Lecture on Fiji.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 90, 30 March 1876, Page 3

Lecture on Fiji.

{Continued from our last.)

, T ,In the, Mission report for the year - 'ending j MWeh, 1 8?&,'- '■ reports <\ from •nearly, every circuit speak of the Work ■ hindered by the unjust actions of the auHhdfrties. One Missionary writes from Viwau :—" Slavery too has been ram- . pant in bur midst, and-.under the more euphonious 'name of "Labor Trade," men and wdihen have been taken from their homes .and 'families by the Government, and 'Sold 'into servitude merely for the crime of- being too poor, after disposing of their all to -pay their tax in'full."' The truthfulness of this will be '.apparent from the of afact that came.under my notice... In order to know the wislies of ,the people 'on various subjects. Sir Arthur Gordon -invited. suggestions from all residents and amongst other replies, received, from a batch qf planters, suggesting-. that £1 J -per annum should_.be . demanded 'from every Nativein support of-the--Govern-ment.. So little. d.id r they appreciate the injustice of thisj that on the occasion pf "■ ' a J visitor's- presence it ' was' mentioned '.with' evident -pride j whereupon- the following dialogue ensued :— " What will be the average earnings of a' Native ?" "One shilling a \veek_" "Does he keep and clothe. himself out of that?' ' " No, we Tceep ' him', but he buys his 'own sulu."' ' " Then, ; deducting this trifling, cost and any "weeks that; he may not be at work, he will earn 40s'in the 'year 7" ; : "Yes,' a little that." if Do you know any other, country in "the world where a man is 'taxed to the 'extent of half -his income ?" , " No, but . that is. no reason why the.Fijiiins should not be." This is a fair sample of the scant justice that would be- meted to the poor .; Natives if v many, of the European residents could, have their, way, and is precisely the policy ' that -"Was pursued by the unscrupulous men who gathered around Cakobau. Natives who did not possess a penny were called upon to pay a pound, and , when unable, were sentenced to twenty weeks' labcn' j any -planter who stepped forward and paid the 20s becoming the man's owner for the time stipulated j nor didthe authorities trouble themselves to see that the servitude ended when the twenty weeks were fulfilled. In Sir Arthur Gordon, fhe recently - • appointed Governor, the Missionaries have, a .firm friend, the Natives a staunch protector, and colonists at large a firm, judicious, and impartial ruler. It was a glad day fbr Fiji when our grecious Queen determined to erect her -flag upon its shores, and commissioned so able and wise a man to 'become her representative. Nothing could be imagined more contemptible and inefficient than the system of Government which prevailed immediately prior to- annexation. I happened, when in the Islands, to meet with a. copy of the ' Fiji Gazette ' for June, 1871, in which that Government publishes an apology fbr the coup dS etat by which it assumed the power and authority to "rule. "' '> ' After setting forth the necessity for a • government, they proceeds— " It was with much, reluctance,- and after much •persuasion, that we. accepted office, and only upon the .express understanding that no public meeting should be called, experience of such meetings only lead- . ,jspg us, to, believe in ? repeated; failures, -iHad .entire, want of co-operation among y the. white, residents." , A r no,vel plea cer,tainlytfor anybody of men to. put forth •as the.reasan . for their ; determining to • represent and govern their fellow-coun- \ try men without election;. * As their assumption of authority., was baseless, so were their, actionsyvveak, partial and . . oppressive, . and Fijr.under. their. Govern--mentj'r did (indeed, lie ff like, a, piece of drift-wood? uppn ; the, sea, exposed to the ambition and cupidity of . the .first : power that' might feel inclined to pick .'it .up.? '•.....,....-."{ , ; The history of the annexation, with the, correspondence., between .Cakobau : and thß ;English and American Govern- .. '.ments extending" .oyer , a period of.seven--teen years, is well- told by ;Ricci in his y- book on Fiji. „|We will confine ourr selves ;to a few -.-remarks upon the present;/administration ,and. general con- ■ duct -•■■op Sir : Arthur Goi-don, His ■ ; frietfdiiness to, (the Missionaries ; and J.their^ work .has ,been| already , alluded to.. This; 'has. be.enipianifested not so much liberal j financial' support (though : that- has not; ;been. wanting) as by a constantly ■na a nifested disposition . Ap up- : !hold and; increase their influence with -the Natives. ■ Actuated. by^ this : motive,. : as-well as doubtless r-by adesire to se- • cure the. services of the best men, ,s he has yin most instances engaged the; services of our^Natiye teachers as .Government ' agents, a- measure: cal^wlatod; to greatly iiH>v*"»- ineiV influence with those whom they. lo.h^^z" rUI -- i} everdi R nU^ rr y^v y e ..*> ''W* *° oiiu receive from ; the Missionaries all 'the aid and counsel he can.; a .His own words will best set€orththe. attitude he holds, when 'in reply <tp an. address; from tbe recent .drs^tridtmedtingi 'he. stated :-r4- '*• Before leaving Sydney : £ -stated pubTicly, in reply ,-to. :a;n . addi-ess 'there pre- • sented to me, thatran' ;emfphatic /recognition of the labors. ,of : ,your . sodiety in m theise islands was, .on.! the part of their * Governor, only the of an ob- **" Viou'g duty.;. „: '}-■■ ; . : .. r y..y .y "Since my arrival ' in the colony, J. have seen no reason to alter this qpih--4/p, and, J ph .'tb/e contrary, I find tbat the thoroughness of the work done ex-.

