The Fascination of Southern Seas.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 781, 27 March 1905, Page 2

The Fascination of Southern Seas.

A London correspondent, writing under date of I-Vhruary 7, says tint Miss Beatrice (•rimshnw's articles in the Daily Graphic on a cruise amongst the South Sea Islands havo ; tired tho imagination of Muile a number of people ii> these cold northern latitudes. During the. past week or two the Agent-General for New Zealand has had a whole string of rotiiuesls for informal!ion as to the liest means of reaching the Fortunate Islands depicted by Miss (irVm- [ shaw in such glowing colours. Truth to tell, tho picture painted by the good lady was as unreal as it was seductive. She saw the islands through the rose-coloured glasses of an imaginative tourist, and passed through nil the drawbacks and hardships of the life in the South Seas. But, as the correspondent Says, some of her leaders in England are burning to set forth for Rai'atonga or Takutea, or Tahiti, with vague ideas of renouncing civilisation in favour of the life of a lotos-eater. " Why should we toil, and muke liorpctual moan ? " they ask in effect:, and imagination and Miss Grimshnw combine to picture in their minds an idyllic existence on

some distant coral strand, where iwilm-trees wave and the league-long rollers break in foaming surf ut the edge of the blue lagoon. No doubt the dream includes a pair of browneyed, dusky maids to fan the lotosoater's brow, and unnumbered bowls of " kava,"' the nector of the Sunny South. One gentleman called nt the Agrncy to inquire if he couldn't rent a 'coral island and keep his steam yacht there. " I am sick of civilisation," lie said. 'I want to get away from this fogwriddon old city to a place where there are blue sKies and green trees and a yellow bench.' lie was told that his best plan was fo go out to' New Zualand | and negotiate with the Government on tho spot, and he seemed seriously inclined to carry out the idea Another would-be Islander said he wanted to take out forty poople and start a colony on Takutea, which he understood the N ew Zealand Govern-' "icnt was opening up for settlement: « is to be hoped that the golden dreams of those who seek the Ha," u'Ja W '" not ,x ' lo ° rudo, y "hair