FIJI.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 144, 18 November 1874, Page 2

FIJI.

[Writtek Especially for the Globe.] 11. Though the Fijians are by no means distinguished for personal gallantry as a race, the troops of the late Government did good service, and met with greater success than their superiors could have expected. Fijian warfare of the good old style is made up of more howl than fight; though any amount of powder may be blazed away, the warriors are fully aware of the advantages of the shelter the bush affords. Open hand-to-hand engagements are by no means to their taste, unless they are confidently assured of having a vast numerical superiority. The chief sufferers are usually the pigs. A battle where several hundreds were engaged, would be considered frightfully sanguinary, if nine or ten deaths were reported. The adage of "He who fights and runs away," etc., has its equivalent in Fijian, and a great part of the success of the Government troops has undoubtedly been owing to the astonishment of the enemy at seeing them behaving so shockingly contrary to the received traditions of the art of war. When the heathens saw the soldiers advancing in unbroken ranks, with excellent order, and unmoved by the frantic yells, dancing, and fusillade which they themselves were religiously keeping up in accordance with immemorial custom at war time, it often happened that they lost their heads altogether, and made a bolt of it, leaving the soldiers to undisputed possession of the town. If any had been hit by their shots, it was probably quite a matter of chance, for taking aim does not usually appear necessary to the noble savage in the mountains of Fiji. The late Government has not left much to show for its prodigal expenditure, in the shape of public works ; but its members can point with pride to the hills of the interior of Viti Levu, swarming with hostile and defiant cannibals when they started, and now, at the present date, nine tenths, if not all, have given in their allegiance to the Central Government. The credit of this idea is chiefly due to Mr Woods, whose pet department was the military one, which he kept under his own immediate control, and which he was most indefatigable in inspecting. The army, all told, was to count 1200 men, but we believe it never completely reached that number. The soldiers wear a neat uniform, which consists of a dark blue jacket or timic, and a " sulu" of a fathom or two of white calico wrapped round the loins, and reaching nearly to the knees. Nearly the whole of them are boys of from seventy to twenty. There are older men among the native officers, all of them chiefs, and of whom, about a dozen, hold commissions. The success of the troops if of course mainly due to their white officers, in th«

selection of whom the Government has been, as a rule, exceedingly lucky. The number of the force was reduced by the lnterm Government, that held office since March this year, to about 300 actually under arms, though the remainder were still liable to be called upon for active service. A portion will probably be retained under the new regime as an armed constabulary. The term of service is three years. There are at present of white officers two majors of brigade, about five captains, with a few lieutenants and ensigns. The establishment of Courts of law was naturally one of the first duties of the Government. The Constitution provided for a Supreme Court, with a Chief Justice, and two assistant judges, of whom one should be a native. The first occupant of the judicial bench as Assistant Judge and Acting-Chief Justice was Mr Forwood, a lawyer of Melbourne, chiefly known as a conveyancer, who had come to Fiji on business connected with the Polynesia Company. The Acting-Chief Justice had anything but an easy time of it; for the majesty of the law was by no means revered just then in Levuka, where there were many who had, as they thought, taken a final leave of that duty when they " made tracks" for Fiji, and the presence of a crotchety and irritable British Consul was for a long time the chief obstacle the Government had to contend with in enforcing its authority. This gentleman, Mr March, had almost from the commencement of his residence in Fiji been at daggers drawn with nine-tenths of the community, but upon his assuming a tone of the most scornful hostility to the Fijian Government, he gained a transient popularity with the turbulent and rowdy element, who had too long their •their own way in Levuka, These people formed themselves into an armed band, for the avowed purpose of preventing the Government from dealing in any way with any of their numbers, under the name of the " British Subjects' Mutual Protection Society," and the British Consul gave them indirectly considerable assistance, by not pronouncing himself against their scandalous usurpation of power. Though their leaders invariably (and no doubt truly, so far,) professed the greatest loyalty to the British Crown, and the utmost willingness to be guided by the captain of the next man-of-war that should arrive, yet as each successive captain arrived, and did not express unreserved approbation for what they had done, the Fiji Times declared that it was all owing to the delusive representations of Messrs Woods and Co, and prophesied that the next captain would prove far too acute for those artful impostors. And the Government organ, the Fiji Gazette, retorted with quite as much virulence, though less ability, till the wordy warfare reached almost to the amenities of American journalism. But with all this, life and property were as secure on Levuka beach almost as here. There have never been scenes in Fiji such as we hear of from the Western States of America. Though the B.S.M.P.S. did all in their power to hinder the Government from effecting its work, they had not the remotest wish to supplant it by a system of unrestrained license, though there may have been desperadoes among them for whom such a course would have had strong attractions. Men armed with rifles and revolvers, were frequently to be seen rushing excitedly along, in obedience to the summons of a gun fired as a signal to " roll up," and it was assuredly from no reluctance on their part that no actual encounter with bloodshed ever took place. Their temper was not improved by the invariable refusal of every man-of-war, of whatever nation, that came into Fijian waters, to countenance them. On one occasion, Mr Forwood had the barrel of a pistol shoved into his ear, almost within the premises of the British Consulate, by one of these gentry, with a volley of abuse and threats of the foulest description. This outrage, however, made a considerable sensation in Levuka ; and an address was quickly drawn up and presented to his Honor, signed by all the principal inhabitants and planters then in town, pledging themselves to ivphold his authority, if occasion should arise, by all the means in their power. Meanwhile, Mr Burt, who was Chief Secretary during the second Administration, had secured the services as Chief Justice of an individual who has certainly provided the chief element of burlesque in the Fijian comedy. The new head of the law, Mr St. Julian, was formerly reporter for Bell's Life in Sydney, and on its amalgamation with the Sydney Morning Herald joined the staff of the latter paper, where he remained for several years as law reporter. He also received, from King Kamehameha V., of the Sandwich Islands, the post of Hawaiian Consul-General, together with the imposing, but queer title of Charge d'Affairs for Southern Polynesia. This august person had already paid a visit of ceremony to Fiji, to convey the congratulations of the Hawaiian monarch to King Thakombau, thereby showing the world, that though Europe might haughtily ignore, and Australia sneer at, the new State, Fiji could at least be happy in the consciousness of possessing the "moral support" of the Sandwich Islands. The approbation of his appointment, by some of the judges of New South Wales, should show that the years he had spent as law reporter, were to be considered no bad qualification for this singular change of profession. But while he undoubtedly displayed considerable ability in his new sphere, his childish and overweening vanity, and the petulant dislike he has continually shown towards those who did not treat him with the deference he considers his due, have rendered him the most friendless man in the Fijian Government. Many have detested Mr Woods, and more have despised Mr Thurston ; but the fullest measure of dislike and contempt combined, has undoubtedly fallen to the share of the Chief Justice. The best criterion of his silly pride is given by the fact of his having assumed the designation of "Sir Charles St Julian,"because he had received from Honolulu the distinction of Grand Cross of the Order of Kamehameha, a knighthood which that little kingdom set up some years ago, not to be behind the other States of the world. It needs no demonstration, that while the King of the Sandwich Islands can create whatever honorofic distinctions he likes, he has no more power to bestow on his " titulados the privilege of putting " Sir" before their names (which is a peculiarly British distinction), than the Queen of England to create a Cardinal. But though he did not venture to claim the title in Sydney, he had it carefully engraved on all his boxes and cards, and started off to Fiji a full blown knight. And nothing would ever arouse his fury so much as being addressed inadvertently as Mr St Julian, instead of Sir Charles. To such a disrespectful address he would never deign an answer.