THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 477, 4 June 1890, Page 4

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

WRECKS, MURDER, AND CANNIBALISM. A DANGEROUS GROUP. Tun island brigantine Ik a Vuka, which arrived at Sydney last week from Havannah Harbour (Sandwich Island), in the New Hebrides Group, brought confirmatory news of the murder of the French trader at Aobft Island, sn that Group, of which tragedy' previous reports had been received. On board the lka is a native who was one of the labour boys on , the schooner Eliza Mary' when she was driven ashore at Mallicollo Island in a hurricane a month or so ago. It will be remembered that the Eliza Mary was, at the time of her loss, from Queensland, and was at the New Hebrides, hiring native labour for tho Queensland sugar planters. She had procured ago:.d many natives, audit was reckoned that at the time she was driven in the storm from Pentecust Island across to Mallicollo, and crashed upon the rnef there, 52 lives were lost. Numbers of tho natives swam ashore, where they were killed by the Mallicollo savages. One managed to get to a missionary station, and probably the only other who has eluded i lie cannibals at Mallicollo is the man now in the crew of the lka Vuka. AFTER GETTING ASHORE from the wrecked Eliza Mary he took to the bush, and was three days travelling to the nearest white traders’ place. The bloodthirsty tribe was on the hunt for him, but 'he managed to reach the white man’s station, though hotly pursued. The ketch Adam was wrecked near the same place as the Eliza Mary, but there was not much loss of life, her crew and labour boys being rescued by j another vessel. When the lka Vuka left 1 the group this time the French warship Snone was on her way from Sandwich to Aoba to punish the natives there for the murder of the French copra trader before referred to. It is certain that CANNIBALISM EXISTS among these people. This is admitted by such of their number as occasionally go t:> Sydney. In reply to a question which was put to a native, as to the motive for killing the labour boys who swam ashore from the schooner Eiiza. Mary, he said that they belonged to a hostile tribe and were fair game for food. The same answer was given as to tho killing of the Frenchman at Aoba. The natives there had been visited by a trading vessel since the murder, and interrogated about the affair. They repeated that it was a long time since ;hoy had eaten white man’s flesh. There is no sort of shanio shown by these people at the perpetration of murder or cannibalism. On the contrary, their surprise seems to be that any objection should be made by others to their using HUMAN FLESH FOR FOOD. Tho news from Aoba is that the sooner the warships make an example of the natives there the better. The white traders report the whole of the tribes as having become very bounceable and menacing in their manner towards the planters and settlers. The Mallicolloites are no better, and a very sharp lesson requires to be taugh them. It is unsafe for a boat’s crew to ° land in many parts of. this group, unless armed to the teeth. The chief officer of the lka Vuka states that when in command of the Auckland schooner Gael, himself in the group, ho was wrecked on the east coast of Mallicollo, and though there were 22 of them belonging to hi? vessel, and all well armed, it took them all their time to keep the natives off. During the several days they were castaways on the beach the greatest vigilance had to be observed night and day.or the whole company would have been pounced upon and clubbed. Only at the mission stations and the townships such as Vila or Havannah is it SAFE TO LAND UNARMED. From this it would seem that there is a tremendous amount of civilising work to be done in the New Hebrides Group, despite the fact that there are many missionaries established there, and have so been for vears. Tho group is a great recruiting ground for labour vessels. The Drench have lately embarked in the labour trade, and it is satisfactory to learn that their labour schooners will not only carry a governmfno agent, to see that kidnapping is not, resorted to, but a doctor whose duty it is to see the natives hired, are healthy, and that they are properly provided for on board the schooners, receiving wholesome food and kept in a cleanly stare. These precautions have nob, ibis said, bc-en enforced as they should be on board the German laboui vessels trading to the Solomons, and the Queensland labour veseels cany a Government agent only. NOT SEVERE ENOUGH. From what can be gathered from native and European sources, the B-itish warships which visit these Elands to inflict punishment upon the natives, are nob sufficiently severe in their dealings with the kanaka?. Describing a ■ isit made by a German warship to one of flie group on which three white men hail been massacred, ib is stated that, the warship steamed in close to the land at one of the bays, and of course the na'ives took bo the bush, but the German soon after loosened her sails and as though to set them and take her departure. Seeing,this a large number of natives came down to the beach gesticulating wildly, and the warship suddenly fired a broadside, The effect was, said the pilot cut board at the time, that “legs and arms wee scattered in all directions.” Afterward? the German sailors were landed, and went far into the interior, burning and destroying villages and the copra they found there. THE GERMANS DECIDED. As a consequence the natives dread a German man-of-war’s visit. This, it is pointed out by traders, is the case to some extent with respect, to French warships also, but they only laugh when told that an English “ man of bush” (a fighter) is coming. The wrecks of the Eliza Mary and the, Adam are still on the reef at Maliicollo.

The wrecked Union steamer Fijian at Tanna remains undisturbed. A visit was made to it lately by a white trader, who hoped to be able to go on board and secure some of the cargo or ship’s fittings, but he counted without his host, for though he offered tobacco and trade to the natives there as a sop, ho was met by a shotgun when he attempted to board the Fijian, and was told that as the evil spirit had sent to Tanna the steamer, no white man would be allowed to go on board again. A good deal of property might be secured from the wreck were the natives agreeable, but it will be remembered how the shipwrecked people’s lives were endangered,, when they were castaway on the Tanna coast the time of the wreck,' . . :: '