The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-12-05

The True Story of the Annexation Of FIJI.
We have received q volamlDOus article with the
above heading. which, however, Is altogether too
long for publication In these columns. II is extremely
interesting. az showing the mOdus oPeraadi by which
the native Kingdom o. Fiji has been wiped out by
foreigners. The article was written before the news
had been received Of the acceptance by Great britain
Of the p~tofeFed session. and the author l. a resident
Of FIT. aud personally oogaisant OF the truth Of all
his facts. We can only fac room for the fret aud
concluding paragraphs
The true story OF FiiiHn . Mnnexation.s .. or pro-
jected annexation (Which let me begin by saying
will, | sincerely trust, he now carried Quit is a very
different one from that which will. la all probability.
be told. How. when . government was formed, add
wasstruggtfng into exiStence. a Was opposed w organ
lied violeucA-instiNAfed add directed by the British
Consul How, while protesting to recognize the
Fijan Government in good faith AZ q - government
de Jacto," the British authcritiea have thrown every
possible obstacle in the way OF lie working. and en-
couraged British SUBJECTS 10 dispute aud rebel against
its authority. How, without enquiry into the many
aRd yegy serious charge agalnrt Consul March. or
any of them, the superior ofipfra OF That verncioaa
gentiemAn hnse suferetfb bin % promdlgAte the Go
upe very mild terms) sirangest stories about every
bc2y, and everything PJian. How many Exeter
Hall orators and nearly the whole British aud Colon
ial press having hund out that FUi wa. aner ALL,
place OF considerable value. and that q government
could be established there-became, all Of q sudden,
wildly patriotic aud super-humane; thoroughly con-
WINGED that FIJI was a hot bed Of slavery aud horrors
of al kinds, which only could be purified BY mbhfng
il q British dependency. How every he HAT could
be coined, or story that could be oolored, 30 as 10
bear out this view, was given the fullest currency 10,
while nothing said to the contrary obtained tho
slightest 1tten,iens How. vhee horahgHly siss %
the turbulence. OF Englishmeh ID Ffjf, md anxious
that England should abandon her "dog in the
manger" policys~sbould say what she wanted, and
either reopen the question Of ." annexation. IS or let
Fitgoysrn itself Without further obstruction, the
goyernuep here enanired whether England would
negotiate for annexation IL the offer were again made.
dealing this time, however, with the Constitutional
Government Of the country. How Eugland declared
that she could give no answer TO this question, until
after the receipt Of a report from certain = Commits
sioners =" she was about TO send out. How certain
persons in FIJI, greedy Of Office and not able to
obtain the came. and certain other persons. stil more
numerous, DESTROYS Of getting rid OF allgovernment.
united their strength for the purpose OF forcing tho
King to comply with their views and signally failed.
How these peoplsgall foreigRers. audaoiously denied
the right OF the native born Fjians-69-70ths Of the
population-to have any voice in the election Of
those who we're to make the laws and control the
desiInes or the country. How captain after captain
Of British ships Of war, and ore Commodore. wera
petitloned by the turbulent opponents Of Lillian ma,
tionaliy 70 force the Fiian Sovereign and GoverH-
ment into submission, and how these officers were in
succession convinced that the malcontents were in
the wrong How, when forced 10 consider the Con-
stitution Of 1871 unavoidable, because Of the action
taken by the British Government, and because the
domiciled foreigners had organized themselves 70
prevent, even by b~loodshed. the carrying out Of that
Constitution, in its integrity, the King and Chiefs
prepared and submitted TO their people m amended
constitution, but ~(although the people approved Of
~ kept back such Constitution. and allowed that Of
1911 TO remain unrepealed until the British Commits
sioners should have expressed an opinion thereon.
And lastly, how Commodore GoodenouRh and Consul
Layhrd, at length arrived, not actually Commission
ers' but persons appointed TO enquire and report a.
they say, in addition TO their ordinary duties. An
these things must be more or less known 20 those
who have paid any attention to Fijian matters, and
are not Willfully blind to the truth.
Soon, however, it became known that annexation
was as much a foreRone conclusion with the Consul
as with the Commodore. And the Consul. IL was
understood, bad the stronger interest OF the two
inasmneh as he had been promised that II Fiji
became, by bis good help, a British dependency,
he would be made the FIRST Governor thereof. 1, Of
course by no means say that there waE,f in fact, snV
such promise, but / do believe that the report Of
such a promise having been given came from The
Vice-Consul, Mr.. Layard's son and IL was not
denied by Mr.. Layard bimself. The action of tho
Consul. though not osteisibly hostile 10 tho Gov
eminent, soon became really 50. II the Govern
ment would not 60 in for annexatioa Il had 20
be proved yillainoos 20 be- somehow or other.
in order that Fiji might be placed
beneath the shadow Of The " meteor flag" that Mr.
Layard might wear oaked- leaved embroidery In
gold instead OF silver, and perhaps that Commo-
dore Goodenough might become a X. {. B. The
correspoDdence was ALL or mostly all. of an ag-
gressive character, as against the Ffjfan Executive.
The object clearly was 10 embarass rather than
~ hibRo AAaoh "a ~
i9fetiors--men whom The high and mighty Rutocraf
distinguished by a broad pennant at the fore, could
snub. :" sit upon" or totally disregard. according
to bis viii and pleasure before whose eyes was 70.
be kept a constant threat. AS hey were British--
born. and he represented the physical might Of
Britain they might BE called 20 account or removed
il. in the course of-their duty, they should venture
to do anything which he, in bis wisdom and in the
Of bis power, might declare to be-
:" Illegal" The King was reminded that he had
power to dismiss bis Ministers. and Yves advised 10
exercise that power. The earl. with fhe Commo-
dore and Consul on board. went round Viii Lew,
calling at a number Of places, and everywhere
gathering and storing up all eueh complaints
against me Soyernment as the dissfecsed settlers
The thing has been done. and 10 there is no MIS-
representation as to the modus operdndi. and the
acts and motives of parties concerned therein. it
will be well. If there is no after laundering. by
the appointment TO Office of undt men. IL will be
well also. / have now told the " true story Of
Fjian annexation" SO as. to counterRet possible
t~alsehood. or misstatements which may be promul-
gated, in order TO explain away failure, In the Hrst
instance, and to claim the exclusive merit OF ult-
mate success. But let II be distinctly understood,
az l Intimate at the outset. that l consider the
acceptance Of this. offered cessipn fand that right
speedily a. the result TO be most desired. Finally
let me add that Great Britain will have. upon the
whole, a very excellent bargain. for while abe has
10 take over some e80,0e0 70 100000 of debt and
B few comparatively small obligations. she will
take over about 400, 600 acres Of Crown lands
belonging TO the state as sucb) and other
assets all of which collectively. in the hands of a
power (whic.' an sell or retain to suit
quarter of a million sterling, besides adding ts the
Empire a new state Of great fertility, and 10 tho
nture, Of great political and commercial IMPORT
lnce. s PETTAcRIus
A speedy Introduction or the German coinage
INTO Alsace and Lorraine Is part Of the plan for
he Germanization Of those provinces.
The Turks In Montenegro continue their 0htriees4