National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-08-20

points to teach them that liberty and unior
are inseparsble. Must we as people en-
counter this deep sorrow, pass this fsarfu
ordeal that we may learn the same lesson
THE SAMOAN IsLAHDs AND THEIR Re
LATIoNs TO THE UNITED STATES.
1t is not our purpose at this time to make
reference to any portion Of the newspaper
controversy concerning the action of the
Government in relation to the Samoan
islands, but rather to recite the leading
facts of their late diplomatic history, in
order that our readers may have q just ap
probation of the situation, and be so in
formed that they can, If occasion requires,
intelligenuy discuss questions connected
Herewith. Slight geographical and his
torical reference to the Samoan group is
necessary for clear comprehension of the
reasons inducing the United States to sccede
to any ofthe requests of the Samoan chiefs.
These islands are nine in number, and are
all inhabitated. Their names are: Savaii,
the largest, having territory of 700 square
miles; Upolu, $50; Tutuila, 240; Manua,
100; Oloosiga. "a; 0foo. 10; Manono, o.
and Opolima, 2, making in all 1,650 square
miles, and situated between 40 49, south
latitude and 1920 49, west Longitude, and
in the track of vessels between the ports OF
San Francisco and Australia. They were
lifted from the bed of the ocean by some
great CONFUSION in time most remote Al
though they contain evidences of their oc-
cupancy by human beings in another age,
neither he.history of the present inhabit-
ants nor their traditions afford the slightest
trace of who and what they were like. On
old maps they were called the Navigator
islands, but this name is now wholly aban-
doned for that of Samoan. Their warm
and even climate, moist atmosphere and
rich soil combine in the production of a
magnificent vegetation, and they are filled
with groves of oocosnut trees and large
groves of other tropical descriptions
The fruits and vegetables, such as the
Samoan apple, orange, bread fruit, lime,
pineapple, banana, guava, lemon, tamarind,
citron and mango, and melons, tomatoes,
turnips, radishes, potatoes, onions, beans
and peas, and Indian corn, cotton, indigo,
coffee, nutmegs, ginger, pepper, &c, are
all most abundant, and grow with little or
no cultivation, and the dye-stuffs there
must yet form an important branch of CON-
merce. In personal appearance the Samo-
ans have many of the characteristics of
Europeans. The males are tall, straight
and well-rounded, while the females, though
slight in figure, are for the most part beau
tifully formed, and their hair is long,
black and soft. Caste, hitherto, has been
the basis of their society, and
the greatest respect has been enter
tanned among them for the dis
tinguished names in their tribes, and the
origin of their family names is associated
with some myth. They have written
language, thanks TO the missionaries, and
it would be hard to find child there over
seven unable to read, and when we come
to quote some of their documents it will
be observed that their language and style
is allegorical and oriental in an eminent
degree. These islands were first discovered
by the Dutch in 1772, and in 1880 the Rev.
John Williams left some teachers on the
island of Ssvsii, and the natives then very
readily accepted his labors; and in 1869
the religious Census of the islands WIS as
follows: Independents and Presbyterians,
adherents of the London Missionary 3d.
ciety, 1901; Wesleyan Church, 5,OS2;
Roman Catholics, ,OO0-making total of
IS, 107. Besides this there is Bible in
every house, a church in every village,
and general religious worship every Sun
day, and the confidence of the natives in
the missionaries is most unbounded. There
are all over these islands bright indications
that the Samoans will soon take quite a
high rank among nations.
There are thousand details at our com
mand, like those given above, touching
the various conditions of these islands and l
their natives, and of equally interesting
import, but we pass them over to come d.
rectly to the subject matter in hand-that
is, an explanation of the mission of the
United States special commissioner to
Samoa-Colonel A. B. Steinberger. The
chiefs of the Samoan group, notwithstand-
ing all we have mentioned of their supe-
rior character, have always been very
much inclined to war with each other.
From 1S49 to 1858 between Upolu and
fierce and bloody strife existed.
In population and resources Upolu is the
principal island, and the town of Apia is
regarded as the natural entrepot for Sa-
noa. The foreign residents there are gen.
rally traders, and there the great com.
nercial house of Goddefray & Co., of
Hamburg, is located. The principal ex-
ports are cotton and copra, which is the
Tried fruit of the cocoanut. 1t is shipped
mostly to Europe, where the finest candles
re made of the oil obtained from the fruit.
The advantages of diverting this trade to
he Pacific States and all our mining
'egions is obvious. They have had recent
vars there, and in other places, but all the
ime, of late years, there has been con-
tant and growing desire for peace and a
ettled form of government on the |
'art of the chiefs. So much so that
n April, 1872, q large number of the
more powerful ones united in a pc
ition to the President of the United |
states. praying that its protection might be
over them, and in this petition |
hey deprecated their long civil wars as
ubversive of morality and religion and |
impeding advancement In answer to this
request. and under the proper
uthority, Colonel A. B. Steinberger was
ppointed special commissioner to the
samoan Islands in March, 1878, and on the
9th of June of that year he sailed for his
mission in the pilot boat Fanny, and on the
tn of August sighted Manua, and on the
7th he anchored in the port of Payo Payo,
rutuila, and from thai, to the date of his re.
urn, Colonel Steinberger seems to have
cen specially happy in all his travels
trough the islands, and in all his meetings
nth the chiefs, in securing the full objects
his visit. The spirit and mercy of his
isit were fully appreciated, and he carried
ut to the letter the instructions of the Sec
stary ofState to advise the natives against
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