FIJI AND THE FIJIANS.

leaving the second volume, on the results of missionary labour, to another month.

Two hundred years ago Fiji was unknown to Englishmen. The Dutch discoverer of Tasmania saw the islands in 1643; Captain Cook visited them about a hundred years later; Bligh, of the Bounty, in 1789; and, since then, a desultory intercourse of civilized people has been kept up. The first intimate acquaintance of the islanders with EuroWith peans was, as has always been the case, an unfortunate one. the Fijians, as with the Red Indians, the Hindus, and the Japanese, the result of their earlier knowledge of white people was utter abhorrence and hatred. Mr. Williams's tale amply accounts for this failing:

'About the year 1804, a number of convicts escaped from New South Wales, and settled among the islands. Most of these desperadoes lived either on Mbau or Rewa, the chiefs of which allowed them whatever they chose to demand, receiving, in return, their aid in carrying on war. The new settlers made themselves dreaded by the natives, who were awed by the murderous effect of their fire-arms. The hostile chiefs, seeing their bravest warriors fall in battle, without an apparent cause, believed their enemies to be more than human, against whom no force of theirs availed, whose victory was always sure, while their progress invariably spread terror and death. No thought of improving and consolidating the power thus won seems to have been entertained by the whites. Had such a desire possessed them, the absolute government of the entire group lay within their reach; but their ambition never rose beyond a life of indolence, and an unrestrained gratification of the vilest passions. Some of them were of the most desperate wickedness, being regarded as monsters even by the ferocious cannibals with whom they associated. These lawless men were twenty-seven in number on their arrival, but, in a few years, the greater part had ended their carcer, having fallen in the native wars, or in deadly quarrels among themselves. A Swede, named Savage, who had some redeeming traits in his character, and was acknowledged as head man by the whites, was drowned, and eaten by the natives at Weilea, in 1813. In 1824 only two, and in 1840 but one, of his companions survived. This last was an Irishman named Connor, who stood in the same relation to the King of Rewa as Savage had done to the King of Mbau. His influence among the natives was so great, that all his desires, some of which were of the most inhuman kind, were gratified. The King of Rewa would always avenge, and often in the most cruel manner, the real or fancied wrongs of this man. If he desired the death of any native, the chief would send for the doomed man, and direct him to make and heat an oven, into which, when red-hot, the victim was cast, having been murdered by another man sent for the purpose.

Soon after the death of his patron, Paddy Connor left Rewa. He was thoroughly Fijianized, and of such depraved character, that the white residents, who had since settled in the islands, drove him from among them, being afraid of so dangerous a neighbour. At the close of life, his thoughts seemed only occupied about rearing pigs and fowls, and increasing the number of his children from fortyeight to fifty.'

The exquisite scenery of the islands of the Pacific has often been dwelt upon. These regions are gardens of Paradise for beauty and fertility; but gardens in which men depraved below the level of the brutes of the field have hitherto lived. No more forcible illustration of the fact, that natural and artistic beauty can of themselves do nothing to refine or elevate either the moral or intellectual taste, could be proved, than the case of the Fijians. Mr. Williams describes the scenery by which they are surrounded in the most animated language.

Among their attractions are high mountains, abrupt precipices, conical hills, fantastic turrets and crags of rock frowning down like olden battlements, vast domes, peaks shattered into strange forms; native towns on eyrie cliffs, apparently inaccessible; and deep ravines, down which some mountain stream, after long murmuring in its stony bed, falls headlong, glittering as a silver line on a block of jet, or spreading, like a sheet of glass, over bare rocks, which refuse it a channel. Here also are found the softer features of rich vales, cocoa-nut groves, clumps of dark chestnuts, stately palms and bread-fruit, patches of graceful bananas, or welltilled taro-beds, mingling in unchecked luxuriance, and forming, with the wild reef-scenery of the girdling shore, its beating surf, and far-stretching ocean beyond, pictures of surpassing beauty.'

Of Somosomo, a principal island of the Fijian group, he says 'It is covered with luxuriance and beauty, beyond the conception of the most glowing imagination.' Similar is the testimony of Commodore Wilkes-'So beautiful was their aspect, that I could scarcely bring my mind to the realizing sense of the well-known fact, that these islands were the abode of a savage, ferocious, and treacherous race of cannibals.' Mr. Williams adds, in another part of the present volume, that the natives possess no faculty of sight for this prized characteristic of their abode. They do not see it; and when spoken to about it, have no idea as to your meaning.

