MR. W.J. HUNT AND THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5995, 3 February 1881, Page 6

MR. W.J. HUNT AND THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

TitE unexpected'arrival' of H.M.S. Cormorant onsSih.e 16th January, (says the Fiji Argus), occasioned, a good deal of -surprise'ampngst the townspeople, and shortly after her drop-', ping/anchor all sorts of rumour?' 'were' afloat. as to Her mission. It -was generally, supposed that her appisarance. iii' thes'p'waters .was to be attributed to a tardy determination on the part of the Ilritish Gp.vernmenttq ( .m'ake' : 're-.. prisals for siome of the horrible,', massacres ■which have lately been of sueh ! coirinion occurrence to r -the westward; but no, -while the r miscreants who have perpetrated these atrocious crimes dwell in peaceful security, H.M.S. Cormorant with her large crew and formidable armament, is sent down here at the bidding of the High Commissioner, wllo had received information that Mr. J.W. Htiiit had'- left New Zealand-.with the purpoSfe. of returning to Samoa, whither he' had beSn : previoasly deported at the instance of, Sir-'Arthur, the instructions'to the''commander of the man-of-war being that should Eiint be found in Samoa he was' to be again removed forthwith from.'the precincts "of the Navigator's Group. Mr;'Hunt'was found iii Leyuka, so the captain of the.Cormorant ha'd. no alternative but to return from his bootless errand,. which he did by starting pri his" return to Sydney, via Suva, , early 6n ; the 13th. - -■' : - ••■ ■■' -■■■ ■■: ■■:;;-■■

The Fiji Times thus refers to the above subject :—"The ex-Premier of his defunct Samoan Majesty is fast becoming'a man of mark. On Sunday last H.M.S. Cormorant u uexpectedly- appeared,in'port,- and general curiosity was arbusedto know the nature of her errand. During the-next 'day it trans? pi red -that when His Excellency Sir Arthur. Gordon, High Commissioner for'the Western Pacific, became aware -that ''■ W:'J.' -Hunt had left Auckland in the s.s. , Clyde-with the avowed intention of proceeding to Samoa, iii defiance of his order of prohibition, he telegraphed to the Commodore - on r the Australian station, him , to despatch a vessel for the purpose of re-' moving him thence-and deporting him to Sydney'. This the' Commodore declined to do;: and the High Commissioner ' then' telegraphed home, With the result-that the Cormorant was directed to upon the important and hazardous service. Upon arrival in Levuka, it was found that Hunt was resident in this town, and--Her Majesty's cruiser started on her return voyage from her Wild goose chase, < While the active sition of English men-of-war is required for tneiprotection of British lives in the racinc, their anchors remain'down in Sydney harbour, but when • a Britisli:-subject • pre- ! ' sum%s even to threaten to disregard the injunction of the-High-Commissioner,- relative J? WS- residencean; one island or another, all o f High Commission and Admi-' ra.-.ty machinery are at once in motion.