THE CESSION OF FIJI.

Evening Star, Issue 3654, 7 November 1874, Page 2

THE CESSION OF FIJI.

Argns * sent a special correspondent to Levuka along with sir Hercules Robinson, and we are thus enabled to be auditors of the discussion which preceded the cession of the Fijian Archipelago to the Queen. Cakobau met Sir Hercules on board the Dido, and this is what transpired : His Excellency: The English Government have received the offer of cession made through the commissioners, Commodore Ooodenough and Mr Layard : but in consequence of the oonditioug attached to the offer it cannot be accepted. _ The Queen cannot, having regard to her desire effectually to provide for the wellbeing of the Fiji people, and also to her dig. nity, accept a cession so offered. Her Ma* jestrs Government can only accept an unoon. (titioual cession, so that they may be left free to govern the country properly. The condi. tins attached to the proposed cession would have interfered with the proper government bf the country. The King intimated that ho understood all that was said. His Excellency: I am authorised, in the event of an unconditional cession being offered, and the chiefs trusting to the justice and the generosity of the English Government, to accept such a cession and to establish a temporary and provisional Government before I leave these islands. In the event of the King and chiefs placing themselves unreservedly in the power of the English Government, it would be the wish of the Government to deal with the Jvmg, chiefs and people not only equitably, but most liberally. In the event of the King agreeing to annexation, the rights, interests, and claims both of the King and other chiefs wiU be «°eg«Md and maintained by the wwv. v -^ D^ nen J» 88 f** a* is consistent with the British rule and the carrying out of ,9°™ . for , m , B °f Government. As regards liabilities, debts, and financial engagemens entered into since 1871, the Queen’s Govemwould have them carefully scrutinised and dealt with equitably and according to the principles of justice and sound public policy Any personal liability of the King would be taken over by the Queen’s Government. Ag regards titles to laud, whether made by bond Jide or fictitious sales, and as regards the Khig’g pension and other smaller matters, these arc all questions that the British Government would look carefully into, and they would be settled on an equitable and liberal basig. You as King, would bo placed in a position whici would make it unnecessary to draw upon the peopL for your support, and you would be supportedm a way that your rank and position entitled you te. I think I have now explained the general views of the English Government, which, although enly prepared to accept an unconditional cession, is ready to act in the way I have specified. It will therefore be only necessary for you to’say whefebprfT°U °? tt 3P a^6 th® cession m the only form Sewtefb 8 P? vernmont can accept with a r*. ? utur ® pope* government ®f the r . wy- w merely a question of yes or no. y° u think you can make the cession In the .J► Proposed, well and good. If not, yon have but to say so. I should Rke you to decide whener you wish me to say anything further, that is. as to the course of conduct the British Government would, pursue in the event of unoon* ditipnal cession uot being offered, yfco

tion for you to consider is whether you will answer yes or no —unconditional cession or not. If you decide in the negative, I si util then have to arrange what must be done. If •on wish to have the whole case hefore you I wii] go on, but I do not want to confuse you by stating too many points at once.

Sir Hercules was ca-eful to impress uv mi the King that it, would ill oon-ort whh the dignity of >he British Crown to a c p ! a cession subject to conditions, and that such conditions as those formerly i repos d wmi'd render acceptance of an offer difficult, if /JO t impracticable. The Home Government had no desire to undertake the control of the islands. On the contrary, they would very much rather not enter upon that responsibility but in the present condition of the country it had heroine their duty to accept the cession if made i-pon dignified and reasonable terms, so as to establish older, and secure the maintenance of equal j istice as between the native and white population It the King wanted anything beyond that justice and generosity which was to be expected from the Queen’s Government, he had better ray so at once, and this negotiation could terminate. The King must trust wholly to the Queen of England, or there was an end of the matter, for there ceuld be no half-measures. Sir Hercules seems almost to have said—

11 If love be love, and love be ours, Faith and unfaith can ne’er be equal powers • Trust me all in all, or not at all.’*

