LATER FROM FIJI.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1095, 31 January 1872, Page 2

LATER FROM FIJI.

[southern cross.] ' ../':.'„., The Government have lost; no time. in making arrangements for -the construction of a Municipal Council. The election of Aldermen took place on January .2..i;Mr/,. J. Morey was elected. Mayor. In the course of. a conversation between, the Chamber of Commerce deputation and the Ministers on the 4th January, it was stated that the collection of taxes from ■' the white residents would probably comAi mence the following week. .... The acceptance of the resignations of J. T. Sugar, Esq;, Minister for Native Affairs ; F. W. Hennings,, Esq., Minister for Financej and J, C. Smith, . |Jsg., Minister for Trade and Commerce, has been gazetted. Appointments: The Hon. J. C. Smith, to be Minister of Finance, vice F. W. Hennings, to be Minister for Native Affairs, vice J. T. Sagar, resigned; Mr J. M.Haslett, to be Commissioner of Stamp Duties j Mr D. H. Smart, to be a Commissioner of Affidavits for-she' King! dom of Fiji ; Ratu Elaitia Toricai'to he" Native Chief Justice of the Kingdom of .Fiji ; Mr D. H. Smart, to be Deputy- : ; Registrar. <' ' . L ' ; Dr Freeman was charged at the ' War Court oh January 4 with "having ' gone on board the ketch Rosamond, upon her arrival 'from Auckland, oh the 25th December, and/take.n;a:f;bag* containing letters, &c, the property of one J,. M. Haslettj /postmaster for FijU? Accuseds was acting-postmaster for the British! Consul. He was ■ prosecu ted; on ; behalf of the Crown by Mr Manning, and wt^s, defended by Mr For wood. After an adjournment until January 5, the charge w v as withdrawn, it being understood that if the ',:. i; proper agreement was not made before Monday eyening ; the Crown would b,e . at, / liberty to initiate fresU proceedings,, and it is un4eK>tqod thq,t.such is. the intentiqn. of his Majesty's advisers. •: • A .■:■ ; A grandiaucy. dress ball, given ..by. thp lion. Speaker and Ministry, came off on January 3. About 1 70' genllemen were present and 30 ladies, only "a very few, of ' whom were able to appear in fancy cosy tiume. The hon. the Speaker, after 'sustaining his, partin^ihe opening presentation, to the hon. the Premier,, boldly took, off., his coat, arid.wenl in forVdancihg with ; vigorin his shirtrsleeveSv ; j.,, . ; • „^: ; Several gentlemen are at present /in . ; tiown from the Ba and Rakißaki districts. t They reportthe Kai Cblos insurgents along ' a lengthy line of coast. Last Saturday at Ba the coast natives reported that the diountaineers were coming , down. On Sunday, they reported that the Kai Colos had been down and . burnt , six lotu (Christian) towns, besides plundering the yam crops. They likewise sent §o.r,Q§ ;>

down to some of the principal coast towns asking them to essist in the murder of the white settlers. A body of about 4O coast natives were about to proceed to the plundered plantations for the purpose of recovering as much food t«»possible. It was expected that there would then be a collision between the be'Ugerent forces. The Kai Colos had not in any way molested the setters, although it is quite e\ 'dent from them rising on the same day that it vros a premidated and vrell-orgn- ; sed movement. We would suggest that the Gove. iment despatch a small force of of whi*3 men c: some protection for our counti/men on those coasts. The following description of the capture of the Solomon Islanders who committed the series of murders a short time ago on board a Bmall sshooner, wh : !e being conveyed to their plantation, is condensed from the Fiji Gazette of the 23rd December :— The return of H.F.M. schooner Joannio Duncan, from the Yassawas, having on board the remnant of the Meva murderers, completes so far the first scene in the awful tragedy that has brought soijow to so many heaiLs; and a na^i-ative of the voyage may not be uninteresting. On the 30th spoke the schooner Peri, under Fiji colors, and found she had 26 of the Meva men on board. She, the Jcannie Duncan, then proceeded on her voyage for the remainder; cleared the Ba passage at 11 a.m. on the Ist December, and, after many delays, arrived off Beva at 1 p.m. on the 7th December, when &U hands were landed. On the same day three of the fugitives were found in a native hut with their hands tied behind their backs. Here Mr Caldwell became greatly excited, and presenting his rifle at one of the prisoners, so frightened him that he jumped to his feet and made a rush for the bush. Mr Frichard Bred and missed him, and several of the party followed in pursuit, and the unfortunate wretch received a bullet in his head and another in his body. He then made for the sea (having got his hands loose), into which he dasnea. and swam towards a point of land in the distance. As he was swim- * ming, however, he received two bullets in the right breast, and finally, as ■ a coup de grace, one in the back, which passed through his body. He then threw up his arms, and the Fiji men easily captured him ? and brought him ashore a riddled quivering specimen of humanity, but still alive. On the 9th two more Solomon men were captured, completing a total of Bix prisoners under arrest; the remainder of the original party that landed, having stolen a ding/, made away, and are supposed to have perished. On Sunday (10th), at 1.45 a.m., 'All Serene Jack,' being the sentry on guard over the prisoners, fell asleep, and one o£ them escaped. Early in the morning a strong party was sent out in search, and the bush was explored in every direction, but without success. On Wednesday the party with the wounded and remaining prisoners was got on board his Majesty's schooner, and adieu was bidden to Beva. The vessel arrived in sight of Levnka on the 17th, and came to her moorings on the afternoon of the same day. Thus the remainder of the 'Meva' murderers are now in custody, and the question — a most serious one— really arises : What is to be done with them ? Tried they without doubt must be, but what will be the result of that? Who deplores thb death of Messrs Warbarton, Kington, Boboon, and Whittaker more than we do ? What would be said of any sane persons that collected a lot of lions and tigers in a narrow compass, whence these was no egress, and then went laughingly and heedlessly into their midst] or others who would place beneath their sheets a nest of vipers, and then get into bed to them ? Would anyone be surprised that in the former case they were killed, or in the latter were stung | no less insane were our lamented friends when they trusted themselves unsuspiciously upon the deck of a small vessel in the midst of forty wild Solomon Island cannibals, whose savage instinct led them to act as they have done. It is believed that these Solomon Island murderers of the Meva were kidnapped. In such a case can they be convicted of murder ? We say — No. And if this be proved they must be set free. A great deal has been said about hanging a few of these wretched savages, as a moral example to others in the group. Be it so. Bnt when we proceed to this latter extremity, an unjust one, for the purpose of offering an example to natives, we must be also just, and hang on the same gallows with them any number of man-stealers that may bn convicted of the . offence, for it is these men who have destroyed the labor trade. It is these men to whom the planters may ascribe their dearth of labor. It is to these men they may thank the Imperial Government for passing the law which is projected, and which has been publicly mooted in Sydney, making it felony to even fit out a vessel for the labor trade. The trade is doomed." The schooner Peri left the Bewa River for Levuka on the 27th December, with 2$ Solomon Islanders on board. She had hot arrived at Levuka when the Lsetitia left on the 6th January. Captain Bergen and the mate were the only white men on the schooner. Several boats were sent out from Leyuka in search, but returned without finding any traces of the schooner.