The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-21
Something AbOut Fiji.

The receipt of the first discovery Of
Fiji, published 1879, suggests some re-
marks about that group, which is des-
tined to occupy prominent place in the
future of the Pacific haf Of our globe.
The islands are situated in latitude
eighteen degrees south, nearly in direct
line between San Francisco and Sydney.
l,4OO miles from the latter port, and
about the same distance from New Lea,
land, Tahita, Honolulu. the Marshall
islands, Caroline islands and New
Guinea, and half rs far from New Gale
donia and the New Hebrides, Solomon,
Ellice, Samoan and Friendly groups.
Amid all these, Fiji is central point.
with the prospects of great commercial
facilities when MoroEesia-a name in
Guiding those small islands Of the South
Paci6c-is we'll supplied with steam
vessels. Five years ago FIJI became a
British colony, but the civilized author
ity was 80 weak in some of the smaller
islands, or districts remote from the
seaports, that cannibalism did not cease
till two years later. There is an orderly
government, with police, courts ofjustice,
public records, and last, but not least,
regular system of taxation. The
group has an area sof 1000, 900 acres,
much of which belongs to the colonial
government, and is offered tor sale at
five dollars an acre for first-class, ana
less for poorer qualities. The area culti-
waited by white settlers is $4,000 acres,
and no mention is made of the acres sold
to white men, belonging to natives, or
of unsold of the first quality. The group
has eighty islands, making the archi-
pelago $40 miles long by 260 wide. There
are 100000 natives, incl luding O,OOO
available for work, but, when employed
as laborers, they idle away their time,
unless closely watched. Their wages are
twenty dollars Il year, besides tood,
clothing and tobacco, costing twenty
dollars more, making the total expense
less than four dollars q month. Native
of New Britain and New Ireland, hired
by terms of three years at twenty dol
lars year, are more industrious. with
such wages there is no chance for. a
white man to make anything as Ia
borer, and there is little opportunity to
make much rs an employer unless ne
has SIC, 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
cocoanut, called copra, makes up nearly
two thirds of the exports; and OF tile
l3, 900 acres planted by white settlers,
5000 are in cocoanuts, $500 in cotton.
500 in sugar-can 1000 in coffee and
25O in arroWroot. We are told that all
, these can be cultivated profitably. Janu-
airy. the hottest month. has mean tenn
pcrature of cighty-iour degrees, with a
maximum of ninety-nine degrees in the
shade and l60 degrees in the sun; and
July has a mean of seventy-seven de-
grees, with minimum of sixty-seven
degrees three feet from the ground, fifty
five degrees in the grass, and a maxi
mum OF eighty-five degrees in the shade
and l40 degrees in the gun. There IS
never month when the heat does not
90 to l4N degrees in the sun. The cold
est month of Fiji is about twenty degrees
hotter than the warmest weather in San
Francisco, if the adjective cold can be
applied to any month in the former
place, or warm to any in the latter.
Though Fiji has 100 inches of rain in the
average year, it has only $50 rainy days,
lad the climate is generally considered
q very pleasant one for those accustomed
to the torrid zone. There are no ma:
lignant ievers or malarial diseases, and
the vegetation is most luxuriant and
beautiful. Francisco AlH.