The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-06-26
Tahiti and it, Prospects.


c Next To Pitcairn's Island. Tahiti il. perhaps,
! the most favored SPOT in the South Pacific for
It's natural production of fruits and vegetables
alone could support double the population it now
has, without the least cultivation. rs is well
known, 1t has been under the French protec-
ton. or in other words, has been a French colony
or naval depot, for the PAST thirty years.
The island is forty miles long. and its extreme
breadth does not exceed twcnty-threc miles. 1t
Is divided by an isthmus three miles long BY two
wide. The centre Of each Of these connected
Islands consists Of high mountains, rising on the
north and east sides abruptly from the shore, to n
height Of 5000 feet. On the west and south
sides 4 belt Of nearly level land extends from the
base Of the mountains TO the shore, a distance of
one and a half miles. The harbors are large and
very fine, a~fording safe anchorage at all seasons.
Almost every valley, of which there are many,
has 4 beautiful stream of fresh water. There is
n good road from Point Venus 10 the Isthmus. a
distance of ~forty-onc miles. The land is all d-
VIded into small lots, and 4 person wishing 10
purchase a thousand acres would, in all proba-
bility, have To bargain with two hundred natives.
and, Sitcr the purchase was complete. have to
comply with the French laws by giving one
month > notice IN the papers, and if the Govern
ment approve of the purchase, the Governor signs
the title Geed; if not, the land must be handed
over To the Government, or back to the ORIGINAL
holder. y case of this kind happened in 1865.
MIR. Branden bought some four thousand acres Mt
Point Venus, intending to establish n pIanta-
ton, and brought from Europe sugar mills and
all kinds of machinery but up to the present
date he has never been able to get the title deeds.
and IN CONSEQUENCE tfn ,I,p+,.i,v h., 49,. -.
started. The total amount of good agricultural
land on the Island is about f~orty-fve thousand
acres.
Notwithstanding the great advantage which
the Catholic religion enjoys, it is not popular
with the natives, and there are certainly not over
SIX hundred Catholics, while there are Mt least
seven thousand six hundred belonging to the
Church of England. This appears singular. as
here Is Il Catholic bishop, twelve priests, four
or fifteen friars, and seven sisters Of mercy.
while there is only one representative of the Lon
Ion Mission Society, and he is only allowed to
cave Papeitc on Obtaining special permission
Government.
The imports of the Island, during the past
ilrty years, have increased yer. little. In 1897
nd 1910, two or three cargocs of sugar were y
and exported to Australia but the
rench war stopped every agricultural enterprise 6
nth 1868, when Governor dc In Richcrc offered
very indueement to introduce English capital. =
consequence, an English company was formed,
nth a capital of cl00, 600, known as the Soarcs
oinpany, but up to this time the shares have =
OF been brought on the Stock Exchange. and no =
has ever been paid. This plantation
as been devoted mainly to the cultivation of sea :,
land cotton. of which about one million pounds
&c produced annually. Governor dc Ia Richere
as succeeded, in 1864, by Count de In Roncier,
I'd during his administration hardly any at +
mpt has been made to increase agricultural en-
rprises.
There is no Custom House ut Tahiti, but the Z
lrorters are called upon to pay towards the
pport of the Protectorate Government $50. OGO
+ annnm, which amounts to about ! per cent.
the goods imported The imports i'm 1858 did -
t exceed $3.50, 900. The exports for the same ~
Ir may be stated as follows: y