66 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
The inhabitants of Western Polynesia are more treacherous and cruel than 
the Polynesians proper. We should be more careful in trusting them. 
Both, however, are much less ferocious than either the Maoris, Malays, or 
American Indians. I do not think that the whole of the inhabitants of 
Polynesia will give as much trouble to any colonizing power as New Zealand 
gave to England, 
Colonization. 
The actual work of colonization has as yet been small. Tradition does 
not even give the name or race of the people who cut the stone images on 
Easter Island, or erected the immense buildings, whose ruins exist upon 
many islands in the Caroline group, ** hundreds of acres in some localities 
being eovered with the remains of walls, eanals, and earthworks of the most 
_ stupendous character.” * 
| Spain. 
Spain was the first colonizing nation in the Pacifie, but the attempts of 
the Spaniards have met with very poor results. They were compelled to 
abandon many of their settlements. That Government now possesses only 
the Ladrone and Bonin groups. (The Phillipine Islands belong rather to 
Malaysia than Polynesia.). The aboriginal inhabitants of the Ladrone Islands 
have simply been exterminated. We have to congratulate ourselves upon 
the fact that the Spaniards confined their colonizing efforts to so small a 
number of islands. Angas’ ** Polynesia " + supplies the following informa- 
tion :—“ It is said that Americans and Sandwich Islanders have been 
allowed to settle themselves of late years on the island of Agrigan (Ladrone), 
on condition of acknowledging allegiance to Spain ; also, that the island is 
being peopled with natives kidnapped from other parts of Polynesia. The 
Bonin Islands have no native population. Japanese junks occasionally visit 
the group. A few Japanese have established themselves on the northern 
islands. On some of the others there are British subjects located, for the 
purpose, it is supposed, of carrying on a contraband trade with Japan.” 
Spain also claims dominion over some of the neighbouring islands in the 
Pelew and Caroline groups, yet hardly a dozen of her subjects are settled 
upon them. 1 
* H. B. Sterndal t 1866 Edition 
t The “ Statesman’ a pss Book T Peg Lis gives the following information concerning 
the Spanish possessions in the Pac 
Name. G PSOE oun Miles. Population. 
Phillipine Islands .. ix . +. 3,100 4, s 269 
Caroline Islands and Palaos S ie a 43:1 8,000 
Marian Islands (Ladrone) ee T e 19:6 K^ 610 
8,1627 4,852,879 
