The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-10

| EARN Islanders.
| About four months ago, as the English
| bark Queens Island was passing palmer,ton
! Island in the Southern Pacific. the caDtain
was surprised to see boat coutaininc e,yht
| persons put off from the shore IL was c.u.
orally supposed that this little cora island
one Of the least important OF the licr,ey
| group, and about thre hundred mile. from
| its nearest neighbor, was uninhabited Can,
| Reid, however, had accidently approached
near enough to this little speck in the oeoau
| 10 discover another OF those romantic island
settlements which are now and then urer
| pectedly found IN the broad exranse ~ the
great Pacific.
The bronzed and rather scantily clad uhi.,
man who clambered up the side u the bark
said he was William Marston, the chief x
the little island, whore he had iyed Tor
twenty-five years. Whoa he was a young
man he deserted from the British bark Ride.
man IN Tahiti and made his way IN a small
sailboat nearly 600 miles west 10 the Her.
vey group He took native wife and Jour
neyed on TO Palmerston Island. where he
built him cabin and started a cocoanut
plantation A few natives joined him. aud
now his little world contains thlrty-three
human beings OF whom fifteen are his own
children. English is the only language
spoken IN this little community, whose island
home is not SO largo rs some Dakota farms
Here the subjects OF the runaway English
sailor live on the happiest terms, gettin-
along very we'll without the news and gossip
OF the world while enjoying. nevertheless,
many Of the good things Of civilization
brought To them by small trading vessels. -
whom they sell the copra prepared from their
cocoanuts
Within the past few years several island,
have been discovered IN the Pacific which BE-
was found, mad long been known by small
traders who in the interests of monopoly
carefully kept their information o. them.
selves. After the Sydney newspaper 900.
. nounced the discovery Of a tine new island
not far from New Guinea n sea captain n
port produced a very good map Of the island
which he had made several year, before Ho
had probably hoped 10 hand down tlo -r,ro.
TO his heirs as an exclusive trading privilege
In this way it has happened that Nar.i.r,
little colony has hourished unknown sasot1
one or two traders, whose interests have kent
them quiet
Hundreds of the little islands Of the Pacific
are uninhabited, and are very rarely seen iy
vessels. Who knows but among them may
be modern Robinson Crus0c, whiting pa
tiently for a sail and living 900 % fair degree
Of comfort upon the bountcs 90 which na-
ture is 50 lavish IN those regions We have
recently told the story OF lIr Bell and his
little family, who are mouarchs ~ all they
in .l..a.
from their nearest neighbors Tho passon-
gers and crew Of the bark Henry james. who
were rescued in May last from "a coral reef
in Polynesia. know what it is 10 be cast
Always in the Pacific, hundreds OF miles from
inhabited islands. II they had not fortu-
nately saved their small boat they might
have been prisoners for many months on tho
little island. Five men in the boat carried
the news Of their disaster 800 miles 10 Sa-
moa, and in less than two months deliver
aBce came. They needed clothing, but were
not otherwise in serious want, for fish and
cocoanuts had amply supplemented the slen-
der food supplies with which they had
reached their place Of refuge
Among tho jubilee presents received by
Queen Victoria were some hats AMI other
most skillfuly made of straw.
the humble tribute Of the most unique aud
famous Of Pacific colonies In 1890 the Pit
cairn islanders may celebrate the centennial
the landing Of their mutinous fathers on
the little rock where Lady Belcher, their his.
torian, says they have become such com
munity as has been the dream OF poets and
the aspiration Of philosophers" 1t IS not
often the world hears from these happy and
81 a..
who have perpetuated the remarkable colony
'ounded ninetyeight years ago by English
alors; but IL is refreshing now md then q
their idyllc existence. cut % a.
hey are from the busy world, tiling the fer
lie valleys Of their little home only two AMI
quarter square miles in extent, possessing
choolhouse and a church, but no jail lnteli.
.ent, neat and clean. with plenty of books
nd fruit and flowers, a simple hearted, de-
out people, and the only Christian com
aunity in the world that has no strong
rink, tobacco or money
traveller on an English bark which
ouched at Pitcairn in February last SAYS ho
aw among the islanders men who in stature
you'd be a credit to the Royal Guards, and
women who were fair 20 see, though their
arments were not rich and fashionable.
women who are skilled in the arts Of house
yfery, in tho making OF fancy baskets and
hell work, and some, too, who can play cX-
ellently on the little church organ Born
o this life Of isolation, the Pitcairn Islander
ears with wonder and delight, but without
nyy, Of the world beyond his sea grit home
When, years ago, Pitcairn became too
rowded, considering its slender res0urSes.
nd the people w're removed by Great
Britain 10 Norfolk, that island, small as !.
}, bewildered them by It's vastness. Having
My footpaths in Pitcairn, they thought the
'agon roads Of Norfolk unsightly, and tho
choes aroused by their voices in the stone
uarter where conyicts had once lived ina
reSsed them as a most disagreeable novelty.
! minority decided that they could not 10
Apply among these strange Surroundings
nd they returned % Pitcairn 10 live and die.
New York Sun.
Experimenting with the Beg:ars-
4 D,rfu ,htla NJ byopfss tNbo mus Sftrlsu D..