Spain

Early Tahiti And

Some History of 150 Years Ago

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Sept. 18.

A GLIMPSE into the Spanish official mind in regard to the expeditions into Pacific waters undertaken by French and English navigators during the late years of the eighteenth century, is given in the confidential despatch and en closure, sent by the Viceroy of Peru, Don Teodoro de Croix, to the Secretary of State for the Indes under the date, July 5, 1786: Confidential.

“Most Excellent Senor,—The exploi tation of the island of Otaheti. being of the highest importance of the Monarchy, and the Royal Commands that were ad dressed to my predecessor and to myself to carry it out and, if possible, establish Missions there, having been repeated I have endeavoured to promote this under taking with all speed; but the Public Treasury being completely exhausted, and finding no means nor resources for giving effect to my plans, these have, of necessity, been suspended. Neverthe less, as there Is reason to believe that European nations may not be losing sight of so fine a possession and that, once settled there, they might cause us much trouble or apprehension, I apprise your Excellency of the position for your guid ance,, -Regarding this point, I think it prob able. despite the strictness with which they mask their designs, that the French expedition under the Count of La Perouse may be proceeding, among other projects, to examine the island In ques tion; as Your Excellency will observe from the annexed copy of a despatch addressed to me by the Governor of La Concepcion in Chile:— “ ‘Lima: sth July, 1786.

“ ‘Most Excellent Senor:—Having re ceived intelligence, when at the fron tier, of the arrival in this bay, on the 24th February, of the Most Christian King’s two frigates, the ‘Buzola’ and ‘Astrolavio’. (Note: ‘La Boussole’, com manded by the Sieur de la Perouse, and ‘L’Astrolabe’ under Capt. de Langle) under the command of the Count of La Perouse, I had to come down to this city in order to fulfil Our Sovereign’s com mand, dated at Aranjuez on the 19th of May last, and communicated lo the Pre sident of this Realm, of which the Com mandante La Perouse carries with him a duplicate. ... I found that Don Pedro Quixada, the officer in command here,, had already waited upon the strangers, prior to my arrival, and had afforded them all the assistance they asked; but I took pains to make things pleasant for the commanders, the officers, and the other persons they have on board, to their entire satisfaction. Briefly, they will have as many supplies as they stand in need of, which is to say wood, water, some fresh provisions, dried vege tables, flour, wine, etc., and the Count of La Perouse assures me that he will get away to sea in the coming week, without fail.

“ ‘But he has not told me what places he is bound to next, and, as it is said that he was very reticent on this sub ject before my arrival, I have not cared to push inquiries unavailingly in the face of an express order not to disclose

the scheme of his voyage, which no doubt he will have. . . . None of the members of the present expedition exhibit any thought but enthusiasm for research, for the improvement of navigation, for the extension of geographical knowledge, the exploration of seas and islands, and the configuration of the Globe and all it contains of use to its inhabitants. That, as would seem, is the philosophy of these admirable men; but still, it is not to be supposed that they will set aside their nation’s interests by neglecting to keep an eye, as chances offer, on places best adapted for settlement. . . .

“T have noticed that they say noth ing about occupying themselves with any search for a Southern Continent, nor with penetrating the seas toward that Pole, nor about visiting New Zealand either. Maybe they do not consider it necessary; but they carry with them the journals of the famous Captain Kook, his nautical and astronomical observa tions, and notes of all that he examined during his three voyages round the world, and even his own instruments, which the Royal Society of Sciences of London passed on to the Count of La Perouse. as I have just learnt.

“ ‘Kook spoke in the highest terms of the island of Otaheti; preferring it. for purposes of colonisation, before any of the neighbouring places discovered by Mendana and Quiros. All modern cir cumnavigators praise its situation, soil, climate, and resources, as Being fitted for an establishment of the first order.

These gentlemen have formed no meaner an estimate of the same island, but I do not know whether they intend to visit it or no.

“Tt may well be that they will not care to lose the time that is so necessary to them for gaining those high latitudes on the other side of the Equator where, as I said before, they have much before them: especially in connection with com pleting the latest explorations in that hemisphere, which Kook perforce left un finished, by reason of his unfortunate death. I remain, etc., etc. —Ambrosio Higgins de Vallinar’.”

Doctor B. G. Corney (from whose “Quest and Occupation of Tahiti”, Vol. 11. these extracts are adds the following footnote:—“O’Higgins’ surmise that La Perouse was bound to Tahiti amongst other places, was a sound one The French instructions directed in fact that, though the ships were to part, com pany after quitting Easter Island, they should re-loin at Tahiti and spend a month there; calling afterwards at the leeward islands of the Society Group.

However, they never did go there”.

The following Royal Command was the last document issued in regard to the long contemplated expedition to Tahiti for the purpose of restoring the Spanish inscription that Cantain Cook had obli terated. and re-establishing the Mission which had been abandoned in 1775: “From Your Excellency’s confidential despatch of July, of the year last nast No. 28. and the copy enclosed with it of one you received from Don Ambrosio Higgins, Governor of La Concepcion de Chile, the King has become acauainted with designs which it is possible the French expedition commanded by the Count of La Perouse, and other Euro pean nations besides, may have had in regard to the Island of Otaheti. *“His Majesty likewise learns the rea sons which have made it impossible on our part to exploit the island and settle Missionaries upon it, the business of

which was • entrusted, through the

medium of repeated Royal Commands, to your Viceregency. It is still His Majesty’s intention to carry this enter prise into effect, when it may be possible to do so; and I am commanded to give Your Excellency this intimation of his Royal will, for your information and compliance. —Dated 19th June, 1787”.

The King was not destined to see his royal intention achieved. On the 14th

of December, in the following year, he ceased to live; and the occupation of Tahiti by missionaries of his nation was never resumed.

Captain Ernest Kettle, master of the London Missionary Society’s schooner “John Williams V”, well-known in Cen tral Pacific, was in Australia in Septem ber spending furlough.