THE Bay of Plenty Times AND THAMES VALLEY WARDEN.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2108, 3 March 1887, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty Times AND THAMES VALLEY WARDEN.

1 The Spirit of the Times shall teach me speed, KING JOHN, ACT IV.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3,1887

THETONGAN BUSINESS.

At length some action has been taken with regard to the alarming state of matters in the Friendly Islands and especially at the principal one of Jthe group, Tongatabu. As is generally known Tonga, the name by which the group is commonly designated, is a semi-independent kingdom, being recognised by several of the European * Powers much in the same way as is the Navigator Group usually distinguished as Samoa. In this little Tongan Kingdom, as indeed in all these island groups, the natives, even after allowing for the influence of long years of missionary labour among them, are only haft civilized; and, along with their ostensible rulers are apt to be swayed by the strong will of •any European who may for the time have obtained the ascendancy over them. jKTo harm might come of this bo long as there was no second candidate for power, but it is certain to be attended with mischief when two rivals for power enter the field. And this is where, in this case, the trouble has come in. Mr Baker has got the reins of political power and wishes to control the ecclesiastical as well; while Mr Mou-lton holds the reins of ecclesiastical power and wishes to control the political as well. Mr Baker as Premier has the confidence of the king of these islands, and Mr Moulton as head of the Wesleyan circuit and church affairs commands the support of the Wesleyan Conference at Sydney. At the instance of Mr Moulton, it is said, the "Wesleyan Conference visited Mr Baker with ecclesiastical penalties because he would not resign the position the King had placed him in, and at the instance of Mr Baker, | the King passed a law creating a state church, called "Free" because delivered from the sway of the Australian Methodist Conference, and Mr Moulton with those adhering to him were thus placed under serious disabilities. A feeling of antagonism thus arose between the two factions of the natives into which they then became divided, and all the evil elements existing in the islands naturally gathered around the faction opposed to the Government. In the course of time this resulted in the formation of a conspiracy against Mr Baker's life, which failed only because of the intervention of Mr Baker's daughter and son who risked their own lives to save their father, receiving in their bodies the shots meant for him. This was followed by the trial aud subsequent! execution of several of the parties implicated in the conspiracy; and, as some of Mr Moulton's followers were mixed up with the lawless and dastardly attempt, the antagonism between the native factions has become intense and is in danger of running to the wildest excess. It was in these circumstances that the Premier of New Zealand in the absence of the Governor, telegraphed to the Admiral, then in Auckland, to despatch a war vessel to Tonga and took measures for having the matter brought under the notice of the Imperial Government. The Admiral however did not see. any occasion for urgency and no other person here, seemed to have authority to act in the way which the critical state of things appeared to call for. The inaction of the Admiral was severely commented on at the time by the leading journals. <

