SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 101, 18 July 1843, Page 3

SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.

The news from the South Seas is important. The Queen of Tahiti had published two proclamations (copies of which, sent by Captain Nicholas to Mr. Raymond, have been kindly handed to us)/evidently aimed at the French', declaring that any person guilty of treason by j attempting to do away with her sovereignty, or to change 1 the government, shall suffer death ! within twenty-four hours after sentence, and all his' land shall be confiscated; and that no foreigner shall be allowed' to occupy land without the Queen’s consent. . In the Sandwich Islands,-also, great changes' have taken place. On the 11th February, H.M.S. Carysfort, Captain Lord George Paulet, arrived at Wahoo, “ for the purpose of

affording protection giljjjedts, as/ likewise, to B(ippofs'ffiS BHfdhnicf Majesty’s r epMsdfitgMf/ #Ji6 v had Medved repeated insults frqffi tfeiVf dMftifieiit Authorities of the SandftidlL isldfitte/* :f thb King at first refused to ftii; ihtefribw' t 6 Lord George, arid appointed fi ! Dr. Judd to confer with his Lordihlpi who ffilaied tdjreceiVe him* ap he considered him the “ piinic mover” of all the ihsultS siich hM beeri heaped Upon British subjects. HiS Lofdehip thefi gave notice that he wbuld ftttack the town the next day unless his demands Mtii domplied With; Upon which the King, under protest, complied* and sent twd envoys to Englandto treat with' her Ma- * jesty’s ministers. A few days Uftef this (on the 19th February) the 1 islands were' provisionally ceded to' Great Britain, and a provisional government,, similar, to that established by the French at 1 Tahiti, Was formed, and is to remain in force until despatches are" received from England. The British flag therefore now waves, in token of sovreignty, over th‘e Sandwich Islands ; but we must say that the transaction too much resembles recent biifcca’heering exploits to be all pleasing to our fe'elmgs as Englishmen.- ,

The Corn Laws in the City. St. Thomas’s-day is fast approaching, and we may confidently assert,, so strong is the feeling against the corn monopoly, that few persons will be returned to the common council who are not decided opponents to the corn law. We are assured by those who are well acquainted with what is going, on iff the different wards, that it is expected' there will bb a general movement on the above subject. At a meeting of the Directors of the Glasgow Anti-Corn-Law Association, held on' Wednesday, a letter was read* from Mr. Cobden accepting the invitation which had been’forwarded to him by the free traders of that city. We learn that it has been fixed that a banquet shfill take place on Wednesday, the 11th of Janiihry, in the city-hall, being the largest public room in Glasgow. Invitations are, we understand; to be sent to all the Scottish members of parliament favourable to the repeal of the corn-laws, as well as to many other distinguished supporters of anti-monopoly principles in various parts of the country. Incendiary Fires. A fire, under very painful circumstances, occurred on Sunday morning last, which is undoubtedly the act of an incendiary, and, therefore, must strike feelings of terror and alarm into the hitherto singularly peaceable and quiet neighbourhoodwhere it has occurred. On the above morning, Mr. Savage, a very respectable farmer, a tenant of Lord- Raneliffe’s, and who resides in : the centre of the village of Bunny, was awakened by the barking of the dog in the farm-yard ; and the noise of the cattle, and on looking out of the window, discovered that 1 a ; very large stack was’ ill flames about the centre. By great exertions the fire was subdued by nine o’clock it haring got so much into the stack that it had to be taken to pieces and put out as it was thrown down. The singular and fatal hold which the fire had may be attributed at once, and with truth, to its having been set on fire in ; the centre, from which the flames' rapidly spread on to the other side, and soon completed their work of demolition'. The stack burnt' was forty yards long, so that the extent of the conflagration may well be conceived. A reward of 50/. has been offered by the Bunny and Bradmore Association for the Prosecution of Felons, of which Lord Rancliffe is President, for the discovery of the villanous midnight depredator. Saturday evening, about seven, a cattle skilling belonging to Mr. Chillingworth, of Queen Lanes, near Highworth, was discovered to be on fire, when, shocking to relate, fiVe veiy nice fat cows were . burned, having literally been 1 roasted alive, and two others 7 were severely injured by the flames. A large rickof hay adjoining the shed was also destroyed. There can be no doubt but that this fire was the act of some heartless miscreant, who, we trust, will soon be ! discovered, a£ suspicion already attaches to a certain party. The atrocity of this act is much aggravated by the fact that the wretch must haye known’ that the poor jbeasts were tied up and; could not escape their horrible fate. It has excited great horror and indignation in the neighbourhood, particularly as Mr. Chillingworth is the last man who would have been thought likely to have been the object of such a fiendish act. We are happy to say that he is fully insured, thus defeating, as far as loss is concerned, the malice of the perpetrator. Monday evening, about" six, a straw stack, the property of Mr. Wheatly,: farmer, of What-ton-in-the-Vale, was discovered to be on fire. The flames soon attracted a numerous assemblage of persons* who came from all quarters, and through their exertions, and a copious supply of water being at hand, as the barn and Stack-yard of Mr, Wheatley are located about half a mile from the village, and the Whipling being near to the above premises, the flames were happily subdued. The evening being calm added also to the safety of the other, stacks; at one time doubts were entertained, that a bean stack Would 1 fall a prey to the devouring element. About nine o’clock therfire*

