time of it. The proposition His Lordship evidently favours is to attach the Anglican congregations in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa to a New Zealand diocese until they can be erected into an indspendent see. After his long stay in Suva, the Bishop only gave Levuka from Saturday to Wednesday morning. He preached twice on Sunday, held a confirmation on Tuesday, and a mooting of the congregation on the same ovoning. He visited tbe Rows betwoen the Suva and Levuka stays, and has everywhere bean roceived right heartily. He goes back by this Arawata. Now Zealand Sugar Company. The barque William Turner did not get away from Ba till the 19th inst. Then the wind headed her in getting down coant, and on the 25th sho was still in eight. She has 645 tons of sugar on board. Tho news from the estate is " pink I" Results are coming out boyond tho most sanguine expectations. Tbo average density is between 10i and 11 Beaume, and if that does not satisfy the shareholders, they must be unconscionable. The mill is turning out one ton of augurtoOtona of cane. M. Leonarre has planned a comprehensive irrigation scheme which will coat orer £20,000, and take five years to work out. Largo as the Bum is, tho proposal is favourably regarded by the working heads, and M. Leonarre is confident that it will givo satisfactory returns. At present the idea is to " gang warily," and so certain experiments are in progress on certain plots of land newly planted,and planted up, to see what will be the effect of irrigation. The water is pumped up from the river bed by steam and distributed under M. Leonarre's direction. A Sensational Claim.

So may be fairly styled the claim which Mr Oharlwood, printer, Melbourne, has preferred to land at Suva. He only claims about half the heart of the townehip, including the block on which etand all the Government buildings. Circumstances ore briefly these :— By a shameful and iniquitous abuse of power, the commanders of tho U.S. war vessels fined Cakobau £9,000, as King of Fiji, and threatened to blow Bau out of tho water if it was not paid by a given date. Cakobau had not £9,000 ; so a company formed in Melbourne, and called the Folyneeian Company, paid it, receiving in return the deed* of lands in various parts of the group worth, say about £90,000, among which was Suva. Whon the British flag wont up the Government simplified the Company's matter by refusing to acknowledge tho transaction, and returned the £9,000 to certain of tho shareholders But Jas. McEwan & Co., with, say, a quarter of a million* at their back, held a great portion of Suva, and to envo an appeal to the Privy Council, which wou'd have upset the ctKcial apple cart, a delightful arrangement of a specially private and confidential character was entered into between Sir A. G. and the firm. The upshot of this was that each took half tho area, Sura was doclared tho capital, and both proceeded to turn tho valuable town lands so constituted into coin. Now Chnrlwordclitimß nndcr tho Polynesian Co.'a titlo; and as tho Crown is directly intorotted in tho result, the mattor was ren.itted from the Governor in Council to tho Supreme Court. Argument hivibeen heurd, and judgment is roserved. But if the Chief Juetico will permit, I will save him a lot of trouble by delivering it thualy :—C J. Hog.)-

My doar Mr Char!wood, ilycu were to win. Just fancy lh<> boe-hola tho Crown would bo In. So, touching thin claim, though I dooply regret

I c»"' but remark—Don't you wish you may get Itt

Tho Prayers of the Rlghteons.

Charlwood certainly has ono good chance. Suva haa recently built a church, and been Waited by a bishop ; so it should be in a •tate of grace, and wo are assured that "the prayer of the righteous ovaileth much." The application of this remark lies in the following : — The judge who heard the case is one of the many grantees from the Crown of tho land claimed. Because of this his jurisdiction was challenged by counsel for tho claimant. In reply ho read a letter from the Hon. Colonial Secretary, aneworing one in which he had himself raised this very objection |to Hitting on tiit, case, and removing tho eaid objection by promising, in tho name of the Government, that in the event of adverse judgment the Crown would fully indomnify him, and every othor grantee, for damage sustainod. And the property-holders of Suva havo since ceased not to meet at night and powerfully in prayer for the claimant's Buccesa. A Mission Father. Tho Rev. James Calvert, one of the early fathers of the Weeleyan Mission to Fiji, goes up by the Arawata en route for Europe. He first came in 1834, along with the Revs. Dr. Lyth, John Hunt, and Thos. Williams, the first English contingent sent to reinforce Messrs Cress and Cargill, who had entered upon the work two years before from Tonga. With his noble and devoted brethren he fought right through such a battle as the history of miseisnary enterprise cannot parallel, and went Home in '65 to see the Bible through the press. He returned to have a last look at the «cene of his early labours about three months ago, and his physical and intellectual vigour might be envied by a man of half his years. He has been to Tonga, and has made an earneit rffort to pour oil on the troubled waters of theological strife there raging. After pponding a month there he has spent a month hero, enjoying, in the meantime, the honour due to that much-bequoted individual, "the oldest inhabitant," and cordially welcomed by "all sorts and conditions of men." Differential Sugar Duties. A very vigorous agitation is in progress to obtain the imposition in Victoria of a differential duty in favour of Fiji and Queensland raw sugar as against the German beet product. Mr Geo. McEvoy (formerly of Fiji), an M.L.C., first Chairman ot the Planters' Association, and who ia a large shareholder in the Mango Island Co., has written to the Acting Governor, the press, and the various local bodies, urging action in this matter. Ho represents that beet sugar carried in subsidised German vessels at 15s per ton ia now selling in Melbourne at £2 10a per ton below Fijian ratos for equal grade; that the beet competition has closed the Yaraville refinery, and that it means disaa ter to Fiji unless the differential duty can be obtained. He also represents that the proposition to keep Fiji and Queensland sugar at £3, the present duty, and increase the rate on tho beet product to £6, is favoured by the Victorian press and Premier. The result here has been that the Planters' Association and Chamber of Commerce have met in conference, and adopted a strong memorial praying the Government to take what steps are possible to further this arrangement, The " Chief Officer."

