The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-02-26

gotiations to the Friendly Islands. In
the beginning of 1880 Sir George Des
Voex succeeded Sir Arthur Gordon as
Governor of Fiji and Mr.. Thurston
enjoyed, as he had done that OF his
predecessor, his confidence as well as
that of Sir Charles Mitchell. who sue
ceeded Sir Henry Des Voeux in 1856.
In 1882 he was Deputy Governor of
Fiji during the absence of the Cover
nor on duty as High Commissioner
for the Western Pacific, and admins
tered the Government from November.
1888, to July, 1884. He was appointed
assistant High Commissioners for the
Western Pacific in November, 1888,
and acted as Consul-General from
April TO June. 1884. was appointed
British Commissioner on the Anglo
German Commission for the discussion
of the interests of German and British
subjects respectively in the South
Seas, and for the more precise defini-
ton of British and German territorial
interests in those regions. He was
made acknowledgements in 1886
He held that position till next year,
when he was appointed Governor of
Fiji and High Commissioner for the
Western Pacific which office he held
till his death.
AS High Commissioner for the
Western Pacific Sir John Thurston
visited Tonga in a man-o'-war, and,
acting under instructions. deported the
Rev. Shirley W. Baker, the Premier
of the kingdom under the King
George. Among his most notable later
acts was the quelling of a native re-
bellion in June, 1894, on the island of
Vanua Levu. To ensure success he
made a forced march, took the insur-
gents by surprise, entirely routed
them. and captured the chiefs. But
the strain on his system had been too
great. Soon after his return to the
capital he became i'll, and never quite
recovered. In 1895, he went to Eng
land to consult specialists, but his
prospects did not improve. and in De
cember of that year he returned to
Sydney, and later on proceeded to FIJI.
There he remained till December of
last year, when his nephew, DR.. Muir
ray, acting in consultation with DR..
Corney. Chief Government Medical
Officer of Fiji, decided that it would
be better to remove him away from
the moist atmosphere of the Islands
to Melbourne. In January Sir John,
in company with his wife, eldest
daughter, and youngest son, left by
the Miowera for Melbourne, via Sgd
ney, and was on his way between
Sydney and Melbourne when death
overlook him. In regard to the work
of the missionaries in the South Sea,
Sir John Thurston has always borne
an excellent reputation. Although a
member of the Church of England, he
worked in unison with the Wesleyan
missions in the islands, and this was
all the more noticeable, inasmuch as
the other Governors, with the except
I ion of Sir Charles Mitchell, had been
singularly jealous of the influence of
the missions. Although the Roman
+ Catholic mission did not altogether
I see eve to eye with Sir John, he did
not let this fact interfere with his adj
ministration in the slightest degree,
and his impartiality was strikingly
manifest in the disposal of the pat
ronage of the Government, officials
from among the natives being appoint
ed according to their fitness, irrespec-
tive whittier they belonged to the
Roman Catholic Mission or to the
Wesleyan Mission. His knowledge OF
the native character extended beyond
Fiji, and embraced the whole of the
area over which he was High Com
missioner. All through the territory
under his control he was looked up
to by the aboriginals as one who would
see that justice was done to them
and as one in whom they could trust
To missions he was eminently favor
able, and he will be greatly missed by
all the missionaries in the South Seas
the Presbyterians, the Melanesian
Mission and the Wesleyan missions
During the existence of the quasi
government in the late sixties and the
early. seventies Sir John Thurston was
the owner and publisher of the FIJI
4 Argus He was twice married, his
second wife, who survives him, being
the widow of Mr.. Darcy Murray. II
1880 he was created a C. NJ c., and
in 1887 he received his knighthood