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Show THE CANNIBAL ISLAND PLAGUE. Information from Fiji conveys still darker accounts of the pluguu which has recently passed over tho new colony. col-ony. A resident of long standing, writing to a Victorian contemporary, says: "The death rate is not yet mado up, but tho probability is that 40,000 Fijians died during the four mouths' plague. The native population of Fiji is now about one third only of what it was when I landed hereabout twenty-five years ago." The accounts ac-counts given of the ningnitudo of tho disaster aro less harrowing than those of tho euflerings of tho victims. "Very few died of the meiieleB, the majority dying of subsequent dii)uano iu tho form of dysentery, congestion of the lungs, &c. Want of nourishment nourish-ment or starvation carried off thousands." thou-sands." We are told that "all work wan suspended for two months. You could pass through wholo towns without with-out meeting any ono in the Btreetn, which were soon completely covered willi grass. Entering a house you would find men, women and children all lying down indiscrimiiuitely, some just attacked, Bonio still in agony, and others dying. Some who were strong enough attempted suicide, and not always unsuccessfully." Wo are further told that "as tho scourgo became be-came moru permanent lour or live were buried together iu one grnvu, and generally without religious service In some cases the dead were buried iu tho earthen iloors of the houses, Jn others just outaiilo the house. Tho burials wcro hurried, and tho probability is that sotno wore buried alive. In many instances tlie husband, wife und children all died. In one village all the women died, and iu another all the men." It is interesting to read of tho different mental eflocts produced by tho I'irttirc of the disease It is not surprising to find that "some mmlo fruitless appeals ap-peals to their ancient god. Home island tribes, who had only recently embraced Christianity, considered that the dinonso waa conveyed by their religious teachers, and they dis-' mihscd thoin and thou abandoned their now religion. Among tbese some wcro for killing tho touchers, but their wiser counsels prevailed. It ia said that one tribe luiriud alive on'' teacher's wife mid child, whoso husband hus-band and lather had died of the plaguo to stop infection." llutwhilo some in their distress fell back on their former superstitions, tho greater number are said to havo boruo their calamity with fortilude, and to have mil lured and died under tho influence of Christianity. PCTTINT. THE PRESIDENT OV THe Road Off. The stockholders had', just met and elected a new president! and he was on his way to the city to enter upon tho duties of his office. The conductor on the train in which he was going didn't know tlie new president, and so when he asked him for his ticket the president said, "That's all riiiht." Mr. Conductor replied sharply, "None o( your fooling; fool-ing; where's your ticket." "But. " said the president. "Idun't wti.nt any buts about it," interrupted tho conductor, "give me your ticket." "I am " commenced the president. presi-dent. "I don't care who you are," yelled the conductor, breaking iu upon him, "my duties are o collect the fares on this road, and 1 am going to do it. Whore's your ticket?" "I haven't any, sir. I didn't get to the depot in time to " "Then Day your fare and that quick, come, forty-rive forty-rive cents, lively." "I haven't any money with me, I come away " "I haven't any time to spend with such beats as you are, eight milce from any Btatiou, but you must get on right nere. it is raining, l Know, but that don't make any difference. It is just such men as you that havo ruined this. road. Stock down to thirty-eight cents, but it is to be stopped. We've just elected a new president and things are going to be carried oh difloreutly. Come, get off," said the conductor, as the train stopped in answer to the bell-rope, and ho gave him a twitch out of the seat. The new official saw that -it waa not best to resist, as the conductor conduc-tor was large onough to eat two such men as him, so he got ofl, determined to make the beat of it. "If you ever get on iby train again," said the conductor con-ductor as the cars started off, "without "with-out a ticket. I'll make it hotter than this for you." Wet and exhausted the president reached the city late at night, and the next day he sent for the conductor to come to his room, and after chatting, laughing and smoking over the joke, the conductor departed, promising not to Bay anything any-thing about it. But it leaked out. |