THE PERSECUTIONS IN TONGA.

Evening Star, Issue 7197, 27 April 1887, Page 4

THE PERSECUTIONS IN TONGA.

[Sydney Daily Telegraph.]

On Sunday, 27th March, Her Majesty's ship Diamond arrived at Tonga, having on board His Excellency Sir Charles Mitchell (Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific), Chief Justice Clark (Judicial Commissioner), and Mr Secretary Collett; also, three native Wesleyan missionaries, who had been sent to Fiji, viz., the Revs. Joel Nau, Kaleb Valu, and Antelu. On the next day a deputation from the European residents waited on His Excellency with the object of presenting to him the following petition:— To His Excellency Lieutenant-colonel Sir Charles BuUen Hugh Mitchell, K.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in-chief in and over the Colony of Fiji Jand its dependencies and Vice-Admiral of the same, Her Majesty's HighCommissioner and Consul-Gcneial for the Western Paciflo : May it please Your Excellency, We, the undersigned Kuropean residents, merchants and traders in the Friendly Islands, respectfully approach your Excellency for the purpose of bringing under your Excellency's notice the present deplorable state of the Islands commercially and otherwise, and, considering that this untoward stats of affairs has been brought about by the oppression and tyrannical actions of the present Premier of Tonga, a British subject, we would further most . humbly pray that it may please your Excellency to make strict personal investigations into these matters, and to adopt such measures for our relief as under the circumstances and in your wisdom your Excellency may deem advisable. In order to somewhat elucidate this matter, may we be permitted to bring under your Excellency's notice the following statements, together with a few remarks relating thereto: — 1. That for the past two years we have suffered from great depression in trade, during which time business has decreased, in some eases to the extent of 300 per cent,, in no cases less than 30 per cent., and in many cases business has had to be entirely suspended. 2. That life and property are not safe under the present Government. 3. That we meet with but little justice in the Tongan law courts. With reference to the first statement, the depression cannot be attributed to unfavorable seasons, for in this respect the Friendly Islands have rathtr been particularly favored than otherwise, the yield of copra, the one product upon which our prosperity depends, having been rather above than below the average, and with the exception of the volcanio eruption at Niua Foou, affecting only one small island, there having been no natural cause for the alleged depression in auy one island of the group. We venture to suggest that the clue must be looked for in the tyrannical proceedings of the Premier of Tonga, which are affecting in the most disastrous manner the whole of the people of Tonga, who, in proportion to their resources, arc burdened with taxes and fines to an extent unknown in any other part of the world, moat certainly unparalleled in any country pretending to be governed by a constitution; and yoar petitioners will hardly be charged with exaggeration when they assert that of the total produce of the country, fully 60 to 65 per cent, finds its way into the Government coffers, thus leaving but a very small portion for the purposes of trade and commerce. These tyrannical proceediogs, togcthtr •■■/ th the fierce religious persecutions of the past two years, have completely unsettled the people, have prevented them from following their usual occupations, and have bcei the means of filling the various islands of the group with prison laborers who waste their lives in working out iniquitous fines, taxes, penalties, etc. And to such an extent is this carried on in the island of Tongatabu alone that out of a total population of 8,000, including men, women, and children, there are from 400 to 500 of this class, exclusive of hundreds more who manage to raise money and pay their fines in cash. And your petitioners can safely assert that, without doubt, the Hon. S. W. Baker, Premier of Tonga, is responsible for this persecution and its lamentable results. That life is not safe under the present Government is proved by the events of the past few months; the Premier himself having been fired at, and two of his ohildren having been dangerously wounded. Several other residents have had rifle-bullets whistling unpleasantly near, notably amongst them Mr W. E. Giles, late British Ero-consul. As regards property, lands and ouses held under lease have been entored into and looted by bands of armed marauders, chiefly by lawless ruffians from Haabai, who were brought over from Haabai by the express orders of the Premier, and contrary to the wishes of the King and chiefs. As an example of the J'ustioe that we usually meet with in the Tongan iw courts, may be instanced certain cases lately tried in the High Commissioners' Court in Fiji, in which cases the decision of the Tongan law courts was reversed, and a verdict in favor of the appellant was given. One cause of injustice is the fact that evidence that would be in- . admissible in a European b v.- court is permitted in the Tongan law court; -..-" ile in many cases evidence that would be adm ;sible elsewhere is ignored in the Tongan law courts. In conclusion, .we would like to draw your Excellency's at ention to the fact that the aotions of the present Premier of Tonga luvo been condemned by Consul Layard, and by the former High Commissioners, Sir Wil iam Des Voeux and Sir Arthur Gordon, And we would also beg to call your attention to the fact that the late Acting High Commissioner, the Hon. J. B. Thurston, in a despatch addressed to His Excellency Sir William Des Yceux, late Governor of Fiji, and published in the Blue Book on New Guinea, writes thm concerning the present Premier of Tonga:—"Your Excellency has at present under consideration the case of a number of Tongans who have been imprisoned, fined, and treated otherwise with gross injustice by the Rev. S. W. Baker, an exWesleyan missionary, who is in everything but in name the king of Tonga." The offence of these Tongans was that they ventured to address a petition to Her Majesty praying for the removal of this tyrant from Tonga. His Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon impressed upon the Tongan Government that these men were not to be considered as prisoners; that in addressing Her Britannic Majesty they had done nothing worthy of a oris n. Notwithstanding thw, they were banished by the Tongan Government to various Wands of the group, Mr Baker being Premier at the time; and from this banishment they were not released until H.M.S. Espiegle was sent down by Sir William Des Vceux to insist upon their liberation. It is a fact worthy of note that the Tongan Government have never ceased persecuting those unfortunates, and that two of these same men were amongst the six men shot by the same Premier's ordeis on 2nd February, 1887. Again craving your Excellency's sympathy and assistance in these, to us, all important matters, we have the honor to be your Excellency's humble and obedient servants. This petition was very hurriedly prepared, and, consequently, many peoplo residing in outlying islands had no opportunity of signing it. The sixty Europeans who did sign it comprised all who had an opportunity of doing so, with the exception of Government employes and German residents, who are not allowed to sign any petition. The delegates who presented the petition to His Excellency were Messrs G. W. Parker and Thomas Parsons (representing Tongatah), and Mr Alder.nan Mackay (representing the northern groups), and they were very kindly received by His Excellency, who thanked them for their address, but expressed a wish that the petition should be withheld until he had made his inquiry, so that he could give an unbiassed verdict. On the same day, in the afternoon, Mr Shirley Baker (the Premier) and the Rev. J. E. Moulton (chairman of the Wesleyan Mission) were summoned on board the Diamond to make the preliminary arrangements for the inquiry. Next day (Tuesday, 26th March) a preliminary inquiry was held at the British Consulate in the case of Baker v. Hanslip, in which Mr Shirley Baker accused Mr Robert Hanslip, a much-respected trader in Tongatabn, of having instigated certain Tongans to murder him. .-, On Wednesday, 30th March, the indniry • |n reference to the religious persecutions began, and lasted three days without'being

