The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-09-14
PACIFIC ISLANDS.
The Romance and Character of Their
Lands, People and Products
Coral Reefs and 1,400
Miles in Canoes

| interesting lecture at Sherborne, in En-
gland, upon the islands and the popula-
tons which he visited in his travels.
He has given very curious details about
the Saloman Island, about which very
little is known. 1t has been believed
by Darwin and other sages, that al
these islands were once united and were
formed q continent. Some of them
were coral, others basalts, or of voican-
lie formation Several of them are sur
rounded by coral reefs of 800 or 400
miles, III the interior Of which are fonr
or five large islands. The real volcanic
island have reefs very near their shores.
The sea between New Guinea and Aus
tralie being on single bottom level,
anchor may be sunk in any place. and
there is no doubt that these two coun-
tries were once united. These islands
are inhabited by two distinct races,
though there are great variety of in
habitants. One is that people which in
habit the Carolina, Marshall and Gilbert
islands, who are Malays with long,
straight and generally black hair. The
others are the Pay -lans, race with
woody and crisped hair. The Tongana,
the New Zelanders and the Sam oans are
mixtures of the two races. Accor ding
to atradition of the New Zelanders, they
came either from Samoa or from Tonga.
The people of these islands are expert ma
vigators. They sometimes start off for 6
months in hotilla of canoes, and travel
several hundred miles in that way. Upon
one of the Saloman Islands Capt. Simp-
son met seven men and four or five WO-
men, who had started in canoes upon a
voyage of ], 400 miles. At the Strong
Islands he saw one of the most aston ish-
ing constructions in the world; it is of
stone, twenty feet in length, roughly
hewn, and is surrounded by immen Sc
trenches He questioned the tribes of
| this island in vain upon the traditions of
the country. The island is inhabited by
| a degenerate race. The connection OF
the islanders with the Europeans is very
| advantageous to the former; they have
eontr acted habits of drunkenness and
other vices, which has caused rapid de-
| population. Ten years ago the Strong
Islands had 1000 inhabi tants; in 1874
hey were reduced to $50. The islanders
are very simple and quiet in their ways.
When Capt. Simpson visited the house
of the king, he found his wife a charming
little woman, seated before an embroid-
cry stand. She spoke English very well
and was affable and polite; but later,
when he bought four cows for his ships,
he noticed that one of them was that of
the wife of the American missionary,
and that it had been stolen by His Ma
iesty Upon the neighboring island he was
struck with the difference between the
two people. Upon this island, one mile
and half in length and one mile
in width, and which is of stone,
he found 1000 inhabitants, and he attri-
butes this fact to the isolation in VIII ich
they live, far from all white people.
They are very inoffensive, and have new
er even seen man-ofwar. A pirate in
whose pursuit the captain had been sent
paid d pension to the chief as long as he
needed it, and they lived in the best I'M
derstanding.a
The inhabitants own a great many tor
fO9c,o irI,1r 4, am 1r
apiece, and which they willingly part
with for pinch of tobaco. They are of a
far more robust temperament than those
who have been in continual relations
with Europeans. Captain Simpson also
visited the beautiful island of Lugona,
the 1nhabitsnts of which are very sim
pie. They are very black and wear long
hair. The men particularly pay great
attention to their hair, and delight in or
namenting it with flowers. Women
wear theirs short, and are not allowed to
appear in public. The captain saw saw
ages on another island. Hookadudos,
of the same race as those of Lugona,
who would not allow white people to
land upon their shores. They even at
tackled a German brig which at
tempted to approach them, but were
obliged to fly, after having escaped from
great danger.
Capt. Simpson landed during the night
time; the savages were SO frightened
that they Immediately fled to another
island. The captain made q tour of the
place and found thirty or forty canoes.
He vainly tried to approach the savages
by showing them presents of pearls,
necklaces, mirrors, etc.; but they could
not make up their minds to admit white
people among them. These savages are
almost entirely naked, and their arms
are lances, sings and stones. Capt
Simpson managed to get possession of
an earring, which he took from the ear
of savage; it is sort of tortoise shell
chain, two yards in length. They bore
great holes in their ears, and also in the
skin of their necks, to support the weight
of these earrings. The natives of the
island of New Hanover know nothing
either of tobacco or of Europeans. What
caused them the greatest establishment
was the fragment of an old number of
newspaper. Anything could be obtained
from them with a piece of paper. He ask
ed savage ifpaper was precious thing.
"Oh, yes,'' he was answered; "this pa