The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-08-14 00:00:00

THE NEW HEBRIDES.

Writing from Paris, on Aug. 8, the Times corres-
pondent says: According to a correspondence
addressed from Port Havannah on the 6th of June to
the Independant, of New Caledonia, the occupation of
Port Vila and Port Havannah passed off quietly. The
English gunboat, the Undine, was at the latter place
on the arrival of the despatch boat Dives, of the
French navy, under the command of Lieutenant
Legrand. The Undine put to sea and did not return
to the anchorage until the French marines had dis-
embarked. The correspondent says that Lieutenant
Legrand acted with a decision and ability which do
him infinite honour. On the 6th of June the marines
were landed and drawn up. the French flag was hoisted,
a cannon was fired, and an official notice read by
Lieutenant Legrand, stating that by orders of the
Governor of New Caledonia be had disembarked
the troops at Port Havannah, in the Sandwich
Islands, to establish aTrench military post there, and
that at half-past six o'clock on the morning of that
day the French flag had been hoisted over the estab-
lishment destined for the provisional cantonment of
troops which had been landed. On the same day
intimation was sent to the residents of all nationalities
established in the New Hebrides that a French
military post had been established at Port Havannah.
All the colonists are said to have signed with en-
thusiasm the official report of what had been done.
The only exception was that of the Rev. M.
Mackenzie, who is settled at the lagoon of Aracore,
near Port Vila. He stated that he could not take the
responsibilitT of signing the paper, but that if France
took possession of the island he should use every effort
to secure the respect of the natives for the French pro-
prietors and the French flag. As regards the Canaquas,
they received the news with real demonstrations of
joy. On the following day a similar ceremony was
performed at Port Sandwich in the Island of Mali-
cob. The troops were installed in the buildings be-
lensing to the Company of the New Hebrides, the
detachment from the Dives in tho how:6 of the di-
rector, over which the flag floated, and that from the
Magellan in a shed near the beach. Every precaution
was taken by Captain Polliard, of the Marines, with
the aid of the medical men belonging to the detach-
ment, to enforce proper sanitary rules. It wa; mOre
difficult to effect a settlement at Malicolo. The
ground had to be cleared of brushwood to erect
barracks, but the Canaquas came forward very
willingly to give their help. At first they were
afraid of reprisals similar to those of the German
gunboat Albatross at Abbod, south of Malicolo
and the island of Pentecost, to avenge the murder of
two Germans. The natives had besides been fright-
ened at the sight of the Magellan. "When they saw,
however," says the correspondence, "that our inter-
vention- was`voite Vacific.,they manifested their joy
and came for‘vard to. taii. themselves at the disposal
of/anr,spldiers." The Temps appends to this corre-
spondence the despatch sent by Mr. E. L. Layard. the
English
coasul at Noumea, dated the 31st of May
and published in the Australian papers, with refer-
ence to the departure of the Dives and Magellan from
Noumea for the New Hebrides, stating that the former
had been armed before her departure because the
German gunboat Albatross was then in the islands.
With reference to this statement the Temps remarks
that the English Consul knew that the Dives had*
been armed for a long time, and that in order to pro.
ceed to the New Hebrides, she had not had one can-
non added to her armament.