THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. NATIVE DEPREDATIONS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 359, 13 April 1889, Page 6

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. NATIVE DEPREDATIONS.

The fchree-masbed schooner Fail lie, w hlcli arrived at Sydney a ieiv days ago fiom the Solomon Croup, lying in a N.E. direction from the Australian Continent, with a cargo of copra, brought particular.-; of further depredations and murders com mibbed by the natives. The master and owner of the Sydney .schooner Magic, Cup I. P. Edmunds, who left Sydney somo Limo ago for his trading station on tho inland ot Rubiann, in tho Solomon Group, found that during his absence his stoic had been loo'ed by the natives and his two labour boys killed. Captain Edmunds stales that tho murders were committed by natives fiom Simbo or Eddystone Island, and that a fortnight afterwauls a party ot Banietta natives came and t broke into the store, stealing goods to the value of C2OO, in fact all they could cany away in their canoes. Three weeks afterwards a body of Rubiaua men called ab the station, broke open the dwelling-house and took out all the furniture, partitions, doors, windows, etc., leaving nothing standing but the walls, and then destroyed tho adjoining cultivations. Captain Edmunds estimates his loss at from £400 bo £500 sterling. In the opinion of traders to the Solomon Islands the natives of Rubiana arc becoming more " bounceable '' day by day towards the few win to inhabitants and to trading vessels. Fit teen jears ago they captured tho schooner Margaret Rennj, and killed and ate the whole ciew. In January, 1885, Captain Howie and his boat's crew were killed and eaten ab Banietta, by natives now lhing at Rubiann. About twelve years ago the Espcran/a schooner was taken and the crew killed and eaten. Some Rubiana men weic concerned in that also. On the Bth of Sep'ember, 1885, Mr Childc was killed and eaten by Simbo and Rubiana natives. Lately, again, the Prospect cutter was taken and the crew killed and eaten at Dogbly, Piandova Islands, by Rubiana natives. In all the above cases Her Majesty's ships ha\e been very lenient towards the natives. The cutting of their fruit tiee3 oi destroying their canoes, which was done in all the above-mentioned cases, does not seem to affect them in the lea&b. They on the conbiary are boasting that they will kill the next man-of-war (bo use their own phrase). As no others bub English sub jecbd, and no obher bub English capital is invested in thes6 islands, they say they are bub very imperfectly piobected. It is hoped here by all traders, and also by some friendly natives, that on this occasion H. M. ships will give the Rubiana natives a prompt and decisive lesson.