presented a very formidable appearance, and a messenger was despatched for the Bingham fire-engines, but before they arrived the fire was extinguished. There is no doubt but it was the act of an incendiary. j On Friday morning last, it wa3 discovered that some villains had attempted to set fire to some new houses, which are near their completion, situate near the Market-street, in Birkenhead, belonging to Mr. Whalley. It appears that a quantity of turpentine had been poured on one of the floors, and a quantity of shavings, which had been set on fire ; but the wind had been too strong, and had blown the fire out, or most probably the property fiwould have been destroyed. Mr. Whalley has offered a reward of 50/. for the discovery of the incendiaries.

On Sunday evening last, as the good people of Steeple Claydon were leaving the church, between seven and eight, a fire was observed in the farm yard of Mr. J. D. Jarvis. Some diabolical scoundrel had entered the hovel by doors from without, and had thrust some burning matter inside the roof of the hovel, but being happily so soon discovered it did but little injury. The farm is the property of Sir Harry Verney, Bart. The next night, a little before nine o’clock, a fire was seen to issue through the roof of a barn occupied by Mr. Robins, which was soon one mass of flame, burning down the barn, hovel and stable. The dwelling-house had no doubt been fired In two places, but owing to its being old, wet, and mossy thatch, it only smouldered into black ashes. The farm is the property of Mrs. Tatham, widow of the rector of Lincoln College, Oxford. Her carriage was damaged, her harness entirely consumed, and the horses with difficuly were saved. No doubt exists but that both fires were the work of incendiaries.

The Anti-Corn-law Movement is now assuming a most formidable character. The whole country may be said to be embarked in hostility to laws, to which are attributed the distress which has so long prevailed. Besides the meetings in the metropolis, we have received accounts of meetings of the city of Glasgow, and of the merchants and manufacturers of the counties of Nottingham, Leicester, and Derby. The meeting of the clergy, merchants, bankers, and other inhabitants of Glasgow, is described by the Glasgow Chronicle as one of the most respectable assemblages which they had ever seen gathered together in that city. Many hundred respectable citizens were unable to obtain admittance, aud went away much disappointed that they were unable to bear their testimony on a subject of such vast national interest and importance; but there were present a considerable sprinkling of whole-hog chartists who, aware that a comparatively small number can disturb the proceedings of a meeting, constitute a standing nuisance throughout the country. One of the most violent of them, a fellow of the name of Kidd, was taken out of the meeting by the police, and taken to the police-offiee. The resolutions embody, in forcible language, the injurious effect of the corn and provision laws. To them are ascribed the present destitute condition of a large portion of the people. Through them “ the price of the food of the people is artificially raised; the export of our manufactures to foreign countries limited; the demand for labour thereby diminished ; the wages of the workman not only reduced by the competition for employment, but the amount of labour performed by the individual is increased.” The meeting declare that “they feci it to be an imperative duty earnestly to call upon the legislatuee to take immediate steps for the speedy and entire abolition of all duties and restrictions on the importation of the necessaries of life.” The last of the resolutions declares, “ That the meeting regard with feelings of the most cordial approbation and concurrence the energetic exertions of the Anti-Corn-law League in the cause of free trade generally, and of the repeal of these obnoxious enactments in particular; and they pledge themselves to use their utmost efforts in collecting funds in the city and neighbourhood-to assist in forwarding, the great and patriotic object which the league and meeting have at heart.” And, in a business-like manner, they appoint a committee for collecting funds in each of the twelve parliamentary districts of the city. The contributions already received for the Anti-Corn-law League amounted to 997/., and it was expected that this sum would be nearly doubled.

The Corn-Laws. —Great Meeting of the Manufacturers of the Midland Counties. —Nottingham, Tuesday, Dec. 13.—The merchants and manufacturers of the counties of Nottingham, Leicester, and/Derby, held a most enthusiastic meeting this morning, in the Independent chapel, Friar-lane, Nottingham, the attendance being so great that the Town-hall w&s not sufficiently capacious.—On the motion of Mr. Alderman Frearson, J. Heard, Esq., was unanimously called to the chair, and after making a few observations, called upon William Biggs, Esq., the Mayor of Leicester, to move the first resolution. —W. Biggs, Esq., then in a very elaborate manns r, spoke of the truly unprecedented depression of trade in the three -counties. The resolution he moved was ex-

pressive of a conviction, that the distress in the' manufacturing districts was rapidly extendingto; the agricultural.—Mr. Cripps, of ,Notting T ham, then moved the second resolution, viz.: —“That this meeting cordially approves-of the endeavours of the Anti-Corn-law League to repeal the corn and provision laws, rejoicing that their views are so rapidly progressing among a class hitherto opposed to them.” —Both resolutions were then unanimously passed, and contributions were announced to the amount of 997/. This sum will yet be nearly doubled. After a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting separated.