132 A MISSION TO VITI. 
convey to Her Majesty 200,000 acres of land as con- 
sideration for the payment of these claims for him, as 
he does not possess them, nor does he acknowledge to 
have offered more than his consent that lands to this 
extent might be acquired by Her Majesty’s Government 
for public purposes in Fiji.” Nothing to this effect was 
broached during the official interview ; on the contrary, 
the King distinctly said, that “the arrangement respect- 
ing the cession entered into with Mr. Consul Pritchard 
is still in full force.” Nor was the Consul aware that 
Colonel‘Smythe had on any other occasion elicited in- 
formation from the King that could be thus construed. It 
was perfectly well understood by all the leading chiefs that 
each and all would have to make over a certain portion 
of land, in payment of the debt fastened upon them by 
the American Government; and Bau, and King Cako- 
bau as its representative, would have borne his share to 
make up the 200,000 acres. The very fact that all the 
chiefs, without any exception, and even those living in 
the remotest districts, ratified the deed of cession, proves 
that King Cakobau was backed by all the influence of 
his country, and had a perfect right to cede the sove- 
reignty of the islands.* 
* Tn order to place this fact beyond dispute, I have printed the names 
of all those chiefs who ratified the deed of cession,—this ratification being 
a document omitted in the Blue-book on Fiji. Some information as to 
the real position of Bau in Fiji will be found at pp. 74-80 of the present 
work. 
