New-York tribune., 1903-01-25
CABLE TO FIJI ISLANDS.
CH4NGE FOR CANNTBALS
NiqEd Haze Been -4merican Posses,
siOn-CommerciaI Enterprise.

..,ao re- inst heen connected with the Fiji Isl
ands thus bringing the natives step heaiei -.
ilzation and in closer contact WIN 'iie w.
world. besides opening further and not unlin-
portant sphere for industrial oeNeiolihsi' ~
unercial enterprise. ,,,u
Some fifty years ago. and long before 'he
Islands were ce6ed to Great Britain these isia]
might have become a dependency or coloii. VI -
1-,itaa states In the year 1919 a consloeIaoie @
amount Of damage was done TO the property ol 'ie
,ben American Consul. After some time hao Oe'"
spe1t in fruitless negotiations. a heai'4 0i" .
ultimately made by the United states N ,tn
srainst tho leading Fijian chief IhsAoI1''1-'
he was wholly unable to hquidate he WAS F
nered however. at first TO pledge or assign ' i-
,o--,o, NJ the islands as security. but the AIei-
cans would not entertain this proposal i0i -, ;f
in common with others at that ulhe, saw -,
any benefit in the possession OF lSialu9 " -,
nibalisnn was in vogue. Moreover ''eS - no
too remote from American influence an" nav
,r,r,e5iate prospective commercial value . ..
Having failed TO come terms with 'he oili' me-
States Government Chief Thakomoau' ~ -"
mainly on the advice of MISSIONARIES 1 -
-Sss o4Tered the sovereignty OF the lslanus 10 vi
I,-5.;,, o,, condition that he be allowed 10 Iet'
his rsnk as chief and that his debt 10 'ne -
States Government be paid As d Se'ol, i - tbe
,,a,rnent he agreed assign, II reqUIie4' -.
4,-t+isb Government the ownership IN lee sP
of ,vo hundred thousand acres OF lanu -,
7,,+,r iilrs the United States saw no le'ii'ii1e
,esson for accepting the proposal be!uIlu
the possession of the group OF is4s'i -,
-eeical purposes. As speculaloil, ro - -
z,-+-y-+ Government commissioned Colollei oiiS AK
>. g-.o,ira into the prospects ana aoN
.;,-;-- +ber, as naval and coaiing sla1lOllS "-u
accidentally for cotton growing oh Oo 80
Srnvrhes advice the offer was re9eCleu IA
shortly after this and in consequence OF me IN
,can- war cotton planting received a coilsluel '
- -,,ore and the consequent growth OF a
,,,,ita nopulation In 1868 AustraIlah coIiial'S
Was formed with the object of taxing oNeI | :
Tinted States Government debt on the terms one GU
= Go I7rfts4n but cession TO the latter country
,.-zs again urged and the advice OF Slr
,,,,;-so, ,l,an Governor of New South wales the
4er ,f sovereignty was accepted ny the fii'isi'
Government in October. 1874
,-o+bin has as vet been done to develop the couli
Try At present the whole group remains IN { - -
zp5c,,lt11ral state Altogether there are ABOUT 'O
1,,,r5-a5 and -iftv islands-forming the group COM
rising some seventy-five hundred square mics oIl
slightly frnsinlv isletsl are still urlIlIlaol'eu. IN
LARGEST islands are Wit Levu. containing 1oui
ona so,are miles and Wanna LeFu. co1npi1sie
.r.an+,--@ve hundred square miles Inc mos s
= ,s1e,d-Tsndavan-is twenty-five miles iolis'
snd. though narrow, is well watered' mas a 80
barbor and is exceedingly picturesque an" ii''e
Ing and particularly civilized. ,s,a-d
The quaint old capital Of Levuka' on '1ie is &c
- o,-alan was replaeed by transferrence 10 0uN0,
~ --e south coast where there is a me hal OO- c. AZ
f, large expanse CT country. Ine lslatioe az -.
.xoe1Ient harbors and have plenty OF eoou -,
asnili is
t+a+io, ,f the larger islands is being rapidly anu
,asi,-eI, improved by rigid supervision sl'ic'
regulations and an introduction OF al ail1p-e ~
supply 10 all the villages ,.z =.
