The international geography . History, Government and Trade.—The Fijians belongto the Polynesian race, are of a dark copper colour, well-built and hand-some. Their numbers have greatly decreased since theadvent of Europeans, and in 1875 about one-third of thepopulation was carried off by a terrible epidemic ofmeasles. The islands were discovered by Tasman in1643. In 1835 the Wesleyan missionaries commencedtheir labours amongst the islanders, many of whom werethen cannibals ; and now Christianity is professed byall the inhabitants. The first British consul was ap-pointed in 1859; in 1864 the le
The international geography . History, Government and Trade.—The Fijians belongto the Polynesian race, are of a dark copper colour, well-built and hand-some. Their numbers have greatly decreased since theadvent of Europeans, and in 1875 about one-third of thepopulation was carried off by a terrible epidemic ofmeasles. The islands were discovered by Tasman in1643. In 1835 the Wesleyan missionaries commencedtheir labours amongst the islanders, many of whom werethen cannibals ; and now Christianity is professed byall the inhabitants. The first British consul was ap-pointed in 1859; in 1864 the leading chiefs offered tocede the sovereignty, but it was not until 1874 ^h^t theislands were taken over by the British Government, and shortly after-wards constituted a Crown colony. The Governor is assisted by anExecutive and a Legislative Council, and the local administration is carriedout by native chiefs. Native labour is msufficient for the increasingplantations, and labourers have to be imported from other islands. The. Fig. 325.—r/ze Badgeof the Crown Colonyof Fiji. Micronesia 653 leading exports are sugar, copra and fruit, especially bananas. The prin-cipal imports are cotton goods, machinery and hardware, and is carried on chiefly with the United Kingdom and the AustralianCommonwealth. Suva, the capital, situated on the south of Vlti Levu, is a small townwith a good harbour. Leviika, on the small island of Ovalu, east of VitiLevu, the former capital and a port, occupies a narrow coast-strip backedby mountains rising almost perpendicularly to over 2,000 feet. STATISTICS OF FIJI. 1881. 1891. 1901. Area of Fiji (square miles) .. .. ° Total Population of Fiji 127,095 .. 121,180 .. Number of Native Fijians .. 100,321 .. Density of Population per square inile .. 16-4 .. 157 .. 15-2 ANNUAL TRADE OF FIJI {in pounds sterling. _^ 1875-79. 1881-85. 1891-95. Imports 125,000 ,. 365,000 .. 279,000 Exports 140,000 .. 278,00
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgeography, bookyear19
