Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-08-01
MES iGyaRsxr or rfRE.


/ AL foos by means Of fire. which. in tn.
progress of civilization. has improved -
much as 20 besoms a science. Henc.
there are many grades OF progress to be
Observed between the s1vases and tbs
CIVILIZED man: and hence there are mauy
facts worthy OF record BY the intelligent
traveller relative TO the use of fire. d
net know of any bat a single record
where natives of newly discovered
country did Rot snow the use of fire
tnat one case was on Island FAnuA Lla
or BOSdItca's lsi4nd. discovered on the
18Th of JanuAry, ISL. by tue L. ) >.
Peacock, commanded by CaptaiR W II.
Hudson. of the L. ;. SOUTH SEA Survey.
ing aud Exploring Expedition. Sc
Narrative oy CnIs. NIlke-, Vol. V. ..
10.
captain Hudson .1iA-ss:
he natives were Al trst very shy Of
the boats; bat tue H4ga iaus who we're
IN them soon Induced them 10 approach
and to enter into trade. aud fin tlly en-
feed them sloncsids the ships. On
coming near tn v begsa ing or chant.
holding mp their paddles and mats and
shouting ksti!0u tamataur They re-
sem 6led the natives OF Oatafu. or Duke
Of fork's islam =, wore the same kind Of
mats, eye shades and urn aments. and
some were tatooed IL the same manner.
Some. however, were tatoDsd in a differ
rnt style, being ornamented with a va
ri-iy of arrows on the forehead and
cheeks. They we're all finely formed
manly in appearance, with pleasing
countsnanees that expressed good na
ture.
% inev usra aauar pnuDh g,r "a IL
and soon disposed of all they had to
exchange. \ few presents were made
them, but all Inducements failed to en-
tIce them on board. They appeared
cheerful, laughing heartily At anything
that struck them as ridiculous.
" The population of tnis island Is esti-
mated to be about six hundred souls,
most of whom d yell in tue town.
There were no signs Of places for
cooking, nor any appearance of fire, aud
it ii believed that all their provisions
are eaten raw. What streng' hsned this
opinion was the alarm tue natives felt
when they saw the sparks emanating
from the flint and steel, and tue ennis
sion of smoke from the mouths of those
who were smoking cigars"
The writer of this article was on board
buC C1CoGh, ~ u Otu tuc vel
lIy of Captain Hudson's account of our
interviews with the natives, and also
that they eat their entire food without
cooking and had the greatest dread of
fire IN any form. We saw no traces of
charcoal or ashes IN their village or
town, and We fully understood them as
TO their food and how II was taken. Ii
Consisted entirely of cocoanuts and pan
danous fraus; fish, echlni, and other
products of the sea: the few sea birds
mostly seen there were not regarded as
food; and, even If they We're, could not
have been easily obtained or relied on
for supplies, the population being large
IN proportion 10 the islands slZs.
In many of the semi civilized islands
of the Pacific ocean uncooked fish are
still eaten as a delicacy; also echini, or
sea eggs, rs We eat oysters, raw or IN the
shell.
The terror of fire, as We witnessed it
on more than one occasion on Bow
ditoh's Island, convinced Us fully that
down to the period of our visit the ns-
tives had never cooked their food: fuel
was not abundant on any of the coral
islands or attols. aud fish we're plenty
and relished when lot cooked. We saw
kind of haif-cooking at the Paumotu
Archipelago of fish. to preserve them
FOR transportation to the Island of
Tahiti.
Tie natives of Fanua Loa. when first
discovered, We're quite ingenious in the
construction of houses, GAUGES. and va
rious fishing implements, mats, etc, con-
siderIng the total absence of all met ais;
their island being of coral formation,
and their having no communication with
any other.
Tie various boxes, bowls, stools, ETC..
carved from the solid wood with sharks
teeth, and smoothed with coral and
shark skin files, were obtained and
brought home, and formed part of
the nucleus of the National Museum in
the Smithsonian Institution at Wash
ington. where they now hold place in
the chronological Department.; bat.
strange as 1t may appear, some wag,
more learned than wise, wrote on box
containing fishing implements the words
" Under box" to contradict the state
ment of Captain Hudson in Wilkes's
published journal-a practical joke, no
doubt, but one that should never have
been tolerated by those in charge of
the public specimens IN a national
museum.
That cold meals agreed with the Fa-
nua Loans was evidenced by their APP
pearance-they were handsome people.
When Wa visited them in January, lSil,
they we're living anterior to their stone
age" no one of them. it Is probable,
had ever seen stone, or a stone imple
rsent of any kind; the smallest stone to
taem would have been as great a curios
ity as a coral tree would be to a Dakota
Indian on our praiTies. Their hardest
edge tools were made of sharks teeth
or ohama shells, yet their carving was
not bad; their canoes, stools and boxes
ETC., were neatly smoothed with sharks
skins on wooden handles, forming rasps
of various shapes to suit the work to he
done. They had we'll, and sea wall
built of coral rock.
We obtained from them neatly plated
rush M ats used for clothing, but saw no
tapa or bark cloth. 40 common on thu
volcanic islands of the Pacific.
The thunder of our cannon, when
measuring the island by sound, when
explained to them, did not create half
the alarm ere tied by lighted cigar.
which in their understanding could not
bear any explanation, and no per-u .sion
on either of our visits oonid induce them
to approach it.
Now, after forty two years, aud when
foreign missionaries have dSelt there,
this plain statement of little fact about
fire will perhaps be as new At Fanua Loa
as similar facts will be about csnnibal-
ism ON other islands where they have
been taught TO consider 10 disgrsceful
TO their ancestry. But facts are al
ways of interest in the history Of any
people, however civilized they may be-
come.
The natives otmost Of the Polynesian
Islands. | believe, are willing and capa-
ole If the highest grade of improvement
in civilization. under proper treatment
by nations of greater power and higher