Gifts that Britain Refused.

That any of the islands remain British seems to have been more a matter of luck than good management. New Caledonia, Tahiti, Samoa, New Britain, and others were lost by deliberate rejection; and Fiji and the Solomons and most of the other islands where our flag flies went a-begging so long that every marvels now that we did not find ourselves anticipated.

New Guinea belongs partly to Holland, partly to Germany, and partly, on the south-east, to Britain. The Dutch Government officially proclaimed possession over the western portion as far back as 1828. Practically nothing has yet been done to develop it, and it remains in the same primitive state as when acquired. The remainder of the island remained untouched, except for various exploring expeditions, until 1883, when the Queensland Government annexed the vacant territory, only to have their action promptly repudiated by the late Lord Derby, who scoffed at the suggestion that Germany contemplated the acquirement of uhe country. A united and vigorous protest from the Australian colonies, however, finally induced a change of policy, but not until after Germany had annexed the northern portion of the then unallotted territorv—and in due course also the islands now known as the Bismarck Archipelago—and Great Britain assumed control of the remainder under a guarantee from the Australian States to provide an amount sufficient to cover the cost of the administration. The British portion—Papua, as it has been officially designated—is now a dependency of the Commonwealth. Germany has a naval base at Simpsomhapen, almost within cannon shot of Australia—thanks to Lord Derby.

The Solomon Islands, the next link in chain, are under British control, with exception of Buka and Bougainville, [unclear: who] belong to Germany. Santa Cruz [unclear: Island] are a British protectorate. The New brides are, of course, a joint [unclear: protect] of British and French. The Fiji [unclear: Island] are ours, but the British pioneers there not secure annexation without a [unclear: trenail] ous effort, and America, which [unclear: sent] a warship to obtain compensation [unclear: from] Cakobau for an alleged outrage against of Uncle Sam's subjects, might easily [unclear: been] forestalled us.

The Samoan Islands belong to [unclear: German] and the United States, by virtue of [unclear: the] treaty concluded in 1900, Mr. Seddon the speech quoted in the last [unclear: art] glanced at the history of the [unclear: tranadaa] Those who recall Stevenson's [unclear: brilliil] "Footnote to History" will remember vacillation, ignorance, and blundering [unclear: which] resulted in the loss of Samoa.

The Gilbert, Ellice, Phoenix, and [unclear: To] lau groups belong to Britain, and [unclear: over] Tonga a protectorate lias been established Our flag also flies in Norfolk, Lard [unclear: Hord] Pitcaim, and other scattered islands.

Germany, besides the large slice of [unclear: New] Guinea and the valuable islands of [unclear: the] Bismarck Archipelago, has in the [unclear: Nurth] Pacific the Marshall, Caroline, [unclear: Below] Ladrone Islands, with the exception Guam, which belongs to the United [unclear: Stall] while France's possessions in the [unclear: Westal] Pacific include New Caledonia, as full precious metals as a cake is full of rants, and the Loyalty Islands, both [unclear: di] covered and named by Captain Cook, [unclear: and] made habitable by our missionaries. [unclear: The] Wallis Islands, to the north of [unclear: Tonal] and the Futmia, or Hoorne Islands. [unclear: lyin] some 300 miles to the north-east of [unclear: Fill] also now fly the tricolour. In the [unclear: East] ern racific France has four great [unclear: group] of islands—the Society (which include [unclear: Ta] hiti), the Marquesas, the Panmotu, and the Tubnai, or Austral.

Over the line, in the North Pacific, [unclear: lied] Hawaii, a dependency of America which has taken possession of a [unclear: number] of isolated dots of coral atolls, and [unclear: lay] claim, so I see by an American handbook! to Manihiki and one of two other island! that new Zealand has annexed!