HISTORY OF THE ATOLL, 1854-1871 29 



The departure of the Juno left Ross Secimdiis as a 

 Governor of a colony under the British rule, but the change 

 of his status was merely a nominal one, for the colony was so 

 remote from the sovereign power, and so absolutely his own, 

 that the Juno virtually left him as she found him, the sole 

 appeal of law and order. 



Ross Secundus now set about developing the island in- 

 dustries and carrying on the work that had been begun by 

 his father, and this he did with great success. The islands 

 flourished and the plantations of coconut palms increased, 

 and everything in the colony appeared to be on the high road 

 to prosperity. In 1862, however, one of those periodic re- 

 verses that have been the lot of the settlement smote the 

 islands, and a terrific cyclone wrecked the flourishing industries 

 and laid the islands waste. 



The whole disaster was the work of a few hours, and yet 

 in this short time homes were demolished, working sheds were 

 wrecked, and the coconut palms, which were the sole source 

 of the island's wealth, were torn up by the roots or snapped 

 like matchwood by the violence of the storm. The happy 

 dream of prosperity was turned into an actuality of hardship 

 and want, and all the philosophic patience which was the great 

 characteristic of the life of Ross Secundus was needed to asfain 

 start the building up of what was left of the little colony. 

 He recalled his eldest son from Scotland, and with his assist- 

 ance set out upon a vigorous endeavour to put to rights the 

 havoc wrought by the cyclone. 



Soon after this event the colony was again visited by a 

 representative of the sovereign power, for in 1864 H.M.S. 

 8er])ent, a surveying ship, called at the islands. A survey of 

 the ffroun was conducted, and the affairs of the island Avere 



O J. ' 



inquired into, and the damage done by the cyclone noted. 



From the time of the visit of the SeriJent, the history of 

 the rule of Ross Secundus appears to have been without great 

 incident, and nothing of importance is remembered to-day as 

 marking out the events of this period. His eldest son — the 

 present Governor — was working with him in the islands, and a 



