THE MASSACRES AT NEW CALEDONIA AND WOODLARK ISLANDS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 460, 1 April 1857, Page 6

THE MASSACRES AT NEW CALEDONIA AND WOODLARK ISLANDS.

(From the Sydney ' M. Herald.?) The latest arrivals from New Caledonia have brought intelligence of more than one act of murderous hostility on the part of the natives against the French settlers. At first it was only two or three persons, residing further from protection than was thought prudent by their compatriots, who were cut off; but more recently a large party of the settlers have been butchered in cold blood by a native tribe, with which they -were apparently on terms of great friendship, and the members of which they had treated with especial kindness.' The victims in this case were a Monsieur Berard, ten Frenchmen, his companions, and a number (unknown) of Polynesian Islanders—natives of Yate or Sandwich Island, one of the New Hebrides— who were in his employment. Intelligence of the contemplated massacre had reached the French Missionaries, and had by them been hastily despatched to head quarters, from whom a small military force was as hastily despatched for the protection of the threatened settlement; but they only arrived in time to find that the work of slaughter was over. '' • But "little is'■'known as yet of this bloody piece of work, or the'causes,which led ;to it. The most probable cause seems to be that the Frenchmen had given offence to the New Caledonians by bringing there the natives of Vate, whom they (the people of New Caledonia) regarded as enemies. It may be, too, that a feeling qf hostility has been generated by the occupancy of lands under the authority of the French Government instead of under that of the native chiefs. A letter which appeared in our yesterday's issue, from a person who is apparently we'll informed upon the facts whereon lie writes, seems to show that the latter cause is the principal one, and that the French local government was by no means so active in protecting this settlement as the settlers had a right to expect.' :At all. events it is clear that, although committed by pretended friends, this ;act was intended to bp one of deadly hostility, for the bodies were left as they fell, notwithstanding that the new Caledonians are cannibals. Had the murders been committed for the sake of procuring the bodies to feast upon they would

of course have been removed. It is already known that the Islanders approached the unsuspecting settlers in parties of two and three, pretending friendship, until a sufficient number had by this means been gathered without suspicion ; the signal was then given, and the work of butchery completed. There is now a small force at or near the spot, but little has been yet ascertained which can be depended upon, and it is doubtful whether the French at New Caledonia are in sufficient force to follow the murderers into their fastnesses, and inflict punishment. The whole force upon the island consists of about 140 soldiers, and between 200 and 300 seamen on board the frigate which is stationed there. But many of the native tribes are said to be friendly to the 'dominion and settlements of the French, and reinforcements will, doubtless, be procured from Tahiti, or elsewhere. It is pretty certain, therefore, that-this murderous affair will not be passed over so quietly and so long as was the massacre of the missionary passenger and the sixteen British seamen of the brig Gazelle, at Woodlai'k Island. There is one conclusion, however, which, if the assumption of our yesterday's correspondent was correct, must force itself even upon the attention of the most sceptical:—That the natives of Polynesia, the most barbarous of them, as well as those who are partially civilized, will not, without many and deadly struggles, permit any of the great maritime powers to assume the absolute mastership of themselves and their lands. And it is the poor settlers who suffer in these struggles for the sins of the Government, which is supposed to protect them. The events at New Caledonia are not by many, be it remembered, the first, of the kind pointing to this conclusion. '". Toughing the massacre at Woodlark Island, a question was recently put in the House of Assembly, by Dalley, when the following opinion of the Crown law officers was read n\ justification of the course which the Government has pursued;—"We have the honor to state we apprehend that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction. whatever in this, and that the, matter must be left to the home authorities, as a question of war and national vengeance or; punishment, for the sake of future security to British subjects. , The evidence of the guilt of the parties alleged to have been concerned in the-murder is quite sufficient to satisfy us."

