THE MANAHIKI GROUP. BRITAIN'S LATEST ANNEXATION. AN INTERESTING SPOT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 403, 18 September 1889, Page 3

THE MANAHIKI GROUP. BRITAIN'S LATEST ANNEXATION. AN INTERESTING SPOT.

Auckland, September 12. A few days ago a cable message from Sydney announced that H.M.s. Espiegle had hoisted the British flag on Manahiki (Humphrey Island) and Rakahanga (Rier. son Island), known as the Manahiki or Humphrey Group, situated lOdeg. south ot the Equator in the Central Pacific, near Penrhyn Island. A few particulars regarding the group may be found interesting. The two islands are of small area in all — Manahiki, the largest, being only about six miles l<ing, including the central lagoon, and four or five miles wide. The islands are both ordinary lagoon atolls of coral formation, of oblong or partly circular shape. The dry land is only a mere fringe enclosing the lagoon, the distance across the island on each side from the outer reef to the waters of the lagoon being only a few hundred yards, 400 yards or so. The islands are densely covered with cocoanut groves, amongst which the simple huts of the natives nestle. The climate is most genial, and hurricanes are very rarely experienced. The islands are both very low-lying, the highest point on either being hardly hve feet above high-water mark. Manahiki is visible twelve miles out at sea. The first sight of it reveals a forest of waving cocoanut palms, fifty to sixty feet in height, growing luxuriously on all parts of the atoll. Cocoanuts, in fact, are about the only plants the place produces. They yield good crops of copra. Manahiki and Rakahanga are well-known for their valuable pearl-shell and beche-de-mer fisheries in the lagoon, and the natives are very expert pearlshell divers. The largest native village is on the S. W. »Ide of the island, near the landing place. There is no entrance into the lagoon for any craft larger than a whaleboat or a canoe. The passage through the encircling reef at the landing-place is very narrow, only wide enough to enable a boat to shoot through on the top of a wave, with the oars out on one side only. The natives assist to haul the boat over into the lagoon. There is an anchorage off the boat landing. Rakahanga Island lies N.N. W. of Manahiki, and is about half its size. Landing is not good here, but can be generally effected in a whaleboat with the assistance of the natives, near the village on the northwest side. There are large quantities of copra and cocoanuts. Fine mats and hats resembling Panamas are made by the natives. There is said to be an anchorage for vessels close in on the N.W. 3ide of the island. At the islands there is only aboub a foot rise and fall of the tides, spring tides 18 inches. The islands were discovered by the Spanish navigators some centuries ago, and seem to have been at one time a favourite haunt of these freebooters of the Pacific, from the traces of their sojourn there which are still found. The Spanish pirates roamed the Pacific and the South American coast in those times much as they did round the Horn on the " Spanish main," and some rather lively scenes have at one time or another been enacted on Manahiki. Extensive traces of the Spaniards are still to be seen on Manahiki, as on Suwarrow Island, in the shape of large underground chambers and rooms in the coral mould and sand, constructed cleverly of coral-lime cement. A master of a trading vessel theie some time ago took a notion to put his native "boys" to dig out a likelylooking spot amongst the cocoanut growers, and at the depth ot about 6ft. unearthed a very comfortable cement dwelling composed ot a number of small chambers with fireplaces and all complete. Charred human bones were lying about. Even among&t the natives there are traces of Spanish blood still discernible, arising from the early intermaniage of the Spaniards and the Manahikians, some of the people at the present day being quite as fair as Europeans. They are a fine, handsome, athletic set of people, one of the finest races in the Pacific. They are described as remarkably mild and courteous, and very honest, presenting in this respect a marked contrast to inhabitants of other Pacific isles. They are very religious in their way, quite devote, in fact, owing to the teachings of their native missionaries, who were trained by the Samoan or Rarotongan white clergymen. The native population is about 600 in all, equally distributed between the two islands. The only white men living on Manahiki at present are two white traders, who were residing there a short time ago. On Rakahanga, when last vi&ited, there was one white trader on shore there. When the Spaniards first discovered Manahiki they called it the " Isle of Handsome Women," Manahiki women have always been in great demand amongst Tahiti natives as wives. Tho population is thinning and many of the natives emigrate to other islands. Their | principal hard labour of any kind is making copra, and diving for pearl-shell daring ths season, which commences about the beginning of November. Many queer yarns are related by old | Island traders about Manahiki and its pasb history. Murders have taken place there, not by the natives, but by white traders in their drunken orgies in old "beach-comb-ing " days. About the last of the race of freebooters of the Pacific, who was at last knocked on the head only a few years ago by his mate, otten paid a visit to Wanahiki and Rakahanga. Almost the last trip he made there was in his schooner to Rakahanga in the "seventies." He negotiated with the guileless natives for a large load of cocoanuts, etc., and this induced some fifty or sixty of the people to come on board, with the understanding that he would give them a passage across to Manahiki, some twenty miles away, and on arrival there pay them for the cargo. He set sail, but instead of steering for Manahiki set his course straight for Samoa, with the shrewd intention of di&posing of his cheap cocoanuts and cheap labour at Samoa at the same time, He landed first at Tutuila, and endeavoured to pub his freight on shore there, but the local chief, Maunga, "bluffed 1 ' him in a manner which would do credit to any Christian, and he had to take his cargo of " boys" and nuts elsewhere. Many instances are on record of native canoesandsmail crafts with their crews.being blown away from Manahiki and Rakahanga by unfavourable winds, and eventually making islands to the leeward many hundreds of miles away. Only a little while ago a little native vessel reached Samoa from Manahiki, having been blown away in this manner. The Manahiki Group, like Suwarrow, Penrhyn, Danger Island, Nassau, and other localities, are said by Island shipmasters to be very erroneously marked on even the latest Admiralty charts, and many shipwrecks have occurred through this. Suwarrow Island is stated to be laid down on the charts some twenty miles out of the proper position. The correct position' of Manahiki is given by an old Island trading skipper now in Auckland as — as near as possible — 10.21 t south latitude, and 161.7 west longitude, -