The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-29
SOUTH SEA COLONIES.

A dispatch from Brisbane announces
that the EngliSh have testified their adj
herence to their old fashion by annexing
the Solomon Islands. In this case. as in
the case of New Guinea. Great Britain has
allowed herself to be led by her colonies.
Some six or seven years ago. when Bis
marck has his attack of colonizing fever,
Germany annexed the northeastern coast
OF New Guinea. and Queensland, New
South Wales, New ZEALAND and Victoria
raised an outcry that England must follow
suit, under penalty of total loss Of pres
tge in the South Seas. England yielded
so far as to authorize the establishment of
British colony in Southern New Guinea,
on condition that the colonies should bear
the expense. The enterprise was carried
out on those terms. A colony of q few
score EnglishmeD with a missionary was
planted north of Torres Straits, and at
latest dates the colonists had not vet been
eaten by the Papuans, though human flesh
is diet which is recommended by the ma
tive doctors. The New Zealanders ip-
sisted that further annexation should be
made. notably of the Solomon group, the
FIJI group. and few other groups which
had no European owners; but Great Brit
ain drew the line at these, though the
Australasians, who did not then fOresee
that they Were going to be busted so soon,
denounced the mother country holly for
her poltroonery. uR
Now the British Government seems to
have yielded. and somebody has got to
bear the expense Of supporting a colonial
government in the Solomon Islands,
whose chief products thus far nave been
Melanesian slaves and cocsatoos. The
North Australians have long been &C
qualnted with the Solomon Islanders.
Most of the plantations north of Brisbane
have been worked with Solomon Island
labor kidnapped by the descendants of
those who went black birding on the Gold
Coast of Africa; bat the result of this
practice has been that visitors to the ISL
ands have found there was but step
from the beach to the kettle, which has re-
iarded the progress of geographical ex-
ploraton. 1t is hardly worth while drawing
attention to the fact that the islands TEEN
with pigs, goats. poultry, bananas. pineap-
pies, sugar and yams. if the normal des-
tiny of the cultivatOr is to be served en-
saint, or to figure cold ON the native side
board.
The French. who are qualifying for
lesson in Siam, some time ago completed
their education in South Sea colonization.
Just half century ago the Marquesas
were proclaimed TO be a French Colony
but the French long since left the Protes-
tant and Catholic missionaries to fight 1t
out among themselves over their few con-
verts. They still hang On to New Gale
donia, which is used as a penal settlement.
and costs France about $780, 900 year. 1t
is an advantage to France in one point of
view. as it contains about 10000 convicts
who otherwise would be source Of ex-
pense and crime at home; but it is vul-
nerable spot which could hardly be de-
Tended against an attack from Australia.
1t is a question whether any European
nation ever derived any substantial advan-
tage from occupying and colonizng
islands in the South Seas. Australasia
which contains nearly as many people as
the thirteen colonies did when they de-
clared their independence, is self-snpport-
| ing, and is the nucleus of nation; but
there is no reason for suppOsing that in
the event of war the Australians would
take the side of the mother country. They
would be governed by their own local in
terest. Even now they levy the same du-
ties on importations from England as they
| levy on foreign goods. AS to the German
colony in Papua it is mere expense. and
must sooner or later be abolished. The
utter want of value Of South Sea colonies
! is proved by the cold shoulder which every
European nation extends to Samoa when
it wildly begs to be conquered by some
| hody