* ,ceeds-.inyj expectations, ,ahd has been conducted with a largeness of view and liberality of spirit which, I must confess, I hardly ventured to anticipate." In these days when acts of intolerance are so frequent on the part of the clergy bi' tbe church to which Sir Arthur Gordon belongs, it is refreshing 'to find a staunch, intelligent, and influential supporter of the establishment ready to accord such cordial recognition and support to a body of men whom his priestly advisers would pronounce schismatics. Not less wisely has he acted in his administration of the laws; sterling Christianity and sound common sense, with a keen sense of justice, having evidently dictated his action hitherto. That he will be long popular with the white population is not to be expected ; no one will satisfy them who (to use Sir Arthur's own words), " while having his chief sympathies with his own countrymen, is determined to act justly toward the Natives of the land." One instance of this, disposition is afforded 'by a decision recently arrived at by him, " that the Natives shall'be taxed as village communities, and not as individuals ; and that they may pay their tax either in coin" or in produce." The merest acquaintance with the tribal system that prevails amongst all heathen communities will indicate the wisdom of this decision, and the 'justice ol a decree which promotes industry, while recognising the tribal relation, is the more marked when contrasted with the oppressive demand for 20s from capable or incapable, made by the recent Government, and suggested by that amiable. body of Rewan planters. Part of his policy has been to leave everything untouched that can be, and do as little violence as possible to Native prejudices and customs. To this end he has availed himself oft he Native disposition to obey their chiefs, and while demanding recognition of the supreme -authority of Her Majesty, and himself as her representative, he has been careful to treat Cakobau, Maafu, and others of rank and influence with the utmost respect. Yet, while endeavoring- in J every way to propitiate the Natives, and make his power felt as their protector, the greatest firmness has been made in -demanding their obedience. I The ceremony of swearing-in the chiefs was observed the day succeding that on which we reached the Islands, and a brief description of the manner in which it was conducted Willillustrate ihe statement made. All the chiefs in the Islands (some 300 in all), were ranged around the Governor and his staff, sitting,on the ground, as is their custom in the presence of a superior. A thousand or more of the Natives watched at a respectful distance while the few Europeans permit ted "to be present stood behind the staff. The Governor, wearing his official robe; having taken his seat, quaffed a bowl of the native Yagona, thus proclaiming -himself the great chief of the land. Having practised at this disagreeable draught for some three weeks, he was able to swallow it like a man amid the impressive clappings of all present. Cakobau, then stepped forward, and seating himself at the Governor's feet, placed his hands between the Governor's, and recited "the oath of allegiance. This form of administering the oath, was, I believe, an invention of the Governor's, and derived from a hint drawn from the feudal ages. It was a ! little unfortunate, though, that in his ignorance of- Fiji custom he had hit upon the attitude criminals are required to assume when being bound for execu--ion — Ratu Epeli, Cakobau' s son and heir-aparent to the throne, had annexion not taken ■ place) • followed his father with evident reluctance, after which came each chief according to his rank. . To. each. of those who was appointed ruler of a district, a black staff of office was given, surmounted by a whale's tooth, and Sir Arthur's determination to rule was impressed upon • them when, having received the bath of allegiance from three chiefs accused of drunken and. oppressive practices, he quietly withheld from them the coveted bauble,. telling them in the presence of their fellows, that he would wait and see how : they conducted themselves. Commercially, I cannot -speak as favorably of the Fiji as I should like. Great efforts are being made to develope the sugar trade, and will, I doubt not, ■ become successful, though' until lately failure -has marked every endeavor. Some difficulty seems to be experienced in the Revva district owing to the moisture of the climate, the canes. not yielding sugar in sufficient density to pay for the crushing. The "minimum fixed by the mill-owners is 8 per cent. For less than this they will not omsh, and during my stay one planter had the Whole of his cane rejected, because of its -not 'reaching . this , x»i"W*txm.^ By ojiu vices I see that afield of 11 5 decrees has been obtained, so that with improved appliances and greater experience, success may be relied upon At Tairuni, w ( bere' the Messrs Maitland have their 'plantation, -e-ven- better .results maj be looked for, the chief difficulty hitherto having been the incompleteness of 'their machinery, a Want , now rectified. With sugar yielding in ,; paying quantities,, other industries, such as the growth of cotton, Coffee, tobacco, arrowroot, and spices may be encou? raged. But as these things can only be looked upon as auxiliaries, it is evi-' . rdent.that th-^ future. .of Fiji,depends>ntirely upon the extent to wliich 1 its sugar trade can be developed. tm Th#t, that future willbe a bright one We- hope

and believe, yet none the less earnestly would we seek to dissuade any from emigrating- ; to the, -islands; in search of wealth. : ; . :-y y . \ Sq far as J could judge, commercie • seemed .to me to be .in. a state of chronic depression, nor is there iny hope, unless a borrowing policy, is inaugurated,, of a state of things which affect the population as a whole, for years to come. (.Concluded).