Fiji and the Fijians 1835-1856
III. admiralty records
III. admiralty records
In the Admiralty Annexe, Cornwall House, London, there are large collections of charts, maps, plans, tracings and views of the South Pacific islands. There is no difficulty in finding those relating to Fiji because of the admirable system of indexing adopted there. Most of these documents are of great historical value. The information given in them is always very explicit, and nearly always accurate. Photostat copies of a number of these charts and views are now in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, and it is probable that, with the permission of the hydrographer, many more will be added in the future. For the study of the history of regions where there are so many small islands they are indispensable.
My search among the Admiralty manuscripts in the Record Office for dispatches written by the commanders of British warships who visited Fiji from 1836 to 1856 yielded very poor results. I found very few, and those of little importance, though I was assisted by Miss Deane who had been working there for years in the interests of the Mitchell Library. Some of the Admiralty manuscripts were removed to Deptford Victualling Yards in 1900. I searched there too, but found little of importance referring to Fiji. There is, I fear, good reason for believing that a large number of Admiralty documents belonging to this period 1835-56 have been destroyed because shelf-room could not be found for them in the Record Office. Mr Perrin of the Admiralty page 322Library thinks that some of the dispatches from Fiji may have been among them. Fortunately some of the letters and dispatches written by commanders of British warships in Fiji have been published, and copies of a few are in the archives of the Methodist Missionary Society at Bishopsgate.