The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-04 00:00:00

THE LATE COMMODORE GOODENOUGH.

(From the Army and Navy Gazette.)

A thrill of sorrow went through the Service when it
was announced that Captain Gsodenough, the senior
officer on the Australian Station, had been murdered
by one of the miserable savages of an island well
known to the- kidnappers, who have, by their barbarous
conduct, instilledinto the minds of all the inhabitants
of the unexplored islands of the Pacific a horror and a
dread of the approach of white men. Commodore.
Goodenough was engaged in visiting a part of his com-.
mand which required his presence, and, no doubt,
demanded a vigilant inspection, and while engaged on
an errand of mercy he lost his life at the hands of
one of the ignorant wretches whom he had come to
rescue. We can well conceive how the philanthropic
and humane officer would shrink from such• men as
those whose foul conduct has lately been before the
Court of Appeal in this country. He also was no
doubt desirous of judging for himself how far the
Sandfly was justified in shelling and destroying certain
native villages by way of administering a salutary
lesson to the barbarians, and teaching them how to
behave for the future. We do not pretend to say that
such a mode of taking revenge for a deliberate murder
is not sometimes necessary and thoroughly justifiable,
as being the only means by which these creatures can
be made to understand they had done wrong, but it
may be a question if it be either right or politic
first to carry fire and sword into their land and then
to aspire to teach them, and make them in love with,
the tenets of Christianity. We do not believe that
the cool confidence'exhibited by our people in landing
unarmed would have much, if any weight in con-
ciliating races scarcely half human. On the contrary,
they would take it as a good opportunity for wreaking
vengeance. If the boat's crew had been provided with
revolvers, or if a few Marines, well armed, had landed,
no blood would have been abed, and we should not
now be regretting the loss of one of the most rising
men in the Service, whom we could ill afford to lose.
We may be wrong, but conclude that the small force
which accompanied Goodenough was, with the excep-
tion of the usual side arms, totally unprovided with
weapons. It is a very poor satisfaction, for the sacri-
fice of a very valuable life, to sweep from the face of
the earth hordes of savages. It is to be hoped that a
peremptory order from home will be issued, to the
effect that no boats shall in future be permitted to
reconnoitre any unknown country without being
armed. Mistakes may sometimes occur, but it is far
better to err on right side. Englishmen are not in the
habit of wantonly taking life, and success is more likely
toottend a conference with savages if those who con-
duct it bq provided with the handy little inventions of
Colt or of Adams than if they be merely ornamented
by dirks or swords.

The Wand of Santa Cruz, the scene of Commodore
Goodenough's murder, has enjoyed an evil reputation
ever since its first discovery at the close of the 16th
century (says the . Pall Mall (azette). In 1594 the
Spanish navigator, Alvaro de Mendana, fitted out a
squadron of four ships with a vague intention of
colonising the Solomon Islands, upon which he had
alighted in his previous voyage. Having, however,
laid down their position with glaring inaccuracy, he
was unable to find them where he fancied he had left
them. As some sort of compensatibh, he came across
the Marquesas, whenCe sailing in a nortbrwesterly
direction, he arrifed at a cluster of small islands, to the
largest *f which; he gave the name of Santa Cruz.,
• Here he attempted to carry out his scheme of
colonisation, and, landing his mariners, founded a .
city which he hbped would become the capital of an
empire. His first step was to convert the natives,
but his success was limited to teaching them to make
the sign of the cross and to repeat a few words of
Spanish. Discord soon arose between his followers
and the savage islanders, and in the course of an
altercation a native chief was killed. Blendana, in-
deed, put to death the authors of the crime, but at his
death, a few weeks later, the colony was broken up
and the Spaniards returned to their own country. The
Santa Cruz group lying out of the ordinary track of
sailing vessels, these islands were seldom visited until
quite a recent date. It was in 1856 that Bishop Selwyn,
accompanied by Mr. Patteson, made the first seriou
attempt to humanize these fierce islanders, but failed
to effect much ' good. The neighbouring island of
Nukupa has since acquired an infamous celebrity by
the murder of Bishop Patteson. Close to hand, too,
is the islet of Tubna, whence the missionary Bishop
and his coadjutor beat a hasty retreat. Yet a little
farther Vanikoro rises out of the sea, the scene of La
Perouse's shipwreck, and of the massacre of at least
60 Europeans, whose skulls were discovered in 1826
piled up in a emple.