Men from Under the Sky by Stanley Brown

Author:Stanley Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781462912285
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

7

U.S. Consul's Claim (1840-60)

The Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition was to focus American interests on trade possibilities in Fiji.

But before the arrival of traders from America, a representative of the United States government was in Fiji seeking business opportunities—mainly on his own behalf.

He was the aforementioned John Brown Williams of Salem, Massachusetts, and had been United States consul in New Zealand since 1839. Williams had also during this time held the appointment of commercial agent for the Fiji Islands. Opportunities for trade by American ships had been good in New Zealand until 1840 when Britain took over the country. Then the trade with the Maoris in arms, ammunition and liquor was halted, or was at least seriously curtailed.

The trade had been a standby of the Yankee whaling ships which had thus been able to make a profit on an outward cargo, a fine alternative to sailing to the whaling grounds laden with unprofitable ballast. With the end of that trade in sight, Williams left for a visit to the islands. Officially he was looking for new markets for his government; unofficially, for trade for his friends and, more particularly, for himself. It is probable that the former was a minor consideration. The possibility of government trade gave Williams a chance to use this as a lever when he asked permission to move the consulate from New Zealand to Fiji.

This was granted, and in 1845 he arrived to settle in Fiji. Within a few days he was installed on the island of Naqara, a few miles southwest of Suva Harbour. He had in the meantime secured the agency for several Boston and Salem commercial houses and now was looking for a place to set up both a trading station and his consulate.

In one of the quickest and sharpest deals ever made in Fiji he had bought land within a few days of his arrival. Nukulau Island, just east of Suva Harbour, was purchased from the chiefs of Rewa for $30. Laucala Point on the mainland opposite Nukulau became his for $50.20. Shortly after this deal, Williams bought land on the Namosi coast.

The deeds for these sales were registered in various combinations of names, which always included his own. The deed for Laucala was in the names of Ichabod Handley and John Brown Williams. That of Nukulau was in the name of a syndicate of five-including himself.

David Whippy, who served under him for a time as vice consul, told a land court many years later that when the men named in the deeds left his employ their names were removed by scratching them out. All deeds were registered by Williams in his official capacity in the American Consulate.

He built a pretentious and substantial wooden building at Nukulau, probably the first two-story building ever seen in Fiji. It contained living quarters, office accommodation, a trade store and a cellar in which he stored both his goods and the produce for which he traded.

The consul had bought the land from Rewa chiefs with whom he had become friendly.

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