The Alaska citizen., 1910-08-22
A Romance of the Indian Ocean

diminished by assertions to the othe1 camp. and many of his women were carried of Finally he retired to die in Singapore, his courtiers, musi clans. harem and slaves having van. ished. Clunies-Ross then laid claim to the whole group. which he ruled for 2 years, dying in 1854.
 John George Clunies- Ross succeed. ed his father as chief of the Cocos in his time the islands were first proclaimed British territory. their chief being appointed governor. The change of status was only nominal. The governor married one of the islanders, Spia Dupong, a Malay of Royal Solo blood, who seems to have possessed great strength of charac- ter, and to her nine children were born. The six boys all received their education in Scotland. The eldest. George, was studying engineering at Glasgow when he was called to help his father in re-establishing the indus tries of the islands after a severe cyclone which devastated them in 1862. He was born in 1S42. and sue ceeded his father at the age of 30 Endowed with all the remarkable characteristics of his grandfather. George Clunies-Ross, he speedily SC cured the devotion of his subjects, in all of whose native arts and crafts he eXCelled One of them. min, Malay, he married Through her his influence over the natives was strengthened, for Inin, like S'pia Du- pong, appears to have been a woman of high character and unswerving de votion. By the introduction of mod ern machinery and tools the prosper ity of the islands was greatly stim- ulated Groves of cocoa-nut palms were planted, and the oil was ex- ported to Java for use in the light houses of the Malay archipelago. An other cyclone devastated the COcos in 1876, but under the direction and inspiration of the governor the for tunes of the islands were restored. About this time another political change took place, the group being placed under the government of Cey- lon and Letters Patent granted to George Clunies-Ross. Six years lat CT the COcOs were transferred to the care of the governor of the Straits Settlements, and a Grant-in-Fee was given to their ruler
 Characteristics of the third ruler was the voyage to England which he under took in 1855. In a schooner of IFS tons, which he himself had built he embarked with his seven eldest chil- dren. His brother served as off cer, and islanders formed the crew. The voyage round the cape lasted six months, the brothers keeping watch and watch about, and it is re- corded as proof of their seamanship that the mainsail was never once low cred, despite all kinds of weather One other event in the career of George Clunies-Ross is worthy of note - an attempt to colonize Christ mas island. The colonists prospered for time, but upon the discovery there of valuable deposits of phos- phate of lime they had to retreat be fore the advent of commercial ex- ploiters. In 1901 the seclusion of the coral islands was broken by the cable and the settlement on the isl ands of staff to work it, but in their remoteness from civilization they still remain little world apart. Money is unknown, and the parch- ment notes of George Clunies- Ross remain the sole medium of exchange.
 Sydney Clunies- Ross, the eldest son of the late Superintendent" sue ceeds his father in control of the islands. The body of Mir George Clun- ies-Ross will be conveyed to the Co cos Islands by a trusted Malay ser want for interment in the family vault.