The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-24

an official visit of inspection has been
paid TO the islands from Singapore. IL is
the report of these visits and one by e.
w. Birch on q visit to the Islands In 1855,
which make up the bulk II these papers,
and as the duty of inspecting these
islands was never twice bntrusted 70 ele
same officer, we have, as it were. IN Ihe
different reports a small gallery of i'm
pressionist pictures by various hands of
| the most remote of the British fosses-
s-ons.
The history of the Coeos group goes
back TO the early days of The present
century. when q couple of adventures,
Hare and Ross by name, almost sinful
taueously effected settlement on the
( hitherto uuiHhabited islands. 1t turned
out that it was Hare who had TO GO to
the wall, and since 1927. when the original
has ruled Cocos. The first ROSES. tie
grandfather and father of the present
proprietor, ruled the islands as their
Highland ancestors had held the!r lands,
by no 'Sheepskin title and il was not
until 1856 that the British government,
! having formally annexed the group, made
a grant to George Clunies Ross or that
| which was already his own. There had
! been a formal annexation of the group
| in 1851 by a British man-ot-war: but until
| IL years ago the Ross dynasty was prdc-
! ticaAy unfettered by any outside inter
| ference, and 1t IS tn the credit Of the
( Colonial Office and British common 5Iise
| that even now the Ross family Is left
| practically with a free hand to govern
sanctioned by past experience.
! The Cocos Islands, some 20 in number,
are situated in the Indian ocean, TO the
southwest OF the Dutcn island Of Java.
( far removed from the ordinary trade
| routes. Iney form roughly broken
circle, with u shallow lagoon in the center,
| protected by an outer barrier of reefs.
! The population at the present time num-
/ bers about 500, of whom the greater por-
I ton are native born CocoS people and the
minority Ma,ays frcm Batavia. The
-11a
Z hablting the group, and though all the
/ mule members of the third generation
( were educated n Scotland. and are de-
/ scribed as well educated quick and In
| teil!gent. they have almost all contracted
/ native marriages and thrown their lot
( with the people among whom they i've.
I IAe4r sons ana dauShters, wilh rev eN,
J ceptions, neither speak nor understand
4 English, and George Clun1eS ROSS. pne
! head of the family and man Of remark
! able force of character. was at one time
/ Is years without hearing English spoken,
and confesses to being little rusty in
! its use.
| The system of government is sufficiently
( remarkable. There are no written laws
and Mr.. Ross has successfully resisted the
! suggestion that the penal code Of the
! Straits Settlements should be introduced
! into the islands There is TO police force
/ and no crime. Mr. Ross owns the Whole
\ of the land, and is the sole employer OF
/ the labor. TIE currency is parchment
( currency, convertible at a fixed ratio into
(
( a rare visit to Batavia or Singapore or
when n Bantamese cooke leaves the
island to return home. The natives, who
are Malays by race, profess MonaIn-
mechanism, hut there is the utmost free
! dom in religious matters, and the in
! fuence in the Ross family. exercised
I through threC-GuarterS of q century Tree
| from disturbing elements. has effected
\ many striking changes in the habits and
( customs of the people. One after another
/ the officials from the mainland confess
? nd a
! comparison between the Coeos born Ma
! lays and the MalayS with whom they
! have previously been brought into con-
! tact. TIE Cocos islanders live in neat
! houses. comfortably furnished on the
( European model. and kept scrupulously
! clean. They have adopted the institution
/ Of q weekly wash day. and sit at table
{ to eat thei- food with the aid Of knives
( and forks.
But It is not only in externaIs that
! European influence is clearly dIscerniDIe
/ The marriage laws Hugh Clifford
! states in the 1894 report. which to most
! MalayS represent the Alpha and Omega
! of Mountaineering lay have been entirely
/ superseded by the English marriage Gus
\ toms. Polygamy is unknown on the is
/ land. ct any rate among the CocOS born
I MalaYs, and public opinion on the subject
/ is sufficiently strong TO Undue any Ban
( tamese who has more than one wife to
I dispose of this superfiuity." The sole eS-
! port of the island is copra, which is sent
! once q year in vessel chartered for the
/ purpose tg Mr.. Ross to England for sale
| From England too supplies for the is
/ lands are obtained. although formerly
( everything was bought in Batavia. with
; Which port communication is kept uD by
a small schooner belonging to Mr.. Ross.
[ OF the people subjected TO this r5aternaI
! and benevolent descotis-n and cut off
| from all contact with the outer world the
universal testimony of the reports is that
/ they are cJutented and happy Thay
make no complaints and look upon Mr.
| Ross as their benefactor and friend 1t
/ =
( this sturdy and capable Scotch family
! into a remote corner Of the Indian ocean.
I and has enabled three generations of
J Europeans to influence and mold the
! Character and habits of an alien and in
ferfor race free from the intrusion of
I conflicting forces.