THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.* Tau story of the discovery, loss of,
and rediscovery of this. great group of islands, as told in these pages, is at once strange and attractive. A Spanish expedition, consisting of two ships, under Mendana, left Callao in November, 1566, and after voyaging for eighty days, came in sight of the lofty mountains that characterise many of these islands. The chief pilot, one Gallego, kept a careful record of the whole voyage ; and if his work, which contains many points of romantic interest, had been accessible to those in command of later search expeditions, it is not improbable that these officers would have been successful in their endeavours. But for some reason or other—through fear, its author says—the publication of Gallego's journal was not proceeded with, and it still only exists in manuscript form. Indeed, it is only within the last forty years or so that its existence became known to geographers. Dr. Guppy gives what appears to be an able translation of this journal, now done into English for the first time. It seems likely that it was suppressed by the Spanish authorities lest Drake, who at that period had shown his dreaded presence in the South Seas, should learn the locality of this group, which Mendana seems to have thought were the islands whence Solomon drew his supplies of gold,—e, legend which may still be worth the attention of Mr. Rider Haggard and his merry men. The Spaniards remained six months in the archipelago, investigated the shores of the islands pretty completely, destroyed a number of temples, houses, and natives, and aroused the islanders to such a degree that the ships sailed on their return voyage of eight thousand miles with scanty supplies of food and water. For two cen- turies no white man visited this group. Expeditions sent from Peru in 1595 and 1605 were unsuccessful in finding them, although the earlier one had probably come within some fifty miles of the objects of their search, when hope. failed, and the ships were headed for Manila. The islands disappeared in mystery, and their existence was almost forgotten or dis- credited. But in 1767 they were visited by Carteret, and by Bougainville the next year, though neither of these com- manders recognised the long-lost archipelago, nor did others who came later ; and it was left to the skill of French geo- graphers at the end of the last century to show, by patient reasoning, that beyond a doubt the Solomon Islands had been rediscovered. Since then they have been frequently visited ; during the last thirty years traders have resided on the more friendly islands, and a labour traffic, unattended by any happy results, has been opened up. The Melanesian Mission has firmly established itself, of the quiet heroism of whose members Dr. Guppy remarks that it has been the only redeeming feature in the intercourse of white men with the natives.
In 1881, Dr. Guppy was appointed Surgeon to H.M.S. Lark,' surveying-ship in the Western Pacific, and it was in this capacity that he paid three visits, each of over six months' duration, to this region. The results of his observations are contained in the books under notice, which, although published separately, form in reality two consecutive volumes of a valuable and interesting treatise. In the face of great difficulty and danger, Dr. Guppy has been able to make a partial scientific investigation of these islands, and to bring away with hint collections of much value. Yet he little more than touched the fringe of this hitherto unexplored group
" Among the Solomon Islands the student of Nature may be com- pared to a man who, having found a mine of great wealth, is only allowed to carry away just so much of the precious ore as he can bear about his person. For there can be no region of the world where he experiences more tantalisation. Day after day he skirts the shores of islands of which science has no ken.' Month after month, he may scan, as I have done, lofty mountain-masses never yet explored, whose peaks rise through the clouds to heights of from 7,000 to 10,000 ft. above the sea. He may discern on the mountain slopes- the columns of blue smoke which mark the abodes of men who have never beheld the white man. But he cannot land, except • (1.) The Solomon Islands and their Natives. By H. B. Guppy. M.B., F.G S.. late Surgeon, R.N. London ; Swan Sonneasehein and Co. 1887. —(2.) The Solomon Islands their Geology, General Features, and Suitability for Colonisation. Sane Author and Publishers. 1887. accompanied by a strong party, and he has therefore to be content usually with viewing such scenes from the deck of his vessel. Fortunately, however, there are some parts of the Solomon Group where the hostility of the natives has been to a great extent over- come by the influence of the missionaries and of the traders ; but the interiors of the larger islands are almost without exception inhabited by fierce and treacherous tribes who forbid all approach"
The officers of the Lark' were successful in gaining the confidence of the natives- of some of the islands, particularly of those inhabiting Treasury Island., which bore a thoroughly bad reputation, and had been given a wide berth by traders, in consequence of the massacres that had taken place there. As a result, " the return of the Lark ' from her cruises was always a cause of rejoicing amongst the natives," and Dr. Guppy was able to wander all over the island, accompanied by a crowd of men and boys. Recalling his own experiences, he says :—
" I can scarcely remember a single instance in which I was aught but kindly received by a race of savages who have sa often been characterised as the most treacherous and, bloodthirsty in the Pacific. I was constantly in their power, since, in my excursions, I very rarely had any other companions. I will, therefore, frame my estimate of their character in the words of the French-navi- gator (D'ITrville), that they would not have been able to resist the temptation of harming me, if there was not in-their disposition something of the sense of honour and affection," The form, of hereditary chieftainship usual throughout the Pacific is found in these islands. Each village may have an
