The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-01-06
south sea I(idnaPperS and the
missionary Martyr.

4 recent number Of the New Zealand Herald, in
its account Of proceedings in the Colonial Parliament
has the following
The terrible news Of Bishop Patteson's death
caused the most lively sensation and the greatest
grief here. Mr.. Fox alluded 10 IL in the most feel
ing terms, and the day after the news was received.
he moved the following address TO Her Majesty,
which Of course was carried without dissent:
MosT GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN.
We, your Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects,
beg TO express the deep sorrow with which we have
heard Of the death Of the Right Reverend John
COleridge P~attesOn, d. ID, Bishop OF Melanesia, and
his Missionary companions, the Rev. Mr.. Atsln and
an aboriginal Islander, who, On the 10Th Of SePteH-
Der last, were martyred by the inhabitants Of the
Island Of Nukapu, in the Southern Pacific Ocean.
We have reason to believe that the cruel deed
originated in the evaporation Of the natives at III
usage received by them from certain Europeans,
subjects Of your Majesty, who, under color of pro-
yidiug free labor for the Australian Colonies, have
been guilty Of acts inconsistent with the Law Of
Nations and the first principles Of humanity. 1t is
known that these persons have deceived the natives
by false pretences, and kidnapped them from their
homes and il is believed that the murder Of the
Bishop and his companions was an act Of blind retail
iation for the injuries so inflicted. One of the latest
utterances Of the good Bishop was n solemn protest
against this %iniquity, which he addressed TO the
synod of his church in this Colony, with a prediction
Of such results as that of which, too soon, he was
himself the victim-a copy of which is herewith
respectfully forwarded to your Most Gracious Majesty.
We venture to submit to your Majesty that a
grave duty rests on the British Government, that OF
protecting the Islanders Of the Pacific against the
infection Of wrongs by the hands of British subjects
wrongs little less grievous than those of the African
slave trade. And We beg TO assure your Most Ora
cious Majesty that We, the Commons of New Zealand,
will at all times be ready to assist your Majesty's
Government, by every means within our reach, in
suppressing the practice referred to.
And we pray that your Majesty may long live as
the protector of the weak and defenceless in every
part of the world.
In our exchanges the statement is made that the
officer in charge of the Australian station had
ordered II. B. NJ. S. Rosario to proceed to the Swal-
low group, to investigate the circumstances of Bishop
Patteson's murder. In this connection it will be
well to remember some of the Bishops own utter
ances, which now read almost like prophecy. In
the early part of the present year, he addressed a
q memorandum y to the synod of the English church
at Dunedin, '' against the South Sea slave trade
in the latter part of which occur these remarkable
words:
"In conclusion, l desire to protest by anticipation
against any punishment being inflicted upon natives
of these Islands who may cut off vessels or kill boats
crews, until it is clearly shown that these acts are
not done in the way of retribution for Outrages first
committed by white men. Only u few days ago q
report reached me that a boats crew had been killed
at Espirito Santo. Nothing is more likely. 1 expect
to hear of such things. 1t is the white mans fault,
and 1t IS unjust to PUNISH the colored man for dong
what, under such circumstances, he may naturally
be expected TO do"
In his q memorandum &" from which the above is
a quotation, the Bishop conclusively set forth the
wretchedly criminal nature of the business of pro-
curing laborers as carried on from FIJI and Queens
land, and strongly recommended that two small
men-of-war should be kept cruising constantly
among the Islands. &C and especially in the neigh
borhood of Queensland and FIJI, to intercept vessels
bringing natives to those ports, and to examine into
the observance or non-observance of the regulations"
that had been promulgated in regard to the business.
1t is less than a year since our contemporary the
Hawaiian Gazette, pOoh-pOohed as exaggerated and
sensational the structures of this journal on the
present and prospective evils of the South Sea slave
Fro1a