New-York tribune., 1922-12-17
'Who's s Who in Fiji
ThA Cruise Of the Speejacks Jos' a
Voyager', Memory

ID tAs Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir, Your issue Of December con-
a short resume Of Commodore
Gowen's cruise In the spssiseki
Having seen the spseiAeks A. Miami.
Fla, when she dropped in there at
the beginning Of her frbt leg, and hsv-
ing followed her fortunes through the
press as much AZ possible, WAS natural
ly interested and glad TO see that she
had safely returned to her home sheres
sgain.
Having spent nearly two ysHrs In the
Fijisn archipelago. a good many years
ago. Of courss. the account Of the meet
Ing and experience With Ratu EPpslli
was interesting to me. Rstu Is Fijlsn
for prince. Turanr 10 Sir, and hisi IL
Mister. "Eppelli" Is probably she
Fijlan pronunciation Of "EliphAlst," a.
most Of thssFijiAns are supposed 70 b
ChristisniEsd and tagged with Scrip
tural names.
IN my time ths princes Of the roysi
blood, Of the house OF AbSu, we're
Philip, Timothy and Joe. and they are
still probably In existence. They were
the sons Of Old King ThakambAu (CR-
eA.mbau), who. IN turn, was tho son
Of the original eimon-pure King Of the
CannibGi islands-Tanoa. CAnnibRlisn
was put a stop to IN Fiji IN the early
'7os, when the islands, b. common con-
sent, came under the protection and
Jurisdiction Of John Bull.
Philip, Timothy and Joe were Big,
brown, wsll-bullt, handsome Fellows.
They had all been educated somewhere
or other, according to the ideas Of their
white friends. After this was supposed
70 have been accomplished and on re-
turning TO their native shores. they
promptly reassumed their native Gus
toms and discarded the costumes Of the
white man for the more suitable and
comfortable "lhva lava" They we're
all regular feliovs," and had more
horse sense than many other princes
(Caucasian) elsewhere.
Their father. Thskambau. was = king
In even sense Of the word. an OverlOrd
Of all tho other chIsftAins Of the FIJI
group, except ons-Tui-thI-esu Tor
Nawsitui-whieh, IN English, means the
"sss Klng.") Tul-tha-eaa's home was
a. Como ss1ne, on the beautiful Island
Of TGyiun. BsiaR a near nsigAbor /
knew him and several Of his Sub-ehiefs.
also his son, Ratu La La, big, brown,
strong fellow, who had been educated
% at Sydney, n. g. w., but who on re-
turning 10 the Islands had, like Philip.
Timothy and Joe, promptly shed what
no did not want In the way Of the white
mans ldeas-also his clothes In prefer
enes for the mere appropriate "laya
lava"
The Rstu Eppelii, whom Ars. Goven
net. must have been a son Of Philip's,
II Of the royal house Of Mbau. None
Of this strain was black. Nearly all
we're the pleasing brown, similar to
that Of the Ton2sns and samosns, and
with also the same style Of eoiffure.
There are. however, some Fijians very
dark-skinnSd, and some black, notably
these living up the Rewa River, in the
mountains Of viii Levu, or Big FIJI.
which Is the largest island Of the
group. They are uEdsrsiEed, sus-
pIelous and uniriendly With those Of
the coast, keeping 70 themselves and
their ways
Few Of Us living a. this distance
probably know OF care about those
beautiful gems Of the Pacific. Per-
sonally, I think the Pacific fortunate In
having only occasional visitors. am
sure II ever tho log Of the speejaek
should BY any chance be put before
the public, It will be most interesting
reading. The sunny isles Of the Pacific
are as yet untouched by the disturb
Ing bailyhoO and the noisy jazz Of our
so-cAlled civilization. do not blame
my old sequAlntanees, Philip. Timothy,
Joe and Ratu La La for shueklng the
veneer Of civilization and returning TO
the "lsva lava
To my way Of thinking, a good iittle
brigantlne-rigEed vessel. with auxiliary
engine, makes y comfortable, sea
worthy craft for cruising among these
islands. This type Of vessel Is good
OF shore, Is dry. and, with a good
Kanaka crew and experienced sailing
master would bs strictly o. X. any
where. c. II.
New York. Dee. -. ie2a