Century contains an article entitled France and the New Hebrides" which gives an account of the French Possessions and policy in the Pacific. Frauoe already has, says the writer, very oon-siderable influence in that quarter. In the great maritime highway between Panama and Auckland, commonly called the Eastern Pacific, the French Possessions comprise the Marqucsae, the Tahitian archipelago and the Lee. ward Islands, The Marquesas were ceded to France in 1842, and in the same year Tahiti was seized by Admiral Thouars. In 1843 Queen Pomurd placed the island under a French protectorate and in 1880 King Pomaré, the Fifth, handed over the admis tration of Tahiti and its dependencies to M. Chesse, the Commissioner of the Republic, and the Chamber and Senate duly ratified this cession, the island, ete. being declared to be French colonies. The Leeward Islands became matter of dispute between England and Franco soon after the affair in Tahiti, in 1843, and it was not until 1647 that Lord Palmerston and Count de Jarnac signed a treaty in which they engaged to acknowledge the independence of the islands and aleo norer to take possession of them. Bat in 1882, dnting the disputes about the Newfound laud fisheries, France seized the opportunity to open negotiations for the abrogation of that Treaty, and though the writer in the Nineteenth Century does not appear to know what actually took place, Lo states that the French ting was then hoisted at Rniatea and is still Aying there, and the islands are regarded as French possessions.
In the Western Pacific, the author goes on to say, "the trade route of the fature, between Vancouver Island and Sydney, is intercepted, 270 miles north-east of Queensland, by Frouch Now Caledonia, 200 miles long and 30 broad, possessing the two secure bar. baure of Port Balade and Port St, Vincent, and by the adjacent group of the Loyalty Islands, which were annex. ed by France in 1864, Not conten with the influence they already possess in these waters, France now secka: to annex the New Hebrides, an important group of islands west of the Fijis, distant only 900. miles from Australia, and lying in. the great commercial highway of our vessels, and those of New Zealand, on the American, Japa-and Chinese routes."
The New Hebrides area group of over thirty inhabited islands with an estimated population of 150,000. In the Charter of 1840 these islands formed part of New Z-aland, but in 1863 the boundaries of the latter colony were changed; but this is held by Colonial authorities not to affect the status of the islands as being a part of the poo sessions of the Crown. In 1877 there was great excitement in the Colonies in consequence of events which showed that it was the intention of France to occupy the islands, and communications then passed bot ween the Frenob Foreign Minister and Lord Derby in which the former gave assurances that France had no intention of interfering with the independence of the islands, Lord Derby, in his reply, stated that Hor Mnjesty's Government had no intention of proposing any measure to Parliament with the view of altering the indepen dence enjoyed by the New Hebrides. This is the Anglo-French agreement of 1878 which France is now suspected of a design to set aside, and it "is inter= preted by the Imperial authorities as preventing any interference either by Grout Britain or Australia in the cons dition of the New Hebrides." In 1883 it was reported that French occupation was imminent, when the Colonies atone took atops to move the Home govern. ment to prevent it; and in February of 8 year the French Guvernmentoffered to cease transportation of their couvicta altogether to the Pacific, if they were ko the New Hebrides, jo replied that nothing could be dono without the assent of the Colonial Governments, and said that the proposal might be more acceptable if Rapa were given to England, Yo this soraewhat extraordinary give and take proposal of the Colonial Secretary the Colonial gorornments offered immediate opposition. It appeare, however, that New South Wales is at least inclined to agree to the French proposals, on account of her anxiety to got rid at ones of the vecidiviste question, and while Victoria is altogether opposed to Fruuco obtaining the islands, other
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.