independent chief, yet often a chief is found who, through his wealth or the prowess of his fighting men, is dominant over more than one island, or even quite a large district. Such an one is Gorai, chief of the Shortland Island, who prides himself on being a friend of the white man. Of him and of his doings may be found many interesting particulars. Under his sway the natives can count with some confidence on the tenure of their lives, which is an exception to the general rule. For a native is ever on his guard. He lives in an atmosphere of suspicion, which shows itself in most of his actions. This constant terror must go far to destroy any real sense of happi- ness, and the stories that Dr. Guppy tells prove that it is only too well founded. Indeed, within the area where head-hunting is practised, the life of a native cannot be said to be worth a day's purchase. This.horrid custom is by no means necessarily allied with cannibalism, the heads usually being required for the honour of a deed or living chief, or to inaugurate a-new
war-canoe, or merely for the sake of possessing the skull. " In some islands," however,- " There is a rude idea of justice perceptible in this practice. It is the custom in the Eastern islands of the group to place out money for the head of any man who may have rendered himself obnoxious to any particular village. The money—a considerable amount of native shell-money—may be offered by the friends of a murdered man for the head of a murderer. Months, sometimes years, may elapse before the deed is accomplished and the money paid. The task is generally undertaken by a professional head- hunter, such as we met in the person of Mai, the second chief of the village of Sapuna, in the island of Santa Anna. To make a, thorough examination of the home and surroundings of his victim, and to insinuate himself into that intimacy which friendship alone can give him, are necessary initiatory steps which only the cunning head-hunter can know how to carry to a successful issue. Time is of no moment. The means employed are slow, but the end is none the less secure; and when the opportunity arrives, it is the friend of months, if not of years, who gives the fatal blow."
Dr. Guppy gives a valuable chapter on the physical characters and race-affinities of these islanders, and draws the conclusion that although the type of Solomon islander varies considerably
with locality, the prevailing characteristics are distinctly Melanesian or Papuan. The interior of the larger islands is thinly populated by bushmen, inferior in physique to the coast tribes, who raid upon them incessantly, the captives taken being either eaten or made into slaves. Slave-traffic is a recognised system, and its victims, as a rule, are not hardly used; but if a head is required for any purpose, it is usually a slave, and not a free-born native, whose life is sacrificed. He may be a slave only in name, but no feeling of compassion can save him from his fate at the hands of those with whom for many years he may have lived on equal terms.
These islanders seem to be predisposed to disease, and are strikingly susceptible to comparatively minute falls of tem- perature. The elderly natives are very liable to lung affections, which usually terminate their lives. Yet the way in which
they recover from the most appalling injuries would confirm the view that the via medicatriz naturr is greater among
savage than among civilised races. Dr. Guppy gives cases of the ease with which they recover from apparently hopeless
damage which are simply astounding, and from an unqualified observer would be incredible. The climate of the Solomon Islands is decidedly moist, the annual rainfall on the coasts averaging no less than 150 in. ; whilst on some of the higher slopes it is estimated at a probable 400 to 500 in., a deluge which necessarily has an enormous geological significance.
The geological memoir is a work of great value. Of the Solomon Islands some are volcanic and some calcareous. The larger volcanic islands abound in craters, now dormant or extinct, saving the single one at present in action. The calcareous islands Dr. Guppy was able to survey more closely, with the result that the really beautiful " subsidence " theory of Mr. Darwin is not confirmed. It will be remembered that Mr. Darwin put forward the view, which was accepted and regarded as one of the most impressive and brilliant generalisations in geology, that coral reefs rested on sub- merged volcanoes or volcanic deposits, and that a fringing- reef would in the course of time be transformed into a barrier- reef and a barrier-reef into an atoll, through the sinking of the sea-bottom. Hence it was logically inferred that an area of subsidence was a necessary condition to the formation of these three chief classes of coral reef. But this region is an area of elevation; and yet here Dr. Guppy found existing reefs of all three kinds, together with pre-existing reefs of similar character which have been recently elevated very many, in some cases hundreds of feet above sea-level; and these are seen to be resting, in the majority of instances, " on a partially consolidated deposit which possesses the characters of the volcanic muds' that were found during the' Challenger' expe- dition to be at present forming round volcanic islands This deposit envelops anciently submerged volcanic peaks." Hence Dr. Guppy's researches confirm the views brought for- ward by Dr. John Murray of the 'Challenger,' and now accepted by competent anthorities,—viz., that a condition of subsidence is not necessary to the production of reefs and atolls, the form of the reef depending on various causes inde- pendently of any movement of submergence. The whole question of the formation of coral islands is deeply interesting, and is ably treated in these pages.
In conclusion, let it be said that those to whom the study of " the great globe itself, and all that it inherit," is a subject of delightful interest, will find a fund of wealth in the pages of these books, whilst the tone of modesty, grateful acknow- ledgment of the help of others, and a just appreciation of his own limits, witness to the admirable spirit which throughout has influenced the author.
Previous page