in New Zealand and Victoria and, on becoming aware of this, the Colonial office which had been waiting for authentic intelligence, appears to hare taken action. At all events it was announced in the House of Commons on the 24th ult., in reply to a question on the subject, that the High Commissioner of the Pacific, Sir C. Mitchell, had been instructed by telegraph to proceed at once to Tonga and report to them the state of affairs. Prior to this the Admiral yielding to the force of public opinion had despatched a war ship from Sydney to look after British interests and the likelihood is that her commander would have instructions to call at Fiji for the purpose of conveying the High Commissioner to his destination. It may therefore be expected that be- j fore long the tendency to conspiracy and bloodshed at Tonga will be arrested by the presence of one or more of Her Majesty's war ships and of Her Majesty's representative, and in the meantime it is to be hoped that matters may not become worse than they were when last heard of. While awaiting, however, the result of this precautionary expedition which has after so much delay been resolved on { it may bo useful to consider why it is that the action of Britain in asserting her influence in these seas is proverbially so tardy. This results ' from two causes; first, the lamentable ignorance which prevails in the Co- j lonial office respecting colonial affairs generally and especially with matters j connected with Australasia; and se-j cond, the sort of pigheaded aversion to all proceedings which are likely to be followed by an extension of the Empire. It would be difficult to say which of these causes has operated the more powerfully, but, between them a system of inaction has grown up which is unworthy of a great Power and discloses a selfish disregard of the trouble to which it may subject the colonies in the future. It was owing to this system that the Erench were suffered to take !KTew Caledonia contrary to the advice of Sir G-eorge Grey, and the consequence is that we are now having the convicts of Erance poured into the Pacific and the New Hebrides difficulty on our hands besides. Look, too, at the disgraceful mess that was made of the New Guinea business, from refusing to endorse the colonies' action, dallying for two years over the affair, and doing it only half even then and leaving the island with all the islands off the coast to be seized by Germany. It is to the same system that the troubles, now existing in Tonga are traceable. For had England established her protectorate over all these island groups thirty years ago or so, as she ought to have done and could have done with- j out any cost or trouble, the abnormal J state of things which has grown up j there as it has also done elsewhere j would not have been possible. The worst of it is that, by her inaction she has not only invited strife to arise among the different tribes of natives occupying these island groups, but also allowed the right of interfering to other rival Powers who are not disposed to be so scrupulous as she is over the matter of responsibility. These facts of course now make it difficult for her to act decisively even when the interests of the natives and of her own subjects may demand her doing. This the High Commissioner will feel on his arrival at Tonga, but it is yet to be hoped that for the good of all parties he may be able to remove from the scene of disturbance the heads of both the factions now engaged in hateful strife and in inducing the king and chiefs to formally place themselves under British protection.

As we have before remarked the manner in which the mail service to this place from Auckland via Thames is carried out, is frequently the cause of most annoying delay in the arrival here of correspondence. This delay would probably be entirely avoided if the Tauranga district mails were made up separately at the' Auckland office instead of being sent on to be sorted at the Thames, where they frequently arrive after office hours in the afternoon or night, and thus are delayed one mail, half a week, before being sent on. As an example, a communication was posted in Auckland on Wednesday morning February 23. On that day steamers left at 2.30 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. for Thames, by either of which the packet might have been, and probably, was forwarded, but it did not arrive here until the Monday night following ; whereas if there had | been no Thames service at all it would have been delivered here on Saturday morning. It is high time the head office of this district had -this matter brought under its notice, as a mail service that is productive of such erratic results is worse than useless ; considering the amount of the subsidy paid for this line, viz, £300, it is a pity the arrangements are not made with more care so as to secure an effective service in return for the outlay.

We remind both the musical and {athletic portion of the public of the concert to-night in the Temperance Hall under the auspices of the Tauranga Crioket Club. Besides the generally attractive nature of the programme, two distinot novelties have been introduced. The perjury case on information laid by Anne Robertson against Jane Graham has been adjourned until the 16th inst. Feels Young Agaif.— -"My mother was afflicted a long time with neuralgia and a dull, heavy, inactive condition of the whole system, headache, nervous prostration, and was almost helpless. No physicians or medicines did her any good. Three months ago she began to use Dr Soule's Hop Bitters, with such good effect that she seems and feels young again, although over seventy years old,"— A JjJIDY m B.I., U.S.A. Lookup

