THE FIJI ISLANDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 179, 12 June 1862, Page 5

THE FIJI ISLANDS.

The following interesting letter is extracted from the London A then (Bum: —

Levuka, Fiji, Aug. 2, 1801. One of many reasons which induced the king and chiefs of Fiji to make a formal cession of tlieir beautiful islands to the British Crown was to escape from the insupportable exactions and tyrannies of the Tonguese. Tho Tongueso may weU be called the flower of the Polynesian race ; nnd Capt. Wilkes was but stating a truism when saving that there were few spots on the whole face of the earth where one could behold so many handsome people together. They are tall men, with fine, intelligent features, and of a-'light-brown complexion. They may also be called the Anglo-Saxons of the South Sea. Originally sprung from Samoa, at least their leading chieis undispufedly, they have overrun Tonga,— and finding that group also too small, they have for the last hundred years or more established colonies in Fiji, and of late made desperate attempts to conquer the whole group—attempts for the present only defeated by the cession of Fiji to England. The unqualified praise given_to their good looks by nil voyagers has made them rather conceited, and their great success in war haughty and arrogant in the extreme. It is intelligible that they should entertain a feeling of superiority over the native races they conquered; but in consequence of an unlucky affair, long ago forgotten in England, they look down upon all Europeans, and talk of having beaten a British man-of-war, as Americans do of, Bunker 'mil. Iv 18-10 Capt. Croker, of H.M.S. Favorite, visited the Tongan Islands, and was persuaded to take part with a body of native Christians against the heathens that opposed them. Much against the better judgement of his officers, the Captain nnd part of liis crew rushed up to a fort; a bullet struck him down, and as the officer who succeeded him in command saw the absolute folly of losing and wounding any more men, a retreat was, resolved upon. One or two cannon fell into the bands of the Tonguese. As the case stood, the Government did not deem it just to ask for any reparation, and simply demanded the guns left behind. However, the Tontiuese wore not slow in taking advanta2e of this turn of nfi'aii-3. They magnified it into a grand victory, and became so arrogant that Capt. Cook, could he pay them another visit, would never dream of giving them the name ofthe "Friendly Islanders."

Ethnologists have long been watching the spread ofthe Tonguese over the South Seas, nnd Fiji lias become a field of high interest, as the light-coloured Tonguese, a genuine Polynesian people, here met face jjto face powerful representatives of the darkcoloured Papuan race. The Tonguese first came to Fiji as peaceful traders, purchasing timber for canoes, and the precious sandal, —articles in which their own islands are deficient. Having established friendly relations with chiefs, aud occasionally intermarried, they became interested in their welfare, and allowed themselves to be hired as mercenaries, receiving canoes and other property for their services. From being mere mercenaries, they gradually began to act on their own responsibility, avenging any outrage committed against their countrymen in the smaller islands of eastern Fiji, where they could calculate the exact number of tlieir opponents. With the constantly increasing influx cf Tonguese, immigration, chiefs came over who uudertook'the management of the settlers. But Tongan influence was as yet limited, when, about 1846, Maafu, another chietj descended from the ancient royal line (Finait) of Tonga, and gifted with great physical and mental advantages, made his appearance. Maafu had taken a leading part in a rebellion against the present ruler of Tonga, King George, and on being banished received a hint that no objection would bemade if he accomplished in Fiji what King George had done in Tonga—make himself master of the whole group. Maafu soon managed to obtain a solid footing. Whenever he saw two chiefs quarrelling, he lent his«services, backed by tlie whole mob he ruled, to the weaker party ; and having with its aid defeated the stronger, his allies were perfectly at liis, mercy, he having Jbecome familiar with all their shortcomings—and there was then no difficulty about theu- acknowledging him as chief by paying a handsome tribute.

