Morning journal and courier., 1885-04-21
IN THE FAR AWAY FEJEES where the Natives Bake NEiss1o n aries and Otherwise Act the Savage.


 From the San Francisco Chroncle.l
 A. Van Camp, late United States consul to the Fejee islands, who arrived Tuesday on the City of Sydney, was interviewed last night by 8 Chronicle reporter on the politi- cal, business and social condition of the is lands and their inhabitants ''You will be aetonished," said Mir. Van Camp, ''when I tell you that there are 220 islands in the group, some of which are very large. Viti Levu Zig 1sland) has an area of 1, 900 square miles and through a portion of it flows the river Rivi, which extends from the sea coast 1S0 miles into the interior and upon both sides of it lie magnificent fields, suitable for sugar plantations. Wanna Lsvu is the next largest island, and the third of the group is Tavinni, which is indeed beautiful place. On this island tea and sugar raised. have some of the tea with me and the con noisseurs who have inspected it say that in their judgment it is better than any other ever produced. There are about 1, 200 whites on the islands, whose principal residence was formerly the town of Levuka, on the island of Ovalau. The missionary society however, had possession of most of the valuable land on this island and refused to sell it to Sir Arthur Gordon, the first governor of the group, and so he removed the seat of govern ment, which up to that time had been at Levuka, to Suva, on Viti Levu, about sixty
  population of about 800 whites and Levuda of about 400. The foreign population is mostly English, but few Americans having settled there. The native population is about 25, 900.
 s.What is the condition of the nativesa' "At present the natives slaves, both body and sou1 to their chiefs, who, in the order of their rank, are called Tuis, Ratus and Rokos These chiefs control all the peo- ] pie with 8 rod of iron and the British gov ernment, which virtually owns the lands, encourages the chiefs in keeping the natives 1 in subjection. Why, the common people are not allowed by the chiefs to go from one town to another, being kept at homo at | work Neither can they own any land, all excedt that owned by the foreigners being owned by the chiefs. When old King Sa- kambau ceded the islands to Great Britain it 1 was agreed that he was to receive pension of e3, 900 year, his first son, Rato Abu, 8 pension of e2, ,000 year and his second son e1 200 year. Now every native is taxed e1 l 8 year to make up these amounts. They pay 1 their tax in labor or produce. There are 1 40, 900 able bodied natives on Viti Levu who | would work well if only treated properly" "Are the natives Christians2''
 "Well, if they are, they are pretty hard I Christians, {" replied MT. Van Camp. "Up to \ twelve years ago they ate missionary named Baker. l have his skull and bones in 1 that box over there. I brought them up as 1 curious They would be cannibals again to- morrow, too, if they had an opportunity Even now you cannot go into the interior with safety. The government even forbids 1 people to go into the mountains for fear they will get baked and eaten. The natives could l undoubtedly be ruled much better, and the, will have to be, or they will rise on the chief as they did before and cook them The na | tives are such slaves that they are compelled to prostrate themselves on the appearanc 1 of chief. I have seen five hundred peopl throw themselves on the ground at. the ap pearance of old Sakambau and remain prom until he had passed. All the clothes tn natives wear is a loin cloth, and the govern ment encourages the chiefs in not intro ducing civilized clothing The women though, have some modesty, as is shown b the fact that only recently eight of then were sentenced to the roko, for some offense to go nude for four months There is yer
 little education among the masses, but tn missionaries have established 8 few school for children. The Wesleyan missionarie
 are not very successful in making converts
 but they have succeeded in getting rich
 Their principal missionary, Mir. Langhan owns nearly all Levuka."