The second portion of the present volume treats of the origin and polity of the people. The writer agrees with Pritchard, that the Fijians are connected with the darker races of Asia, and that they are of pure descent, there being many indications that they have been long isolated from other varieties of mankind. One of these is the fact that they are an unconquered people. Their government is their own, and they have never acknowledged a superior. In form, it was anciently patriarchal; but now more closely resembles the feudal state. The will of the king is law; there is no representation of popular interests; but a clearly defined recognition of territorial rights. The Fijians are also remarkable for a characteristic which has hitherto been considered a mark of superiority almost exclusively belonging in the East to the Chinese. Birth and rank give no influence; but, says Mr. Williams, 'a man is commended according to his wisdom. A crude suggestion, or unsound argument, from a chief of importance, would at once be ridiculed, to his confusion. Here, however, the wisdom and justice of the Fijian government seem to end, for life and property are utterly unprotected. The strongest rules by virtue only of his strength, and the weak are literally devoured. Two examples of the arbitrary character of the government will, perhaps, be deemed sufficient:-A Rewa chief,' states Mr. Williams, 'desired, and asked for a hoe belonging to a man, and, on being refused, took the man's wife! The other case is undoubtedly worse:-The king of Somosomo wished to collect the people belonging to the town in which he lived, that they might be directly under his eye. An officer, to whom the order was entrusted, was ordered to bake any who refused compliance!

One might expect, from these few indications, that the punishment of offences would be cruel and inhuman to the last degree. We have in

this chapter a general summary of the punishments for various crimes, with some characteristic illustrations.

Theft is punished by fine, repayment in kind, loss of a finger, or clubbing. Either fine, or loss of the finger, ear, or nose, is inflicted on the disrespectful. The other crimes are punished with death, the instrument being the club, the noose, or the musket. Adultery taxes vindictive ingenuity the most. For this offence, the criminals may be shot, clubbed, or strangled; the man may lose his wife, who is seized, on behalf of the aggrieved party, by his friends; he may be deprived of his land, have his house burnt, his canoe taken away, or his plantations destroyed.' An instance of the mode and results of the punishment of death follows:

'Sometimes a little form is observed, as in the case of the Vasu to Vuna. This man conspired against the life of Tuikilakila; but the plot was discovered, and the Vasu brought to meet death at Somosomo. His friends prepared him, according to the custom of Fiji, by folding a large new masi about his loins, and oiling and blacking his body as if for war. A necklace and a profusion of ornaments at his elbows and knees completed the attire. He was then placed standing, to be shot by a man suitably equipped. The shot failed, when the musket was exchanged for a club, which the executioner broke on the Vasu's head; but neither this blow, nor a second from a more ponderous weapon, succeeded in bringing the young man to the ground. The victim now ran toward the spot where the king sat, perhaps with the hope of reprieve; but was felled by a death-blow from the club of a powerful man standing by. The slain body was cooked and eaten. One of the baked thighs the king sent to his brother, who was principal in the plot, that he might "taste how sweet his accomplice was, and eat of the fruit of his doings." This is a fair sample of a Fijian public execution.'

War develops a degree of forocity more than inhuman in this savage race. The following is one of the punishments of a prisoner :

'A large bundle of dry cocoa-nut leaves is bound across the shoulders of the offender, so as to pinion him effectually. The ends of the bundle, which project several feet on either side, are then ignited, and the bearer of the burning mass is turned loose, to run wherever his torment may drive him. The exultation of the spectators rises in proportion as the agony of the sufferer becomes more intense.'

Another:

'Captives are sometimes taken, and are treated with incredible barbarity. Some have been given up to boys of rank, to practice their ingenuity in torture. Some, when stunned, were cast into hot ovens; and when the fierce heat brought them back to consciousness, and urged them to fearful struggles to escape, the loud laughter of the spectators bore witness to their joy at the scene. Children have been hung by their feet from the mast-head of a canoe, to be dashed to death, as the rollings of the vessel swung them heavily against the mast.'

The celebration of triumph is thus described :

The return of a victorious party is celebrated with the wildest joy; and if they bring the bodies of the slain foes, the excitement of the women, who go out to welcome the returning warriors, is intense. This custom of the women greeting the conquerors at once suggests a comparison with Eastern, and especially Hebrew, usage. But among the Fijians, all that could be admired in the other case is brutalized and abominable. The words of the women's songs may not be translated; nor are the obscene gestures of their dance, in which the young virgins are compelled to take part, or the foul insults offered to the corpses of the slain, fit to be described. And who that has witnessed the scene on the canoes, at such a time,

can forget it, or help shrinking with horror from the thought of its repetition? Dead men or women are tied on the fore-part of the canoe, while, on the main deck, their murderers, like triumphant fiends, dance madly among the flourishing of clubs and sun shades, and confused din. At intervals, they bound upon the deck with a shrill and terrible yell, expressive of unchecked rage and deadly hatred. The corpses, when loosed, are dragged, with frantic running and shouts, to the temple, where they are offered to the god, before being cooked. On these occasions, the ordinary social restrictions are destroyed, and the unbridled and indiscriminate indulgence of every evil lust and passion completes the scene of abomination.'

