THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2313, 5 June 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

A writer in the Ohristnhurch Press has given the following interesting letter on thoi New., Hebrides t-Rupa, the island under discussion in connection with the proposed cession of the New Hebrides, is twenty miles in circumference ; is situated in 27,36 S. lat; and lon, 144,11, W., and had. a population of 500 some years ago. It is about 600: miles from Tahiti. Tahitian teachers were placed on it in 1825, and. the whole population .has ibeen, professedly christian.' for many years;

The New Hebrides group contains thirty islands, the most southerly, Aneityum, being in lat. 20, and in lon, 170 E. It is forty miles in circumference. The most northerly of the group is also the largest; being seventy miles long and forty broad, Tbe area of the group js 4200 square miles. There are splohdid harbors, one : gf. them, Hava'nnah, having three entrances, The settlers for the last forty years have been mostly British subjects; the administration of justice has been carried on by British ships of war. The missionaries., who have been at work for 38 v yeara, have been all British, During that. time, mission houses, schools, and churches have been built, books have been prepared in 11 or 12 languages, and life has 'been uiado safe. Tliero are twelve missionaries, 100 native teachers, 800communicants, and 3000 worshippers. ■More missionaries are expected and money has been raised to purchase a steamer. The natives have repeatedly expressed a wish to be under Great Britain, and if the natives of Raro tonga uro to be consulted, it would surely be an outrage on the natives of the New Hebrides, who are so much more numerous, that they should be passed over to French rule, and be dealt with like so many cases of arrowroot. And what are che reasons for French annexation, The group is contiguous to a French colony and possesses good harbors and excellent soil for growing food for prisoners, Tho natives of the New Hebrides and the missionaries would have good' reasons to deplore the islands falling into the hands of the French, from what they have already witnessed as the results of the French annexation in the South Seas, Great. injury was inflicted on the missions established and maintained by British subjects on the Society Islands and tbe Koyalcy group. What commercial equivoleut is Rapa for the New Hebrides'! 'Evidently a poor one if any at all. If France does not use the New Hebrides for the purpose ol con victism tor what does she want theml And what compensation did England ever get for keeping} her convicts at home 1 If England could keep her conviotsat home without compensation, so can France, For any benefits the natives have received in the way of civilisation, knowledge of trade, com merce, and Christianity, they are indebted to Britain, and they feel warranted in looking to Britain to cast over them the shield of protection The British and other governments can arrange for their convicts without sending them abroad to ■molest other communities, and why cannot France do the same? The Governments of Victoria, Queensland, and Fiji, have raised their voices against French annexation, and although the Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand have failed to show as firm a front, tho people of these countries are not at one with their Governments, but would rather seo the islands annexed to Britain. Tho issue our Government, through its Premier, has placed before the Presbyterian Church is that either they must agree, to French annexation, with whateversacrih'cE that may involve of the safety of tho missions, or ek these fair colonies shall be flooded with convicts. The latter does not seem a necessary alternative. Besides, the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand is only one of seven or eight that support missionaries there, tbe others being the Free Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Churches of Canada, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, and (Jtago.