conoluded. Yesterday it was adjourned till to-morrow (Monday, 4th April). The inquiry, so far, has proved that most cruel Eersecutions and most terrible outrages have een committed throughout the group, in the name of the Tonga Government, upon the unfortunate Wesleyans, with the view of turning them over to the so-called Free Church.

The case of Baker v. Hanslip was resumed yesterday in the High Commissioner's Court, and was very interesting. The Court was crowded with Europeans and Natives. Chief Justice Clark acted as judge, and two officers of Her Majesty's ship Diamond as assessors. The trial lasted for three hours, at the end of which Mr Hanslip was honorably acquitted. During the trial some very damaging evidence was adduced against Baker. He had four witnesses, two of them being under sentence of death, and the others under police restraint. They were all brought from prison into Court to give evidence. One of them is an idiot, and the Judge, in summing up, said his testimony was worth absolutely nothing. Two of them prevaricated considerably, and the evidence of the fourth, James Bain, was entirely in favor of Hanslip. Balu appeared in Court with irons on his legs. In giving evidence he said:—"l have been taken a great many times to Mr Baker's house to be tried. [The Native word used was interpreted as "tried," but it really means " tested. "J The first time I was taken to Mr Baker's house Mr Baker said to me : ' You must say something, for at 3 p.m.'—Mr Baker here interrupted the witness, and evidently did not want this evidence to come out—'forat3p.m to-day it was decided that you should be taken away and killed. You have been spared till this afternoon with Tavaki, but you must say something.' " It afterwards transpired that the " something " meant something to implicate Hanslip and others in the attempted assassination of Baker, and Balu further stated on oath as follows :—" A messenger came to me with a message from Mr Baker, saying that if I would say something to criminate Mr Hanslip and others I would be pardoned, and the consequence is that I have told a lot of lies in order to save my life, and all that is on the affidavit in Mr Baker's possession is lies."

The affidavit referred to by Balu is one that was prepared by Baker, but signed by Balu in the British Consulate. When interrogated on this matter by the Judge, Balu repeated his statement that the affidavit was "all lies," and added that he had been intimidated into signing it by fear of death. Mr Hanslip questioned Balu as to his (Balu's) treatment in prison during the three days that intervened between the preliminary inquiry and yesterday's trial, and it came out that, in consequence of his having told the truth at the preliminary inquiry, he had been threatened in prison, and told that if he did not give more "satisfactory" evidence he would be shot as soon as the British man-of-war went out of the harbor.

