THE CESSION OF FIJI. 25 



Islands the effects will be most disastrous among the natives.' 

 He added : ' I have thus done all I can to prevent it spreading 

 to other groups of islands, but to stay its progress here is 

 impossible it is everywhere. The natives will not do as they 

 are told, but will expose themselves to cold and wet, to allay 

 the feverishness. Some actually creep away at night from the 

 guard we have stationed over them, and go and lie down in 

 the sea or creeks ; this brings on dysentery and congestion of 

 the lungs, of which Ratu Savanatha died. We have published 

 and distributed plain directions for its treatment ; but, I regret 

 to say, some evilly disposed white persons have told the natives 

 not to take our medicines, as they were only meant to augment 

 the disease, which has been purposely introduced to enable us 

 to kill them, and get their lands.' 



This last statement seems incredible. Political hatred may 

 go a long way, but that in its malevolence it should deliberately 

 assist in the destruction of a race of human beings, passes 

 European comprehension. Yet there is the damning record 

 contained in a Government blue-book. I believe the total 

 number of deaths from this epidemic was at least 30,000 ! 

 The white inhabitants did their utmost for the poor sufferers, 

 and directions for remedies were posted 'on the trees all over 

 the islands. Eye-witnesses have described the scenes of horror 

 that were of daily occurrence, and the following extracts are 

 taken from letters written by a Wesleyan missionary, the 

 Rev. A. J. Webb : 



' A calamity of the most serious kind has swept down upon 

 this beautiful group of islands, and its ravages will have to be 

 computed not by hundreds, but by thousands. We are having 

 the same disease here that has been prevalent in the Colonies ; 

 but the mortality is heightened by the habits, the ignorance, 



