Franceville, New Hebrides
Independent Commune of Franceville Commune Indépendante de Franceville (French) | |||||||||
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1889–1890 | |||||||||
Flag | |||||||||
Unrecognized state | |||||||||
Common languages | French, Bislama | ||||||||
Government | Republic | ||||||||
• 1889 | Ferdinand Chevillard | ||||||||
• 1890? | R. D. Polk | ||||||||
Deputy (legislator) | |||||||||
• 1889–1890 | Comte Maurice de Nolhac | ||||||||
Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||||||
• Established | August 9 1889 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | June 1890 | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1889 | 540 | ||||||||
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Franceville (present-day
History
In 1878, the United Kingdom and France declared all of the New Hebrides to be neutral territory.[1] For the protection of the French and British citizens in New Hebrides, a joint naval commission was established under the Convention of 16 October 1887. However, the convention claimed no jurisdiction over internal native affairs.
The lack of a functional government led to rising discontent among the colonists. The French were especially inconvenienced because French law only recognized marriages when contracted under a civil authority (the nearest one being in New Caledonia), whereas British law recognized marriages conducted by local clergy.[2][3] On 9 August 1889, Franceville declared itself an independent commune under the leadership of elected mayor/president Ferdinand-Albert Chevillard,[4][5][6] and with its own red, white and blue flag with five stars.[7][8]
This community became one of the first
The new government was soon suppressed, and by June 1890, Franceville as a commune was reported to have been "practically broken up."[12] An 1891 census reported 29 adult Europeans, making it the largest European settlement in the New Hebrides.[13] In 1906, the naval commission was replaced by a more structured British-French Condominium.
See also
References
- ^ "Arrangement between Great Britain and France, respecting the Independence of the New Hebrides Group" (PDF). January–February 1878. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ Le Gouz de Saint-Seine, Jean (1897). "Notice sur les Nouvelles-Hébrides". Mémoires de la Société bourguignonne de geographie et d'histoire. 13: 413–414.
- ^ Bourdiol, Julien (1908). Condition internationale des Nouvelles-Hebrides. p. 107.
- ^ Pelatan, Louis (1889). Lettres calédoniennes. Impr. du Colon. p. 73.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 26, 1889
- ^ "The 'Commune' of Franceville," North Otago Times (New Zealand), Sep 5, 1889
- ^ Imhaus, E.N. (1890). Les Nouvelles-Hébrides: avec une carte et sept gravures. pp. 154–160.
- ^ Simpson, Colin (1955), Islands of Men: A Six-part Book about Life in Melanesia, p 133
- ^ "Wee, Small Republics: A Few Examples of Popular Government," Hawaiian Gazette, Nov 1, 1895, p 1
- ^ "Wee, Small Republics: A Few Examples of Popular Government," Hawaiian Gazette, Nov 1, 1895, p 1
- ^ "Some Little Republics," New York Evangelist, Feb 20, 1896
- ^ "Latest Cable News: Australian News," The West Coast Times (New Zealand), June 28, 1890, p 2
- ISSN 0030-8722
Further reading
- Brunet, Auguste (1908). Le régime international des Nouvelles-Hébrides: Le Condominium Anglo-Français. pp. 64–65.
- Cawsey, Katherine Stirling Kerr (1998). The Making of a Rebel: Captain Donald Macleod of the New Hebrides. [email protected]. pp. 391–403. ISBN 978-982-02-0140-8.
- Davillé, Ernest (1895). La colonisation française aux Nouvelles-Hébrides.
- O'Reilly, Patrick (1957). Hébridais, répertoire bio-bibliographique des Nouvelles-Hébrides.