Year: 1872

James l.. A. Hope gives an amusing account, in the London Spectator, of the way he went to the South Sea Islands ''to fetch the Coolie"-Coolies being wanted on the sugar estates in Australia. MT. Hope says:

 The Australian labor market has been at various times supplied with convicts, free and assisted emigrants, Chinamen and Germans; but it is only within the last few years that the introduction of sugar growing industry into Queensland has turned our attention to that large group of islands, the New Hebrides, lying within weeks sail of our own colony, and crowded with an indigent and savage population. The planters, in despair at the restless character of the English workman, became naturally very eager to obtain quantity of cheap and reliable laborers for the sugar season. men who could stand the heat of the sum-. who would work together in gangs without grumbling, and above all, who would bind themselves to their employ CTS for at least three years. Under these circumstances, several small ships start ed for the New Hebrides in quest of men, and the first arrival of woolly, stupid looking Kanakas was regarded with great curiosity by all classes.

 I have often wondered at the imperfect idea of number which native Coolie possesses-he grasps easily the idea of one pig for one axe, but three pigs for three axes bothers him. looked round for chief and tried to open the conver- saion with him, with view to my great object, recruits for Queensland, and com menced an animated harangue, pointing out to him the advantage the men would they would add to the tribe when they brought back their muskets and powder. The chief smiled graciously, and mani tested sudden fancy for my sheath knife, which being in a moment of weak ness given to him, he walked of, leaving me to a crowd of applicants for more sheath knives of the same sort. I was not little mortified at finding out after wards that he had not understood single word, being of different tribe from my interpreter. And so learnt great and most important lesson, in all dealings with the natives, and which I cannot help thinking might be profitably taken to heart by charitable London ladies' " Never give away anything without value received, unless you wish to put 8 stop to all trade and make everybody 8 beggar." Man after man shook his head when asked him to come over to Queensland. The universal cry was, "We are willing enough to go and work and get muskets and powder, but we should like to see some of our brothers back here first, to hear what they say of your country"

 It has never been my good fortune to contest an election in the old country, but I had heard that "the woman once gained, the man follows" is a maxim in canvassing, and acting on this plan, I approached a matronly looking lady with a ring in her nose and @ baby on her shoulder, and tried to make friends, upon which, drawing her grass petticoat- fringe close round her, she set up such piteous bowling. that concluded the progress of civilization had not yet wait ed the notion of woman's rights to those distant regions, and that far from having any influence over her husband, she actu- ally seemed to be afraid of him.

 In my experience of the islands, I found the invariable custom of leave taking to be as follows: The intended emigrant would strip himself of all he had on, consisting probably of only one bracelet, and sitting down on the beach, would howl melodiously in the middle of circle of women, after the payment of which tribute to nature he would step briskly into the boat, as gleeful as a child in prospect of a holiday. If asked to bring the woman with him he would indignantly refuse, evidently thinking that he was already we'll out of that mess, and would become quite reconciled to his new life before the Southeast trades had blown us over to Vate.