STAMP STORY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30390, 14 March 1964, Page 10

STAMP STORY

Unwanted Islands [Specially written tor "The Press’" by KENNETH ANTHONY! Only Tonga of the native Pacific kingdoms has survived to the present day. But two others, Fiji and Hawaii, lasted long enough to issue their own stamps in the nineteenth century. The example illustrated shows the development of events in Fiji. This stamp was issued under the auspices of King Cakobau. the last native nrler. Once a ruthless savage, he had greatly mellowed by the time he started issuing stamps bearing his own royal cipher in 1871.

Cakobau was a king who seemed reluctant to keep his throne longer than necessary. As far back as 1859 he offered to cede his islands to Britain, but the idea was turned down.

Soon afterwards he put forward a similar suggestion to the United States. But the Civil War was raging and his offer was not even acknowledged. The liking for America showed itself again in 1873 when King Cakobau’s stamps —there was a set of three »«••-••••••• * • k

values —were surcharged with values in United States' currency. It is one of these that can be seen in the accompanying illustration. Then, in 1874, the British Government reconsidered its attitude, and accepted the cession of Fiji, which has been a British colony ever since. This action had an interesting effect on the stamps. Some indication of the new regime was called for, and since King Cakobau had shown his royal cipher as the central part of the stamp design, they were simply overprinted V.R., for Victoria Regina. When existing supplies ran out the design continued unaltered in the new stamps except for the substitution of Queen Victoria’s own royal cipher. This subtle compliment to the former native ruler went on right up to 1903.