SLAVE TRADE AND MURDER IN THE FIJIS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2258, 1 May 1869, Page 3

SLAVE TRADE AND MURDER IN THE FIJIS.

In a c-tso recently hard in 'h> Melbourne I'M-ici- Curt, in which Hu,h Leving r was l nmr:!it t'c'ore the - i'.y Courr, chared wi-.h li ivm*_'. in October list, nmrdored threo I'olyi.esi in natives on board the s- h oner Youn^ Australia, tlum lyit g ff I anna, and on ih<r high sens, eoino strange revelations were iii.'tdo on oath. Joseph Johnson swc.ru, sard : I waa ca iubny on b».-»rd tho Young Australia thre»-mastf d schooner. I join, d tii at ship on the fith Miytist, IBUS, nnd wo left ;-yiluey on the llth of that month I know prisoner, who was supercargo on bi«-ii'd the ahip. Iha master's mine was Captain abort R las 11..V.11. Tho Young AmtrVta buloH-^-d to Mr Onllm. I don't kii"W bis <;hri< ti-\n name, and I don't know where he lives. The Young Australia Wfi a l"r ;.inli ship. I havo seen her Bailing v der Kndish colour* She was trading anion;.' the Polynesian iela .da. When we h-fc yyilnoy tho first land we in vie wob the Fiji Isl»uds--tho inland <f L vuka. We went thence to another island called Vereka, where wo took y.vns on board. I did not at this timo know what tlio vo&bcl went thero for. Wo then went to a B«p*ra k.o inland call-.d Hotmnah, and thence to iho 'aUnd of Tanna, '.ne of tho New H brides. There we took on board some slav.-s, somo natives. I can't toll extctly how many, but think thoro vtuvo about 35, men and bjys. I went on 'l

- shore, but saw no flag flying at that island. The natives are not many of them civilised. ; 1 don't remember anything particular hap- : tuning at thrs ialand. Then we went to Err rniango, about a day's »il from Tanna, nnd t<w,k ekhfc natives bom the c. From . there wo **<nt to tbe Sandwich Islands. We then went to M*boo ani Moy, calling at other islands oa the way, but we took no natives on ? oard except at tho latter place, i | where we took about forty moro natives. We j next went to Apee. where wo took about i right natives on board. Wo sailed round the point to the other s;do of Apee, where tho vessel dropped anchor, and two boats left in charge of Bnngi and a Frenclnwl named Bob A boat half past three o'clock f saw the boats come roiin^ the point and go op to a canoe which threo natives were pulling from one island to another. The men in the two boats took the three men from tho canoe. They were brought on board, and pat down the main hatch, with the Tanna and Moy men. A quarrel ensued. The Tanna mon begin to laugh and spit at thorn, and threw* pieces of cocoa nut end firewo>d at them. AffcOrwarda the Tanna snd tho Moy men came quickly on deck, leaving the three men j down below, and the Tanna men tried to put | tho hatches down on the three. Tho throe , men tidoW rushed to the end of the hold to see what they could get to defend' themselves, and! then saw ihem retain with ' their bows and arrows. Tbe other natives. Tanna and Erromango, got pieces of woodf and bows and arrows fiom tha crew, and began'to pelt at tho three natives with whatever tbey could get. ,The mon bolow began to knock off the hatches with pieces of firewood, and began to fire j arrows and heave ooedanuts and stones at whoever they could see. I ran up the rigging then to get out of th»j way. From there,! could see what wei fc on deck aad in tho hold. I was np there about half an hour. I saw Bob and I?an#er and Erromanga Tom bring muskets on board from tbo boats : and Bob served them out to j Antonio and Louis (another Frenchman). Louis took a musket down into tho foreI cantle." I waa on the fore-rigging. The captain was standing on the poop, and the supercargo ty tbe galle/ before the foremast, out of the way, so as not to get hit. The firing of arrows was going1 on when Louis took tbe musket be-; low. As soon as tho men came on deck out of the boat, I came dowft into tho jib stays. When Louis went down with tho musket, I was ou tbe foremast, and came down soon after. I went down and sat on tbo bows of the vessel, snd saw Erromango Tom firo a mnsket down tho hold Irom tho deck. He aaid nothing before or at the timo he fired. I heard the captain sing out after the shot had been fired, not to shoot them, but let them get up and jump over the Bide. Tho men below attempted to get on deck, and tho natives on deck pelted them with stones ond whatever they bad in their hands. I heard a report in the hold, but I don't know who it was fired. Three muskets went off together. I then heard the natives on deck call out that ono man was shot. The supercargo was still standing by tha galley before the forovoaat, and he said to Louiil, " Hhoot, if you can get a good shot at them." The order to shoot was given by Mr Levinger about half an hour after the captain told them not to shoot. Tbe second mate, Bab, got an iron rod and put some oakum on it. He waa then standing by the mizen hatch, and the cook Sam put some kerosene oil on tho oakum, and the Frenchman Bob, tho aeoond mate, lit it, and held it down the main hatch to show them light, so tliat tbey could fire down tho hatch. 1 saw Antonio tako a musket from a native immediately the light was held down, nnd firo down the foro« hatchway. After Antonio fired from the forecastle, I aaw the bullet-wound bleeding in tbo forehead of the old natfte 1 clow. Five balls were fired at the old man. Then tho three natives were hauled on deck. Tbey wero brought up one by one. The first one brought up was dead, witb fivo wounds ; tho second had a littlo life, and I aaw no marka 5 tbo third was dead, and I saw no marka on him. 'A'hen they were up stones were tied to tho whole three, and they wero thrown overboard. I cannot say whether tho man who had a little life in him when brought up was dead when thrown overboard. Tho veaaei was lying about a musket shot from tbo shore when the occurrencf-a took place. We next went to Eapiritu Santo Island, and thenoe back to tho Fiji Inlands. At Eapiritu.Santo wo took cijdit natives, and aimngat them two women. We arrived at Sydnoy about tho 18th January. At f«'iji, the natives wont away to different inlands. Settlors at different islands took them in their little vessola. I think they bought thorn ; but I never saw any money paid. Tho captain was f»hore when the natives went away. We left a few of the natives at Fiji. None of tho natives wero taken to Sydney. They were ail lift at different islands. Tho prisoner was committed for trial at the Criminal Sessions in May, bail allowed, himself in L2OOO and two sureties in LIOOO each.