Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-11-22
The Pacifie Islands.

A rivalry between three great Euro
pean powers-England, France, and
Germany-has been going on for some
years, in taking possession of the isl
ands in the Pacific Ocean. These
islands are desired by the maritime
nations, mainly, for two reasons. One
is, that each nation desires, thereby, to
increase the area of its commerce; and
the other, that it wishes to obtain naval
stations i'll case of the outbreak of o
war. France has third reason fol
holding New Caledonia, which she has
long used as settlement for her con.
yicted criminals. Every little while,
We hear that one or other of the pow,
ers has annexed" an island, OF a group
OF islands, i'll the eastern seas, and
sometimes these annexations, made by
one of the powers, give rise to jealousy
and protest on the part of the others.
The total area of all the smaller
groups of the Pacific Islands is stated
to be about fortyfive thousand square
miles, which are occupied by a bar
barrie population of about eight hun
bred Thousand. This is exclusive OF
Australasia, New Guinea. and the
Malay Islands. England holds the
lions share of the Pacific Island pos,
sessions. Hers are the great island OF
Australia, which may be called CONT
nent by itself; Tasmania, New Zealand,
the Fiji Islands, and large part OF
New Guinea She also controls many
of the little islands scattered in the
seas near those large ones; and there
are other islands which England claims,
but of which she has not yet taken pos
session
Next to England, Germany possesses
the most important colonies in the Pa
cific; although Germany began her
Pacific annexations at much more re-
cent period than France. She now
holds part of New Guinea, New
Britain, the Solomon, and the Marshall
Islands; her possessions cover an area
of something like one hundred thous-
and square miles. Germany also made
an attempt, year or two ago, to annex
the Caroline Islands, which have long
been claimed by Spain, but as yet has
not definitely occupied the group. It is
probable that Germany will in no long
time make an attempt to annex the two
important groups of Samoa and Tonga,
which have decided commercial as
we'll as naval value.
The French have been busy among
the Pacific Islands for nearly half a
century. Their principal possessions
there are the large island of New Gale
donia, used mainly as penal settle
ment, and the group of Loyal Islands.
lying just eastward of New Caledonia.
These possessions cover an area of about
five thousand square miles, and have q
population of about sixty thousand, of
whom considerable part are convicts.
OF smaller groups, the French claim
the Marquesas, the Tuamotu Archipel-
ago, and Society Islands, and the Aus
trail, though their hold on some of these
numerous, but rather unimportant.
islands is not very strong. 1t may be
said generally of the great general di-
vision of the Pacific Islands, that the
English mainly rule in Australasia; the
Spanish in Micronesia, the French in
Polynesia, and the Germans in Me-
lanesia.
Some of the Pacific Islands are set
down on European maps as belonging
to the United States. For the most
part, these are lonely little islands w.
ing in open sea, southwark of the Sand.
witch, or Hawaiian group The reason
why these islands are allotted to the
United States, probably, is that thei1
guano deposits are worked by Ameri-
can companies. 1t seems, however, to
be taken for granted in Europe, that
the Sandwich Islands will, at nc
distant day, become an American pos.
session, as the American residents in
them already hold political and COM
mercial control.
The annexations of the Pacific Isl.
ands are made by the European powers
of course, without any reference to the
wishes of the natives. They are ac.
eomplished by the simple application
of superior physical force. Yet it may
be said that, perhaps in majority Of
instances, the natives submit to their
cohquerors with good grace, aud,
though slow to become themselves civil.
lied, do not deny themselves the boons
of civilization which their conquerors
bring TO them. Youths Companion
SULTAN MULEY H4ssAN of Morocco