5

A.—2a

I shall be glad if you will invite your Government to take this suggestion into consideration. I have, &c, ENUTSFORD. The Right Hon. the Earl of Onslow, E.C.M.G.

Enclosure No. 1. High Commissioner's Office, Western Pacific, Suva, Fiji, My Lord,— 23rd November, 1892. Eeferring to my Despatches Nos. 34 and 35, of the 11th November, 1890, with regard to the case of Mr. Peter Pratt Edmunds, charged with the murder of a native at Chirumbye, in the Solomon Group, I have the honour to enclose herewith copy of a report of a further inquiry made by Captain Davis of H.M.S. " Eoyalist." 2. I find that in 1889 the Governor of New South Wales granted to Edmunds a license, under the Pacific Islanders' Protection Act of 1875, to employ Native labourers in connection with his vessel. 3. This and other cases have brought prominently under my notice the difficulty of exercising proper control over British ships whose masters are not British subjects. I would, therefore, respectively suggest that Governors and Consular Officers, when applied to for licenses under the Pacific Islanders' Protection Acts, should cause inquiry to be made with regard to the nationality of the master applying, and, in the exercise of a discretion which they possess under the Acts, should decline to grant one to any master not being a British subject. 4. I have already mentioned in my former despatches on this subject that grave difficulties may arise in cases where ships' masters of foreign birth have been naturalised only in some British colony. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. Lord Knutsford, G.C.M.G. John B. Thurston.

Sub-Enclosure. Captain Davis to Commander-in-Chief. Solomon Islands. — Shooting a Native at Chirumbye by Mr. Edmunds, Trader. H.M.S. "Eoyalist," at sea, lat. 9° 34' S., long. 153° 16' E., Sir,— 22nd August, 1891. With reference to clause (/) paragraph 2, of my Sailing Order dated 23rd April last, Case 42, I have the honour to report that I arrived off Chirumbye at 3.40 p.m. on the 16th instant, and landed with interpreters, but could find no Natives. At the same time I sent to Mulekopa, who lives about one mile to the southward, at Bunasao. At 6.30 p.m., finding no one, I returned to the ship, on the way meeting Mulekopa just going on board. 2. I sent a message by him to Dollofollo, the chief, erroneously referred to in printed Case 42 as " Evooloo " and " Tooloo," who owns Shigella, the Lord Howe boy, saying I wanted to see him, also Shigella, and the Lord Howe girl, Sauko. Mulekopa returned to the ship about 9.30 p.m. saying Dollofollo was in the bush and could not come to me, as he was sick—he had a bad foot. 3. I lay to for the night, and at 6 a.m. on the 17th August I landed, taking Mulekopa and two interpreters with me. Dollofollo's place was a long way off in the bush, on the top of a hill. I reached it in about two hours. At first I had some difficulty in getting any one at all to come to me. When they did, every one "knew" of Eosen's death; but I impressed on Dollofollo that I only wanted men who had actually seen him killed. Dollofollo stated that he and Singella were on board the schooner; Shigella belongs to him. French Peter—Edmonds—wanted to buy him. He refused to sell him. He then put Singella below, and his mate tied him (Dollofollo) up. Then the Natives went ashore, and he saw French Peter shoot Eosen. When he was landed, some time afterwards, he received, a hundred sticks of tobacco and six fathoms of calico. He had since worked copra for this trade. French Peter never said why he wanted to buy Singella. The Natives after they went ashore did not threaten to attack the schooner. Singella, native of Lord Howe Island, said he was quite happy. He does not want to go back to Lord Howe Island. He never asked French Peter to take him ; if he says he did he tells lies. No one ever spoke of killing him to eat him. He ran away from the schooner at Java because he did not want to go away. Sauko, the girl who came from Lord Howe Island at the same time as himself, could not come to me. She was a long way away; she belonged to a man called Nallico. She does not want to go away. Mulekopa said, he was on board the schooner; whilst on board saw French Peter shoot Eosen. He does not know why. French Peter took Singella away, and his mate tied Dollofollo up. Geremboa of Bunasou said he was on board the schooner and saw French Peter shoot Eosen. Bulumbelemma and his son Suka were also on board at the time. Zappi, nephew of Dollofollo, said he was on the beach and saw French Peter shoot Eosen. He was about twenty yards from Eosen. Eosen was shot in the head. Bussumbussu, of Felosamma, near Dollofollo's place, said he was on board the schooner when French Peter had Dollofollo tied up. He then went ashore. He saw French Peter shoot Eosen ; he fired two shots first, and the third hit Eosen in the head; then he shot at him, and he ran into the bush.