The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1897-03-22
Continued from 1st paqe.)

MUG VI IDuBu rs. 0eOIB5 luDOH,
young man, % years of age, and
Rreat-Rraudeon of the late king.
The people OF Tonga were evangel-
led by Wesleyan and r @. mission
aries. The late king, however, sew
cred his connection with the Wes-
leyan Body, and set up a Free
Church." to which belong about
1000 OF the natives. The II. @.
religion has one or two IT, usand ad-
herents, but makes vey little adj
vance in TIN so,... {. u converts.
The Mormons and Seveut Day Adj
ventist missionaries, who have re-
Gently established themselves here,
are unable to get any following.
The people are outwordly very re-
ligious aud prayerful, and IL est par
ticuar about all their ye,gious
duties.
There is very little taro' grown
here, on account Of there being 70
streams in the country. The yam
takes the place of taro. All the ma
tiveo have gardens or plots in which
they cultivate their yams, kumalas
(sweet-potatoes), hoba (bananas) and
other useful things. They always
have plenty OF food, and there is no
such thing as poverty or starvation
Ii native wants money to buy a
cloth or some other thing from the
store, he sells few cocoa nuts to
the copra buyer. Copra is the great
trade OF the islands, and great guam
titles are exported to Europe for the
purpose of making cocoa nut oil.
Tonga-tabu is like huge cocoa nut
plantation, thousands of trees in
every direction-and there is not a
single tree without it's owner.
When first came here there was
much interest created, when it was
known that l was from "Vai" as
they call Hawaii and l rarely
passed day without something be-
ing asked me about The people there.
/ do not think it could ever happen
to the Tongans, as it has to the Ha
waiians, to be deprived of their lands
The Tongan cannot sell his land
no land can be sold to a foreigner
it may only be leased for 81 years.
Hence the Tongan is not likely to
be dispossessed Of his land, and de.
spoiled of his possession as has hap
pened to some native races that we
know of. No white man has voice
in the Government, nor can he exer-
else the franchise. The rule is pure.
ly Native-the people pay their tax
es with pleasure--there is fairly
big balance always in the Treasury,
and the Government was never more
prosperous than at present. The
Government employs a few white
officials only, for instance in the
Customs Department, and also in
the Educational Department; but
these white officials have no political
privileges along with their positions
Still no one grumbles natives and
whites are on good terms-aud
Tonga is happy peaceful country.
And long may it be SO.
There are no sugar-plantations
ia the Tonga Islands, and | think L
am safe in saying, there are not like
ly to be as the Government would
never lease the extent of land that
would be required for such pur-
pose. There is therefore no need
for coolie labour; and all that degra-
dation which is attached to the
working of plantation The Ton
gans are happy and prosperous The
state Of the country is peaceful, and
men-of-war rarely visit the islands,
as there is really little need for them.
If all native races. were in the same
position as the Tongans, the world
would be much happier place than
it is. White men, instead OF degrad-
ing and enslaving native races,
should make it their business to set
an example of good citizenship, and