In 1853, King George of Tonga visited Fiji, and was hospitably received by Cakobau, the supreme Chief of Bau, and titular king of the whole group. Cakobau was at that particular time in considerable trouble. Kaba, nu important place in the,neighbourhood of his capital, was in open rebellion against liim, and as he had recently lost much of his influence by favoring Christianity, he felt himself scarcely strong enough to put down Kaba single-handed. In an evil hour he applied to King George for assistance, and the latter readily complied. By the combined forces of Bau and Tonga, ICaba, to Fijian notions an unpenetrable fortress, was taken, and the authority of King Cakobau re-established. A schooner of eighty tons, built in the United States, was presented to King George for his assistance. The example set by Bau of putting down rebellion at home by foreign aid was speedily followed by another Fijian state. Rabi, an island of considerable extent, had disputed the authority of the ruling chief of Cnukadrove, Tui, Cakau, and King George having proffered assistance, • it was readily accepted against the rebels. Rabi fell, and the Tonguese were in the habit of calling at their own until, in 1860, Manfu, in the name of King George, received payment for the assistance reudered. The conquests of Kaba and Rabi had conferred upon Maafu and his followers such high prestige, that the Fijian chiefs began to tremble for their own safety, and the impolicy of calling in foreign aid to suppress rebellion at home began to dawn upon the nvwt farseeing among them. Maafu was not slow in perceiving the advantage he had gained, and his favorite plan of subduing the whole group seemed now to have' arrived at maturity Without delay he built a schooner which should place him at an advantage over an enemy dependent entirely upon canoes. Nor did he fail to make other, preparations for war, and he would have commenced hostilities without loss of time, had not, in September, 1858, H.B.M. Consul, Mr. W. Pritchard, arrived in Fiji to take up his permanent abode in this important group. Bau was again in trouble. For various outrages alleged to have been committed against the life and property of American citizens, the United States demanded indemnity from Cakobau, as chief ofthe lea'din" state and titular king of Fiji. >The corvette Vandelia, Capt. Sinclair, had been sent to •enforce the claim, and as the sum of 45,000 dollars was altogether beyond the means of the Fijian kingto pay, overtures were made to Mr. Pritchard for the cession of Fiji to Great Britain, on condition that this sum, which the natives were goiuc to refund by assigning the proprietorship of -200,000 acres of lanc|, be liquidated. Mr, Pritchard hastened to lay his-bffer bofore'Her Majesty's Government, and no sooner had he departed for England than Maafu commenced operations for the conquest of a group about to slip, from his grasp for ever. v Ritova and Bete, two chiefs of the Macuata coast of the large island of Vanua Levu, were fighting out some old family feud. Bete, being worsced, concluded an alliance with Tui Bua, another chief of imp .rt.tnce in Vanua Levu, who owed Ritova a grudge for a defeat in a former war. But, even thus strengthened, Bete was unable to cope with his rival. Maafu saW that here was his chance. Friendly messages were-despatched to Ritova, who, delighted with the moral support of so powerful a man, forwarded valuable presents. At tbe same time, Maafu sent messages equally friendly, but more sincere, to Tui Bua, ancl through the Tonguese teachers prompted him to apply for assistance against Ritova. In a short time Maafu became the declared ally of Bete and Tui Bua. This new combination excited deep apprehensions at Bau, as deranging the balance of power which the leading state, for its own safety, deemed it essential' to maintain. Maafu, duly informed of the cloud gathering in that quarter, repaired straightway to the capital, and made out that he was only going to send a few men under his officer Waihiqolo, and he even endeavored to persuade Kinc; Cakobau to aid him in bis endeavors, as the whole affair would add fresh lustre to Bail's supremacy. Cakobau, however, contented himself with sending one canoe, more to watch the proceedings than to take-any active part in the fight. _By the united forces of Tui Bua, Bete and Maafu, Ritova lost town after town, and ultimately escaped across the mountains to Solevu (Sualib of Wilkes) on the southern side of Vanua Levu, where Tiri Wainunu, a chief friendly to him, resided. ■ Solevu, a district tributary to Bau, butotherwise independent, Tui Buahad long wished to annex to his dominions, and Maafu, to humour him, had promised to assist. By Ritova's retreat to this very district, a fine chance of killing two birds with one .stone presented itself. The allied forces soon appeared before Solevu; but so well was the place delerided, tljat it was able to hold out three whole months. When! at last, it surrendered, Ritova theught it hopeless to prolong the struggle, and hearing that the acting British Consul, Mr. Swanston, had extracted from Maafu the promise that, in such an event, the old warrior's life should be spared, Ritova gave himself up. But Maafu's followers were most unwilling that this promise should be kept; they demanded the life of a man at once so bold and so dangerous, and Maafu, fairly on the horns of a dilemma, connived at Ritova's escape, and caused a feigned pursuit of the fugitive to be made. Maafu now divided the spoil. Solevu was annexed to Tui Bua's dominion, the western part of Macuata was placed under Bete, the eastern under Bonaveidogo, a chief who betrayed Ritova by desertion at a critical moment, I—all1—all this with the express understanding that the favourechparties had to pay a stipulated tribute. In this distribution the claims of Bau upon the annexed district of Solevu had altogether been disregarded, and if anything, had been wanting to open the eyes of its king it was furnished by these highhanded proceedings. More humiliation, was in

