THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3780, 27 August 1883, Page 4

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

In a lecture recently delivered by thoßcA\ J. O. Puion, Presbyterian missionary to the New Hebrides, in Melbourne, the lecturer said .—

Seventeen, years ago, when he went back to tlio islands in the Uayspring, tlio Presbyterians had only two missionaries, who wore both on one of the islands. Now the Presbyterians had missionaries on 13 islands, and the people on those islands w ere nearly all under Christian instruction. There were nearly 8000 under such instruction, and tlio.se who had not yet been brought under it were being- rapidly drawn towards it. By every chance of receiving letters here from the islands news was brought of the increasing interest felt by the natives in Christianity. The lecturer then gave a description of the manners and customs of the natives, and stated that ■whore the Gospel hud been introduced the natives who embraced it not only entered actively into Christian work, but also •worked well in their daily occupations for five or .six hours per day. Although the natives were savages and cannibals before the missionaries visited them, they had Home good natural moral qualities ; but he was sorry to say that the visits of tlio •white men engaged in trade and the labor traffic- had broken down many of tho good natural laws on a number of tlio islands, mid that some of the bad habits of white men had been introduced, and were sweeping men and women away from many of the shores. He might state that cannibalism was not entirely done away with in all places. A missionary had sent word only recently that on one of the islands he had Keen a poor old woman shot down not far from where he lived. After she was shot the chief sent for other natives to come and lrjlp him to cook and cat the woman. The chief thought lie would please the others whom ho invited to tho feast, but he lost caste by it, beuause his guests '.considered that he had not honored them by offering them an old woman to eat, and said that if ho intended to honor them he should have shot a young woman and cooked her for them. The islands were very fertile. Any quantity of sugar-canes, spiuu.s,ijj[eouoimuty, dec, could bo produced on them, and those articles would become valuable exports Boon. The French were well aware of that, and from what he had learned, he was convinced that it was their intention to take possession of the islands before long, if they werejnot anticipated by hoiuo other Power. The "missionaries were afraid that the

French would do so-afraid because tiny kivjw that when the French took possession of other islands they forbade the Protestant missionaries continuing , their labors. Ho mentioned some of the means which the French took to suppress Protestantism in the islands taken possession of by them, and then said that the missionaries feared the French, and consequently were eager for British protection over the islands, their annexation. If the capitalists of these Colonies, who were generally so anxious to extend their business, only knew the value of those islands, they would urge the go and take possession of them .it once." The Missionary Society with which he was connected had spent ,-Cl 10,000 in evangelising the people of the islands, and were expending £0000 a year in carrying on the work. What would be .said if the French were to come in at last, take advantage of the work the missionaries bad done, dismiss them, and compel the natives to receive religious instruction of a character which they , "were most strongly opposed to : j If the French did take possession of the islands, it could only be expected that they would do as they had done on other islands, and no one need therefore be supprised at the anxiety of the missionaries to have the islands placed under British protection- If they were annexed, or taken under British protection, Britain could protect the natives against the labor traffic, which, had swept away one-third of the population during the last 20 years. He related incidents to show the evil nature of the labor traffic, and said that he held that it was worse than slavery. A .slave was the property of his master, but the people who employed the islanders worked them like slaves for two years and three-quarters, and.then considered that if they could work them to death in the last quarter of their entrtigement it would be so much the better because they would then take the 4 per day which would have been owing to the men if they had lived, and get other similar labourers witli the money. It seemed, indeed, as if there were something like a premium offered to get rid of labourers. He blamed tie employer of the labour in Queensland for the evils of the trade. The employer was liable for those evils, because he sent men to get natives to do his work, and if there was nobody to employ the natives (here Avould bo no necessity for people to go to the islands for them. If Britain objected to protect the islands, it would not be long before some other Power -would take possession of them, for they were far too civilised to remain neutral lerritorv much longer, and the missionaries feared that they would into the hands of those Avho would suppress their work, and perhaps cut off the natives more rapidly than they Avere disappearing now. He hoped that British protection Avould bo obtained before long.