By King's Descendant

Historic Tongan

Letter

Examined in Mitchell Library By King's Descendant

By Eric Ramsden

'"PHE earliest example of the hand * writing of the great Taufa’ahau, George 1., King of Tonga, which is in the possession of the Mitchell Library, Sydney, was recently viewed by his direct descendant Crown Prince Taufa’ahau Tubou’toa, who is a student at the Uni versity of Sydney. Keenly interested in the history of his ancient line, the Prince paid a special visit to the Library to see it.

The letter was written from Vavau on February 3, 1838. It is in a remarkably fine state of preservation. The handwrit ing is bold and firm, and denotes the character of the man who penned it.

Appended with it was a translation in the hand of Rev. John Thomas, who arrived in Tonga with his colleague, John Hutchinson, in 1826. As King George did not accept Christianity until August, 1831, this specimen of his hand writing is of unique historical value. It is just possible that, even in Tonga, no earlier example is extant.

King George To Governor Gipps

The letter was addressed to Sir George Gipps, then Governor of New South Wales, and the King wrote to seek re

dress concerning a hitherto unrecorded incident in the history of Tonga.

“I write to inform you that it has been a cause of pain to my mind that the captains of ships have been in the habit of leaving their men on shore here without authority from us,” ran the English translation, “and in direct oppo sition to the printed laws of this harbour.

“I have made known to you the case of Milne, of Port Jackson, (of the Minerva), who has left a man on shore at Vavau, which case I hope you will at tend to, and that you will put a stop to such disorderly conduct. For except you interfere to put a stop to the conduct of such men, who will ? I have begged our missionary to translate this my writ ing (or letter), and send it to you, that you may know my mind.

I Am, Etc., George Taufa’Ahau.”

After perusing both documents the Crown Prince declared that Rev. John Thomas had had no easy task in making the translation. “Some of the King’s ex pressions in Tongan,” he remarked, “al most defy translation.”

The story behind the letters (which for almost a century have remained in the New South Wales Government archives, until recently transferred to the Mitchell Library), is interesting. It throws light on the sordid days when certain sea captains, once beyond the reach of the laws of New South Wales, believed they could act with impunity among the isles of the South Seas. The action of such men, naturally, retarded the efforts of the missionaries who were then guiding the islanders, as in Tonga, through a difficult period of transition.

The “ Minerva’S ” Cook

The Minerva was at anchor off the island at Vavau on January 25, 1838. The previous year Taufa’ahau had waged war against the inhabitants of Tongatabu, where the chiefs had opposed the intro duction of Christianity. Taufa’ahau, al ready King of Vavau and Haa’pai, was consolidating his position as the eventual ruler of the whole group, and, inciden tally establishing the patrimony enjoyed so wisely to-day by his descendant, Queen Salote. The present Queen, by the way, bears the name of Taufa’ahau’s wife, (Charlotte).

Also lying off Neiafu was the Indepen dence, which had suffered considerably during her voyaging in the Southern Ocean, and Captain Milne, the Minerva's commander, had sent a party to repair her. Napthali Bahooloo, a lad of about 10 years of age. and described by Thomas as “a son of the chief of the highest rank” on Vavau, next to the King him self, had accompanied an old chief to the Independence. The boy was later prevailed upon to enter a canoe and visit the Minerva in order to obtain provisions for the other vessel. A certain amount of firewood was also required by the cook

of that vessel. While the wood was being transferred from one vessel to the other, Francis Savielle, the cook (said to be a native of Colombo), enticed the lad to his cabin and attacked him.

The assault (of a particularly unsav oury character) was actually witnessed by John Bull, an apprentice on the Minerva, who lost no time in informing the crew.

Captain Milne’s attitude, when the news reached him, was decidedly ques tionable. Instead of admonishing the cook and putting him into irons, he turned on the apprentice Bull and thrashed him.

Milne’s excuse was that Bull should have notified him of the incident before informing the crew. “At length he called the native youth, a foolish boy, and said his apprentice had told a lie,” wrote Thomas, “and then ordered the cook to go on shore. A chief of the name of Wil liam Baletua was requested to take him

in his canoe. He felt unwilling to do so, but being assured by Joseph Manuel that it was the order of Captain Milne, he complied,”

Early Port Regulations

Together with these letters the mission ary forwarded extracts from the Vavau port regulations which had been recom mended by Captain Crozier, of H.B.M.’s sloop Victor, and adopted by King George, and printed in 1836. To land any foreign subject without the King’s permission rendered a captain liable to a fine of 40 dollars. Milne, according to Thomas, was “perfectly acquainted with the above regulations.” In order to protect himself, however, Milne gave Savielle, the follow ing note; “This is certify that Francis Savielle has been my cook for the last three months, and on account of distur bances among the crew he wishes to leave the Minerva .” But the cook told Thomas

that the note was not of his seeking—it was the captain’s wish that he should leave the vessel.

Therefore, the missionary appealed to Governor Gipps for justice: “This act having been committed by a person on board a merchant vessel belonging to Port Jackson, King George and his chiefs feel pleasure in referring the case to your Excellency believing that you will do what is right. The man will be detained a prisoner on one of the islands until your Excellency’s pleasure is known . .

Just how long Savielle remained a prisoner in the hands of the Tongan monarch is not known. History is silent on his subsequent fate.