504                           FOREIGN    RELATIONS.

our representative-they will be bound to give it a careful if not a favorable
consider-
ation; and, at all events, the proposal to annex the Fiji Islands will demand,
in the
course' of a year, a decisive answer.
   The question, as our readers will generally be aware, is by no means a
new one. As.
 long ago as 1859 the principal chiefs, in some sense or other, offered the
country to the
 Queen. An inclination to accept British authority has"since been more
than once ex-
 pressed; and Mr. McArthur stated last year that a fresh petition in favor
of annexa-
 tion was on its way to England. It is indeed eas.v to understand the need
which is felt
 for the establishment in the islands of some strong government. According
to Mr.
 Gladstone's statement of last year they contain. a population of about 140,000
natives,
 and 2,000 whites. These whites include some exceedingly turbulent and unprincipled
 characters; and though the chief members of the government are of white
extraction.,
 the King is a native, and he is probably unable to enforce law and keep
the peace with
 any sufficient success. We are utterly ignorant, as Mr. Gladstone said,
of the condi-
 tion of the native population; but it is again highly probable that they
are keenly
 sensible of the encroachments of the white settlers, and that they would
be glad of
 any government which would give them protection.
   The difficulty is annually augmented by the increase of the white elemrent
in the
 South Seas, and it must be recognized as one of the complications of the
problem that
 the islands are in any case not likely long to remain -independent. If not
annexed by
 England, they may be by the United States; and thus the people of Fiji,
and we our-
 selves, have to consider that the choice may be not between independence
and annex-
 ation to England, but between annexation to England and to some other power.
There
 seems little doubt of the alternative the Fijians would prefer, but it is
for us to take
 into account, not merely their preference, but the probable advantage or
disadvan-
 tage of accepting such an addition to our territory. .The advocates of annexation
 are in many respects able to make out a favorable case for their proposal.
It is said
 that the islands occupy one of the most important positions in the Pacific;
that, in
 the opinion of high naval authorities, no better station for our ships of
war is to be
 found in the great highway between America and Australia; that they are
exceedingly
 fertile, producing all kinds of tropical fruits, and particularly favorable
to the growth
 of the cotton-plant. It is urged, moreover, that in view of the growth of
other powers
 in the Pacific we need such a station -for the convenience of our navy,
and there is a
 very strong party in Australia in favor of annexation. On one point, indeed,
the
 present telegram seems to be at variance with the assurance of Mr. McArthur
and his
 supporters. He spoke last year of 'the probable expenses of the government
being
 six or seven thousand a year, while the treasurer anticipated a revenue
of £30,000,
 and believed that in two years it would reach £ý100,000. These
estimates it would
 seem are matters of pure anticipation. The telegram probably expresses the
results
 cf Mr. Layard's inquiries, and according to it the Fiji exchequer is insolvent,
the ex-
 penditure having amounted during the-last two years; to £1-24,000.
while the revenue
 during the same period was only £40,000. Still, it is not probablo
that the existing
 government of the islands have had either the ,ability or the disposition
to make the
 best use of their resources; and if the climate, the soil, and the situation
of the group
 deserve the praise bestowed on them, there ought to be no difficulty in
rendering the
 annexation inexpensive. There is, moreover, one still more urgent reason
in favor of
 such a step.
 The islands are said, under their present government, to afford most. mischievous
 facilities for the slave-traffic, which is the curse of the Southern Pacific.
Mr. Glad-
 stone was obliged to admit last year "the importance of this country
taking all proper
 and reasonable steps in order to put an end to a state of things in which
Britishi sub-
 jects, removing themselves from the territorial jurisdiction of the home
or colonial
 government, plant themselves in a region of the earth having little or no
political
 relation with us, and defile that region by what is either avowedly or virtually
a traf-
 fic in human flesh, with its usual accompaniments of moral degradation and
physical
 cruelty."
 We have ourselves experienced the difficulty of putting a stop to this crime,
and
 it is probable that such a government as that of Fiji will never be able
to exert any
 effectual control over the white adventurers who are guilty of it.
 We are assured the only way to put down the slave-trade, against which we
have
 declared war, is to take the islands into our own hands, and thus deprive
the offenders
 of the shelter they can now obtain.
 These arguments, it must be owned, constitute af air case for consideration,
and the
 latter argument in particular will have great weight with Parliament and
the country.
 At the same time we may be confident the present government, like the last,
will be
 fully alive to the risks and responsibilities of annexation.
 The first question to be asked is whether we are sure the "cession"
of which the
telegram speaks, and the petition of which we he~ard last year, really represent
the
dominant feeling among the inhabitants, both white and native.
  It was not considered clear last year that the King had the power to transfer
his