The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-01-20
n JULIA"
Full Account of Her Cruise i'm the
South Seas i'm Search of Plantation
Labor.

1900 1890
ernment commission authorizing him to act
as Agent for the Board OF Immigration, and
as will be seen by the report that we give
below, he has succeeded in accomplishing
the duty he was sent to perform, and upon
his return to this port OH the 18th instant,
after an absence of five months and twenty
eight days, he is enabled to report " all
WE'LL Much praise is due TO Captain Tier
ney for his very full report, and the manner
in which he has dealt with the natives of
all the islands.
We are indebted to the Il. q. for the report:
Sailed from Honolulu July 18th 1888 in the
schooner Julia for the New Hebridies and Banks
Islands, Tor the purpose of recruiting laborers for
the Planters Labor and Supply Company of the
Hawaiian Islands and proposed to touch at Rotu-
NAH an isolated Island situated in latitude 1872 S.
longitude 177-3 l.. We arrived there August 2nd
after a pleasant run of nineteen days from Homo
lulu day before making the land we expert
enced a heavy blow from the S. E, attended with
much rain and a heavy sea-, otherwise the run
was formerly very thickly inhabited, and governed
by a number of chiefs who were continually at
war with each other; these wars have decreased
the population about one-half. There are two
Missions established, one Roman Catholic and the
other Protestant. The island is now annexed to
Fiji by request of the chiefs, and now peace reigns
supreme. When we came to anchor, Mr.. Gordon,
n. Il. NJ. Commissioner, informed me that we
could not land without first clearing from Fiji; but
after telling him my business he kindly permitted
me TO land two natives of the island, one of whom
had been away from home 40 wears, and to ship
some men. The island is about Z miles long and
4 or . wide. All kinds of tropical fruits are raised.
and in the months of July and August vans and
taro in abundance. The people are Polynesians,
aud are kind and hospitabIe. There il nn fresIi
water to be had except from the white traders,
| and from whom only small supply can be OBJ
tanned. We sailed for the New Hebrides Aug. 9TH,
I and sighted the Island of Aneiteum on the 18th.
This island Is the most southern of the New Heb
rides; Is about II miles long and Z in width; it is
mountainous. but there is some fine arabic land on
1t which produces the usual tropical fruits-oranges
/ think, were introduced by the missionaries. The
aNaya 40 90 ~ In--n- - H.
shown such hostility and treachery in their inter
course with whites. Their character, however,
shows quite a change wherever the jealous mis-
sionaries' influence has been exefted, the natives
becoming less hostile and more coufding, as we
found to our satisfaction. There is "A white mis-
sionary and wife residing here. The climate, from
the luxuriance and plentitude of the vegetation
and moistness of the soil, renders it unadapted to
European constitutions The missionary stationed
here had just recovered from a severe attack of
fever, and looked very poorly. The natives suffer
much from dysentery and fever-and-ague. There
are but a few large trees on the low lands, and
none on the mountains, though the latter are COW
cred with verdure to their tops. The weather was
very boisterous, and we made a landing with diff
Guilty; but as there was no people there who wanted
20 go, and a gale coming on, we sailed for the
Island of Tanna, 40 miles distant.
On August 18th we arrived ut the island of
Tanna ana hove too on the n. u. side as the wind
was ). w. 1t made a good lee. The island of Tan
ma consists of a high range or ranges of mountains
is about twenty five miles long in a northeast
and south east direction, and is about ten miles
wide. At the southeast end of the Island there
is an active volcano the light of which can be
| seen III clear weather uILeGn or twenty nileS anu
Is the most remarkable volcano in the Group.
