The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-24 00:00:00

THE CIRCUITOUS TRAVELLER.

I'm a Nma fide Traveller, I'll undertake to show—
Three miles from where I slept last night ; and how do you

better know
I am good three miles, and more, from home, whatever you

choose to say—
Any number of miles you like from home—in a roundabout
kind of way.—Pu wk.

ANNEXATION OF THE FIJI ISLANDS.
Lord Carnarvop has received the following tele-
gram from Sir H. Robinson, dated Fiji, the 30th of
September, and sent from Sydney on the 15th of
October :
"FIJI, Sept 30.

_
" The King has this day signed an unconditional cession of
the country. I am leaving to-day on a tour through the
Islands to obtain the signatures or Maidu and other ruling
Chiefs."

Referring to this new acquisition of territory, the Daily
Ile ice, in a leader, says
A. telegram from Melbourne makes the somewhat
sudien announcement that Sir Hercules Robinson has
annexed the Fiji Islands to the British Crown and
hoisted the British flag. The statement needs only
perhaps be accepted with the caution, that it is not
perfectly clear whether Sir Hercules Robinson had
power to receive the actual cession of the islands, or
merely to report in favour of annexation. .*. .
The territory thus added to our Colonial possessions
is probably a far more desirable acquisition than the
js,pulation which dwells upon it. So far as the islands
themselves are concerned, there would be every reason
to regard their annexation with satisfaction. They
form one of the most beautiful of the various arch'.
Pelages which stud the Southern hemisphere of the
globe. They lie in the Southern Pacific Ocean,
about nineteen hundred miles north-east of Sydney,
and twelve hundred miles north of Auckland.
, Mr. Gladstone spoke of them as being 72 in num-
ber, and the Commissioners made them about 255,
but counting islands and islets a writer in the
Geographical Magazine reckons 312. The total
area is 8,034 square miles, nearly that of Wales.
The largest island in the group is Viti-Levu, or Big
Viti, with an area of 4,479 square miles; the next is
Vanua-Levu or Big Land, which covers 2,486 square
miles ; Taviuna and Kandavu are the only other islands
of any appreciable magnitude, and contain 214 and 207
square ffiilee respectively. The group is of volcanic
origin; and though the fires have burned out in the craters,
hot springs and occasional earthquakes testify to their
existence underneath the surface. Like most of the
South Sea Islands they are girt with reefe of coral, and
are clothed even to the mountain-tops with an abound-
ing vegetation which flourishes under a magnificent
climate, and in a most prolific soil. Lord Camarvon de-
scribed them as so fair a region that nothing could exceed
their loveliness, and his glowing picture of an earthly
paradise was quite borne out by the statements in-
cluded inorattached to the report of the Commissioners.
I They lie within the tropics, but their temperature in
I the shade ranges from a minimum of about 60 degrees
I in the cool season to a maximum of 100, or, some
say, 120, in the hotter months, and an average of 79
degrees. Tropical diseases are almost unknown, and
Europeans can not only flourish themselves in the
islands but can bring up their children. The sugar cane
grows wild; and it is the native home of the cotton
plant, while coffee, tobacco, and spices, as well as
such European plants as potatoes, turnips, cabbages,
parsley, cucumbers, and tomato, can be successfully
grown. It is, however, cotton and sugar plantations,
especially the latter, which make the proeperity and
at the same time the difficulty of the new colony. Mr.
M'Arthur spoke of the island as "likely to become the
, Mauritius of the Southern Hemisphere ;" and it is
I difficult to resist the evidence which is given on all
sides of their desirability as afield for English coloniza-
tion and enterprise.
A correspondent from Lowell writes : The difficulty, however, is the population. The land
"The grasshoppers which have been doing such vast question has already produced much disturbance
mischief north and west of us, have at last paid us a between the handful of settlers and the Fijians,and there
visit, and are fast devouring all that our industrious is some reason to fear that most serious complications
farmers have not gathered into their garners. The may arise out of the cessions of natives lands already
people in this section will not suffer at present, as their made, with more or less informality to Europeans and
wheat crop is the best ever known, the yield per acre disputed by the natives. It is perhaps almost to,,