Now, the Supreme Court has, in pretty plain terms,asserted its jurisdiction in all these islands for the punishment of such white men as shall venture upon hostile measures even for their own protection. The opinion above- expressed will, if it be regarded as conclusive, go to this extent:—that while on the one hand the power of the law is so exerted to its utmost for the protection of the islanders against British sub^ jects.; the former might cut off with perfect impunity all the whaling and trading vessels which sail out of this port, and murder all their crews. There are, be it remembered, not only one, but three massacres of shipwrecked seamen charged against these -islanders. There will be an appeal to the home authorities, indeed. But to talk of such an appeal, and its consequent delays, in a case of such "a nature is -absurd. A year has been lost in Sydney in this case, and how much more time, therefore, must be unavoidably lost, by. sending such questions to range among the red-tapists of the British offices. This is the only case in which the employment of a naval force has been actually needed for the protection of colonial interests; and if protection or assistance cannot be procured in cases such as this, her Majesty's ships might a$ well be cruizing elsewhere, and -our own little man-of-war, the Spitfire, cruising in their company. Of the well authenticated report that two white men or boys are in captivity at Woodlark Island no notice has, as yet, been taken. Some tradingvessel might rescue them- —if the Government will not do it—but for the chances of a collision with the natives, which, as the law stands,would be an awkward piece ,of business. But the same hon. member who asked the question before alluded to has given notice of his intention to move for 'f the papers" relative to this affair, and as they will doubtless be readily produced, the whole thing will then be before the public. FUKTHEE PAKTICULAES. We have endeavoured to obtain more complete details of this horrible 'affair,.but have'little -to add to the brief notice of it in our yesterday's issue. The Black Dog sailed so very soonafterwards that, although' active exertions were in progress for searching-out the causes and the

perpetrators of this butchery, little or nothing of a definite character could be known.It is quite true that eleven Frenchmen were assassinated, and that one of them was Monsieur Berard, formerly (not Commissioner-General of the French settlements in the Pacific) but an officer of the French navy. How many of the natives of the Vate <or Sandwich Island have perished is not yet known, but so many bodies of these men as were mentioned in yesterday's •Herald/(14 or 15) had not been discovered. The discovery too, was not an accidental one,but was made by a small body of troops—fifty men —which was hastily despatched to the spot from head quarters, in consequence of an intimation from the French missionaries that some such attack was to be apprehended. Unhappily they arrived too late.

The causes of this atrocity can only be guessed at, until better information shall have been received. It appears pretty clear that there was nothing in the conduct of M. Berard and his white companions which could in the slightest degree palliate it. The natives were not onlytreated by them with- great kindness but expressed for them the warmest friendship. It is already known that the way in which this crime was consummated on the part of ths natives was by approaching the settlers in small parties, with their accustomed pretences of friendship, and thus preventing suspicion, until a large party had been collected, "when the work of murder was commenced in cold blood. It was not a fight, for the settlers were set upon when, without arms in their hands, they were engaged in their ordinary avocations. It was a mere butchery, like that of the unfortunate Gazelle's crew-by the Woodlark islanders. As the bodies were not eaten (although the natives of New Caledonia are cannibals,) the act was clearly meant to be one of vengeance^ What offence, or supposed offence it was meant to avenge, is at present not clear, but in all pro* bability the New Caledonians were displeased with the introduction of natives from Kote or the Sandwich Island (one of the New Hebrides',) whom they look upon with hostile feelings. It may be, too, that the fact of the settlement having been made in this quarter with the per? mission of the French (local) Government, inr stead of under the authority of the native chiefs^ may have induced the latter to determine upon the slaughter of the^set+lers. It is certain that this act is not, as has been supposed by some persons, the result of any con? spiracy among the natives, for only one tribe is concerned in it. A general conspiracy or "union of any kind is impossible among the new Cak> donians, for their many and distinct tribes are mostly hostile to each other. The bulk of them are friendly towards French rule and settle? ment, and there is a native force (about eighty) along with the fifty soldiers who are on or near the scene of the massacre. It will be difficult to follow and punish the murderers; for the country is mountainpus and heavily timbered, affording so. many places for concealment and resistance, that it will require a comparatively large force to penetrate its interior to any cx 7 tent; and the only force at present on the island is about 140 soldiers, to which may be added between 200 and 300 men belonging to the frigate stationed there. Something, however, will doubtless be attempted, and, as there is native assistance and guidance at command, will probably b§ attempted successfully. But should not this be the case, a large force will doubtless be procured from Tahiti, for it is not the practice of the French Government to allow its subjects in Polynesia to be butchered with impunity. The murderers of New Caledonia will not, like those of Woodlark Island, have an inducement to further bloodshed held out to them by being allowed to murder white men whenever they have an opportunity of so doing without any notice being taken of their induU gence in this savage pastime. The Ma?sacbe at New Gajgedonia.—-A correspondent enquires whether the Juno will be sent down to assist our allies, the French, in chastising the natives for the murderous outrage, lately committed upon the French inhabitants: It would be a very graceful act. '