store for Bau. , Maafu, returning to his. stronghold,displayed extraordinary activity. Bau was to bo got between two fires. A strong-fleet was despatched to Bbga, an island through Rewa subject to Bau,, which overawed by the superior force suddenly appearing, gave itself up to the Tonguese, whilst Tui Bua was directed to got up a quarrel with Rakiraki, subject to' Bau through Viwa. Everything was thus progressing favorably ; troubles were approaching from north and south; a few more months would have brought about tho overthrow of the capital, and the Tonguese would have been masters of the whole group, a country almost as large as Holland. At this critical momerit Mr. Pritchard returned from England, with the intimation that 11. M. .Government had taken the cession into favorable consideration. Soon after his arrival, all the chiefs ratified the cession, and they availed themselves- of the meeting held for that purpose to appeal to Mr. Pritchard to check Maafu's grasping career. They founded their appeal upon the fact that Fiji was already ceded to the Queen of Great Britain, and that Maafu, a foreign intruder, was endeavoring to take the country from her. Maafu, driven into a corner, consented to renounce all political claims on and in Fiji and thelands conquered, by signing a document, to tliat eflect in the presence of all the chiefs assembled, H. M. Consul and Commander Campion; of H.M.S. Elk.

The pence of the group, which, to the serious disadvantage of trade, had so long been interrupted, was thus at length re-established, but the wounds inflicted were not so readily healed. The Tonguese did not content themselves with merely taking a place ; they plundered and set fire to the dwellings, cut do<vn the fruit-trees, filled up the wells, violated the women, and cut down as many of the fighting men as their ferocity prompted them. ..When Maafu and his hordes had been at a place, it was as if a cloud of locusts had descended. Not only had every vestige of provisions, pigs, fowls, yams, and taros disappeared, but the plantations themse yes had been destroyed, forcing the poor natives to seek such wild roots as would enable them to eke out their miserable existence. Yet, after all their provisions, tools, native cloth, canoes, and whatever movables they were possessed of had been carried off or destroyed, they were compelled to make cocoa-nut oil, sail-masts, and other articles for their conquerors. The intensity with which a Fijian hates a Tonguese need therefore excite no surprise. Yet Europeans were not wanting who were rather displeased to see the doings ofthe invaders bronght to a sudden conclusion. Maafu knew full well that he stood in need of such friends, and he had early set about making them. He had three different bodies of people to interest in his conquest; his own immediate followers-, the foreign traders, and the Wesleyan missionaries. The Tonguese were easily attached to his cause by giving them unlimited licence; the foreign traders he made his.supporters by running up heavy bills for powder, shot, and general stores, whicli stood no chance of being paid, unless it was in contributions of cocoa nut oil, tortoiseshell and beche-de-mer, extorted from the conquered places ; and the Wesleyans were reconciled by Maafu making it the first condition in arranging articles of peace that the conquered should renounce heathenism and become Mc-thodists. The thousands of converts added to their flock completely blinded the missionaries to the danger incurred in coquetting with so unscrupulous an adventurer. It was only after Macuata had been subdued and great atrocities had been committed, that they saw the necessity of protesting against the use which had been made of tlieir name.

