The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-08-19
Man-steaIing in the PacifcT

New Hebrides and Hervey Islands. Our facts
were CLEANED from a pamphlet published at Mel
bourne, giving the history of the voyage of the
Dayspring, missionary packet. We have now
before us another pamphlet, printed at Sydney
the present year, entitled, ga Missionary Cruise
in the South Pacific; being the report of a
voyage amongst the Tokelau, Ellice, and Gilbert
Islands, in the missionary barque John Williams,
during 1870. By the Rev. S. j. Whitmee, of
the London Missionary Society"
The three groups visited are all of low
coral formation, and most of them of that
peculiar annular shape called Lagoon Islands,
or 'sAtolls.'' The writer of the 50 Missionary
Cruise 4" states that he took every opportunity
which the limited time at his disposal and the
numerous duties deyolving upon him while there
allowed, to examine the islands from a geological
standpoint. This examination has led to a con-
viction in his own mind of the truth OF the
theory, first propounded by Sir Charles Darwin
in his b. Structure and Distribution of Coral
Reefs and since supported by the opinion of
Sir Charles Lyeli in his - Principles of Geology"
This theory accounts for the ring shape of the
Atolls by supposing there has been a gradual
subsistence OF the land while the coral-building
polypi have kept on building up their wonderful
structures on the margins of the sinking land,
thus keeping the outer edge up to the low water
mark, and leaving the centre-where the polypi
do not work as effectively as on the edge of the
reef which is washed by the surf-in course of
time beneath the ocean. But Mr.. Whitmee is of
the opinion that the former subsistence has now
ccased,-in fact he believes he has seen evidence
r Ill ---.- 4 -
islands-and upon the ring-lIke reef the waves
during gales have washed the debris of the ocean,
consisting of broken coral, shells, sand, &C., thus
forming the existing islands. The principal vege-
tation of the islands are the cocoanut and pam
danus, on both of which, with fish, which are
abundant, the natives mainly subsist. The group
known as Tokelau, lies between south latitude
Sc So and 90 26', and east longitude 1929
% and LIE 70; Ellice's, between south lati-
tude , So and 90 18', east longitude 176o
II and 1879 49,. Gilbert Islands. extend
beyond the equator and lie between latitude AZ
north, and 2o &C. south, and longitude l12o to
49, east. The two first named groups have
evidently been peopled by stray. parties from the
Samoan Islands, as the natives can readily under
stand the Samoans, while the Gilbert Islanders
speak a totally different language. The govern
ment appears to be of a patriarchal character,
one or two old men apparently exercising the
authority. As to religion. they had a great
abundance of shrines and stones set up, appa-
rently as gods, enclosed either in small circles or
squares, and before the upright stone the remains
of offerings of pandanus fruit, pieces of cocoa
nut, and cocoanut palm leaves were lying, but
the gods really worshipped by the people appear
to be purely spiritual beings. In fact, the spirits
of their ancestors, men of note in their past his
tory, are deifed and worshipped. They made no
objection in any instance to the establishment of
teachers among them, but on the contrary, the
missionaries were generally received with joy.
In fact, the idea seemed to be prevalent among
these simple people, that if their islands we're
occupied by missionaries, the " man-stealers"
would leave them unmolested. And this brings
us to the subject upon which we propose to give
some facts,-the doings of the man-stealers of
the Pacific.
The first we'll authenticated cases of kidnap-
ping South Sea Islanders, were perpetrated under
the Peruvian flag, and were made known in
1868. The slaves then carried away, were taken,
it is supposed, to the Chincha Islands, but no
trace of their subsequent history is known. 1t
does not appear whether they dropped down
among the guano heaps or laid their bones to
whiten the sugar-felds of Peru. Or one of the
islands of the Elllce group, these Peruvian
slavers made their greatest havoc. The sad
story, related to the missionary on the spot by
one of the people, is as follows:
Some time before the slavers came, a canoe had been drihea
from Manihiki to Nuk1laeiae, with a native Of the former ISL
island. After living amongst them for a time, and teaching
them as well as he could, he went to Samoa, at the request Of
the people. TO fetch a missionary TO instruct them more fully
in Divine Truth. While he was away two Peruvian vessels
arrived at the island. The people went on board, thinking the
expected missionaries from Samoa had come. As soon ;
those on board perceived their eagerness for missionaries, they
used IL as a means Of ~furthering their own ends. One man
came forward and represented himself as a missionary. He
had come 10 instruct them but he wanted them TO go on
board the vessels, and he would take them TO an island near,
to work at Oh making for six months, and they should be in
structed in the Christian religion at the same time. At the
end Of the six months they should receive abundance of
property in payment, and be returned 10 their home with
teachers.
In their simplicity the poor creatures took the bait. As
they were only going for a short time, the strong men and
the aged. In some cases they did so in others the men went,
and LEFT their wives and children behind. Thus three fourths
Of the population were kidnapped from their homes, and have
never since been heard Of.
Since the time of that barbarous raid of
50 civilized - man-stealers, it is consoling to know
that the Ellice group has been exempt from tn
visits, so far as we know, and now missl
stations have been established on all the islands.
The inhabitants are represented as quiet and
peaceabls, very cleanly in their habits, and, as
the Rev. MIR. Whitmee remarks, eff heather
could ever be what the present Bishop of Win
chester, when Bishop of Oxford, very magma
lively represented the Sandwich Islanders to be,
before they were spoiled by American Puritan
missionaries, these people, in their heather state,
would merit the praise which he so lavishly be-
slowed upon those children of nature"
At Hurd's Island, one of the Gilbert group,
the John Williams found further and more recent
traces of the slavers. The island is from three
to four miles long.
rIOm me hummer Of houses, which are almost continuous
o !" M d Z o three miles, one would suppose the npnD-
Eatlon 70 De very great, but we only saw about four bundrad
although we walked nearly the whole length owe wbich ~
village EXTENDED. The small number of peonle in comnar;son
with the number OF houses was soon accounted E,r. n. -
been taken away by, What the natives themselves a.. cr;hss nu
athe men-steaing vessels" We could not find !, n 90
Der who had been "stoen )" but some said there -
- many taken, and few remainingn When we Ianda5 ae
found the people armed with knives and hatchets. vhiIe' ome
81