Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1892. Oceania.

Manawatu Herald, 28 July 1892, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1892. Oceania.

In no other portion of the world are there so many clusters of islands as there are in the south portion of the North Pacific ocean. The most northern are the Sandwich islands the most southern, New Zealand, the hiosb', eastern, the . Paumotu archipelago, and the, most western the Carolines. These are divided into fo.ur.main .groups,., the Microuesia, Polynesia, Melanesia, and- Australasia.., , ..(. „.■•. ..-,«"■ ; •' .....'•' I/. For some years Britan- -has ,be,en quietly. -assuming possession of a , protectorate, ,of these: islands and our cablegrams state that H.M.S. Royalist has; just established a protectorate over the Gilbert; group. . These islands' lie on the equator, and contain a population of about 85,000 who are mostly Protestant Christians. Their position is almost midway between the New Hebridies and the Marshall Islands,

The immense preponderance of influence that the British .hold, in Oceania will be seen when we mention that the Micrpnesia group is the only one in which other nations hold the greater portion. Thus the 1 ahne and .Caroline islands. : belong to the Spanish, : the Marshall islands belong to Germany, and the Gilbert Islands and the group round Christmas island belong to Britain. The Polynesia group is divided by a portion of the Solomon islands being German, the other portion being British, and the Marquesas islands being French. The Melanesian group, the New Hebrides, Fiji's, Friendly islands, and Cook islands belong to Britain ; New Caledonia and Paum'ofcu to France, In the Australasia group the whole are British?