The old King at once apprehended the spirit of the offer, and made cordial response in a similar tone. JKeplving to the remark that it was not dignified for the Queen of England to accept conditions, he promptly said ; “ True. true. The Queen is right: it is not cbief-hke to make conditions. I was always opposed to it, but I was overruled. When the commodore and consul came here they took different ground to that which you have taken. They kept spying, ‘Teli’us What you want,’and pressing me to do so; hence the condi* ions attached to the off ”- i f cession. If I give a chief a can;e, - a;:d he knows that I expect; something from him, I do not say * I give you this oaudr- on condition of your only sailing it on certain days, or your not letting such and such a mau go in it, or your only using a particular kind of rope with it,’ but I give him the canoe right out, and trust to his generosity and go d faith to make me the return which he knows I expect. If I were to attach those conditions he would probably say, ‘ Bother your canoe. I can do very well without it.’” This very apt illustration shows that Cakobau fully understood and appreciated the spirit of the negotiation. Replying generally to the Governor’s remarks, the King said I am glad to hear all that I have heard, and I am very much gratified afcthe plain, straightforward way in which the case has been put. It has been built up step by step. There arc two' things. First, giving the country up to England is merely a matter of a word. All our people obey us, and the greater part of the chiefs will think that what I do is right. Whether I say that word or no is another question. It is matter for consideration As to the harsh operation of the English law”, peace and rest is what we want. Those are bur riches. No riches are to be compared with these in the opinion of our chiefs. Tumult and disquiet are poverty. Any Fijian chief who refuses to cede cannot have much wisdom. If matters remain as they are, Fiji will become like a piece of driftwood on the sea, to be picked up by the first passer-by. His Excellency : As a rule, when white men settle down in places of this sort, the natives are unable to protect themselves until British rule is established.

The King : The case is so in Fiji. The whites who have come to Fiji are a bad lot. They are mere stalkers on the beach. The wars' here have been far more the result of the interference of intruders than the fault of the proper inhabitants.

His Excellency ; As to the land question, I hava been surprised to hear that some misapprehension exists as to what might be the intentions of her Majesty’s Government with respect to land. . That misapprehension, I am tola, has arisen in consequence of the recent discussion in the House of Lords, You may be Serfectly certain that nothing unjust will be one. What has occurred to me a? the fairest way of arranging the matter, I have this morning discovered to be included in the code of laws of the La# Confederacy, viz., that all lands r which can; be shown to have been fairly and .honestly acquired by whites shall be secured to . them ; that all lands that are now in the actual - use or occupation of any chief or trike, and such land as may be necessary for the probable future support and maintenance of any chief or tribe, shall be set Japart for them ; and that ad the. residue of the land shall go to the Government,|4iot for the personal advantage of Her Majesty or the members of any government, but for the general good, for the purposes of rule and order. The more public land there is the less -necessity foHtaxation, the less burdensome tpthe people will be the maintenance .P| ace > /he administration of justice, the huuding pf hospitals and other institutions of .public utility. Fdr such purposes as these, and not for adding to the wealth of the Queen, is it a matter of necessity to have public land. The King : I am very niftch pleased to hear your sentiments as to thcr land question, and that disputed titles will be finally adjusted. In some cases I fear both sidesf will suffer, but it is better that such questions should be set at rest even at the cost of a little suffering. Of one thing I am afraid, that if we do not cede Fiji the white stalkers on the Mach—the cormorants .°.P en iheir mouihaknd swallow us up. The white residents ate going about influencing the namas of Tui Oakau and other chiefs, so as to prevent annexation, fearing that in case order is established a period may be put to their lawless proceedings. By annexation, the two ra<Mß, white and black, will be joined together, •ft W .} U k® impossible to sever them—the lacing has come. The Fijians, as a nation, are of an unstable character, and a white man who wishes to get anything out'of a Fijian, if he does not succeed in. his object to-day, will try again to-morrow, until the Fijian is either worried out or over-persuaded, and gives in. Blit law will bind us together, and the stronger nation will lend stability to the weaker. It will have been noticed that some of the replies of the King were marked by much cleverness and wisdom. The F-jians are at all times wonderfully ready in debate. On the occasion of Commodore Goodenongh’s , . t'he island, Oakolau was explaining the position of the country as rpgards Maafu-how the wily Tongan bad entered the islands a foreigne v , and had gradually by craft and decision of character forced himself .into a position in which be was now actually oustmg the natives from their hereditary rights, and establishing himself in sovereign power. I he cemmodorc pointed out that this was what took pUcc every day all over the world, and sad! “Look at the hermit crabs on your coral beaches ; they take the shells of others ” “True,” rapped outCakobau, “but the hermit crab always tai-.es the empty shell.” Maafu once very haopily hit off the gn at blot in the Fijian Government—the utter want of proportion between its expenditure and the results achieved. He had come alongside the Dido iu his pretty little yacht, the Zarifa, once the pride of I'ort Jackson, i-fter admiring for so e time one of the two enormous guns the Kido carries amidtbips, he said to Captain Chapman, “ Zarifa carry that gun, eh, captain ?” “ Oh, no,” rep i- d Captain Chapman, “ Zarifa too small, i'ufc that on Zarifa, and Zarifa go down ; gun too ; i “ A “ aanae P oor Fiji.” rejoined Maafu, Fiji Government too big—Fiji go down,” When this same chief of Lau was asked by Commodore Goodenongh why be would not send bis taxes down to the Government in Levoka, he gaye a pointed answer, not at all flattering to the authorities. “Why should I ?” be asked. “-I Hye in the windward Ulaode.; JVf hpn I out down a cogoanut

tree it floats down to the leeward islands, but like the taxes, no part ever comes back.”