Supposed Freemasonry In The South Seas.

I had exceptional opportunities of knowing them , their language , manners and customs . I imagine I have fouud traces of Masonry among tho

Drives from Fiji to the Solomoi «» , a" through tho new Hebrides aiid BarVs Groups . When I have told what I have seen , perbaj s some may agree with me on tho subject .

Let us begin at Fiji first . When the Masonic Lodge was started there ( and by the way , let me remark in passing that the Masons of Levuka erected thj firat h 5 pit . 1 l in tho South Seas—for all comers , too—and kept it going for some time rntil the Government stapped in ) some of us went to

Bau to explain matters to the King , & c , as is the Masonic custom . The interpreter of the party went on to explain to Cakobau tho well-known prinoiples and objects of Masonry , but he was interrupted by the chief , who said he knew all about it , s » s the Fijians had it among themselves ,

and he seamed much astonished at finding it among the whites also . Naturally such a statement from such a person excited much interest among tbe deputation , and a few dire jt and close questions followed ; but the old King

laughed and said characteristic ? Hy , he did not ask to know their secrets , and why should they seek to find out his ; let them establish their Lodge , and so the matter rested , which I think was a pity .

Some years ago I was settled in the Yasawas , the most westerly of the Fijian Islands ; a local chief of some power made himself very annoy ' ng to us planters ; he was not the proper chief by descent , but had ' a few years previously , partly by intrigue and partly by force , managed to depose

his child relation and sieze power , and half of the large tribe xefnsed to obey him , so we whites sent for him and told him plainly that if he did not behave himself we would go to Bap , see the King of Fiji , and put tbe right chief in his place . Old Sofe Tubua—such was the old rascal ' s

name—laughed , flipped his finger and thumb in our faces , and told us plainly that we could not do it as he was " brother to the King . " Now I knew he had no blood relationship to any Bauan , and the word " brother" struck me , and I bribed one of his old men to tell me all about it .

It appeared that when Sofe was a young warrior he loaded a big canoe , took her to Bau , and presented her loaded as she was to the King . In return he was taken alone without his followers to a lonely part of the bush for three or

four days , and when he returned all Bau saluted him as "Brother to Cakobau . " His relationship stood him in good stead , a 3 we whites failed to remove him , although we tried hard to do so at Bau , and Sofe died a chief .

In Fiji I imagine the feudal and absolute power of the chiefs keeps this secret Institution much among themselves , and do not allow it to extend among the people , although signs are not wanting to show that formerly it was much more prevalent ; for instance , each village has its club

house , called " The Buri , " where most of the men live , and although women enter it now , in heathen times they did not . Also in certain seasons of the year the lads are taken into the forests , live in retirement for a time , and are then made men , and go through certain rites and initiations .

No women are allowed about . Feasts as in other places nearer home are frequent . When secret rites , & c , are to take place , a spot in the lonely depths of the forest is

chosen , and enclosed with a high fence , conch shells are blown continually to keep intruders at a distance . If an unhappy outsider or " cowan " strays to the fence , there is no return , he pays with his life * for his rashness .

On one occasion I was shooting at Volua , or Saddle Island—one of the Banks group—and far in the bush came across one of these secret retreats . Conch shells were Bounding on all sides ; my boy bird finder trembled with fear , and begged me to steal off at once . To this I

objected , but going back a little coooed vigorously . In a few minutes two young fellows came up , arrows on strings , and ordered me off with scant ceremony , but I offered a large price : two flasks of powder , to be allowed inside . This they said they had not the power to grant , but would

ask . Alter a time some old men turned up , collared the flasks , threatened the frightened boy with death if he moved , and took me inside , and I saw little or nothing , the remains of a feast and some huge masks which they refused to sell . I was offered food , an offer never refused

in tbe South Seas unless you wish to give offence , and so I returned as wise as I went . In the New Hebrides , and especiplly in tbe Banks groups of islands , each little village has its guild hall , or Masonic Lodge . In it its members live and sleep ; no woman or boy or cowan dare

