Fijian Labour Market.

Te Aroha News, Issue 166, 21 August 1886, Page 4 (Supplement)

Fijian Labour Market.

Captain Mebbdith, of the brigantine Meg Merrilies, which returned to Suva prior to the departure of the Arawatafor Auckland, reported having visited New Hebrides, New Britain, and Duke of York Islands Captain Meredith says:— We found a great scarcity of food there in consequence of the recent dry season. The German gunboat Albatross was engaged in punishing the natives in different places in the neighbourhood for various offences, with more or less success. I n one engagement at New Ireland some of^her crew were killed and several wounded. At Kabira, New Britain, tho Rev. Mr Danks went up the bush to visit a wild inland tribe and try to induce them to pay a fine, which the captain of the man-of-war etdd he was willing to accept, but the natives said they would rather fight. The reault was that while a party of bailors were inarching in single file through a narrow bush track, and unable to find the village, the last man had a spear driven through him, and the native who threw it was not even seen. After landing all the returns, started for the Solomons on March 24th and anchored at Guadalcanar on April Ist. Worked ilong the south and east coasts, recruiting and buying yams, with very moderate success, and stood over to Malay ta on April 22nd and anchored in the canal (wrest side) the following day. Thence proceeded south to Port Adams. While there, the schooner Young Pick, of Maryborough, catnoin withtheboatsteerer, who had been tomahawked a few hoars before in a small bay called Rawasi, about four miles south, by his own interpreter. The wounded man was fearfully wounded and gashed about. H.M.S. Opal came in on May 6th, and the wounded man was transferred to her. She then went to inquire into the] affair, and afterwards fired sixteen shells at a hut some 3,000 yards in the bußh, and proceeded on her voyage to New Guinea. This target practice amused the natives very much, and they came out on the beach to look at it ; amongst them the warrior who had so distinguished himself a few daya before, was easily recognisable by his war ?iint, &c. At least, so the crew of the oung Dick affirm, that vessel having been towed round by the Opal to the scene of the outrage. It appears that this atrocity was committed by a man named Radi, who used to be in the Levuka Customs boat. First he said it was on account of his chief having died in Fiji, and Afterwards because he was over- worked in Fiji. This was contradicted by some of the boat's crew of the Meg Merriliee, who knew him in this colony, and declared that he had often boasted that when he went home he would kill a white man. While in the canal on the 13th, the Albatrossanchored in company with three recruits on board ; the Meg Merrilies having 42 against 42 days' recruiting. The weather now became very bad, torrents of rain day and night, and calm most of the time with occasional heavy equalla. No buehmen would come down, and there was scarcely a native to be seen for days together. Provisions, too, were getting short, so on the 28th we made a start homewards with 52 recruit* on board, and after a tedious and protracted passage anchored *t Black Beach, Laconi, at midnight, June 10th. . The Albatross joined as on the 12th with six recruits on board.

The following item*, which appeared in "Lloyd'a Weekly." in May last, possess a local interest;—" Eliza Wright, widow, fornprly of Park Bpad,' Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand, has not written home for six year ■. Htr mother and sister* are anxioui to hear of her. Henry Morrieon, who left England in September, 1960, lart wrote to hU aged mother from Auckland, New Zealand, in B«pUmber, 1869, •ayinßhe wa« going to tke Thame^goldfiokuT^