-Tte mineral wealth Of the islands Is beheFeu -
bs valuable and there are strong reasons 0it - 9
80. for sitting that in future gold VIII ne Ioullu @
a, Quantities and also large coal deposlus III ~
-, A considerable amount Of iron ore mas pe-
found already. well as silver chioiius'
and manganese -, 7 ,,o,rra7
ficF1l-I To
HYMN singing natives to be encounteIe0 80 80.
shout Sura. Levuka and Yuma are Inc cii'iI 80
Of men who feasted on 'bokoia OF nc @
mic as they designated their human victims
s tho ovens at Bau and at the lestai
,-rounds among the mountains Of VIA LeNu anu
1l,e Businesses OF weird Wanna LeVU he1 <'4iiO- 2
,re Survivors of the old regime there are YET -
fe found men who consumed their shaie -
.,,,ra, a. the o,dtime n7errymaking, when trlhal
i+or,as were celebrated by cooking and eauhg IAe
,anouished warriors. 1t viii hardly oe coIleilu1
.bar the practice OF canniballsm was q Fee :
,..,so,,e habit for the survivors. Those who IN
,,ia5 , long pig" assert that they did not par
.,., .o,o for il as an article of food, but
she custom was & national one ana consequent
.xhiarating. and man always leIt pe'l7. "
SCR. Of sentimental way when ne fau paI 'aAeit "a
norton of roast enemy 1t was royal sport 100
"a ca out skirrnishing in the morning win Die
-, feeling that the fortune Of war LETT IL an
,,,e, question whether the warrior Woulo DE III
she oven himself before sundown or De d JoSo
,,ar-aker of the evening human meal. 1o-ua!'
1,,e,-er there is hardly act OF caIhlpaIlsIh ~
no heard Of even in the most remote and WIG part
of any of the islands. and. what is more VOL L
derful there is scarcely a Flllal ~ w pe
sre deyotifg themselves considerably 10 t
ilraI pursuits the development OF 2 viii i,
- era6lsllv importing machinery. hardware. Hl-
dement's coal breadstuffs meats ana 9theI eaS- a.
sbIes and especially modern clothing 30 aF Ne me
bulk Of the import trade is caTr1so i on with Nc"
south Males. NeW-Zealand and victoria 7
,eIaerlsiIV polite They are sensitive. proud
xndictve and bcastfui cleailiy IN 1i.TLt zen ten
and cooking. possessing gooo comm Ia
denotes much sense Of humor tact ana Ieicepti y
ef character. Their code Of soclal euqutit'e 4 4
Tnn11te and elaborate the gradations Of rank wei
marked. They are moreover Mohos5L +e11
DoIo IN on ess15r about 100 feet long and 40 fee
eTaldF tres T Ta T5trieG with loose grass and o.
course have windows. The men wear IoLIac c
their lons kind of sash made from the pa p1pe 81
fpron Inade Of the fibre Of the paper 1nulpeIa2 1n92
which is tied on the right sce ahd - 9olie'
long enough TO form train a;- cocktails and Eng
1sSh their ale so the Fijians have their nalloild
kava which is Intoxicating drink mace IRON ron
ISI,l ~ 6oS or botb nossessing good teeth, cleal
5a large wooden bowl. with kater or cocoaIu
Stirred up. and the woody matter having beel
removed. what remains is a muddy iooIlhg @ nqu,, y
resembling cafe au laEt, which Is dlslrlOute1 = !,
rfose who wish to buy. Overindulgence in tals
efferts Too much kava causes what is local.
known as elephautlasls-a disease tIat can -
Al present there are no Eail~ays eZIecIlciMl{ Z M &; 10
1eegTaphy in the islands Inc oy yo15d ma 0i ma;
along bridleuaths the large Stands; a lew o
existing mail service with Sydney about once
fortnight and another with Aukiano. New-Zt9 e9
land, month ne lhl % a., tie ~
system and the contiguity OF the ISLANDS 10 IN
Phppfnes socdG conmepcaf enterprise which vii
be materially facilitated by the succeSSIo con
lies not far out of the direct route between Aus
tralia and Central America