THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 402, 14 September 1889, Page 5

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

In connection wibh the petition alleged to have been signed by the white residents of the New Hebrides a&king that the islands be annexed by France, Mr Hugh Roxburgh, who arrived in Sydney recently, from the group, says:— "l know for a poeitive fact that all the white settlers at ohe new Hebrides did not sign -any petition to the French Government; in fact, many did not know that any such petition was in existence till they saw o notice of it in the papers. As the white setblers in the group number only about 50, exclusive of the missionaries, the employees of the French company and Captain McLeod, etc., the number of signatures appended to the petition must have been greatly drawn out." Another correspondent to a Sydney paper says :— " I know that the British traders have never signed such a petition to the French, and moreover, the natives have a decided aversion to a Frenchman, or, as he is known amongst them, the man from Ovi, Old. In tropical islands, covered with dense jungle, it is extremely difficult, without actual survey, to arrive at an estimated area ot land. On one of the islands of the group a trader informed me that he had 1,500 acres of land which he would like surveyed. This land was subsequently measured, and the large area of fifteen hundred (1,500) acres was found to contain only forty-five (45) acres. Doubtless thia is not the only case in which traders are labouring under a delusion as to the quantity of land held by them, and the millions of acres belonging to the supposed petitioners would probably dwmdle down to a very email area. The only desire of the French in annexing the New Hebrides is to make another penal settlement of it, so that the scum of France may be there located. Every day we hear of convicts escaping from New Caledonia to these shores, and should the 15,000 convicts of Noumea be dispersed through the New Hebrides, we may be sure that 20 per cent, of them will find their way to Australia. The Governments of these colonies should at once step in, and not allow to be taken from us those magnificent islands — the resources of which for 50 years Britons have been endeavouring, under many difficulties, to develop, and which, through geographical situation, are part and parcel of Australia. "