Sydney Chronicle (NSW : 1846 - 1848)(about) |
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Wednesday 16 June 1847
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SCENES IN THE FEEJEE ISLANDS. . BY A THREE YEAR RESIDENT The object of the following sketch is to lay before the public an accurate statement of circumstances at these islands in order that those who may possess the power of ameliorating the condition of the white residents at these islands may consider whether some edictal relief to the sufferings of this class may not be afforded. In the first place I must give you a short account of the Fejeans themselves. The islanders are a fine manly-looking race rather dark in complexion, although not actually -black, and are cannibals of the worst grade. It is the custom of the islands when a man dies or is killed to strangle his wife or wives, (for they often have more than one, and the old king of Bow has above forty.) Of this barbarous custom I have only once been an eye witness. for although many opportunities have offered, one of these sights is sufficient to disgust and horrify any man whose breast harbours the smallest feeling of humanity and I therefore never went a second time. The fe male whose murder I witnessed was a fine-looking woman for a Fejean, and was in that peculiar state which would have moved to pity the breast of any but a savage. The natives brought a piece of native cloth about six or eight feet long, which was twisted in the shape of a rope. and this was the instrument of execution. The woman in the mean time was painted according to the custom of the country, and was dressed out in all her native finery. The vari ous preliminary arrangements having been com pleted. the rope was placed round the neck of the victim, and two or three men laid hold of each end, and the women seized her hands in order, if possible. to prevent her from struggling. Such scenes as these, and even scenes of a more horrible and dis gusting nature (the very mention of which would shock the mind of any person of feeling) are of fre quent occurrence at the Feejees. I arrived in 1813 at' the island of Ovalau. where the white settlers then resided. " About a month after my arrival, a man named Nelson and his wife were both murdered. 'The wife was a Fejean, and was killed by her countrymen for having attempted to save the life of her husbnd : both these victims were cooked and eaten. ,Some time afterwards two of the white residents took a boat and went to tile distance of 100 or 150 miles to save a man, named Charles Tickay, who had been cast away with his vessel. Two more men were murdered at tile time this vessel was cast away. It is the custom of the Fegeans when a canoe is capsized to knock the people on the head as soon as they gain the shore, and afterwards to devour them. In this way also they serve the Europeans; so that cruising, you see, is somewhat dangerous among the Feejees. These islands are full of rocks and shoals, so that an accident is very likely to happen; and if you escape a watery grave, you stand a very great chance of perishing by a worse death on shore. I am, however, wandering from my subject and must return. Sam, the supreme Chief of the principal island, had a prejudice against Tickay, owing to his having lived at a place called Rewa, the inhabitants of which were at war with the former. Sam was therefore determined to have Tickay's life if possible, and upon hearing that he had been cast away, the Fejean Chief sent two large canoes to fetch the destined victim to his own resi- dence at Bow. By the blessing of Providence, however, the boat of the white men that arrived, and had taken away Tickay before the canoes got there, so that he was safely conveyed to his own place of residence. When Sam heard of this, he was per- fectly outrageous at having been foiled in his mur- derous efforts ; and, with the true spirit of a savage, he turned his rage upon the white residents. Not only the two men who went in the boat, but the whole of the white residents on the island of Ovalau, were peremptorily ordered to quit the place imme- diately. Mr. Whippy, one of the oldest residents on the islands and a great friend of Sam's, went to him with considerable presents for the purpose, if possible, of appeasing his anger, but all without effect. Mr. Whippy had scarcely arrived with the disheartening news as the result of Iis negotiation, when a letter arrived from the Rev. M. Hunt (the missionary). warning the whites that if they did not leave the place directly, Sam would have them all cooked and eaten. You may easily guess how we were all situated, with three boats and two small cutters to take away thirty white men and about ninety chil- dren, with the women and property. Happily however, the Lord dircted us to a place out of Sam's
territory; called Solevu?. where we have resided very comfortably until lately. When we left Ovalou, there was a considerable loss of property, but Mr. D. Whippy and his partners suffered the most severely, as they had a vessel of ninety tons on the stocks, all in frame and ready for planking, which, shortly after our departure, was burned by the natives. The timber for this vessel had been brought in a small boat from an adjacent island at considerable labour and expense. The next misfortune fell upon two white men who had been driven off shore in a gale of wind. One of these men had his wife and a child with him, and when they at last made the shore, two Fejeans jumped into the boat, one of whom immdiately seized the child and destroyed him. The husband would have shared the fate of his offspring but for the interference of his wife, who informed tlhe butchers that the man was a carpenter and could repair their muskets. The lives of the men were therefore spared, and Captain Osborne, of the Tim Pickering,. who was at that time fishing close by with the brig Charles Worgman, having heard of this, at once adopted measures for the liberation of these unhappy men, by ransoming them. Some time after this, one of the Feejee pilots, named Thomas Grundy, who was then in a boat with three other men off Vanua Levu, was attacked by the natives, and narrowly escaped being murdered. A shower of rain having came, Grundy and his men had gone below, and the savages ashore seeing no person on deck. had swum out to the vessel as she lay at anchor. Grundy hearing the noise, came on deck, and was immediately attacked. 