A little war has broken out in Fiji which seems
to have been exceedingly well managed. The cannibal tribes of the moun- tains, with some recently-relapsed Christians, were of opinion that the epidemic of measles was either brought in by the foreigners knowingly, or was a sign of the anger of the gods. Accordingly they declared war on the Christians, and on the 12th of April descended on the Christian villages on the Sig,atoka, and kided and ate eighteen women and children. It was necessary to chastise them, and a native force of 1,400 men was formed of police and friendly villagers. The little army entered the cannibals' country, destroyed their villages, and captured thirty-five men known to have been engaged in the murders, of whom fifteen were executed, many of them acknowledging the justice of their sentence. The beaten tribes submitted, and it was believed (June 5) that the war was nearly at an end, having cost during two months just £32, the villagers fighting without pay. No Europeans appear to have been engaged except three officers from the Governor's own staff, and the native troops, though uncontrolled by physical force, carefully obeyed the orders to abstain from outrage and give quarter to all who submitted,—the explanation probably of the victory.
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