KIDNAPPING IN THE SOUTH SEAS.*
IT is a universal feeling that if it were not for the courage and fearlessness of the young, who do not wait to count too carefully the cost, the work of the world would hardly get done ; and certainly its progress would not be made with such rapid strides, nor its wrongs righted with such vigorous indignation, if slow and cautious experience were the only worker. Captain Palmer's book is, we fancy, a remarkable instance of this, for though we do not know his age, there is about his writing an unmistakably youthful tone, a generous wrath that is unwilling to cool its enthusiasm, when confident that in the main it is justified, by a study of arguments in favour of a suspension of judgment. And in the straight-forward statement of his acts, free from a particle of self-glorification, wo see a disregard of consequences, unusual except in those high in authority or young in years ; and a faith in the dictates of a manly conscience and an undistorted common- sense peculiar to the latter only. Captain Palmer holds a commission in her Majesty's Navy, and two years ago was ordered to sail for the South Sea Islands and inquire into the kidnapping of natives alleged to be carried on there. His book gives a brief' account of what he heard and saw, and is a sort of preface to a Parliamentary inquiry. He has designedly given it the form of a popular narrative to attract the attention of other Englishmen than members of Parliament and readers of blue-books, and has, therefore, woven into it a little of the natural history of the Pacific islands, and descriptions of the scenery and phenomena peculiar to them, and of some of the cus- toms of the Wanders. This is done simply and well, and not without amusing passages, and does not weary with many of the oft-repeated tales of the marvellous structures of polypes, the ravages of sharks, or the lurid lights of the volcanos. Captain Palmer collected sufficient evidence from missionaries, natives, and in some cases from the planters themselves, to make a powerful case for active interference from the Home Government, and to prove that the colonial governments—that of Queensland pre- eminently—composed in part, and greatly influenced by the planters themselves, are not to bo trusted to carry out honourably the spirit of their own laws on the subject of Polynesian labour. He finds that not only the spirit but the provisions of this Act of the Queensland Government are systematically ignored. That, to say nothing of the impossibility of making the natives understand '0 Kidnapping in the Sarah Seas. By Captain George Puhnor, Edinburgh: Edmonstou and Douglas.
the nature and conditions of the agreements they are supposed to enter into, such agreements are constantly not even pretended to, be made. The natives are lured away from their shores by pre- texts of all sorts, and forcibly hauled on board or stowed away in the hold, or both, and their own boats sent adrift. They are then taken to the best market, without reference to the destination named in the vessel's licence, and the price paid for them is nomi- nally the fare for their passage. On the voyage the requirements of the law as to food, clothes, and accommodation are utterly disre- garded ; and finally their term of service is much exceeded and too often no provision is made for sending them home: for instance, Captain Palmer says, " not a single native that has been taken away from Erromanga has ever come back."
The principal event of the voyage, however, as affording a prac- tical illustration of the truth of the evidence ho had already accu- mulated, occurred as he completed the execution of his orders, and only just in time to afford him an opportunity of testing, in the courts of law, the inadequacy of the protection accorded to the islanders by the colonies and ourselves, and the insincerity of the Colonial Government. The Daphne—a vessel engaged in this nefarious traffic—in an ill-fated moment for its owners, entered
the harbour of the Fiji group where the man-of-war lay, and was sighted before it discovered its error. It made the best of a bad bargain therefore, and sailed in, citing its boldness as a proof of its innocence, and relying on its papers to satisfy a probably care- less inspection. But the traders had mistaken their man. Captain Palmer found that the licence fixed Brisbane as the destination and fifty as the number of passengers (!) and here were a hundred to be lauded at Fiji. He found that the dates of the pretended agree- ments with the natives were altogether inconsistent with those of the ship's log; that the poor creatures were clothed not at all, and ac- commodated as pigs would have been and fed down to emaciation- point, and that " the vessel was fitted precisely like an African slaver." Moreover, he had reason to believe that the ship's licence was a forgery. 'Udder all these circumstances he manfully seized the Daphne, sent the natives on shore—arranging with the consul for their transmission to their homes—and sailed with his prize for Sydney, there to try the master and supercargo in the Water Police Court. But he bad no island witnesses, for he could not find an interpreter, and this lost him the only chance he had of a verdict. Ho proved all the points wo have named and more besides, but the lukewarm authorities had ordered the liberation of the prisoners till the time of the trial, and this was postponed so long—probably intentionally—that they had had opportunities of being well coached as to the line of their defence, and they were liberated. It was in the face of this failure to convict, of the abuse of enemies and the cautious of friends, and of the written opinion of the chief justice of the great doubtfulness of the case as a question of law, accompanied by an intimation that it was "neither prudent nor advisable to proceed with it," that Captain Palmer, staggered though he was, and unsupported by the adviser of the Crown, with the prospect, moreover, of bearing the expenses himself, deliberately commenced the trial of the vessel in the Vice-Admiralty Court, feeling that " it was absolutely necessary to expose the whole matter as far as ho was able, and convinced iu his own mind that a grievous wrong had been done." Again, no interpreter could be found, so no natives were sent, and again he lost the verdict. It is disgraceful to the colony to have to add that Captain Palmer had to pay all the expenses of the