'The awning, however. being spread, broke the force off the blows which were rapidly aimed at him by the clubs of the F'ejeans. and Grudy having secured a cutlass, so effectively turned the tables upon his assailants that they sought safety by jumping overboard. At this same place a most melamcltoly scene occurred some few months afterwards. A man named Gravitt had in some trifling matter offended KoreTova, the Chief of Ravevare, on the Mud-water Coast. who had sworn vengeance. 'This offense had occurred some years before, and Gravitt having acted as pilot for Captain Willis of the barque KoreTova was about to start on a cruise for shell among the Islands. with three men, one of whom was a native of New York, and the other two English. making in all four white men, and a native female. As soon as they had quitted the barque, Kore'Tova sent two canoes in chase of the boat, and not being able to accomplish the murderous design on the water, ran ahead of the boat to this place, which is called Naivien in order to capture the boat if she should anchor there. Unfortunately for the white men, the anticipations of the savages were realised, as the boat came to an anchor at this very place, where the men kept watch as usual, but Gravitt fell asleep when it was his turn to keep watch. As the natives tell the tale, they swam out three or four times to the boat in order to make sure that Gravitt was really asleep before they attempted anything. Having ascertained this fact: two savages dived for the anchor, which they raised and managed to drag the craft ashore. 'The striking of the boat aroused Gravitt from his unfortunate slumber, but the boat was surrounded by numbers of these infuriated cannibals, yelling in the plenitude of their savage joy. and Gravitt received a blow with an axe which nearly cut off his leg. The other men were brained with axes as they attempted to rise, but the woman was spared, and Glravitt's wound was bound up in order that he might not die too quickly. On the next day Gravitt's companions were cooked before his eves. The unhappy man offered to pay anything in the shape of ransom which they might demand, but all could not avail, for they had devoted him to the greatest torments which their savage ingenuity could devise. To cut short this harrowing detail. these wretches cut off the limbs of their miserable victim, and devoured them before his eyes until he expired from loss of blood, notwithstanding all their endeavours to prolong his torments. The heart of Gravitt was sent to KoreT'ova, who satiated his vengeance by feasting upon it. This is but the mere outline of the scene taken from the account given by the natives, and it is left for the reader to imagine what must have been this man's feelings when he saw his comrades cooked and eaten, and his own flesh roasted and devoured piecemeal without an eye to pity or a hand 'to save. The boat was bought by a native of Tonga,who gave a canoe in exchange for her, and took her to Somosomo, where 'Mr. Williams, one of the Wesleyan Missionaries, resides. This gentlemen purchased her, and sent word to the white residents at Solevu?, so that if there were any other owners there, they might come and get her. There was almost five hundred dollars worth of property in the boat at the time of her capture, which was all stolen. The next on the list of murders was a man named George Thomas, who resided on the island of Cantavu (Kadavu), under the jurisdiction of Garanageo, King of Reva, and who was killed merely because he pos- sessed a musket which a native wanted. Granageo however, who was always friendly to the whites, sent for the native who had committed this murder, and killed and eat him. Within the last few months two other men. named William Wynn and John Ainsison, who were cruising on the Vete Seve, anchored at a place called Saukasa to trade; when two or three natives came on board to sell some articles, and while bargaining they seized the two men and threw them overboard, they both swam to the shore, where several white men were living; and they were thus saved from being added to the number of cannibal atrocities. The chief of Soukasa recovered the boat for them, but they lost nearly all their articles of trade. About a month after this, two other unfortunate men, named Simmons and Chester, lost their lives. The boat in which they were was built and owned by Simmons, who had been working hard for about twelve months previously to complete her. This was her maiden trip ; they were taken at a town, a little above where the last mentioned boat was taken, called Undavou, belonging to the Barratta chief, where an attempt was made some years since to take the David Ogleby. These poor fellows were thrown off their guard in consequence of having a native with them belonging to the place, who had for a long time been living with Simmons, and helping them to build the boat. Four natives came out with some fowls for sale, one of whom asked Chester for something, and while Chester turned his back to reach it, the native pushed him overboard when he was instantly club bed; they then attacked Simmons, who had nothing to defend himself with but an unloaded musket, with which he wounded one of the natives in the foot, and would probably have saved his life had the native boy who was with him rendered him any assistance, but at the commencement of the scuffle this lad ran up the mast in alarm. These two men they buried. The boat was subsequently got back at an expense of about seventy dollars, but without either sails or rigging. Poor fellows ! They left the beach of Soalever in the lighest spirits, anticipating that they might have some return for their long labours; but alas ! it was their first and last cruise in that boat. "Man goeth out but knoweth not when he may return." About three weeks after this a small cutter, belonging to Mr. Williams, the U. S. Consul, was attacked at the island of Bangor, but the na tives