Dense columns of smoke and ashes will often
arise ana at times resembling a great tree tne
summit gradually spreading as 1t ascends, finally
vanishing into air. We heard distinctly the
rumbllngs OF this wonder OF nature, and felt the
shocks OF successive EXPLOSIONS at a distance OF
six or eight miles. The soil of Tanna Is very
productive, a large variety of tropical fruits and
yams and taro IN large quantities may be pro
cured in the season, from the people. The most
principal articles of barter, are tobacco, pipes.
files and knives. The natives however would
rather have guns and ammunition. The weather
still continued boisterous and we could do but
little work, the sea breaking so heavily that the
boats could make but few landings We succeeded
in signing two men. The natives of Tanna are
treacherous in the extreme as l can testify by ex-
perience for after protesting they had great friend
ship for US, and desiring US to come on shore
natiS es opened fire and discharged several vollevs
at the crews, some of the bullets whlstllng most
uncomfortably close, but fortunately doing no
other damage than putting q few holes IN one OF
boats. Too much caution cannot be taken while
dealing with these treacherous creatures. The
women there do all the work, the men do the
fighting. Among other bad habits they practice
the immolation of widows here. The people are
we'll do they exhibit the characteristics of their
rice. There are no hidden dangers around this
Island.
Sailing from Tanna, 1 visited the next island to
the the North, Erromango. This island Is high
rocky. the land falling in gulleys and displaying
high ridges and craigs, the soil produces little more
than IS necessary for the subsistence of the popu-
lation. On the n. E. and S. E. side l found it so
rough it was impossible to approach the shore, SO
We sailed round and came to anchor in Dillon's,
where there Is good anchorage abreast of the river
in ten to fifteen fathoms water. Here we found
the natives quite friendly, they having received
the benefit of missionary influence for some years.
The white missionary who belonged here had left
- CyJrey about fonr days before our arrival, his
health being very bad; the school was IN charge OF
= native teacher. 1 found no natives here who
wanted to 90 and as the wind had somewhat mod
Grated, sailed on the 2lst of August for H~avannah
narbor, Sandwich Island. There are but few PEG
pe To be had on the islands south of Sandwich
but [ had made a resolution to to try every Island
in our route and let the result tell for itself. There
were forty-three vessels. barks, brigs and schoon-
ers. ourselves included, in this group, all engaged
in obtaining labor, so the competition was of
necessity very spirited.
We arrived in Havannah Harbor the 22d of Au-
gust and began Immediately to fill our water casks
from a stream of pure water that comes down ont
of the mountains. After getting water, hre-wood
etc. we signed eleven men, which was something
very unusual to do in the harbor of late years,
this success was owing to the favorable impress
sion made ON the natives who were returned from
the Hawaiian Islands on a former cruise of an
Hawaiian vessel to this Group. Havannah Har,
bor NAV easily be located by a remarkable Island
which resembles a broad brimmed hat, and with
the center of il bearing w. 5. W., by compass, the
port will be open. The harbor is formed by two
Islands, Protection and Deception Islands in the
mouth of the bay. There is another passage be-
tween the two islands named, but it is not so good
as the other. though quite safe by keeping well III
the center of the passage. The island of Sandwich
is about 81 miles long in a n. w. and ). Z. direo-
ton. and about ID to Is wide, II Is moderately ele-
waited, the land on the north and west sides sloping
. gently to the sea, with some fine table land and
! beautiful valleys; by some it is considered the
finest island in the group, but | judge there are
several others as beautiful and as productive,
Sandwich is the best known however, and the ma.
4 tiye5 are the most reliable. The sandal-wood tree
grows here with many other varieties of fine tim
{ Der. The soil is good and but the climate
is bad for Europeans, as the fever and ague is very
= prevalent. Vans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and
sugar cane are among the productions, besides
= quantities of bread fruit, cocoanuts, bananas
and pine apples. The population is not very nu.
merous, are divided in tribes, and are frequently
at war with each other. They are still cannibals
in the interior, though the missionary influence is
now doing good work among them. There is a
u white missionary and family residing on the soutt
side of the Harbor, and a native teacher on the
north, both doing good work. There are several
good harbors in Sandwich, but none as good as
Havannah, sheltered as il is from all winds. with
good anchorage and holding ground, On Angus
9th, sailed for Montague Island where We came
to anchor the same day. This Island lies nortt
of Sandwich, distant about four or five miles anC
lies in a N. w. and 5. L. direction; it Is abou-
eight or nine miles long and about two or three
rr miles wide, it has but one anchorage and that very
rnnr tho hnttnm Is rnckv and ncca sinnnllN a haaN,