ITEMS OF COLONIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7005, 30 April 1884, Page 6

ITEMS OF COLONIAL NEWS.

[nU»f OUR LOITDOM CORRISPONBENT.] Lobdov, March 14. THE CRYSTAL PALACB EXHIBITION. Mb. G. Collins Lkvbt, CM.i>., having temporarily exhausted the colonics as a field "for the display of his abilities as an Exhibition Commissioner, is engaged in a similar capacity by the directors of the Crystal Palace Company to organise the London International and Universal Exhibition, to be held at the Crystal Palace. It will be opened with some ceremony on April 23, aod will remain open for at least six moutns. Although the exhibition will have few distinctly colonial features, it seems likely to be a decided success. Space has been purchased by exhibitors from Austria, France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great britaiu, and Ireland, Holland, Italy, Kuama, Portuga', .Spain, Sweden, Switzcrlaud, the United .States, 'Wu-key, Egypt, Japan and Norway. With the exception of a parcel of hops from Victoria, an*l a few mineral! from New South Wales, the AuetraJasian colonies will not be represented. I tin assured that the collection of pictures will be one of the grandest rver brought together in Europe. Sir George Msofarrun will supply the inevitable cantata, which will b« sung by 2000 voices. The total quantity of space occupied inside the Palace will be 173,000 f*et. TAHITI. The report of the British Consul on the trade and navigation of Tahiti for 1332 has just been published. It supplies thj latest available statistics the b'rencn possessions ia Ocean.a. The imports arriving at Papeete, the chief port of Tahiti, in 1882 from foreign coutUnes iFrauoe included) amounted to about £173,000. British goods forming a good proportion. Tht» exports of Tahitian and other South Sea islands products, exported from Tahiti in IS;s2, amounted to £127.001). They chiefly con- j Misted «f 1,156.Mi-Jib*, of clean baled oottou, j valued at £i»3.(r_7j ; 471 tons of pearl-shells, | valued at £42, .'WO; I'JM tons or copra, valued at £15.4. H ; and 2,443,000 orange, valut-d at i' 204.!. Toe other articles of export wire cotton seed,eJibie fundus lor China, cocoanuts, vanilla, hinejuice, timber, arrowroot, coffee, honey and wax. These exports were rhierly the produce of the Krenoh possession* in Oceania, namely, of Tahiti aud its dependencies, the Gainbier and the Marquesas Groups*. The rest came from tha Society or Leeward Islands, the Hervey Group, *c. The exports of these independent islands do uoc pass so much as formerly through Tahiti. It m stated that the local revenue of the Freuch posseisious in Oceania, for ISSH, was tetunated at 1,103,970 franca, or about £47,7u'J, tne local expenditure being about the same. The cost of the Prenua naral and military establishments maintained at these islands, is borne by the metropolitan treasury. Consul Mailer, it should be observed, not only describes tbe Society or Leeward Islands a? "independent," bur, he subsequently emphasises the iact by a second paragraph, in which he states, " The trade of Huanine, Kaiatea, and Horabora—mlanus within the limits ui this (Tahiti) consular district, thougn not comprised amongst the French possessions —has developed considerably of laie, as in particularly shown by thur increased direct trade with New Zealand." Aβ this report wu written as late as April '2'.l of last year, it is evidence that, although the French flag was then Hying over Kaiatea, that Her Majesty a representative at Tahiti t.ad not received authority to acknowledge trench claims to that island, which, it »ufcuowledged would virtually place the whole of the three indodendent states under the rule of the Republic.

THE ANNEXATION OF NEW GUINEA

The hostile criticisms pass d by the Kusaian i're«e upon the Karon N. <le XeiklondoMaclay for hie hupposed nee in the affairs of New Guinea m the interest of England have induced him or some of his Irieoda to make it kbov.ii that m his telegram to Lord Derby, ia October last, he pointed oat that the Maelay Coai>t natives claimed political autonomy under European protection, njt Knghsh protect.on. This explanation savours of disingenuousneaa ; for the Baron, in a letter despatched to the Colonial Otlice immediately after the telegram, supplies the following reasons which induced him to uae the ezpreeeion "Kurope»n proteotion , ': — "The native* of the Maciay Coant, uot having ever seen a wbite man bef'j e my landing at the coaet ia September, and Dot having had wince sufficient intercourse with Europeans, have not ttie faintest ulea about the different, European nationalities ; they could not therefore, by themselves uor ot therneelvea, a&k for thu protectorate of any specific or special nation. In an king me to protect them they left tbc que»tion of the kind or ipeciea <A protectoraVe they wanted completely ia my bands." Thi» explanation certainly lmpliea that IJaron Maclay contemplated an English protectorate. if any European nat'.on had cause to fear that the absorption of the eastern h»lf of New Guinea might poseibly ati«ct its rights it would be the lJutch, who tor years tj»ve exercised a nomiual sovereignty over th« other half of the ielaud. Strange to eay, however, the I>utch are not nearly to sore at tb» prospect of the annexation to Great Britain of the unappropriated h»lf of I'apu*, aa tke French profess to be. An influential Dutch organ the Java Bode, for inetanc?, contends that the recent annexation by Wueenaliod was a peaceable, lawful, an ,[ justifiable measure, coojtitutiag one o; the rnoet harmless acquisitions ot territory acquired by a European Power during the present century. Not a single treaty had beem broken by it either in spirit or letter, and not » single interest injured by it, save perhaps that of the savage inhabitant*. With a compliment to John Hull for dnplaying fresh proof of his enterprise, and his pnotioal forethought, the Java Bode diemine* the subject