were foiled in this attempt; as the men were on the look out, and shot two of them. A man named Thomas, who was out fishing for Captain Waldler, of the brig Charles Worgman, went on shore and got into a dispute with a chief called Vata LeIa, belonging to KoreTova's place; the Fejeans caused his wife to run away, and would in all probability have killed him had not a boat from the brig luckily arrived which took him off, but the poor fellow only escaped the club to die of dysentery which was brought on by this affair. He died about a fortnight afterwards at Viava. ? The whites sent to Sam to see if an end could not be put to these barbarous proceedings; but the last time they went he told them none of these murders had been committed in his territories, and they could go and kill all the natives they could lay hold of, and that there were no men to allow such things to go forward when they had so many small vessels that they might sweep off all the canoes in the islands. The vessel that went on this business belonged to Messrs Whippy, Simpson, and Miller, the two latter are shipwrights, and were going to agree upon re- pairlng the schooner Warwick. You will perceive by what has been already written that the inhabi tants of Rewa and Bow are deadly enemies, and have been at war for the last four years.' The schooner arrived there that night and left the next morning by sunrise, without having seen a Feajean; but the Rewa people having heard that she had been in the harbour gave it out to their enemies that the Soal- ever schooner had been in there supplying them with arms and ammunition. About a week after a letter arrived from Viava, stating that the chief of Bow had sent a canoe with whales teeth to have us all killed. Whales teeth are regarded as the most valuable property a Fejean can possess; they will save a man's life, or cause his brains to be knocked
out. The canoe arrived at our place, but we were unable to discover for a certainty whether the teeth came or not; from all we could learn from the natives who came in the canoe, the chief of Bow was determined to have us all killed if possible. At the same time he sent word to a chief called Phillips, to kill all the whites residing on the island of Nakua, in Rewa harbour. On the day however, upon which this butchery was to take place, the schooner Franklin, and the barque Auckland, arrived at that place and prevented it. We had been keeping watch for eight days previously as we did not know the minute when our town might be set on fire and ourselves and families smothered in the ruins. It may be that this has happened since our departure; perhaps the first news that we may hear on our return, will be that the town is in ruins, and our wives and children clubbed and eaten. Letters- detailing these proceedings: have been written to Mr. Miller the British Consul General for the South Seas, and that gentleman issued two pro clamations - one to the whites and the other to the Fejeans; the latter was translated by the Rev. Mr. Hunt, and read to the principal chiefs, but it was of no use. They say they are not frightened by the white nation. The principal murders I have men tioned were perpetrated subsequent to the arrival of the proclamations. Mr. Hunt also received 1 letter -from the -Consul General. inquiring into the truth of the statements which had been made to him. Surely such scenes as I have narrated ought to be investigated', and if one of H.M. ships which are cruising about those seas was to call but once at the islands to settle accounts with the natives for their past misdeeds, white people might live there with safety. When' Commodore Wilks with the American squadron was surveying those islands two of his officers were killed at Valola, but he sent a party of his men on shore, burned down one of their towns, and killed between sixty and seventy of them; ever since that time a white man is looked upon with the greatest respect at that place. As to the fear of losing a vessel,, there is a clear road from Cantavu to the island of Ovalou, where there is a first-rate harbour, good anchorage, and excellent pilots - men who piloted the American squadron, and who have the highest recommendations from English, Americans, and French. I will mention a few of their names.: - Thomas Grundy, W. Cusick, J. Smith. W. Simpson. and several others. Perhaps what I have written may be of little use, but I trust some friendly eye may catch a glimpse of it. and endeavour to look into these: things. The whites living in the islands are in general bad cha- racters., worse even than the natives. I will say nothing of the residents at Feejee, as.l am one my self, and do not like to sing my own praises. .Those who wish to know our character. may ascertain it by inquiring from the captains of vessels who have visited theire, or at the Wesleyan mission. The Rev. Mr. Hunt, the head of the, Wesleyan.mission in the Feejees, is a gentleman who has done all in his power for the welfare of the whites among the islanids both spiritually and temporally. His labours have caused the greater part of the. whites to marry, and he has done away with the abominable practice of- one man having three or four wives. Mr. Hunt's name will, I am sure, never be forgotten by the white inhabi tants of the Feejees. not only on account of his own exertions, but for the other missionaries who have been obtained through his interference. Some people may fancy what I have written is all false, but its truth can be proved by at least twelve persons now in the port of Sydney ; and what I have stated is merely a sample of the horrid deeds which. have been committed in the Feejees. .. If we should be compelled to leave the islands, our vessels would be a lawful prize; because not having been built in a civilized country they are not allowed to sail to one.. This is very hard upon people who have been long struggling to build a vessel, and is a very poor encouragement fur planting new colonies. [We fear that in the above narrative the names of many of the localities mentioned are not correctly spelt, as the manuscript was not the most legible, and we are not extremely well versed it Fejean geography. EDS. CHRON.)