THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1536, 24 July 1886, Page 1

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

News from New Caledonia states thst a strong petition is being signed, asking the french Government to complete the an> nexation of the New Hebrides. The follow* ing is a copy of the petition:—“To the Governor of New Caledonia and its depen* denotes, the undersigned free colonists of New Caledonia have the honour to submit the following considerations relative to events which have taken place in the New Hebrides. If the reports in the Australian journals which arrived by the last mail can be depended upon, the Government of the Republic have declared the occupation of Port Savannah and Port Sandwich will be of short duration, and that the troops engaged in the expedition will soon be recalled to Noumea. Our patriotism refuses to admit such a resolution. We oannot believe that France, after having hoisted her flag on this land, watered by t he blood of her colonists and navigators, will now retire. As much as we have rejoiced at t,he departure of the troops to the New Hebrides, even so much would we regret 1 heir retreat, which would undoubtedly ba followed by grave consequences; it would, in fact, deal a death blow to our influence in ihe Pacific, and would inflict on our army and navy unmerited humiliation. It would deliver to the fury of cannibals the livtl' Of our compatriots already established in the New Hebrides, and the results of those measures would be felt even in New Caledonia, where we should be no longer the masters of the natives. It would have been better not to have taken in hand the enterprise than to show this amount of impotence. For France there is only one solution conformable lo’its honour, dignity and interests, o’est la prise de possession. ’ We beg you to transmit to the Minister of Marine for the colonies these observations inspired by patriotism and enlightened by a knowledge of the real state of things in that country. We beg the Government of the Bepublio to put aa end to these delays—these half-measures, which only benefit our opponents—and plant, once for all. a national feeling on this land, to which no nation can legitimately contest our jight. The Government of Great Britain has done its duty by collecting protests from the Australian Colonies, We hope then that the Republic of Franca will likewise listen in this case to cha voice of the colonists, which will always ba one of honour and patriotism,” On the sailing of the British warship Raven from Noumea for the Now Hebrides, the New Gatedoaiea wanted to know what she was going r.o do there.. The same journal boils over with iudignation because one of the Auckland papers hay stated that Franca is about to establish a vast slave depot in the New Hebrides, and exclaims“ See how they cars to treat us! 800 how they dare to speak c f France!—the great nation, the firot among all! tbo chivalrous and generous nation which has proclaimed the lights o! man,” Sto, It ■is the wicked English, it saya, who kidnap ■-hablftoko and foroo them to toil on their plantations, under tbs lash of the whip, while '.hoy “ weep over them in official documents, newspapers, aud the hypocritical letters of miitioniiief.” <