Supposed Freemasonry In The South Seas.

enter on pain or death ; it is always the largest horse "i the town , being often 60 or 70 feet long by 14 feet wide , and built 6 or 7 feet off the ground on a raised platform ; grn idols cut out of the fern tree 12 or 14 feet big to guard its four corners , the posts also of the house are

carved in the likeness of men . These , guild men or Masons have much power and control the authority of the chief . If they aro hostile no trading & c , can take place . A long broad passage leads down tbe middle of the house . There are tho fireplaces , each with its heap of little stones

for cooking purposes—for in this place the men cook and nowhere else will they do so . On each side are the sleeping places partitioned off . Most of the men in each village belong to this Society . Initiation and promotion is paid for with many pigs , guns , and native money . This money

is made from small shells , red , black , and white , ground by the women to resemble the segment of the back bone of a small fish and string , and is used all over the Western Pacific as money , our £ s d in fact . The red is four times as valuable as the black , which is worth double that of the white .

A few years ago I was on the N . E . cost of Gan or Tsabel Island . This is one of tbe wildest and most cannibal places in the Solomons . In many towns the people live entirely in trees and build their houses in them , and are very savage . We were at anchor for three or

four days , but tho people objected to our landing . We understood some of the local lingo . For my part I did not try to land , as I had not been offered betel nut—the sign of friendship among these people—and in such wild islands if wo whites respected the customs of the natives more ,

tbero would be fewer murders and cannibal feasts . Howr ever , the captain tried to go ashore , and found the natives bending their bows ; notwithstanding this the people came freely on board and made themselves quite at home . I noticed that most of the principal men among them woro

wigs made of human hair , and I suddenly remembered that some time before a trader , when speaking about Gan , said that if ever we went there we would get among the black Masons , and had chaffed me about my black brothers . I thought he was only joking at the time , now

I remembered . It was evening , eight or ten of those wigmen were sitting in a circle on deck chewing betel , it was very hot and all the rest were below . Here goes for a try , I said to myself , so I sat down and joined the circle ; all words were useless I knew , so I made the signs known to

us and common in the first and second degree—the signs of the third I judged were useless in this case for a reason well known to us all . Every eye waa fixed on me , and every jaw stopped wagging as they watched , and nothing occured for ten minutes or so and I felt rather

disappointed . Then one old fellow next me suddenly pulled off his wig and popped it on my head , and all the circle nodded and grinned at me ; another old buffer handed me his betel nut box—their sign of friendship as I said before—and our jaws wagged in unison for a bit . Their

canoe was alongside and they proposed I go ashore at once with them ( mind you , before this for three days they would not allow one of us to touch the beach . ) I agreed , and I imagine showed some faith in my new brothers . The surprise , astonishment , and half fright of the captain

as he came on deck and saw me leaving the side in a canoe , made me laugh . He called out as we paddled away to be very careful , and he •would send the armed boat to the beach to cover me , and so he did . And now a queer thing happened—a mob of boys and girls ran down to see the

canoe land ; it would never do to show distrust now , so I jumped ashore amongst the foremost , and when the people saw my head gear , yells of astonishment broke out on all sides , and those close to me prostrated themselves , and as I was led up to the temple or Lodge , Lodge or temple , every

one we met , except wigmen , put their foreheads to the ground as we passed . There we sat down , the invariable pig was produced , and we did eat and were filled . Was the temple a Lodge ? I can't say . There was nothing of our Lodge about it , but no unwigged man entered , or boy

or woman . Great hollow fish made of wood hung from the roof , holding the bones of the ancestors of the tribe ; human skulls grinned ghastly on all sides , trophies these of the prowess of the tribe , for the Solomonites are head hunters

like tho Dyaks . Grim idols were all round the walls , three great war canoes , 150 or 200 feet long with sides and . bows gleaming with mother-of-pearl and capable of carrying two or three hundred men , were in the middle ; vast wooden bowls for holding human bodies at feasts and similarly