The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-12-28

say the encroachment of Chinese there
struck them forclbly There is no ex-
clusion law In Tahiti and the Chinese
are fast monopolizing the small trade.
All the small traders are Chinese, and
they are driving out the Tahitian small
traders. The Tahitau is lazy and closes
his store daily between II m. and = y.
m. Not only does the chinese keep
open then but he keeps open at night.
Mr.. Hail met at Tahiti AN Italian, who
gains his living by the romantic pro-
fessiun of smuggling. His name -
Michaclo and IL is he who is credited
with bringing the Chinese to the ISL
and. He had a small sailing vessel rum
ming between China and Peru some
years ago and secured 500 prisoners OF
war. whom he intended to take to Peru
To work guano. storms drove him to-
ward Tahiti and he put in there. His
Chinese below deck fell i'll and num-
Der died He put their bodies overboard
in the harbor, but the authorities OBJ
jecttsi He did not know what to do
with his prisoners. so planter Just
starting, took them off his hands to
work the plantation. These were the
first Chinese In the group. 1t was sup
posed that they wrote to their friends
in the homeland and more came.
Tahiti is very fertile, but little cult
waited. The land is mostly held by ma
tive owners who do not till it. There ~
much vanilla produced there and in the
Dangerous group the natives dive Tor
pearls with great success. After thelI
stay at Tahiti Lord Albert Osborne ana
Mr. Hall chartered a schooner, the eau
lois, and sailed for the Marquesas
group, which Is sparseN Inhabited ana
seldom visited. These islands are con
trolled by the French through rev
gendarmes. each of whom is in charge
9 1t, In, ,iaI a 20 ma
dred natives. They literally practically
carry their lives in their hands. The isl.
anders. however, have not practiced
cannibalism for some time.
The tourists landed from their schoon-
err at Tai-o-hao. the capital Of Neka-
havi, the principal island OF the group.
This was in charge of a French briga-
der The coast was high and rocky and
there were no reefs there. Many ma
tives, it was found, had died off as
result of smallpox and measles. They
were nearl" all tattooed, the men hav-
ing their faces striped.
Among the limited number of whites
at this place was a tattooed white man,
an American who had deserted from
one of the whaling vessels. An inter-
esting reason was given by this man
for his being tattooed.
He wanted to marry one of the land
ed and wealthy Marquesas Princesses,
not tattooed. How could she marry
man who was not tattooed? she said.
The deserted whaler went to tattooer
and went through the painful process
of having stripes pricked across his
body and face. That done, he returned
to his bride who was to be, but she fled
from him with shrieks of laughter. She
said that a tattooed white man looked
too absurd to maryland, rather than
face civilization with his tattooed face.
the American Whaler has remained
there 1t was said on the island that
on one occasion when an American crui-
ser appeared the tattooed American
went on board and proudly declared his
nationality
What. you an American!" said the
Commander. "Boatswain, give him five
dozen and chuck him overheard.
Whether he got the five dozen is not
said. but it is told ,on all sides that he
got the chucking overheard
The travellers visited Nita-hu, the
Queen of the Marquesans, who is beau
tifully tattooed. She has the record of
having freed herself in a unique man
ner from a husband of whom she had
tired. She ate him. The fights of the
tribes one with another are now, the
returned travellers say. opera bouffe
affairs. In the last great fight the only
man hurt broke his leg in running
away. The natives shoot a great deal,
are great pig eaters. On this island the
travellers were troubled by big sand
flies. They say that this, is the only
island of the group on which the flies
are seen, and the natives have tradi-
ton that they We're thrown on to the
island, in big cocoanut shell, by a re-
vengeful goddess. Some fine photos of
dancing girls and many curios were
brought away by the two travellers
While the Gaulois was anchored in
Tawata Bay at another island of the
group Portuguese was spoken with
who had been present at one of the
last internecine fights. He said that
he was in canoe of one of the bellig-
erent tribes and the boatmen saw
native of the other tribe who had been
wounded. They called him to come TO
the canoe and on the native coming
chopped off his head and ate him.
After their tour of the Marquesas
Islands the travellers went to the Fiji
group, and after short visits at Samoa.
and Cooks Island, proceeded to New
Zealand where some time was spent
among the Maoris. Sentiment at Fill
they say, was against annexation to
New Zealand.
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