The Salmon Family of Tahiti
pp. 41-42 · Read in the full issue
Tahiti
Letter to the Editor PERHAPS “Cloughogue” can enlighten us still more concerning the ante cedents of John Mortimer Salmon, the subject of his article “Tale of Errant Navigation”, in your June issue.
He refers to him as “a scion of the Jewish Salmons of Tahiti”. I have seen this in print before; also, that the Raro tongan Salmon was an American.
The founder of the Salmon family in Tahiti was, of course, Alexander Salmon, an Englishman, who married Arii-taimai, the chieftainess of Papara. There is nothing to show on the Salmon family tree (as published by Teuira Henry, in her “Ancient Tahiti”) of the existence of any J. M. Salmon. Therefore, the latter could not have been a descendant of Alexander Salmon.
This question has often puzzled stu dents of modern Polynesian history, and “Cloughogue” would perform a genuine service if he cleared it up. I am inclined to the view that these men were not re lated, and that the name is merely a coincidence. Contemporary newspaper ac counts refer to J. M. Salmon as an American.
I am, etc.,
Eric Ramsden.
Pacific Islands Society, Sydney, June 18, 1940.
Miss B, L. Hilton retired recently from the District Administration Dept., Fiji.
Miss Jean Cunningham, of Rabaul, arrived in Australia recently to marry Mr. John Cox, also of New Guinea, who is a member of the A.I.F.
Mr. W. A. Miller, who was a Commis sioner of Works in the Colony of Fiji, some years ago, died recently at the age of 70.
Mr. Keith Phillips, formerly well known in Lautoka, Fiji, as an electrician with the C.S.R. Co., is at present serving in England as a member of the R.A.A.F. contingent.
Mr, H, C. Monckton. formerly Adviser in Native Affairs in Fiji, has arrived in Sydney with Mrs. Monckton, and they have taken up residence in Manly. It is expected that one of their sons, who is now at school in New Zealand, will join them before long and attend engineer ing classes at the University of Sydney.
Mr. Christopher Hennings, a member of one of Fiji’s pioneer families, who was for many years in the emplov of the Bank of New Zealand, has taken up residence in Sydney.