The Irish Touch

Two Solid Works by a Pacific Expert

He's A Frenchman Willi The Irish Touch

As the French name Dubois is common enough in English com munities (although frequently annihilated by pronunciation to “Jeiv boys”), there is no particular reason why a Frenchman should not have the name of Patrick O’Reilly. It is just unusual. The best-known French O’Reilly in the South Pacific, is Father Patrick, of that ilk, a priest of the Jesuit Order, who these days has his headquarters in Paris and specialises in writing books about the French Pacific.

Mr. Lew Friday teds us something about both writer and books in this article.

TOWARDS the end of last century some honest and well-written books were published in English about the New Hebrides. But since the Condominium, save for the neurotic Fletcher’s Isles Of Illusion and Tom Harrisson’s Savage Civil isation, individual and outspoken literature on the group, in our own language, is hard to come by.

In contrast, French books dealing with the amazing archipelago have still a refreshing down-to-earth quality, where French colons, of course, have long predominated.

Their interests are better looked after than are those of the British settlers, some of whom would still rejoice to see the islands taken over entirely by France, for London seems so much farther away than Paris, and Australia takes little in terest in their welfare.

Now Father Patrick O’Reilly, who in spite of his name, is a French man, places everybody, of no matter what race, in his debt, with the two solid works with long French names, Hebridais Repertoire Bio-Biblio graphique des Nouvelles-Hebrides; and Bibliographic des Nouvelles- Hebrides. These are similar in style and content to the two invaluable compilations he has seen through the press about New Caledonia.

When he has completed two others, on French Oceania and Tahiti, on which he is now working in Paris (following another visit last year to the Pacific) he will have completed a task comparable in importance to the New Zealand Dictionary of National Biography and the Aus tralian Encyclopaedia.

All these six books are, or will be, under the impeccable imprint of the Societe des Oceanistes and the Musee de I’Homme, Paris, which does not waste its time on trivial literature.

Here is permanent worth, books that should be on the shelves of any self-respecting Pacific library, books to consult whenever there is query or argument on Hebridean people, incidents or history. Indispensable is the word that readily springs to mind.

These two volumes, between them, coyer the Group, its discovery, exploitation, missionisation and colonisation down to the present

day, with a completeness that is a marvel of painstaking compilation.

Jesuit Praises Past Presbyterians It is difficult to fault, although cne notices the name of the Dutch Condominium Court President dur ing World War I given as Gorgesius instead of Borghesus. The Rev. Fred J. Paton is omitted, although he spent 50 years in the group (mainly on S. Malekula), though his brother, the Rev. Frank H. L. Paton, has a column to himself although he was in the Islands for only five years before ill-health forced him to live in Melbourne.

The other Patons receive well merited attention, and most notable of them is the Rev. J. G., daddy and pioneer of them all, whose bitter opposition to the French invasion is at the back of a whole page of political history. His wife gave her name to the British hospital at Vila.

To the early Protestant missionaries Father O’Reilly, him self a Jesuit, pays magnificent tribute. “I am more than ever con vinced today,” he says, “that, with few exceptions, they were the only white element which, towards the middle of last century, saved the honour of their race in the eyes of the natives bewildered by the greed and depravity of the whites.”

But Not Present Board Save for the omission mentioned, the biographies of the missionaries are sympathetically written and so complete that one would have thought that the French priest had had the full co-operation of the Presbyterian Board of Missions in Australia.

To his keen regret, this was not the case; their failure to co-operate must have meant a lot of extra research most faithfully carried out.

Was it, Father O’Reilly asks, be cause the request came from a Frenchman, or through modesty or sheer indifference?

The coldest of replies was received from Sydney: “I doubt if it would be possible without some months of research to prepare a complete and accurate list of the names of the missionaries who have served in

the New Hebrides Presbyterian [ Mission since 1848. It would cer [ tainly not be possible to provide ; details concerning their activities, character and social action.”

From other sources Father O’Reilly acknowledges valuable help. One of his correspondents was the veteran Mr. G. Frouin, former owner of Vila’s notorious “Blood House”, and founder of the old New Hebridean French newspaper—his memory goes back to relatively early days.

Another, and an expert on native matters, who supplied valuable notes, is an outstanding ethnologist of the French Pacific, Mr. Jean Guiart, who now has a scholarly job in Paris.

Able to converse with the natives, and with influence among certain of the unregimented tribes, par ticularly on Santo, he makes dis closures that are not generally known, including circumstances sur rounding the murder, in 1923, of the English trader Clapcott, for which a native “John the Baptist” and two of his accomplices were eventually hanged.

Natives—Ambushing or

Trouser-Clad Elsewhere, in the biographies of notable natives who played their part alongside the whites, whether in ambushing and eating them, in Marching Rule effervescence, in sell ing land, as village headmen, or as trouser-clad mission pastors, one comes across vital information that will be new to many.

Woodcuts by artists, like Michel Labials, who have visited the group, and portrait woodcuts from old photographs or book illustrations, add to the biographical value. On page 217 of the Bibliographic is re produced a page menu of a 14th of July Feast in Vila in 1908, which only a first rate Paris-trained artist could have executed.

At the risk of offending some, Father O’Reilly has grasped the nettles firmly and with the im partiality of a responsible judge of men and manners. Based on these volumes, a student could write whole treatises on 19th century colonisa tion, on the fusion of races and nationalities in a seething lawless and isolated setting.

Where Dubois is English;

Stuart, French

Today’s Hebridean population, white and half-caste, is curiously integrated and friendly all round.

Father O’Reilly remarks on the sur prise it is to find, in a population typically Hebridean, that the Dubois, Martins, Roches, Buffets and Dupertuis are British subjects, while the Wrights, Petersens, Stuarts, Nichols, Leemans, and Ohlens are authentic Frenchmen.

To sum up, these two volumes, biographical and bibliographical,

cover the group, its discovery, ex ploitation, missionisation, colonisa tion and administration with a completeness that is a marvel of painstaking compilation.

Between these covers we find them all as they livqd, the explorers, whalers, sandalwooders, blackbirders, missionaries, traders, planters, naval officers and Condominium officials, as well as some natives; while the second volume contains valid par ticulars of all the books in all languages that have ever been written about the Group. Father O’Reilly, who speaks English well, and who gets on so well with Aus tralians, has gone to Australia, New Zealand and London as well as to Noumea, Vila and Paris for his in formation.

The various appendices, giving lists of the colonists since 1873, English, French and other, of their professions, of the ships, from small cutters to Burns Philp and Messageries liners which have played their part in Hebridean history, are as invaluable as the rest.

“Emergency” stamp printings are frequently made to raise funds to assist relief work with various national disasters. Over the years stamps have raised money to aid relief and rehabilation projects, as a result of floods, earthquakes, tidal waves, avalanches and fires. Latest from South Korea furnished funds to aid flood relief in the republic.