ISLAND NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 770, 3 December 1886, Page 24

ISLAND NEWS.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) • ~ Auckland, November 30.' Captain Cromarty, of the Arawata, reports that the 8.8. Suva had juat arrived from* Tonga with the news of King George’sserious illness, and that he was not expected to live long. The hews from the Windward-. Islands i 3 to the effect that copious tropical-; rain has fallen, and that the crops are looking well. When the Arawata left Suva thesteam yacht Marchesa, with Lord and Lady Dudley and party, had arrived, and will steam for Sydney shortly. \ In the Samoan land case,, Manaema v Macarthur and Co., execution has been< stayed pending an appeal' to the Privy Council. -

Splendid rains have fallen in Fiji,- and the? New Zealand Sugar Company report that the sugar crop is 200 tons in* excess of theestimate.

The sittings of the Fiji Legislative Council hitye Closed. The Lieutenant Governor re--ported that the revenue for the nine months ending 30th September is £44,’so2,'and theexpenditure £53,069, the deficit'being £8567,. Consideration of the Estimates and the proposed Victorian Reciprocity Treaty was - postponed for two months, pending the arrival of the new Governor,; Sir Charles' Mitchell. (Per Southern Cross, at Auckland.) Auckland, December I.‘ The following items are from Fiji<paDers:— 7 The Tongan correspondent of the Suva' Times says :—We have been favored with another visit from the U.S.S. Mohican.. ■The United States Commissioner was on board, and remained here for five days. Whether a treaty was entered into between' the United States and Tonga is not generally known, but it is more than probable that his* business consisted in entering into a conven»tioh to make a treaty within a specified time. ' '

Tho steam yacht Marchesa, Captain Houston, arrived from Samoa with Lord Dudley and party on board. - The following, is the list of passengers:—Lord Dudley,, Messrs Moncrieff and Carnegie and Dr Hull.. The Maschesa belongs to the Royal Thames Yacht Club, and'is of 378 tons, builder’s* measurement, and 65 horse-power. She is* out from England sixteen months, having: come by the Straits of Magellan, visiting eras route Juan Fernandez.

News from Nina Foou, by the Suva, is ta the effect that shortly after she left on her previous visit the Island was deluged with heavy and continuous rains, which lasted with few and slight intermissions for nearly threeweeks. It came most opportunely. There are many horses on the Island, and as feed had been destroyed by sand thrown out during the eruption the advisablenes had been discussed of killing the poor animals to save them the agonies of starvation. The people will have to be brought away and settled on lands in other groups. Upward of one hundred have already reached Tonga in vessels sent from here. After the ss Suva left on her last trip, this schooner after leaving Nina Foou, was blown out of her course by strong winds and lost sight of land, and did not sight any again for some ten days, when fortunately at a distance they saw the Island of Ata, Pylstaart’a Island of the charts. Had they not descried that spot of land they were right away for New Zealand, and would have all perished. As it was they were three weeks and five days with only a little arrowroot mixed with salt water to keep them from starving. They were two days drinking salt sea water before they were able to make Tongatabu. No fife, with the exception of that of one very young child, was lost. But a few days longer at sea, and they wouldl have been in a horrible condition.