FIJI.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2822, 11 April 1882, Page 3

FIJI.

Suva has been attracting attention of late. Large romantic caves have been discovered there, swarming • with swallows, which the Natives exceedingly feared as “ demons.” Sandstone has been discovered near Suva, and a man (Spanish Frank) has been successfully hewing there. In the ability to properly, carry out capital punishment, the Government of Fiji has made most; marked advance since annexation, _ The Cakobau-Rex Government hang no: one, though making one or two wejl-meant attempts at it. The first cas.e was that of a Fijian, and a gallows was erected to suspend him from, but some ladies of Levuka presented a petition to the kipg begging him to be let off. The sable monarch tardily and somewhat angrily consented, pointing out the expense liis Ministers had been to in putting up the gallows, the exact cost of which he accurately stated in dollars, and then asked the questions, “ Who will pay the carpenters? Shall that riioney go for naught?” The other instance was that of a Cuban murderer, who was hung by the neck, but not until he was dead, for they had to cut him down alive, and let him go, and he is now in the land of the living somewhere in this wide world. There has been much activity in the medical department over the matter of vaccination. All Employers of colored servants were notified to send their servants on a given day and have them vaccinated. On that day files of men and women from different isles of Polynesia were ranked in the yard at the back of the post office, • and the chief medical officer quietly and persistently went to work for the morning , one or two of his flock made a bolt before their time came, and made good their escape over the rocks, despite the official shouts from a Customs’ officer to return. The vaccination of Europeans is still, going on. , .■ j ;