Abstract:
Most of the material for this thesis was gathered during 1937 when I was a teacher in the teacher in the Methodist Boy's School, Suva, Fiji The limitation of time consequent on such work necesserily hindered the amount of researah I could have put into the subject For example, I was not able through lack of time to explore the amount of actual material - letters, Papers, gazettes, documents - of the Cakobau Government held in record by the present Government. According to the Keeper of the Records, however, most of the material had been lost or burnt when.the capita1 had been shifted to Suva, while much of the matter he had was mutilated, torn and illegible.
I spent most of my time sifting material from the “Fiji Times” which had commenced publication in 1869. I have to sincerely thank Mr. Alport Barker, present editorof the “Fiji Times,” for allowing me access not only to the files of the paper but to his extensive and valuable library on the Pacific. Whithout his willingness to grant me this privilege this thesis could not have been written.