We pass over the admirable chapter-as admirably illustrated-on the industrial produce of the Fijians, with the remark, that the people are evidently not inferior to any savage race in their knowledge of the useful arts. They are expert, inventive, tasteful, and clearly capable, under civilized influences, of considerable, if not superior, attainments in the mechanical arts. Mr. Williams's description of the people' of Fiji is a very careful and clearly drawn summary of their national characteristics. Their physical developments are scarcely inferior to those of any race, while their mental powers are above the ordinary scale :

The aspect of the Fijian, considered with reference to his mental character, so far from supporting the decision which would thrust him almost outside of mankind, presents many points of great interest, showing that, if an ordinary amount of attention were bestowed on him, he would take no mean rank in the great human family, to which, hitherto, he has been a disgrace. Dull, barren stupidity forms no part of his character. His feelings are acute, but not lasting; his emotions easily roused, but transient; he can love truly, and hate deeply; he can sympathize with thorough sincerity, and feign with consummate skill; his fidelity and loyalty are strong and enduring, while his revenge never dies, but waits to avail itself of circumstances, or of the blackest treachery, to accomplish its purpose. His senses are keen, and so well employed, that he often excels the white man in ordinary things. Tact has been called "ready cash," and of this the native of Fiji has a full share, enabling him to surmount, at once, many difficulties, and accomplish many tasks, that would have "fixed" an Englishman. Tools, cord, or packing materials, he finds directly, where the white man would be at a loss for either; and nature seems to him but a general store for his use, where the article he wants is always within reach.

"In social diplomacy the Fijian is very cautious and clever. That he ever paid a visit merely en passant, is hard to be believed. If no request leaves his lips, he has brought the desire, and only waits for a good chance to present it now, or prepare the way for its favourable reception at some other time. His face and voice are all pleasantness, and he has the rare skill of finding out just the subject on which you most like to talk, or sees at once whether you desire silence. Rarely will he fail to read your countenance; and the case must be urgent indeed, which obliges him to ask a favour when he sees a frown. The more important he feels his business, the more earnestly he protests that he has none at all; and the subject uppermost in his thoughts comes last to his lips, or is not even named; for he will make a second, or even a third, visit, rather than risk a failure through precipitancy. He seems to read other men by intuition, especially where selfishness or lust are prominent traits. If it serves his purpose, he will study difficult and peculiar characters, reserving the results for future use: if, afterwards, he wish to please them, he will know how; and if to annoy them, it will be done most exactly.

His sense of hearing is acute, and by a stroke of his nail he judges of the ipeness of fruits, or soundness of various substances.

Great command of temper, and power to conceal his emotions, are often displayed by the Fijian.'

On the other hand, the moral character of the Fijians, as may be gathered from the quotations we have already made, is anything but attractive. They have gone gradually from bad to worse, until they have arrived at a state, where it would be impossible to go further. Old men, says Mr. Williams, speak of the atrocities of recent times as altogether new, and far surpassing the deeds of cruelty which they witnessed fifty years ago. They deliberately and openly violate every commandment of the decalogue-murder, adultery, lying, theft, and deceit of every kind being the common and boasted practices of both sexes. Of these, Mr. Williams says, 'Atrocities of the most fearful kind have come to my knowledge, which I dare not record here. And it must not be forgotten that, in the case of murder, the act is not a simple one, ending in the first bloodshed. The blow which falls fatally on one man, may be said to kill several more; for, if the victim is married, his wife or wives will be strangled as soon as the husband's death becomes known, and often the man's mother will die at the same time. Then, again, if the deed is such as to justify the perpetrator's claim to receiving "a new name," other murders will be necessary to complete the ceremony. He and his friends must silima"wash"-his club, if possible, within a few weeks of the first crime; that is, the club must spill more blood. Murder is not an occasional thing in Fiji; but habitual, systematic, and classed among ordinary transactions.'

Such a people are of course destitute of every human feeling. Parricide, fratricide, and infanticide are openly acknowledged. I have been astonished,' says the author, to see the broad breast of a most ferocious savage heave and swell with strong emotion on bidding his aged father a temporary farewell. I have listened with interest to a man of milder mould, as he told me about his "eldest son his head, his face, his mien-the admiration of all who saw him." Yet this father assisted to strangle his son; and the son first named buried his old father alive!'

We have no desire especially to select the worst characteristics of this people; but where nearly all is bad, it is difficult to avoid anything that is not most revolting. The chapter on Manners and Customs' is full of details which, though narrated with scrupulous delicacy and with an evidently careful avoidance of all that might offend a fine taste, is not very quotable. We pass by the first portion of it for a few extracts relating to the burial customs of the Fijians and to cannibalism.

One of the humane customs of these islanders is the burial of their parents and others before death. This is an almost invariable thing. Mr. Williams says—

In the destruction of their decrepit parents, the Fijians sometimes plead affection, urging that it is a kindness to shorten the miserable period of second childhood. In their estimation, the use of a rope, instead of the club, is a mark