France Takes Over Two

Two Of Last Chunks Of No-Man's Land

After nearly two centuries of recorded history without an owner, the French Government of New Caledonia has taken control of Matthew and Hunter Islands, two volcanic chunks of real estate to the south of the New Hebrides chain.

A TWO-LINE notice stating that the British Government had just agreed that Matthew and Hunter should be attached to New Caledonia appeared in the Bulletin d’lnforma tion of the French Residency in Vila, New Hebrides, on November 10.

The two islands had been among the few remaining places on earth that had not been annexed by any government.

The reason for this neglect has been that both islands are actively and continuously volcanic, and are incapable of supporting human life.

Matthew Island is about 150 miles south-east of Aneityum, the southern most island in the New Hebrides.

It has two peaks—one 469 ft high, and one 650 ft high. From the top of the higher peak there is a spectacular flow of lava 90 ft wide.

Hunter Island, 30 miles east of Matthew and three times as large, has an area of about 100 acres. It rises steeply from the sea on all sides to a maximum height of 974 ft.

Matthew Island was discovered in 1788 by Captain Thomas Gilbert, of the British convict transport vessel Charlotte, while sailing from Sydney to Canton. It was named after the Charlotte's owner.

Hunter Island was discovered 10 years later by Captain Fearn of the British merchant ship Hunter, of Calcutta.

These facts gave Britain undeniable claims to sovereignty over the two islands by right of discovery. But it appears that it has not cared to press these.

The New Caledonian Government has presumably taken over the two islands so that any ships that should come to grief there will be under marine law. This was the reason that the British Government annexed Conway Reef to Fiji last year ( PIM, March, 1964, p. 61). Conway Reef is 300 miles south-west of Kadavu, Fiji, and 100 miles or so from Matthew and Hunter.

Matthew Island has been visited several times in recent years by units of the French Navy.

In 1962, two European residents of the New Hebrides lodged a claim to the title over the island with the Joint Court in Vila (PIM, April. 1963, p. 89). The claim was lodged as a joke, but it seems possible that the head-scratching it caused among officialdom was a factor in the latest development in the island’s history.

Matthew Island, as it was in 1962. Volcanic activity changes its appearance from time to time.