THE FIJIS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 September 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE FIJIS.

The following are extracts from letters lately received from Fiji. From Kewa, date 24th May, the writer says :

“ My intention is to plant cotton, sugar, and coffee. I cannot expect anything from the latter for some years to come, but the two former on a small scale will give a return in twelve months. “ Several men of large capital arrived here last month, from Melbourne, and intend sending to the Colonies for sheep. They have purchased a large tract of land on the N. W. of Yiti Levu, which they intend stocking at once. A gentleman here has just chartered a large schooner, “The Friends,” of Sjdney, which has sailed for Norfolk Island to bring down sheep and cattle ; she is again expected to be taken up for a second trip. Colonel Smythe has returned to Melbourne in the “ Agnes” ; his report is supposed to be very favourable, and we are daily looking for a vessel of war to plant the flag of England, which will be the making of the Islands. We hear many in the other Colonies are only waiting for this.” Another writer says : “ Fiji is just now in a very dangerous state, we fear that civil war may break out, and the British Consul will bo partly the cause. If war does not break out, ho has sown the seeds of future war by purchasing land from those who are not the real owners ; the owners protested against the sale, but the higher chiefs had a spite against the poor fellows and sold their property over their heads, and Mr. Pritchard bought the land although the owners protested. The owners came to Bau and laid a complaint to the Ban king : also a teacher who had narrowly escaped being killed in the same neighbourhood. The Bau king said that he would see into it, and has been taking steps to go down with a large force. The Vewa chief, who is the root of all the mischief down the coast, has taken umbrage at what the Bau king is doing, and I believe that he is taking steps privately or rather underhand to resist him. I very much fear that it will end in our again being involved in war. I wish that England would make up her mind to take the group, or leave it alone. Of all long-winded people I think the English houses beat all—they are a set of talkative beings, and most certainly have the organ without a stop. Should war break out we shall be in the very heart of it. 1 do not think that we shall run any risk at all ; but bo merely annoyed by the constant state of excitement and agitation by which we shall bo surrounded. 1 do wish Consul Pritchard had never come here ; he goes against missionaries, and does much harm to the cause, and is unsettling the Natives without establishing any new and better state among them. As for Colonel Smythe, no one knows what he is up to ; lie remains at Ovalau, and is very quiet, but doubtless makes good use of ids eyes and ears, Lot keeps his tongue very quiet about politics.” The following extract from the letter of a settler appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on the 2ord July : “July 10.—Wc are progressing slowly, but surely. Since my last letter to you, a number of new settlers have linked themselves to Fiji. The Somosomo Company, consisting of gentlemen well known in your city, have invested to some considerable extent in laud on Vanua Levu. Cocoa Nut plantations on a large scale are the principal object in winch this company is interested. Some gentlemen connected with the squatting interest in Victoria have also become landed proprietors here on the north coast of Viti Levu, and return to Melbourne by an early opportunity to make the necessary arrangements for bringing sheep, cattle, and horses on their ncwl, purchased runs. These gentlemen speak in the highest terms of the climate and the grazing capabilities of the land, and arc sanguine as to the success they anticipate. The ‘Friends’ has returned from Norfolk Islands and has landed her cargo of stock on Waikaia. In the Bewa river District the settlers are occupied in planting cotton and sugar cane, each one according to his fancy,—some believing that the cane cultivation will result more profitably than cotton, others that the latter will pay them better than sugar or syrup. At Deuba on the south const of Viti Levu, the settlors are employed entirely in cotton and cane planting. Their first year s crop, will, as a matter of course, be small in quantity, for much time has been spent in getting homesteads comfortably arranged. But next year yon may expect shipments of wool, cotton, and sugarcanc-syrup. The latter is an article which has attracted considerable attention among the settlers—they believe that this article, which is merely the inspissated juice of the sugar cane, will find a ready market with our refining companies at a remunerative price. Samples have been forwarded to the colonies, and if a favorable report be received, you may expect in a year or two considerable shipments. No on© her© hss

