The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-11-23
The Pacific Islands.


A rivalry between three great Euro.
pean powers-England, France, and
Germany-lWs been going on for some
ands in the Pacific Ocean. These
islands are desired by the maritime
nations, mainly. fer two reasons. Que
is, thai each nation desires, thereby, to
increase the area OF it's commerce.; and
the other, that it wishes to obtainnavaf
stations in case of the outbreak of 0
war. France has a third reason fol
holding New Caledonia, which she has
long used as Il settlement for her con.
victed criminals. Every little while,
we hear That one or other of the pow.
ers has Annexed an island, or a group
of islands, III the eastern seas, and
sometim IS 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 forty-tive 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 DOS.
sessions. Hers are the great island OF
Australia, which may he called u cont.
nent by itself; Tasmania, New Zealand.
the Fiji Islands, and Il large part OF
New Guinea. She also controls many
of the little islands scatt. red in the
seas nea those large ones: and there
are other ~islalAls which England elaine,
but of which she has not Vet taken pos.
session.
Next to England, Germany possesses
the most important colonir il the Pa.
ciic; although Germ. ~ began hel
Pacific annexations al a much more re.
cent period than France. She now
holds II pait 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, n year or two ago. to me
the Caroline Islands, which have long
been claimed by Spain, but as yet has
not definitely occupied the group. It ia
probable that Germany will in nc long
time make an attempt to annex the two
important groups of Samoa and Tonga.
which have n decided commercial as
we'll as naval value.
The French have been busy among
the Pacific Islands for nearly half q
century. Their principal possessions
there are the large island of New Gale.
donla, used mainly as q penal settle.
ment, and the group of LOYAL Islands.
lying just eastward of New Caledonia.
These possessions an area of about
five thousand square miles. and have q
population of about sixty thousand, Of
whom a 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 unimportapt.
islands is not very strong. 1t may be
said generally of the great general d.
vision Of the Pacific Islands. that the
English mainly rule in Australssia: the
Spanish in Micronesia, the French in
Polynesia, and the Germans in No.
lanesia.
Some of the Pacific Islands are get
down on European maps as belonging
to the United States. For the most
part, these are lonely little islands w.
ing n open sea, southwark Of the Sand
wich, or Hawaiian group. The reason
why these islands are allotted TO the
United States, probably, is that their
guano deposits are worked by Ameri-
can companies. 1t seems, however. to
he taken for granted in Europe, that
the Sandwich Islands will, 1t no
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 DC.
complished by the simple application
of superior physical force. Yeti may
be said that, perhaps in q; majority 81
instances, the natives submit to their
conquerors with..a good grace, and,
though slow to become themselves civil.
lied, do not deny themselves the boons
of civilization which their conauorora
bring to them.-ToMth,s Companio,s,
SULTAN MuLEY HAssAx Of Norocco
na handsome man, with q calm, In.
posing manner.