FIJI.

Otago Witness, Issue 1159, 14 February 1874, Page 10

FIJI.

(FROM OUR AUCKLAND CORRESPONDENT. )

The Star of the South has arrived, after a long passage, caused by a hurricane with which she fell in 500 miles north of Auckland on her return voyage. She appears to have had a hard time of it, but behaved well, and got through without much injury. The news she brings is important, and indicates the beginning of the end. The Consul, Mr Layard, arrived by the Macgregor from Sydney. With him came his son as Vice-Consul and several other passengers. To their dismay, no connection was established with Levuka, and they had the pleasing prospect of considerable delay at Kandavu, without accommodation of any kind at command. The Fijian cutter-of-war Vivid, 20 tons, was lying there, but the voyage would have been neither pleasant nor short, for she afterwards took eight days in getting to Levuka. Fortunately Commodore Goodenough went there in the Pearl and gave them a passage to Levuka. ! Consul Layard was received with great rejoicing by the people of Levuka, and deputations waited upon him, calmly and fully expressing their views as opposed to those of the present Government. He is described as a genial old English gentleman, and has won I already the good opinion of the people, who had so long groaned under the pompous stupidity of Mr March. Mr Nettleton, who had been acting till Mr Layard's arrival, left with general regret, and a handsome address was presented to him on his departure.. The Consnl told the deputation that his duty was only to enquire and report to the Imperial Government, and he was of course sufficiently reticent in his replies. He has since gone off with the Commodore on a cruise in the Pearl among all the Fijian Islands, picking up information, and seeing everything for himself. The Commodore is at issue with the Government respecting the hiring out of prisoners of war to the planters. He declares this to be only another form of slavery, and contrary to the provisions of 6 and 7 Victoria. British subjects are therefore warned against hiring these people ; and if they do so, -will probably find themselves taken to Sydney for trial. Mr N. Chalmers, formerly of Otago, has a number of the prisoners on his plantation at Koro, and it is said intends to keep them, and try the question with the Commodore. There are few at the Islands who will not think him right in doing ho. The men are better off on the plantations than the Maori*,

for example, captured - by* us from- time totime here. The Government exercises over them a strict supervision, and is not only saved the coat of their maintenance in gaol, but recouped a portion of the cost which the acts of theeo people — who are cannibals -forced upon them. I suppose the only legal difficulty could be easily overcome by declaring the plantations on which they are employed to bo public gaols, the owners being appointed gaolers ; but this is a step the Government in its present position would scarcely like to take. What further steps, if any, the Commedore -will take in this matter will be seen on his return, when he will aIBO have had an opportunity of seeing onthe various plantations — which are all near the sea-board in Fiji — how these men and the labourers are treated.

The Government are in a difficulty. They suspended the old Constitution, but have not yet promulgated the new. The delay is at the request of the Commodore. The King and Fijian chiefs have sworn to uphold it, and there the matter Btands. The white settlers are forced to pay taxea, and the Government are without legal control in the expenditure. The Natives, however, are not paying their taxes very freely, and trade is crippled by the unsettled condition of affairs. Hence the revenue, it is reported, doesnot meet the demands upon it, and claims against the Government are not promptly paid. If this applies to the 1200 soldiers, upon whom their authority really depends, the consequences may be serious, for no human being has a keener sense of his dues, or a stronger determination to have them,, than the Fijian. He is in money matters about the best dun in creation, and about, the most troublesome creditor the Government would be likely to have. Probably, knowing this, every effort will be made to meet his claims in regular course. But private advices say that with other Government servants and with creditors generally, this is not the case. The position of the Ministers themselves must also be extremely unpleasant to men like Mr Thurston or Dr Clarkson. They are acting, as they think, for the best, .and have a moat difficult task in hand. The place is small, the feuds junong the community and themselves, as in all small places, constant and bitter. They have entered upon a course of which probably they do not yet fully see the consequences, and are arraying the native and the white man against each other in a strife of which no one can tell the duration, though no one can doubt the end. No doubt they will gladly see a reasonable end, and would welcome annexation as readily though not as avowedlj' asthoseinost strongly opposed to them. It is reported in the papers that there is a split in the Cabintt, and it is easy to understand how this might be. Mr Woods the other Minister, is of different metal to his colleagnes, and not likely to be restrained by the same considerations. He is now a naturalised subject of Oakobau, having taken advantage of the Imperial Act, which authorised a change of allegiance prior to December, 1870. As a Fijian Chief, Mr Woods is quite ready to see the islands revert to their old condition, if report does not speak unjustly. He more than once told settlers who have spent their all upon their plantations, that the place is Fijian, and if they do not like the laws they must go. This is in direct opposition to the notorious truth that the place was not Fijian in any sense of the term, nor any authority claimed by any Fiji chief over the country, till Mr Woods and others set up King Oakobau a few years ago. In the Sandwich Islands the Government existed before settlement to any extent, and every settler readily recognised it. In Fiji this was not the case, and the 3000 settlers refuse to recognise a Government dependent on Fijian force, or anything but the approval of those whose interests are at most at stake. In the meantime a dangerously bitter feeling is springing up between the races, and the position of the Ministers cannot but be painful and harassing in the extreme. If they resign they feel that they would be dealing unfairly with the natives whom they have so far led, and whose confidence they undoubtedly possess. If they go on, it will be with the aversion of their own countrymen, whom they could scarcely hope to keep from insurrection if British men-of-war did not forbid it. The latter position cannot last. Either annexation must be adopted or the settlers must be left to work out their own destiny in their own way, A heavy hurricane struck the group on the 30th December. At Koro and all the windward islands great mischief was done. The cotton crop was destroyed for this season, and the buildings are nearly all blown down. The cocoa nuts and the yam and taro plantations roust also have been much injured. In that case the natives will be badly off for food, and the difficulties of the country increased. Fortunately, it did not reach the big island of Viti Levu, where great quantities of food are grown. The Rewa plantations are unaffected. So are all on the coasts of that island. The hurricane was extremely and singularly local, and passed over a very narrow belt, but with great violence for the few hours it lasted. None of the sugar crop at Kewa or Suva will suffer, and the mills at both places will be actively at work in, March.

I am sorry to say that the effort to procure Ronnie's release was unsuccessful. The petition was signed unanimously, and his offence one which admitted great extenuation, from the necessity every planter had always felt of depending on himseM aiad hia own armed labourers for protection, The Government, however, refuse toieleasa him, and insist on. the full two years" impriaoameat—a decision regretted % foieaxla and enemies alike;