Niui'i, UNION, AND ELLICE ISLANDS 507 



Australia and New Zealand — for there is little or no 

 direct trade with England — were nearly 2£ times 

 greater in value than those of any other nation. The 

 population is probably about 36,000, of whom about 

 300 are Europeans. Steam communication exists with 

 Australia, New Zealand, San Francisco, and Tahiti, the 

 latter island, like Samoa, being a great emporium of South 

 Sea trade. 



5. Savage Island. 



Savage Island, or Nine, situated nearly midway be- 

 tween the Tonga and Samoa groups, is a small and very 

 fertile island, about nine miles long, of raised coral rock, 

 and interesting as having a population of mixed Samoan 

 and Melanesian blood. They speak a Samoan dialect, 

 and say their ancestors came from that island, and 

 found a Ijlack population, with whom they have inter- 

 mixed. They are now wholly converted to Christianity, 

 and are found to be a very intelligent, mild, and interest- 

 ing race, and by no means the dangerous savages they 

 were long supposed to be. Their numbers in 18G4 were 

 over 5000, and they are said to increase at the rate of 

 2-^ per cent annually. If this be true, we may probably 

 attribute it to the fact that the island is too small to 

 attract any visitors other than the missionaries ; and it 

 becomes most valuable evidence that Polynesians may 

 be civilised without being exterminated, if they are only 

 protected from the rude competition, the vices, and the 

 diseases which free intercourse with the ordinary class 

 of Europeans invariably brings upon them. The popu- 

 lation in 1892 was, however, said to number 5070, so 

 that, unless emigration has taken place, this report of 

 increase is incorrect. In Mr. Brenchley's Voyage of the 