Sajofb and Sons' Eucalypti Extract. — In protection of the world-wide fame our manufacture has acquired all over the glode, we publish the following : — Hazard, M.D., Professsor of General Pathology and Diseases of the Mind and Nervous System, says in an editorial published in the Chemical record : — "We have examined half-a-dozen specimens of different manufacturers ; the preparation of Sander and Sons was the only one that proved reliable and corresponding to scientific tests." Another concoction called "Refined Extract of Eucalytus," has made its appearance since. This product stands, according to Dr Owen, foremost in causing injurious effects. That gentlemen communicates at a meeting of the Medical Society of Victoria", that a child living at Fitzroy became most seriously indisposed through its use. In another case a lady states on the strength of statutory declaration that she suffered ciuelly from the effects of the same concoction. To guard the high reputation of our manufacture we feel warranted in exposing the above facts, and desire the public to exercise precaution when buying. Sj»"vdeb & Sons. — (Advt.) We learn on good authoritythat the Ministers in response 4p communications addressed, to CaptaiuMoi-is, M.L.O. and J. H. Lee, Esq. thereby decided at a recent Cabinet meeting, to grant a further extension of time in which the Tauranga-Rptorua Railwaymight beconstructed. The Government reserve the right to utilise any portion of the" blocks of land now set apart as railway endowments, for settlement purposes, should they see fit, an equal area of land elsewhere, being provided in lieu thereof, should the contract be fulfilled. A grand anniversary ball, the seventh, to celebrate the inauguration of the Court Royal Oak of the Ancient Order of Foresters will be held on the 1 7th inst. in the Temperance Hall for which tickets will shortly be issued. Sheehan's band has been engaged for the occasion and no pains will be spared to make the affair a triumphant success. Amailfor Auckland closes this morning at the Tauranga Post Office at 8.45 a.m. During the night befori last and yesterday several heavy showers wdre experienced, that will bo productive of mraeh good to vegetation. The weather stjol appears unsettled. There was no business before the R.M. Court on Tuesday morning. Tae Clerk of the County Council notifies that the fee for registration of all dogs within the County of Tauranga is fixed at 10s and that Mr D. H. M. Bill has been appointed registrar for the Waimapu and Maketu ridings and Mr E. K. Gilbert for Katikati. The Rev. J. S. Hill, of Auckland, has kindly consented to conduct Mrs McCandlish's Bible Clasjj, at the Weslej an Church this afternoon at 3 o'clock. The Bay of Islands regatta is postponed till the 9th inst., the s.s. Arawata is to run a two days excursion from Auckland at a return fare of 21s. The Opotiki Herald of February 25th has a long leader on the state of Tauranga, in which the County Council appears to be blamed for not keeping the main road down the coast in good order, a duty which belongs in respect of the portion referred to f to the General Government. The settlers of Tauranga are said to be utterly unsuitable, and her past, present, and future are painted in very sombre tints. The direct mail steamer Kaikoura arrived in Wellington Harbour on Sunday" last with {mails to 14th January from London ; Those for Auckland will be brought on by the s.s. Ruapehu arriving there on Sun-i day next. The Kaikoura's steaming time! was 41 daye 21 hours 4 minutes from Ply-f mouth to Wellington. I The Canterbury Frozen Meat Company ar< now engaged in freezing 8,000 sheep anc lambs to be shipped per s.s. Tainui. Vi hei this consignment is completed, 15,000 car. cases will be prepared for the s.s. Doric which is to leave Lyttleton about the end o: March. During the month of January 11,175 sheep, 11,512 lambs and 16 head oi cattle were slaughtered at the Company's works. I The rat2payers of the Epsom Road Dis> trict have negatived the proposal for a water supply. A ladies' swimming toHrnameiit was held last week at StClair, Otago, we should like to see the Tauranga ladies go and do likewise. Rough ONCoBNS.-rAskfor Wells' "Rough on Corns." Quick relief, complete permanent cure. Corns, warts, bunions. At chemists and druggists. Rotoh on itch. — "Rough on Itch" cures skin humours, eruptions, ring worm, tetter, salt, rheum, frosted feet, chilblains, itch, ivy ! poison, barber's itch. Doctoes Gave Htm Up, — "Is it possible that Mr Godfrey is up and at work, and cured by so simple a remedy?" "I assure you it is true that he is entirely cured, and with nothing but Am. Co's Hop Bitters, and only ten days ago his doctors gave him up and said he must die," "Well-a-day! If that is so I will go this minute and get some for my poor George. I know hops are good."