FIJI NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1902, Page 4

FIJI NEWS.

Mr Humphrey Berkeley, who came from Fiji, will go to .England, by the next mail-boat for the purpose of appearing- in certain appeals to the^ Privy Council Jr. the Fiji deportation cases, and also in the Be»a natives' case. The Attorney-General, of Fiji, who is appearing for~ the Grown, left by the Moana on her last trip for England. The high chiefs Savenaca and Ambrose have"been ordered to be released by the order of \ the Supreme Court on the writ of Habeas Corpus obtained last February. These chiefs were deported for three years, one for refusing to sign a petition against New Zealand, and asking that the administrator be made governor, and the other for Obtaining signatures to the, petition' to the King iiQ favour of corporation with New Zealand. The rule for their release was made absolute on the 14th ult.. but when the Tavilini left they were still in <>usto.!fiyi and Mr Berkeley left instructions with his partner. Mr Beddard, to move for an order for committaMor contempt of Court of the persons disobeying the writ. ■ ,•'"' The Government newspaper, the Western Pacific "Herald," and the head of the police, Colonel Francis, are now in Court. The colonel is suing the proprietor for damages. for lißel. • A Government enquiry has been asked in the case of the flogging of a native without a trial. The matter has been referred Home to the Secretary of State for the Colonie3. The man in question, a Fijian, was y not tried in any properly constituted tribunal, but was tied to a tree and received 25 strokes of the eat o' nine), tails, for an alleged assault on s woman

Mr Berkeley intends to give several addresses in different parts of the colony on the subject of the natives,; before leaving- for England in the Ventura'. During- Mr. Berkeley's absence,^ his partner, who is well known and^ liked by the natives, will watch the interests of the Fijians. " j