A SOUTH SEA ALSATIA.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 28, 11 April 1911, Page 2

A SOUTH SEA ALSATIA.

Of all the strange groups studding the vast Pacific ' Ocean the Bonin Islands are amongst the strangest. They lie 600 miles, due south of Yokohama, and hear the same geographical relationship to J apan, •which the Scilly Islands would bear to Great Britain if we can imagine them drifted southwards 600 miles into the Atlantic. Moreover, just as 1 the Scillies were for centuries the resort of “broken men” of one kind and another, so the Bonins, down to the beginning of the twentieth century, constituted an Alsatia where criminals pf every nationality found a refuge which was free from the terrors of extradition. Within the I last decade certain of the islands held colonies consisting of such refugees from justice, amongst whose members were men for whom the English police .were searching in vain in the Argentine and elsewhere. Needless to say, these communities kept no records, but according to repute, few, if any, of these fugitives died in their beds ; law and order being unknown among them until, some years ago, the Japanese Government enforced both with a strong hand.

Even now information concerning the archipelago is scanty, . but it is known to consist of a string of twenty islands stretched over about 60 miles from north to south, and having altogether a superficial land area of 16,000 acres, which is about three times that of the Scillies. The Bonins appear to be built of coral Upon a volcanic base ; anyhow, the shores are coral, and the group contains several inactive volcanic craters ; whilst submarine seismic disturbances are so common in the vicinity that the Inhabitants take small notice of earthquakes except when pumice-laden tidal waves chase the beach dwellers inland.

t West and Bast first encountered on these islands by way of discovery because they appear to have been discovered almost simultaneously, by the Dutch and the Japanese. T’ - o latter annexed them, after a fa-Mon, by calling them Bunin-jima (whence Bonin), meaning “no inhabitants,” and by bestowing them upon a mainland Daimyo, or feudal chieftain, who cared so little for the gift that for a couple of centuries he, and his successors, held no communication with them. During this interval the British flag was hoisted on the islands, and a number of more or "loss respectable white people settled on them. About 1853 the United States had an idea of establishing a coaling station there, but nothing came of it, and in 1861 the British handed the islands over to the Japanese. But 14 years later v/hen a British consul chanced to Visit the group, he found that the colonists professed to know nothing whatever of the alteration ; considering themselves still to be living on British soil so far as it was worth their while to regard themselves as the subjects of any Government at all. What they really wanted was to be left to themselves to live as they pleased .in semi-tropical Paradises, where most of the men had islands to themselves, in which they could do as they liked -without any law except that of the strongest. The romances of some of the outlaws who had thus settled themselves in little kingdoms of their , own would, if they .could be written, excel anything pictured even in South Sea fiction.

| For years after the last-named date the group continued to be a resort to which queer characters flocked in ever-increasing numbers. The ; Japanese certainly established a station at Port Lloyd on what the English call Peel Island, and our allies Chichi-jima, or Father Island, because “it is the most important. Incidentlly, it may be added, the Japanese adopted a singularly picturesque nomenclature for the archipelago, treating it as though it were a family by calling its members “Mother.” .“Elder Brother,” “Elder Sister,” '“Younger Sister,” and so on, according to the size and importance • of the islands! thus designated. Other--1 wise, for a long time the Home Government troubled little about its distant possession. They supplied it with a Governor who was paid £5 20/, and with „ a doctor, whose sole emolument—-private practice being forbidden—was £2 8/ per month, and

they introduced education which was compulsory if the very limited forces at the disposal of the authorities could catch the children. Under such arrangements the outlying islands remained as Alsatian as ever, and wheni within the last few years the Japanese sent a cruiser of sufficient strength to these in order to enforce their rule, they cleared out as queer a collection of outcasts as have been gathered together during recent times. What happened to these men and women is not recorded. The really respectable were allowed to remain ; some who offered opposition were shot ; the Japanese amongst them were dealt with by their own people, and any that were left were requested to quit Bonin for other asylums—no doubt certain of the imaller Central American Eepublics absorbed some of them. Since then Japanese emigrants have flocked to the islands which now support a population of about 5,000 in place of 100 inhabitants, which was reckoned to be the number a few years ago. There are few lovelier spots anywhere than Port Lloyd, a well sheltered bay surrounded by hills, clothed to their summits with cabbage palms and other tropical vegetation), and guarded at its entrance, by rocks of fantastic shapes. The “capital” stands on the shore ' of this harbour ; a pretty township ‘laid out'landscape fashion by Japanese artists, and now possessing many of the conveniences of civilisa-

non, mcmamg a regular steamer service to the distant mainland. The other islands, if less advanced, are equally lovely, and it is not to be wondered at that the rogues and I vagabonds who lately peopled them I desired greatly to keep them to themselves. I Minerals appear to be entirely absent, and the Japanese colonists sup- | port themselves by the products of the soil, and by fishing. The timber is specially valuable, many rare , woods growing freely throughout the group, and turtle abound during certain seasons. The latter, however, are supplied for export nearly all the 1 year round, being kept in “pens” on i the shore until they are required. It 'is a singular, and somewhat mysi terious, circumstance that thefcislands seem never to have had any native wild animals upon them, and hardly any birds. At one time goats and J pigs roamed over them, but these ! must have been landed from passing j ships, and they have now- been alI most exterminated, as they destroyed I the crops, especially the sugar cane, ! which is being increasingly culti- | vated.—“ Weekly Times,” ....