being from fifteen to forty bushels, an as it is so much to hope that Sir Hercules Robinson has gone
late very little damage will be done to the corn. But into this problem and fotuid its solution, but in the
the worst difficulty to solve is, how are we to raise absence of some clear and defined settlement of the
another crop! The time has now arrived for fall difficulty it is impossible not to feel the apprehen-
wheat to be sown in order to prepare for a crop the eion expressed by Mr. Gladstone of "the reproduc-
coming year, but with an army of grasshoppers on tion in an aggravated form of all the difficulties
hand to he fed it would be folly to sow a single grain, that we had to encoypter in New Zealand."
as they would devour it as fast as sown. For one Then there are the mountain tribes whom we shall
whole week these troublesome pests have been coming, probably have to subdue by force, and to whom we
and still the end is not yet. As far up as the eye can fear that Lord Carnarvon's pleasant picture of a people
reach they can be seen winging their way southward, whom the Wesleyan Missionaries had civilized and
and continually dropping to the earth. The sight christianized does not apply. Slavery, too, exists; and
resembles a heavy snow storm when the flakes it will be necessary to abolish it. Indeed, the aboli-
are large and rapidly whirled through the air by a tin of slavery and the suppression of the Fijian slave
brisk breeze. The ground is covered, and in some trade are among the points which recommend the an-
pl aces they lie piled one upon another, as if wearied with nexation to the colonists and to philanthropistsat home.
their long flight from the north, they would rest before The desire of the Australians for the inclusion of these
joining the destroying army already at work. At every island's within the Empire is, of course, an argument
step great swarms of thein rise all about you and in in favour of the course taken by the Government; and
their eagerness to get out of the way continually strike there can be no question that, apart from the in.
against you as though pebbles were being hurled at ternal difficulties, there are many advantages in the
you. When they enter a peach orchard they generally annexation. We must, of course, wait till Parliament
make a clean sweep of all the fruit, leaving the stones has been put in possession of all the facts before we
still clinging from the Emirs. Emigrants from the can pronounce whether the advantages or the dillicul-
western counties are daily passing through here on ties predominate. The difficulties, however, may be
' their way farther east with starvation depicted on overcome ; the advantages will remain. We shall,
their countenances, telling melancholy tales of the of course, hear no snore of the Fijian slave trade ;
drouth, chinch bugs, and grasshoppers. Many a poor and the kidnappers who have gone out from some
man who has battled against the storms and winds for of our own possessions will no longer be able to
years in order to make himself a little home to supply take refuge in Levuka. The possession of a
Ihis wants in his declining days, is forced at last to splendid harbour and coaling station in the
yield to existing calamities and again strike out, trust- direct line of traffic for steamers between Ails-
ing to Providence and the calamities,
of the people for tralia and San Francisco is of course an ad.
his support"
South Pacific is also valuable to us as a great maritime
Power. Hitherto we have not had a yard of territory
between Vancouver's Island and Australia; and
though the new colony lies only about one-fourth of
the distance from the southern colony nearer to our
north-western dependency it is still in the direct line.
Probably, all that we can at present say of this new
addition to our colonial poeseseions is, that it gives us
the most beautiful and valuable of all the Polynesian
groups, and a isoverful strategic position in the
Southern Seas.

A melancholy accident haa been reported from the
inland of Gometra, off the west coast of :WWI Four fisher-
men went out to fish for lobsters from the adjacent island of
Little Colonsay, anti during a squall the boat was swamped
off Cometra, and all were drowned.
_ - -- •

From April lot to the 17th instant the Exchequer
receipts amounted to £36,973,467, as compared with
£i17,811,004 in the corresponding period of last year The
expcnditure has been £43,506,073.
The village of Peng. in Switzerland, has been
almost completely destroyed by ftre The village consisted
of 61 houses, occupied by about 200 persons, and of these
bonzes only five or six escaped destruction. No lose of life
le till0[1•1