.the capital to start into sugar; but the cane syrup pan be produced with so simple and uncostly a plant that we are all in great hopes of its finding jtt demand with you. Coffee plantations have also been started. The ‘Friends’ brought a considerable number of plants foom Norfolk island, and we are in expectation of receiving several thousands from Toga. The land sales policy which has been adopted here continues to work well, and every day’s experience only confirms me the more in jts perfect adaptibility to our requirements.” Ibis communication elicited the following rejoinder, addressed to the editor of the Melbourne Argus :— “ I beg that you will allow mo a small space in your valuable journal, for the purpose of correcting the impression which the mind of the public in Melbourne seems generally to have received of the prosperity of the Fiji Islands—from false reports generally, more especially from an extract from the letter of a Fijian settler, which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald of July 23, and more recently in the Ai'gus of July 27th. As one lately returned from Fiji, I must say that the statements made in this letter are for the most part false ; for instance, the settler says, ‘We are progressing slowly but surely.’ Now, that there is any progression at all I deny ; for it is a well known fact, that all persons who have gone there during the past twelve months have either returned or are returning—those who are able to pay their own passages as fast as possible, and those who are unable to do so are being sent back through the aid of the British Consul. 1 may add that eight persons returned in this way by the small cutter ‘Aquila,’ some few weeks ago. What he states about the Tomosomo Company, I will, in contradiction to it, relate the real facts of the case. This company have bought a quantity of land for the purpose of erecting machinery for manufacturing cocoa nut oil; but as to the cocoa nut plantations on a large sijale, which he states they possess, he must have drawn on his imagination on a very large scale indeed, as they do not at present possess a single plantation, nor have they planted any cocoa nuts to produce them, their intention being to purchase the cocoa nuts for the manufactory from the natives—a very questionable speculation to say the most of it, as the oil can be bought from them almost, and in fact as cheap as the nuts that would produce the same quantity, lie also states that some gentlemen are about to return to Melbourne for the purpose of purchasing stock for the runs which they possess in Fiji. Now, the fact is that one gentleman has purchased about 15,000 acres on the north coast of Piti Levu, and is returning by the first vessel to Melbourne, but he has not the slightest intention of reluming to Fiji or of stocking his run at present. As to its grazing capabilities, it may suit all cattle very well except sheep, and it is very doubtful if it will suit them, as the grass is exceedingly carse, and this, together with the heat of the climate, changes the texture of the wool so as to render it almost valueless. Another difficulty with sheep is the great loss sustained in conveying them to the Fijis, for on entering the warm latitudes of those islands they die off rapidly this is exemplified in the case of the schooner ‘Friends,’ on her way from Norfolk Island to the Fijis, with 300 sheep—l 74 died on the passage, and twenty-four hours after they were landed the number that remained was only 111. Cotton or sugar cane planting is followed by no one to any extent. What cotton they require for their lamps and what sugar stick they chew, are the only objects they have in view in growing even the smallest quantity. I know one man who has at present an acre of cotton planted, and he finds that it won't pay, so he is desirous of selling off his laud and leaving the place as soon as may be. No doubt cotton and sugar cane growing would pay if there were bands to work the land, but at present it is impossible; the natives will not work, and white labor is too limited, and so it will be until the Fijis are under the protection of some government, and regular communication established between Melbourne and Sydney. Then, again, white labor is too expensive ; >so the only way I can see to obtain cheap labor is by the introduction of coolie laborers, if practicable. There have been a few coffee trees planted in different parts of the islands, but without any view to profit. As to the land policy, which this settler so much admires, I can see nothing admirable in it. You may buy land of the chiefs certainly, but if you attempt to take possession of it and turn off its native inhabitants you will find it impossible simply for this reason, that the land does not belong to the chiefs more than to the other natives ; each man has a holding of his own, on which he plants his yams and other necessaries, and the chiefs have no right to sell this land. There must be some better title to the land than any of the native chiefs can give before a white man can safely take possession of it for the purpose of cultivation. This, sir, is the real state of the country, related by one who has observed closely. For what ends it is represented as progressing or likely to progress in its present unprotected state, I cannot understand.”