The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-23

AlVN l4JLA ClF N-A- high commissioner. invited the Wesley an conference in Australia to hold an inquiry. Mr. Baker thought that he was on sure ground there, because the conference could not afford to forego the large surplus which was annually transmitted to Sydney. But the scan- dal was too fragrant to be hushed up, and MT. Baker was ordered to a circuit in Australia.
 ''He was quite equal to the occasion. Little by little he had been increasing his personal influence with King | George, who was absolute master of his people. It happened that Unga. the I kings eldest son, had died in Auckland when German ship-of-war was in port. Baker hurried on board and showed the captain what a political ad- vantage he might gainiif he conveyed ithe body to Tonga. He now began to play upon the kings fears of annexa- tion by a foreign power. England, he pointed out, had seized upon Fiji, and the high commissioners interference in church affairs was proof of his design upon Tonga. Let the king but make I
 mans, and the one power could be played off against the other. True. the lprice of such treaty was the aliena- tion of land as coaling station, but by an ingenious cooking of the transaction (Mr. Baker being the only interpreter) this difficulty was overcome. The trea- | ty was signed; the king had a full length equestrian portrait of the empe- TOT to hang in his palace, and Mir Ba- ker the Order of the Red Eagle to hank on his breast.
 "As far as missionary collections were concerned. the game was up, and MT. Baker, with the versatility that never failed him, showed the king the iniqui- ty of sending to Sydney large sums which ought to be spent in Tonga, and unfolded a scheme which assailed the Tongan vanity at every point. The Tongans were as good as white men. Why should they not have a national church of their own? Having secured the promise of the premiership in per petuity, with salary of six hundred pounds a year, Mir. Baker launched at the Wesleyan conference an ultimatum which he knew to be impossible of ac- ceptance but without waiting for re- ply he set up the Free Church of Tonga, and himself took office as premier. Unfortunately, minority of the people refused to follow their king, and Mir. Baker then descended to persecution. There followed some stormy years for Tonga. Wesleyans were beaten, inl- prisoned, and banished, several hun dreds of them subsisting for many months on the charity of the F1jan gov ernment. Meanwhile, since the Ton gans liked the outward show, MT. Ba- ker gave them all they wanted The sea face of Nukualofa was resplendent with public buildings. A miniature rail- way was planned and partly built The government college was supplied with the latest apparatus. There was privy council, a House of Lords, and an elected Commons, and all the officials wore gorgeous uniforms. Callers upon
 MT. Baker was asked to wait until His Excellency' could see hem The stand l ing army of thirty men were supplied with field guns; the king purchased H. M. S Sandfiy as his royal yacht But in 1887 a band of escaped prisoners. with the sympathy of some of the per- lsecuted Wesleyans, lay in wait for Ba- ker as he was driving from his office
 and firy~ at him, wounding his son and daughter. Baker seems on this occa-
 sion to have entirely lost his nerve. The punishment was vindictive. Four men
 were shot, and mere would have been lexecuted had not the Europeans threat tened Baker with personal violence. He lnow removed his family to the palace of the king. who lived in two rooms in
 extreme simplicity, while MT. Bakers family had the run of the house.
 Baker was now in very difficult po- sition. The finances were in confusion; the chiefs wanted a share in the gov- ernment, and he had now come into col- lision with Sir John Thurston, the high
 commissioner, who in Knowledge of men and affairs in the Pacific was more than match for him. In 1890 he datly refused to have the Wesleyan exiles back, fearing, no doubt, that they would be the nucleus for revolution against his government. Thus fear for his own safety brought about his down. lfal. Sir John Thurston resorted to clause in the Western Pacific Order in Council authorizing the deputation without trial of any British subject who lis a source of disturbance to the island, and Baker left for Auckland at twenty four hours notice. In his person de- parted the following officers of state: The prime minister, minister for foreign affairs, president of the Court of Ap- peal, auditor-g general, minister of lands, Judge of the Land Court, minister of leducation, agent general, and medical attendant to the king. To this list knight be added the Cabinet, Privy Council and both houses of Parliament, because for several years all legislation had been enacted by Order in Council the quorum being the king, who was stone deaf and understood no English, and his premier, who kept the minutes, MT. Bakers codeis curiosity of litera- Try English, In the ss sActERelative to Murder we read: Should any one poi son any water with evil intent to cause the death of another or others, and should the same die he shall be consid- tered guilty of murder and punished ac- Icordingly,' but should the same be known before the death of any one it lshall be considered manslaughter of the l first degree Strange as it may seem, a large part of his code was never pro-