French Possessions.—New Caledonia, together with Loyalty Islands, Fortuna, and the New Hebrides group, have great wealth in the matter of resources. New Caledonia, a penal colony, has productive mines of chrome iron ore and copper. It is the source of a considerable supply of nickel and cobalt. A railway to the coast has been built for the carriage of these products.
Tahiti is the principal island of the Society group, and under the missions long established there, the natives have become civilized. In addition to the usual trade, sugar and mother-of-pearl are important exports.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
How will the commerce of the Pacific be changed by the construction of an isthmian canal?
What has been the effect of the Australian wool-clip on the cloth-making industry of England and Germany?
How will the acquisition of Hawaii and the Philippine Islands affect the commerce of the United States?
From Commercial Australia find the trade of the United States with the Commonwealth.
FOR COLLATERAL READING AND REFERENCE
From a cyclopædia read the history of Australia as a convict colony.
Commercial Australia.