33.7 The pacific: a.d. 1801 to 1900  (Page 3/6)

In 1,803 Great Britain took possession of the island of Tasmania and in the following year established a penal colony there. At that time there were approximately 7,000 natives, but they had been completely exterminated by 1,888. Originally part of New South Wales, Tasmania became a separate colony in 1,825, but did not receive its present name until 1,853. (Ref. 38 , 213 ) Additional Notes

Melanesia

Insert Map: Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia

The people of the Solomon Islands are generally darker and shorter than even those of Fiji, New Caledonia or the New Hebrides, with many of the interior tribesmen being very black. Pygmies are present in the southern islands. European domination of the Pacific islands did not occur rapidly. New Caledonia, rich in minerals, became French in 1,853 and by 1,900 there were 23,500 whites in that group, by far the largest Caucasian population in any South Seas island chain. After 1,887 New Hebrides was controlled by a joint naval commission of British and French officers. (Ref. 76 , 134 )

New Guinea (Papua) is the world's largest island, excepting Greenland. It was so named because of coastal similarity to Guinea in Africa and consists largely of tropical jungle in which head-hunting and cannibalism have been practiced in some remote areas perhaps right up to the current writing. The west half of the island was annexed by the Dutch in 1,828 and in 1,884 the British announced a protectorate over the southeast coast and adjacent islands, while the Germans claimed the northeast portion. Thus it remained for the remainder of the century. In Fiji, bordering Melanesia and Polynesia, Europeans came at the opening of the century looking for sandalwood, but their diseases almost destroyed the native Fijians, who were of Melanesian origin. European guns intensified the tribal wars and after many chiefs joined in a request, the British annexed the islands in 1,874. Cannibalism flourished in those islands until the 20th century. Small, hot peppers and other vegetables were served with human meat to give it better flavor. After the British took over they hired natives to work in the cane fields, but at poor wages and only a few would work. As a result the British began to import East Indian laborers and today there are more of the latter in Fiji than natives and that brings up many problems. (Ref. 38 , 175 , 134 )

Since whaling vessels stayed at sea until their barrels were filled with oil, the voyages sometimes took 2 or 3 years and only the dregs and troublemakers of the sailing men's world could be talked into signing up for such long voyages. As a result the Pacific islanders saw some mighty rough and dishonest American and British sailors. They brought in rum, started fights, stole women and anything else available. Some jumped ship to become pirates on their own, the most famous being "Bully" Hayes, who also was one of the originators of "blackbirding". Ship captains would "rent" natives to entrepreneurs to be used as laborers or miners (in South America) with the theory being that af ter a certain period the "blackbird" would be released to return home. Few ever did. The men of Melanesia suffered most of this blackbirding and wherever they were taken, living condition were very bad and 10% up to 75% of them died of disease. In the late 1,870s the people of New Caledonia rebelled against that and started to slaughter- any foreigner, savagely. That got the attention of European governments so that they finally forced an end to that traffic in island people.