New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4936, 17 January 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1877.

The question at issue between the Polynesia Company and the Government of the new British colony of Fiji is one of bona fides, and as such we have taken some trouble to look into the matter. It appears to us that a great deal of the difficulty which surrounds a settlement of the question arises at the very start. "When the representations of the Melbourne Company induced Cakobau to sign the first charter on the 23rd day of May, 1868, it was considered by the Acting British Consul to be opposed to British interests, and he demanded that they should not proceed to act upon it in any way till the Commodore' on the station expressed hia opinion upon it. The parties in question bowed to : the request of the Consul, arid for some weeks awaited the appearance of the Commodore. When that functionary arrived he endorsed the action of the Consul, but in the meantime some correspondence had passed between the said representatives and the ActingConsul, and the latter appears to have

said distinctly, in an official communication dated 21st May, 1868 (two days before the new charter was signed), that he did not forbid any arrangement to" be made by Cakobau for the liquidation of his debt to the United States Government by British subjects—provided always that such arrangement did not contravene international or British law. Thus the second charter, daiel 23rd July, 1868, and which, is the one upon which the Polynesia Company now founds their claims, came into existence. And this, as being free from the clauses objected to in the first one of 23rd May, was never protested against. There have been statements made that the Polynesia Company did not carry out their engagements with Cakobau, and hence are entitled to little considertion. It is not, however, denied that the 'company met the claim of _the American Government in full ; and it is well known that in return they have only received title deeds for about 90,000 acres'out of the 200,000 acres for which they contracted and paid. There being, therefore, such a gross failure in carrying out the first part of the agreement on the part of the native authorities, no one can be surprised that the company delayed paying the annuity of £2OO a year to the King, which was also part of thecompact. Asregards the validity of the charter, which the Fijian Government now question, is it not notorious that the said Government only derive their title from the same source that the Polynesia Company does, viz., Cakobau and his chiefs 1 There is a clause in the deed of cession by Cakobau to Great Britain specifically exempting all lands previously bon.i fide alienated ; and therefore there can hardly be a question that when matters are thoroughly explained and understood justice will be meted out to the company. The very fact that the Fijian Government have offered to refund to the company the sum of £9OOO paid by them to the United States Government, shows that a sense of justice is gradually creeping over the British authorities, and we feel sure that no petty jealousies will be allowed to have sway in the minds of those who have the settlement of the matter. We notice by a late Fiji paper that Mr. Layard (now British Consul at New Caledonia}, complains of misrepresentation at the hands of a portion of the Fiji Press, in reporting him as favorable to Levuka as the seat of Government. He says—" I never advocated Levuka as the site of the capital. If the capital is removed to Suva, I shall be glad, as I think it the most suitable site." This harbor of Suva, being the property of the company, for which they hold title deeds from Cakobau and other chiefs, may have something to do with the indisposition of the .British Government to acknowledge the company's rights. Under the circumstances that land in a British colony is much' more valuable than in a country where no law or order exists, we would counsel the company to show a disposition to compromise, and the Government of Fiji, on the other side, not to attempt to carry matters with too high a hand. It would only be reasonable, and to their advantage also, we should think, for the company,to let the Government have whatever portions, of land they may require for public purposes in Suva harbor and other places, and they will reap their reward in the increased value thereby attaching to the remainder.

The company naturally looks for the reward of its enterprise. At the time they entered upon it the Fiji Islands were not much in advance of the Navigators or the Solomon Islands of the present day. It is true there were a number of white men settled there, but in the lawless state in which they were living they were really more to be feared than uncontaminated black men ; and there is no doubt whatever but that it is due to the operations of the Polynesia Company, by their large ex-penditure-of money on pamphlets, advertising, &c., that the place was forced into notice a quarter of a century earlier probably than it might otherwise have been. Their action too in drawing Cakobau and his chiefs into a bond with British interests prevented the possibility of the annexation of the country to America, France, or Germany; and hence they ought to be dealt with with the greatest generosity. There would have been never-ending regret had this magnificent country fallen into the hands of any foreign Power. Here is a country, with a climate suited to the British constitution, with magnificent soil and good geographical position, saved by the action of this company for the enterprising redundant British population ; and as it is a country looked forward to for the growth of sugar as the Mauritius of the Pacific, so it is equally adapted to the growth of other valuable tropical productions, such aB coffee, tobacco, rice, cotton, spices, &c. We may refer our readers for full and reliable information as to climate and soil to the works of Commodore Wi'lks," of the United States Exploring Expedition, and Dr. Seeman.— " Mission to Viti, I 860." There are 'other writers, but the above are from personal observation by practical men, and therefore are more trustworthy. / ■':':■•