EPIDEMIC AT FIJI.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 319, 10 April 1875, Page 3

EPIDEMIC AT FIJI.

The following particulars from Fiji, are lately telegraphed from Auckland to the Dunedin papers :

The Star of the South arrived ftom Fiji early this morning She brings news of a fearful plague raging in the Islands, which it is computed -will carry off at least 10,000 natives.

Serious complications are likely to arise between the whites and natives, the latter, in their ignorance, attributing the sickness and death scourge to the .whites. The 'Herald's" correspondent writes as follows under date 25th :—" J am sorry to say that since I last wrote to you we have been visited with the measles. Since that time hundreds of natives have been carried off. The death rate has b en as high as 76 in one day. 'lhe natives are quite paralysed, and won't assist another All the head chiefs are dead. Over 300 have died on the Island of Ovalau alone, and the other islands have lost more in comparison. It has assumed the form of a phigue. The disease lasts from two to

three days; then dysentery sets in and carries them off. Whole native towns are depopulated. At one town some of the bodies lay for days before they were found, and they had been fearfully mangled by the. pigs. All day long you see nothing but dead bodies being carried along. At first they b :ried them in coffins, but they soon found out they had not enough carpenters to make the coffins fast enough, so they had to resort to mats. At one time it was Seriously spoken of to take the bodies outside the reef and sink them. That, I think, Would have been the wisest plan, and prevented much sickness, as the graveyard is quite full. Some bodies have been buried from six to eleven inches under the ground. The natives and foreign laborers only scratch the ground a few inches deep and cover the body over ; and the late heavy rains have washed the soil off. and the smell is something horrible. You can imagine the result when the hot weather sets in. A great many white children have died of measles, and dysentery is very prevalent. A cutter has arrived Irom Ongahu, and reports that a great many natives are lying dead, and no one will bury them. The Government are doing all in their power. They have sent medicines to all the towns, and have men going amongst them, but they neither take food nor medicine, "jtade is quite at a stand-still, and there v are no laborers to do any work; in fact, there are no black men to be seen about the place. _ The Star returns this time with very little cargo. Her cargo is here, but there is no one to get the stores. A gentleman of the name of Cunningham, staying at Stuart and Yates's Hotel, attempted suicide by cutting his throat with a penknife. He was taken to tb/j ■ Hospital and attended to; has since recovered, and has been bound over to keep the peace. We have had several French merchants here by the last trip of the Wentworth. They are taking a look round the group. The Eewa Sugar Company are progressing rapidly with the erection of their machinery. The Wentworth arrived from Sydney, via New Caledonia, staying here five days.. She took 700 bags cobra and 1,000 bags "maize for New Caledonia Air. Brodziack and Mr. Evans have been committed for manslaughter by a jury, as two natives died from their neglect. Our respected townsman, Mr. J. C-Smith, has returned from England with renewed strength and vigor after his sojourn there. All our fleet of coasters is laid up, and there are no vessels to bring produce in. I have just heard that six out of the seven mountaineer chiefs who came down to give in their allegiance to the Government have been carried off by the measles, and the mortality amongst the natives has been frightful. It is only when, vessels arrive from different islands that we hear of the extent of the disease. Great scandal in connection with one of the Wesleyan missionaries is likely to occupy Jhe attention of-tlig-.courtT The offender, who is alleged to be guilty of the crime imputed to Beecher, has since resigned, his connection with that body."