Joint Court's view

AS these pages were going to press, PIM received a letter dated April 18 from the Registrar of the Joint Court in Vila, New Hebrides, replying to an inquiry from us on titles to land in the south-east corner of Big Bay.

The Registrar’s letter said that the Societe Francaise des Nouvelles Hebrides (commonly referred to as SFNH) had applied on July 23, 1913, for the registration of a Big Bay property called Jourdain, of a declared area of 162,472 acres.

The letter continued: “The applica tion was based on deeds of purchase from natives, dating back to 21st/ 23rd June, 1883, and on occupation, consisting of the drawing up of a plan and the building of an ‘Ancient Agency of the SFNH at Big Bay’. On the plan annexed to the application for registration the location of this ‘Ancient Agency’ is shown at the exact position of your ‘site of wall, near rivulet’ on your plan ( Pacific Islands Monthly, April, 1967, page 41).

“. . . the property, Jourdain, has been registered by judgment of the Joint Court, No. 668 of November 17, 1956, for an area—on expert’s advice—of 66,718 acres.” • Commenting on the above, Robert Langdon says: “Nothing in the Registrar's letter alters my opinion that the 'Hebblewhite wall ’ at Big Bay is of Spanish origin. But I would very much like to know what evidence SFNH has of its occupation of the south-east corner of Big Bay— beyond the plan showing its ‘ancient agency ’ there”.