494. A MISSION TO VITI. 
They possess strong feelings of nationality, and own ready obe- 
dience to their chief, Maafu, a near relative to the king of Tonga. 
Native agency is largely employed by the missionaries in Fiji, 
and many of the most efficient teachers are Tonguese. In cases 
where Tonguese teachers have been ill-treated by the heathen 
natives, Maafu has interfered as the protector of his countrymen. 
In this manner, while extending his own influence, he has ren- 
dered safer the position of the native teachers. [Compare Chapter 
XV.] The presence of the Tonguese in Fiji has been far from an 
unmixed benefit. Their conduct has often been in direct con- 
tradiction to their profession of Christianity, and the help which 
they have afforded to the chiefs has occasioned much oppression 
to the people in the contributions levied to recompense their 
services. The population of the Tonga group does not exceed a 
tenth of that of Fiji; yet from the mental and physical superiority 
of the Tonguese, their courage and discipline, and the dread of 
them established among the Fijians, there is little doubt that 
they could easily make themselves masters of Fiji,—an enterprise 
which George, King of Tonga, has been said to meditate. 
The permanent white residents in Fiji amount to about 200, 
composed chiefly of men who have léft or run away from vessels 
visiting the islands. They are principally British subjects, citi- 
zens of the United States, with a few French and Germans; the, 
two former are the most numerous. They traffic with the natives 
for produce, which they dispose of to vessels. They do nothing 
to civilize or improve the natives; on the contrary, they have 
in many instances fallen to a lower level. Whenever they can 
obtain spirits, most-of them drink to excess. From false infor. 
mation given in the colonial journals regarding the acceptance 
by Her Majesty of the sovereignty of the islands, and their ad- 
vantages for settlers, a considerable number of people were in- 
duced to visit them during last year. Discovering on their. 
arrival the true state of affairs, many of them hastened to return 
to the colonies, and the greater number of the remainder will 
probably follow. They were generally of a much superior class 
to the old white residents. [The latest intelligence received from 
Fiji states the number of respectable white residents to be in- 
creasing.—B. 8.] 