At the height of his power, Maafu is supposed to have had, independent of his Fijian allies, 3000 fighting men; and, even after his signing of the document above alluded to, the number of his followers was still sufficiently great to cause uneasiness. Men so long accustomed to regard Fiji as' a fair field for plunder were not easily kept quiet. Complaints were rife where Tongamen resided how they robbed the natives, and how hy intimidation they forced the weaker chiefs to behave discour£eously towards the white settlers. Mistaking the mission of enquiry on whicli Colonel Smythe and Dr. Seeirann were engaged for the Colonial Oflice as a proof that the British Government was dissatisfied with what had been done in the group, the Tonguese, in October, 1860, once more proclaimed their intention of interfering in the affairs of Macuata. Ritova was to be sent as prisoner to Tonga, and the people living on his patrimonial estates of the islands of Kia and Cicobia were to be carried over to Udu, to be placed under the chief whom Maafu had rewarded w:ith the government of Eastern Macuata'. Ritova, since his loss of power, had been living quietly in the island of Taviuni, where friends had flocked around him. ' He had frequently laid his case before Mr. Pritchard, showing how unjustly he had been deprived of his patrimonial estates, and asking permission to accept the offer of brother chiefs to regain them by force of arms. • Mr. Pritchard thought an appeal to arms unnecessary, arid finally agreed to discuss the subject withßete andother Macuata chiefs. _ The American Consul had also drawn the attention of his government to the fact that since Ritova's removal from power, American whalers had found it impossible to obtain supplies on the northern shores of Vanua Levu, and the bSche-de-mer (Holothuria) trade, carried on by citizens of the United States, had- become totally extinct. The profits realized by the biche-de-mer trade were very considerable. For instance, one cargo, collected and cured at a cost of 1,200. dollars, brought 12,600 ; another, wliich cost 3,500, brought 27,000 dollars. On the 27th of October, Mr. Pritchard and Dr. Seemann succeeded in bringing about an arrangement which left Bete " Tui (or King of) Macuata," and merely gave back to Ritova his patrimonial estates. Both parties pledged themselves to live in peace, refer any future dispute to the Consul, devote their energy to trade and agriculture, and disavow all dependence on Maafu. All this took place at Naduri, the capital of Macuata. Ritova eagerly set about rebuilding his town on the small island of Nnkubata, and white traders again flocked to the coast as in days of yore. This turn of " affairs was far from pleasing to the Tonguese. They were indefatigable in promoting discontent and disturbance, and scarcely had Ritova's town been rebuilt thari the Tonguese burned it down again. Bete, Maafu's willing tool, could not resist the temptation of playing once more the traitor. Under the pretext of making a durable peace, he' coaxed' Ritova over to Naduri, where he had arranged with a party of mountaineers to rush into the town and club Ritova and his family. Ritova went into the trap. Fortunately, his son heard of the scheme and reported it to his father. Ritova went off to one of his canoes, professedly to drink kava, in reality to hold a council with his old men, whilst the son remained on shore to lull suspicion. Bete, in order to bring Ritova on shore, invited him to a bowl of kava, and the son, seeing the moment had arrived when all were to be massacred, told, his father their imminent peril. They were all in Bete'spower, What were tbey to del The son urged the necessity of assuming the offensive, and killing Bete without delay. Ritova hesitated, but the young fellow went ashore, met Bete just in front of his house, charged him. with the diabolical plot, and that had his father not followed the Consul's advice to act honestly, he would never have been in his power. "I have three balls in my musket for you, Bete," he said : "you who want to kill my father, his son, and all his people in oold blood." With these words he fired, and two balls lodged in Bete's body. He died instantly. A great uproar followed. Some of Ritova's friends, and-they were numerous, voted for killing Bete's followers and razing the town. Ritova rushed ashore, quelled the excitement by his presence and harangued the people. ■>" People of Naduri," he said, "you who deserted me, your proper chief, when the Tonguese drove him from the land of his' forefathers, you may all live. Were it not for my solemn promises to the Consul, you would all die thje day with the man you followed. He has told me to spare my enemies. 3Keep quiet • I will send, for Christian teachers, not Tonguese, European or Fijians, and we will all live in peace." Everything was geing on quietly again when Maafu despatched his lieutenant, Wainiqolo, to Macuata, and troubles at once recommenced. The very; excellence of this, the finest district of Fiji, makes those artful and bold fellows, the Toneuese, orave after it so much. Fortunately, on the 18th of July, 1861, Commodore Seymour arrived in H.M.S. Pelorus, and he saw the necessity of proceeding with Mr. Pritchard to Macuata. King Cakobau arid Maafu were taken on board, and when reaching Naduri the whole case was fully gone into. Ritova charged Wainiqolo as being the source of all the troubles and fighting in the district, to the great detriment of trade; and the facts disclosed in the inquiry fully bore him out. The Tonguese were restricted from visiting Macuata for twelve months unler any pretence whatever, and Wainiqolo wasaltogether'forbidden to show himself again in,the line" of country from Natewa bay to ?ua'bay. Maafu signed a document to this eflect, and thus, it may be hoped, a long series of troubles has been finally closed.

Commodore Seymour's visit has been of material benefit to Fiji, and much improved the position of H.M. Consul, who, whilst the question ahout the cession of the country is. still pending, has all tbe troubles arising from a daily increasing number of white settlers, and has been left too long unsupported in his efforts to preserve the peace and developc tlie resources of this magnificent group.!, Notwithstanding the uncertainty that hangs over the political future of the country - whether if is to become a British colony,, be taken possession" of by the French in their desire to form a chain around Aus--tralia, or whether the white settlers:will be,strong enough to! form a government of their own in case Great Britain should cancel the cession,-rnotwitliT standing Fiji is progressing; men of Capital are beginning to flock' hither; flourishing plantations.o sugar, coffee, a!nd cotton are established, Mr. Storck,, Dr. Seemann's former assistant, haying:be,come, a. leading cotton-planter, and extensive: tracts'of land, have been purchased for sheep-runs. ■If the Qoveni-'

ment will only manage the country properly, or let those who know, after a great deal of schooling, how to manage it, Fiji, as a British colony, will bo a complete success. W.