The appointment of the Hon. J. B. Tburston to help the New Governor, Sir Charles Mitchell, in the work of administration—that is, to help a full-grown man in doing a boy's work, so to speak —has set people on the broad grin. It is so like the fifth wheel to the coach, or the supplementary tin tail to the pet poodle. For the fast two years onr expenditure has been largely in excess of our income. It will be so agtin this year. Last year about a dozen civil servante were dismissed, and this year further dismissals are expected. Yet ws are to have a (Governor at £4,000 and a Lieutenact-Governor at, I suppose, not Ibss than £2,000 ! It reminds me of an old-time episode. Under the regime of Cttkobau flex, there lived here a coloured gentleman of African descent, who was known as Darkey White. Darkey bought an old whaleboat at auction, decked her, rigged her, shipped a crew of one Fiji boy, and used to sail about doing what his hand found to do, bossing his hooker as though she were "a British eeventy-four." Something brought Darkey before the Court as a witness, and the question was put to him, " Did you see this yourself ?" " Well, no, sah," said he !"I didn't see it myself; it was my watch below, and the chief officer was in charge of the deck."

A Royal Demise. On Tuesday, 21et, died Ratu Joe, third and yoangoft son of the late Kina; Oakabau. Jn his boyhood, it was hoped to moke him a power for good amsng his I people, nnd to that end he was educated at Nowington College, Sydney. During the time of his residence there, lie was a frequent visitor at Government House, and in a small way waa much lionised. He made fair progress with his st tidies, but soon after his return he completely relapsed into Fijian manners and habits, though in one particular hia education served a good purpose, as it wor his business to read the newspapers and English books to the old King. Still, he might as he grew older have developed into the moet useful member of his order ; but while yet almost a youth he was stricken with the form of leprosy to which his people are subject, and though he lived for soverul years after, it was a dying by inches. Ho was buried tho day aftor hie death on the hill at Bun, bo«ido tho grave* of his father and mother. Ho wiia about 12(1 years of age. Meteorological.

Daring the month rain has fallen hoavily for abort periods in various places, bin there has been nothing like a copious and general downfall, it is still sadly wanted. The localities specially favoured havo boon Taviuni,Wainunu,Suva, and Rewa. in tho mountains at tho head ot the Rewa, tho fall, while it lasted, v said to have been the heaviest experienced for years, and it brought tho river down " a banker." At Naaorovakawalu, a native town in the Viria district, the heavy rain caused an extensive landslip, which did considerable damage. Two native buildings were overwhelmed, and in one an old Fijian. This ancient would have fared badly, but fortunately the chief of the town saw hid legs sticking through the debrie, and he hauled him out by the heels, aliye. Shreds and Patches.

Tho Episcopalians of Suva and Levuka presented Bishop Suter with a positively gorgeous address of welcome. The material has arrived for tho Solo Reef lighthouse, anti it is soon to be conveyed to the selected site. The now light for Naealai has been placed in position, and will bo ueed on and after the Ist prox. It is a droptric of tho 4th orde.-, double flushing at intervals of 30 seconds ; and visible 12 miles between the bearings (magnetic) N.E. by N. through S. to S.W. iVV. Nasalai is where the coolie ship Syria went up in 'S3 with the loss of 56 lives. A site for another lighthouse has boen chosen on the north end of Batiki, but its immediate erection is not spoken of. Possibly the o!d Naealai light will be thua utilised.

The new Tongnn postage stamp bears the hoad of King George. They put a crown on it at first, but Mr Baker abandoned the idea. The issue will be a cad blow to the King's military reputation, because hiß great boast up to this point is that he has never been " licked."

Two German Bailors, half seas over, tried to chartsr a Fijian last Saturday night to put them off to their reesel. The Fijian had no boat ; but, unwilling to lose the chance of the fare, he " borrowed " a small dingy which was hauled up on the beach. Midway, tho dingy capsized, and one German and tho Fijian, who could not «wim, were drowned.

Father Favre, aged 63, died at tbo Mariet Miscion station, Wairiki.Taviuni, on August 21st. Ho had been 27 years in Fiji, previous to which he had spent two years at Fukuua.

Tho task system recently introduced by ordinance fimonf* the lTijiana is waid to be working admirably. The men get their tacks over night, go at them like tigers at ereyest dawn, and ure.dooe early in the day. They like the prompt payment under the jj stein, and the employers their honest, willing service. It is worthy of note that twice recently public acknowledgments have been mado of the better relations which the Governmont has brought about between employers, labourers, and the Immigration Depart ment —once in tho annual report of tho Planters' Association, and once by the Hon. Mr Wilgon (hinwelf a largo employer) in speaking at a special gei eral meeting of the Chambor cf Commerce

Among tho arrival* for the month aro Helcno, bri^j, from London ; Antrea, brig, from Normatton ; I'ctor Godeffroy, barque, from Tonga ; Nancy Holt, barqucntino, from Port Tounpend ; and the French war vessel Decrcs. Among tho departures H. M.S. Miranda, for Sydney ; »,s. Fiona, for Sydrey, with 750 tons of augar ; Sharpshooter, barquo, for Sydney, with 555 tons sugar and 44S bales molapses; Ariadre, barque, for Lisbon (f.0.), copra laden ; Peter Godeffroy, do., do.