The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-20
SOMETHING ABOUT FIJI.
Extent Of the Islands and Charac.
ter of the People.
TSan Francisco Alta

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The receipt of the first discovery of
Fiji, published in 1879, suggests some re-
marks about that group, which is des-
tined to occupy prominent place IN the
future of the Pacific half of our globe.
The islands are situated in latitude lS
deg. south, nearly in direct line be-
tween San Francisco and Sydney, four
teen hundred miles from the latter port,
and about the same distance from New
Zealand. Tahita, Honolulu, the
Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands,
and New Guinea, and half
as far from New Caledonia, and the New
Hebrides, Solomon, Ellice, Samoan, and
Friendly groups. Amid all these Figi is
a central port, with the prospect OF great
commercial facilities when Micronesia
a name including those small islands OF
the South Pacifc-is well supplied with
steam vessels. Five years ago Fiji be-
came British colony, but the civilized
authority was so weak in some of the
smaller islands, or districts remote from
the sea-ports, that cannibalism did not
cease till two years later. "Long Pig"
has ceased to appear on the native
bills of fare. There is an orderly gov
eminent, with police, courts of justice,
public records, and last, but not least, a
regular system of taxation.
The group has an area 7,OO0,0 900 acres,
much Of which belongs to the Colonial
Government, and is offered for sale at So
an acre for frst-class, and less for poorer
qualities. The area cultivated by white
settlers is $4,000 acres, and no mention is
made of the acres sold to white men, be-
longing to natives; or Of unsold Of the
first quality. The group has so islands,
making an archipelago $40 miles long by
26O wide. There are 120, 900 natives, in
Guiding 10000 available for work, but
when employed as laborers, they idle
away their time unless closely watched.
Their wages are $40 year, besides food,
clothing, and tobacco, costing 500 more,
making the total expense less than "a a
month. Natives of New Britain and
New Ireland, hired by terms of three
years, at 500 year, are more industrious.
With such wages there is no chance
for white man to make anything as a
laborer, and there is little opportunity
to make much as an employer, unless he
has $40, 900 capital to begin with. The
chief exports are cocoanuts, cotton and
sugar, and it is supposed that coffee will
be largely cultivated. The dried cocoa.
nuts, called copra, makes up nearly two
thirds of the exports; and of $4,000 acres
planted by the white settlers 5000 are in
cocoanuts, $500 in cotton, 500 in sugar
cane, 1,O0Q.in coffee and $50 in arrow
root. We are told that all these can be
cultivated proftably. January, the hot
test month, has mean temperature Of
"a deg. with a maximum of SO deg. il
the shade, and 160 deg. in the sun; anC
July has mean Of II deg, with mini
mum of 81 deg. three feet from thu
ground, 55 deg. in the grass, and maxi
mum Of IS deg in the shade and 140 deg
in the sun.
There is never a month when the hea
does not 20 to 40 deg. in the sun. Th
coldest month Of FIJI is about 20 deg
hotter than the warmest in San Fran
CISCO if the adjective cold can be apple,
to any month in the former place o
warm to any in the latter. Thougl
, Fiji has 100 inches of rain in the aver
age year, it has only 15O rainy days, and
the climate is generally considered
} very pleasant one for those accustomed
to the torrid zone. There are no ma
Iiignant fevers or malarial diseases, ant
the vegetation is most luxuriant ant
beautiful. Taken altogether, Fiji will
always be considered tropical paradise