Islands For Sale

Romantic Story of Fanning and Washington

IT was announced in London on July 1 that Fanning Island and Washington Island, in the Central Pacific, are being offered for sale by a firm of city solicitors.

Housing accommodation, motor-boats and other conveniences will go to the pur-

chaser. A company which has been work ing in the copra islands for 20 years is said to be the vendor.

This bare statement marks another stage in one of the Central Pacific’s many romances. The strange story of Fanning and Washington Islands can be only very briefly outlined here.

Fanning Is. was discovered by Captain Fanning, of the whaler “Betsy” in 1798, and it was annexed by Britain in 1888, Washington, nearby, was similarly an nexed in 1889. Both are beautiful and fertile places, densely covered with tropi cal vegetation. The Fanning atoll is miles long by 4 miles wide; but the land surrounding a fine lagoon, is nowhere more than half a mile across. The Wash ington atoll is almost circular, and 10 miles around; but, instead of surrounding the usual lagoon, it encloses a freshwater lake.

About 1857, a whaling ship put ashore on uninhabited Fanning, an Ayrshire Scotsman, William Greig. He was alone for some time, and then was joined by another man, who brought a boat and some supplies. They succeeded in making contact with natives on other islands, and both married Polynesian women, and had large families. They induced communities of Gilbert Islanders to join them. They were industrious, and planted Fanning and Washington Islands with coconuts and prospered. Both men died there. The younger Greigs carried on; but the son of the other man did not like the life, and went away. Later, he sold his interests there to a Suva man.

Meanwhile, a young French priest, Father Rougier, had settled as a mission ary in North-west Fiji. To him there came one day, seeking help, a Frenchman,

an escapee from the convict prisons of New Caledonia. Father Rougier befriended and protected him; and, when he died, he bequeathed his property to the mission ary. It was discovered that his estate was valuable—he had been left a consid erable fortune.

The Suva man, who had secured a share in Fanning and Washington Islands, got into financial troubles—a law case with Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co., Ltd. had gone against him. He sold his share of the two islands to Father Rougier.

Father Rougier and the Greig family were associated for a time in the owner ship of the two islands; and then the missionary sold his interests to Fanning Island Ltd. Subsequently, he acquired a 99 years’ lease of Christmas Island, south east of Fanning Island, where he estab lished large plantations.

Fanning and Washington Islands have been owned and operated, for a score of years, by Fanning Island Ltd.

Father Rougier became a notable and highly respected figure in the Pacific. He devoted much of his time, in later years, to his successful commercial and finan cial interests, but he always remained primarily a missionary, and was noted for his benevolence and charity. He lived in Tahiti, where he was much loved, and where he died about 2½ years ago.

Messrs. M. and J. Leahy, who are well known as prospectors and explorers in New Guinea, came South to Australia in the July Macdhui. They are going on to the United States where they have been engaged by an American organisation to give a series of illustrated lectures.

Mr. I. H. Grabowsky, general manager of Guinea Airways Ltd., arrived in Sydney by the Macdhui on July 17, and will re turn to New Guinea on the same steamer at the end of this month. In the mean time he will undergo a medical overhaul.

Father Rougier.