The New Guinea Protectorate.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 78, 29 November 1884, Page 3

The New Guinea Protectorate.

Fjiom the rlcf ails to hand of the proclamation on the Cth in&t. of a Biiti&h protec toiatc on cr Now (guinea, it would appear as if \\\ n i'lijnrtant and solemn ceremonial had been mo^L «atM ictoiily peifoimcol by Conimodoie Eiskine and his anay of A\arships. Popular phia-c has it thot " the thud time's the lucky time,'' and theic is a Solomonic utteiancu to the effect that "a threefold cord is not soon bioken ;' so we suppose it may bo accepted as a lavourablc augury fiat this piece of wholesale annexation has been d juo thiTo times o\er. Fii.sl there «^ (hi 1 annexation by Mr Chester on beha'f of the (^ueei.i-land Government; then Mr llomilly, De[)ii(y lJitrli Commi.Nsioner, tonually proclaimed J>iitu-h ru!<3 ; and Li^t ) the woi th\ Gonnnodoic went throin'h Ihe e< lemony in piopor iorm, and clinched it with a palute hum the big j^uns of hi* 111 et. ColoniVtsnie apt to be lather lax in their iiKthods (>f piocedurc — thinking in then ioujjli v\;-y th it any stick i? good enough io fell a i\n<r uith ; but the autlioiitie- of (he Mother I'ountry, tliorough ex- \), its at the ait of laihl grabbing, in?i-t on eseiyHiiMg being ainylc Theicforc, the gallant LO'inn.mder m tile the orthodox pi ool.iniation that the only intention was 'o jnutect the livca and ])roperty of the peoj>le of JS'ew (Juinta ; axe.- and beads and ribbons were fieely distributed ; a chief of no particular standing was invested with a wtwid of oiliec ; and the deed was consummated by flight ening the nnsophi'ticated savages, with the tiling ot cannon. The annexation by J\ir Chester was quietly iirnoied as, being too ternb'y barefaced for iee.ogmt.ion ; the piochimatio'i by Mr Konu!l\ was chclaicd tv ha\e been only a " piollminaiy omter ; ' and then the real--hanky |>anky and Ikkuc-jmk'Us tiiek was done — jiw "• to ! eh.iniie ' --and beads, ca'ico, 'onrih.iwks, and line piomi-er- wtio transfoui.ed into a Lugo ami fci'ilc inland. Nobo ly lodb'h {|,ar, \\d> w;»- t;ie uul meaning ot the cciunony. aid that 2\uw Guinea it as firmly " annexed '' and <is little " protected " as it «a? under Mr Chester's rough and-ready pi origination. New Zealand and thu'-e other colonies that have an C) c to thu annexation of other "waste places" in the South Soas will doubtless pumi by the examp'e set befoic them, and will take caie to oiler tiienatncb a substantial quid pro quo, to make propei professions of friendship, and tj let ofl a few volleys in order to render the ceremony valid and binding.