THE TONGA AFFAIR.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4836, 9 February 1887, Page 2

THE TONGA AFFAIR.

[pee pbess association.]

Auckland, Yesterday. The following additional particulars of the attempted assassination of the Rev. Shirley Baker are from the diary of Captain Lane, of the schooner Maile: —"Some assert that tho men -who gave themselves up could not have done the deed of attempted assassination, as they were seen at Mua, 12 miles away, about the time Mr Baker says there were several men hiding , , and that he saw flashes, showing that the assassin had a double-barrelled gun, or that' . there were two men, one covering the other. Nothing has been proved yet against any person. On the 20th January the schooner Mailakula, crowded with. men, arrived from Hoabai. They attacked the prison, smashed in the door, and demanded the prisoners that they might cut them up, although it was probable that they were innocent. Mr Monlton applied to the Consul .for protection, as the rioters were firing ball cartridge in the direction of the college. The protection solicited was given by posting notices warning anyone from interfering and by hoisting the British flag over the property. As Messrs Moulton and Giles were walking aloiwjjlt, . shot was fired which passed close to them " and wont through a house and fell in the * road, where it was picked up and brought to them by a women. Another ball passed close to Mr .Richardson. On the Hoabai men fired at Fakaogo, a Wesleyan the ball grazing his head. On the aftornoon of the 22nd another shot was fired close to Mr and Mrs Moulton, who saw a man fire, but did not know till afterwards that it was fired at them. It is supposed that the firing was -with, the intention of f lightening them. On the 23rd (Sunday) the Wesleyans from the town of Hounya came in, having been driven away from their homes and then- prbperty by Government men. Notwithstanding the persecutions tho Wesleyans , services were well attended and the evening service in the college was crowded. Mr Baker says that Europeans are concerned in the shooting, but so far as Captain Lane could learn no Europeans said more than to call the attention of the natives to some paragraphs in the papers recountinsr some ' assassination, telling the natives t£at that was the way tyrants were served. There is' universal dissatisfaction from end to Hid of the kingdom. Everything goes to the Government, which takes two-thirds of the entire produce of the country, so that the natives are reduced to poverty, and the traders are ruined, yet are afraid to speak lest it should be worse for them. It is impossible that things can go oa longer as they have been doing. If the king shotild die Mr Baker's life would not be worth an hour's purchase. Mr Baker attributes the bad times to the failure of the nut crop, but there have been several failures of the crop during past years without there being sueS sufferings as are now -being , experienced, but then the Government took less than half they do now, and the tax was often remitted after hurricanes. The population, too, is rapidly decreasing, for the people becoming disheartened they soon succumb to disease, and they dare not speak, as everything is done in the king's name, who is now in his dotage. When the Mailo left Tonga the place was in a great state of - excitement, and it was daily feared that the natives would commit somo further outrages, and business was at a complete standstill, no one feeling disposed to do anything whilst matters were in such a disquieting state The town was in a state of martial law, and warriors brought from the neighboring islands were daily committing acts of looting upon the peaceable residents in and about Nukualofa. It was expected ; that Mr Baker and family would come on to Auckland by tho Tongan Government schooner Sandfly as soon as it was possible to remove the two invalids. Mr Baker was suffering very much from the shock to his system."