The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1886. The New Hebrides.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1314, 13 August 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1886. The New Hebrides.

The Rev A. Hardie, an official of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, has received a letter, dated July 19, from the Rev D. McDonald, a missionary stationed at Efate or Sandwich Island, which entirely bears out what we remarked when touching on the threatened French annexation of the New Hebrides some time ago, namely, that the natives ‘ are altogether opposed *to French supremacy. Mr McDonald writes : “ During the previous ten days three French war steamers have been here * at various times. Soldiers have been hard at work, Sundays included, building houses, thirteen of which are either finished or being built; but as the alleged object of their coming they have done absolutely nothing. No outrage on, or murder of, a French subject has ever been 3 perpetrated on this island, and there is not the slightest necessity for these soldiers here to protect French subjects; * accordingly they have done nothing whatever in the direction of punishing the natives for the outrages, or in pro--1 tecting anyone, but are building with 0 all their might, as if for permanent “ possession.” The letter points to the f emptiness of the French verbal assurP ances, while taking practical possession, 1 and says:—“ The natives here, notwithstanding the efforts of the French to conciliate them, are altogether opposed to French annexation; considering that they have always treated the French settlers hospitably and with civility, . it is not to the honor of the French J that they have thrown a military post f among them without asking their concurrence, and it is not surprising that ' the natives, as well as the British sub--1 jects of Australasia, feel aggrieved at so strange a proceeding as this unpro--1 voked invasion of the French ma- ; rines.” It appears from this and other 1 information that thirteen substantial 1 houses have been built for barracks, that no French subjects have been protected, and that there were no outrages to avenge. All who took a firm stand against the proposals for French annexation should now be confirmed in their views of the subject.