The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-19
WILLIS OFF
TO TONGA
Leaves on Ventura
For His New
Post.
IOLANI COLLEGE
CLOSED SATURDAY
Bishop of Honolulu Tells His Plans
for the Future to Adver-
tiser Readers.

n ISHOP Alfred +. Willis will leave
n in the Ventura May IS for Tutuils.
from whence he sails to Tonga
via Apia. The bishop has made all ar
| rangements TO leave next week. having
packed his household goods and booked
for the steamer.
Iolani College was closed Saturday.
1t had stil been open TO few students
since the transfer of the authority to
the Episcopal church in the Islands.
but Saturday the last boarder left and
the school room was closed forever,
as no arrangements have been made to
continue the old school. A few of the
School. conducted by the Rev Mr..
Fitz, but the majority has scattered,
and even though an effort was made to
reopen the institution il would be diff
cult to get the old students together
again.
II intend to leave for Tonga in the
Ventura, May 2S." said Bishop Willis
last evening. II shall locate at Nuku-
alofa. which is the capital OF Tonga
tabu. There are about two hundred
Englishmen there, and they have ex-
tended an invitation for me TO come
and start a church there. I am not
going on any special mission from the
Church of England, though / am still
a bishop of the church. Once a bishop
always bishop. you know
This win not be my first visit to
the Tonga group. 1 visited the Islands
in 1897 at the request of the bishop of
London. This may be only a visit now,
for l do not know what I shall do.
and whether my residence there will
be permanent l expect, though, TO
form a church in Tonga. for that is
the reason | am going there. have
nothing TO bind me to Hawaii now. and
shall not return here but go on, to New
Zealand in case my stay in Tonga
proves unsuccessful.
The Hawaiian people know but very
little about the Tonga or Friendly
group of islands. They are known a.
the Friendly Islands, just as the Ha-
waiian Islands We're called Sandwich
Islands by Captain Cook. Cook named
the Tonga group So because the ma
tives were SO friendly. The Tongas are
an independent people and have an in
tectOrate. At the time Germany and
the United States divided Samoa, Eng
land assumed protectorate over Ton
ga. George Tabu is the present King
and he is 4 well educated man. having
received his training in Sydney. The
language OF the natives is very much
the same as that of the Hawaiians.
There are probably 10000 natives in the
group. At Nukualofa there are zoo
+, is there intend to Ioca5e-the CAPT
tai city or the group. The native.
ere converted To- Christianity some
years ago by the English Wesleyans.
but there is no Episcopal church in
the Islands. The principal industry
is the manufacture Of eOpra from the
cocoaRut, the copra being shipped to
New Zealand in bulk, where it is manu-
"a tured into soap.
Mrs. Willis viii accompany me on
the trip. We go first 10 Tutuila on the
Ventura, which is the nearest place
the Oceanic boats can take us From
there we so in small boat to Apia.
where we have 10 wait fortnight for
the regular monthly steamer TO Ton
ga. The Union Pacific steamers make
a circle OF the various groups monthly
going from Sidney 10 Samoa Fill and
Tonga
Il have not disposed of my place
here. but viii leave il in the hands Of
an agent for that purpose. Iolani
School was closed up Saturday my
ast two pupils leaving at that time.
When the change came we knew il was
no longer possible to continue the
school and the boarding pupils began
dropping away one and two at a tifne.
No arrangements We're made TO con
-inue the college. SO it was necessary 20 .
abandon it,