trial, though receiving a certificate that he had boon justified in seizing the vessel. But, as we should expect, the Horne Government expressed its approval and refunded Captain Palmer his expenses, and, we are heartily pleased to learn, also gave him his promotion. We are, of course, not surprised is be told that there is a large body of planters and other colonists alive to the horrors of the traffic in natives, and determined—not too soon—to put it down. Nevertheless, no question can arise as to the necessity for inter- ference when we find the law so imperfect that, in the Sydney Chief Justice's own words, " It will not be enough to show that arqfice Las been used, or even falsehood told to induce the natives to enter into the agreements or contracts mentioned, if they really did enter into the contracts," and when we couple this with the evidence of witnesses before the Royal commission at Sydney that " it would be utterly impossible to give them [the natives] our idea of the nature of an agreement," or to " explain to them what three years, or thirty-six moons, meant, for they can count only as far as five at many of the islands ;" and still less when we find that the falsification of ships' papers and the disregard of all the conditions of their own Polyuesiau labour Act will not induce a colonial jury to convict the master and supercargo, or confiscate the vessel. The law is at present frightfully loose, and owners of vessels engaged in this traffic would chuckle over the re'sanw," given by Captain Palmer of how much may be• done without infringing it. They would not approve so highly of the following suggestions for its improvement with which, our author concludes his interesting but painful book :— " If Queensland must have native labour (which I have found good reason to believe is unnecessary apart from the cupidity of curtain• planters), why do not the Queensland Government go to work in good faith, and place it under the strictest supervision, by having only known vessels (say four), with masters and supercargoes of unblemished character and reputation, so as to insure fair play ? why don't they have well-paid officials at 'Fauna and notunuth ? and, above all, when once ha Queensland and under British rule, see that the natives are treated with justice and consideration. This has yet to be done. It is sad to contem- plate mon countenancing a great evil in their midst, so blinded by gain that they are unable to see tho ruinous effects it must ultimately have, not only on the country, but on themselves also. The Homo Govern- ment have issued strict orders to chock this inter-insular traffic in natives, but as it is to a certain extent—and I l•avo shown how far— legalized by a Oolonial Act of Parliament, it is not easy to see what the captains of her Majesty's cruisers can do in the matter. They will, however, have the whip-hand over the Fijis, provided a man-of-war is stationed there to act in concert with the French at New Caledonia a but if a vessel is only to be sent round the islands once or twice during the year, the passenger ' vessels may, with a little clover dodging, de. what they like."
But it is not only that law is imperfect and evaded, and right and liberty disregarded. Common humanity is mocked at and•
the greatest cruelties perpetrated by men of our own race and nation, in wicked forgetfulness of all we have done and suffered to destroy this very system ; and influential and educated men look on, and, directly or indirectly, encourage it, in their lust for money and their baste to get rich. Captain Palmer details abundant evidence of the tricks played to deceive the islanders, of the bar- barities used to get their persons on board and secure them during the voyage, of the semi-starvation and other miseries to which they are subjected both on shipboard and in the plantations, of the venality of magistrates—backed by the less worthy portion of the press—when they are brought before the Courts, of the cool villainy with which they are turned adrift—years' wages refused
and agreements cancelled—without any means of return to their• homes, and of the ferocity which hunts and punishes them if, under such circumstances, they aro driven to theft or outrage. In the course of his investigations at the islands Captain Palmer obtained some evidence Corroborative of that given a short time before at the trials of Hoven and Levinger, and we wish we had space to quote his account of this affair, not only as a sample of the cruelties. practised, but as showing the light in which Australian law regards. these transactions. But it is too long, and we must refer our readers.
to the book itself.
The narrative is written, if not with the finish of an accom- plished author, at any rate in the language of an English gentle-. man, and possesses the two essential qualifications for an interest ing'book, an important subject and simplicity in treating it. In- cidentally, high culogiums are passed on the self-sacrifice, courage,, and humanity of the missionaries, accompanied by a warm invec- tive against those who sneer at or underrate the importance of their work. A sketch is given also of the unenviable lot of a British consul in those parts, expected, as ho is, to connive at the misdeeds of the planters and avenge them for the reprisals of the natives. Captain Palmer is much impressed with the fact that that part of the world swarms with sharpers, defaulters, adven- turers, seedy scoundrels of all sorts, " and every variety of villains•
from the neighbouring colonies." And he puts in a word of advice to parents who think the colonies offer good training for their sons. He says, probably with some extravagance, that neither Australia nor New Zealand should be resorted to by young men unless of strongly fixed principles and very large capital, and he winds up his remarks by saying, " I would sooner see a boy of mine breaking stones and living on bread and cheese in England, than sever him from his home influences by sending him out to get what is called a colonial experience.' "
The book is illustrated by some good photographs of natives, single and in groups, and by some lithographs, which are not remarkable, from sketches the author himself made of the striking scenery of the islands. We wish a good map of the islands visited had been added, for they are merely represented on
the atlases by so many dots.
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