At this stage in the proceedings the excitement in Court was intense, subdued hisses were heard, an Englishman pointed at Baker, and all eyes were turned toward him as he sat cowering in his chair, with his knees trembling against each other, and his face deadly pale. Upon seeing that all eyes were turned towards him he covered his fac,e with his hands. The Judge then asked Baker if he knew that in all civilised countries it was an established custom that when a prisoner under sentence of death was brought into Court in order to give evidence the death sentence on him was never carried out. Baker did not reply, and amid profound silence the Judge demanded to know what was the intention of the Tongan Government with regard to the witnesses, and also that the witnesses should be protected from any evil consequences that might otherwise have befallen them for having given such evidence as had been obtained from them in Court. In reply, Baker stammered out: " The witness has been reprieved, your Honor."

It may be stated that up to that moment none of the witnesses were aware of the reprieve. The Judge, in summing up, said that he was glad to have as assessors two gentlemen who, coming from afar, could have no possible share in the political excitement existing in Tonga. He asked them to note that the witnesses for Mr Baker were all accomplices—two of them under sentence of death, and two under restraint. "It is very dangerous," continued His Honor, "to believe anything of their statements. They are in a most delicate and dangerous position, and one cannet tell what strong inducements men in their position may have hod to bear false witness. It is always dangerous to convict a man on the evidence of accomplices, unless that evidence be corroborated by outside evidence. In this case, not only is their evidence not corroborated by outside evidence, but they themselves are at variance one with another." His Honor having dissected the evidence, the Judge and the assessors went out of Court to consider their verdict. After a brief absence they returned, and His Honor asked the assessors : " Have you arrived at a verdict ? Mr Murdoch, what do you say—Guilty or not guilty ?" Mr Murdoch replied " Not guilty"; and Lieutenant Williams gave a similar reply. His Honor then said : " 1 agree with the assessors." A tremendous outburst of applause followed that announcement, after which those in the body of the Court rushed out into the open air, and Europeans and Natives joined in giving three deafening cheers for Hanslip as he left the Court with the crowd. Messengers went all over the town carrying the glad tidings of his acquittal, and bis homeward journey was like a triumphal march, everyone turning out to cheer him. The inquiry in reference to the religious persecutions is being conducted before His Excellency, who has particularly questioned the witnesses as to whether they considered the island under martial law, and also as to whether they thought the bands of armed men were beyond the control of the Government, and the evidence, so far, has all gone to show that the island was not under martial law—that martial law was not proclaimed—that at no time were the armed bands beyond the control of the Government ; and that Mr Baker could have stopped the outrages at any time had he wished to do so.

Some of your readers will doubtless recollect the brief account that has been published of the service held in the Wesleyan Church on Zion Hill, Tongatabu, on Sunday, 6th February. People had been forbidden to attend the service, and yet the church was crowded. After the service many of the people were arrested, and the names of all who had attended were taken down. Next day they were subjected to every conceivable barbarity, and by the end of the week all who had not turned over,to tho Free Church were deported, so that Mr Baker might boast that not one Wesleyan Native was left on the island. Having been closed for eight weeks, tho Wesleyan Church was re-opened this morning. It might reasonably have been expected that few would have dared to attend after the atrocities committed upon those who had attended the service on 6th February; but, although it was decided only very late last night to hold a service this morning, by the time the bell had ceased tolling there were 136 Tongan Wesleyans in the church, together with many Europeans, including Mr R. B. Leefe, British Vice-Consul. There were also present two of the king's own family present. Whilst the people were going to the church Baker watched them through a pair of opera-glasses from an upper window in the king's house. Government soldiers stood at each door of the church taking down the names of all who entered. Baker's own attendant was amongst them, and another well-known Native, who is constantly seen at the king's house, stepped forward and tried to forcibly prevent many of the Wesleyans from entering. The service was a great success, Mr Moulton conducting it. Another service is to be held this afternoon, and many more have promised to go, and have expressed their regret that they did not know sooner that the church was to be re-opened. It is expected that the church will this afternoon be full to overflowing. Yesterday, after it was reported that several men had been liberated from gaol, and that Baker was trying to smuggle them off to a distant island, under sealed orders, Mr Moulton at once subpoenaed these men, as all of them happened to be most important witnesses. One of the men was stopped just as he was being shipped. Mr Moulton has chartered the Suva to go up to the northern islands and bring down witnesses. It having been reported prior to the arrival of His Excellency that Mr Baker intended to bring a charge against the Wesleyan Mission of being implicated in his attempted assassination, and that he had " the most incontrovertible evidence" to prove that suoh was the case, he was asked by His Excellency _ on the. first day of the inquiry whether he intended to bring forward Buoh a oharge. It had been arranged at the

preliminary inquiry, on board the Diamond, that Mr Baker and Mr Moulton should each furnish the Court with schedules of charges, which were to contain all the charges that they respectfully intended to bring forward during the inquiry. Mr Moulton furnished his schedule, but Mr Baker did not; and, therefore, His Excellency asked Mr Baker on the first day of the inquiry whether it was his intention to bring forward that charge. Mr Baker has put the matter off from day to day on various lame excuses, evidently with the object of seeing first of all the result of Hanslip's trial; but he has now been called upon to state definitely tomorrow whether he intends to make the charge or not.