The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-03-04
Colonel Steinberger.


This gentleman, who 4, viii be remembered had
organized a government with q King, Constitution
and laws At Samoa, appears to have got into Difficult
ties with foreign CoUsais there. On accoun; Of
some alleged offensive action by the Colonel, the
American Consul has seized the yacht Peerless,
which, by order Of the Captain Of II. b. VI 5 Bar
raeouiG, and OF the Consul, was sold at auction. and
taken away to Auckland By the purchaser. Stein
berger himself is said to be under arrest These
are all the particulars We can gain from the papers
Of an evidently complicated state Of affairs existing
at Samoa. The following s~inguiarly woried d0cu-
nent appears in the Auckland Herald Of Feb. II:
Proclamation: Irasnach as the Samoan Government Avs
thought Ct TO set aside and Interfere with and ignore the
legitimate j1risdietcn and authority Of The Representatives
Of foreign powers in Samoa, and have committed and adopted
numerous nalprsctees in direct opposition 70 eiviSsed laws,
customs, ase u.asss, have whi1Hy e p Tss hsss ae.Sns N
nent, al the public Conferences Of The 2ith, 9th, and 18Th
Britanic Majesty. Consul for Tonga and FIJI, and the Captain
Of His Imperial Majesty's German ship q var Ga=sHs; and
ship RaTTGeoEtG, in ihe interests Of our respective nations, TO
discuss and decide what coure We should adopt for the proper
protection Of the safety, freedom, and protection of property
Of our subjects IL. That no s1elect or citizen OF a nation
the consent Of the aid authority as previous TO July 1873. .
That no laws in ANYTHING relating 70 foreigners shan be carried
put irons OF any foreigners at any time unless 50 ordered by
heretofore made by the presen, Government against a subject
or subjects Citizen or citizens Of any Of the nations a $ are rep
O~-hNN - NA-r - N @S
approval not having been obtained thereto, shall be pronounced
null and void. S Foreigners in Samoa belonging TO any IA
TO obtain protection from any consul in Samoa shat they may
choose, provided always consent 10 such protection be obtained
from such representative, but under such circumstances il ID
distinctly to be understood that they, the said foreign subjects
seeking the protection of another flag, shall forthwith register
themselves in the consulate Of the nation that the flag repre-
sents, and shall thenceforIh be subject TO and governed by the
decision Of the consular representative Of the said nation 9.
All persons Of foreign extraction residing in Samoa and held 70
service and labor shall subject 10 and governed only by the
laws Of their employers, his or their nations. :. From time TO
time lists Of such subjects as are referred to in clauses S and 8,
rezisteFed in zach COnsulafe shall be flrnikhed TO the Samoan
Government. 8. And we finally withdraw our subjects and
citizens from the Jurisdiction and influence Of this until the
Samoan Government consent 10 foreign representatives having
due authority in the framing Of laws, and they, the subjects
and citizens are Withdrawn. Be il understood that the clauses
in this proclamation have not been framed or set for I'll for any
perty Of the subjects Of the foreign representatives enumerated
above, for their security and safety, and they are hereby en-
TO behave az they would do if they were in their native coun-
try. Given under our hand, at Apia, the 18th day of January,
CHAs. Z. Steven, Captain R. N. Barracuda;
ALFRED l.. PoPPE, Acting Consulfor II. i. n. the En-
s. S. FosrER, Consul United States of America;
81. WILLIAMS, Her Brittanic Majesty's Acting Consul.
Since the above was puff in type, a YES el has ar
rived in port from Apia. bringing Mr.. Frank Plat,
bearer of dispatches from the King of Samoa to
President Grant, en- route for the United States.
but unfortunately too late for the steamer of We'd
nesday last. Mr.. Plat declined to impart any in
formation in regard to the state of affairs at Samoa.
until after communicating with His Exeellency the
American Minister Resident. We venture the opin-
ion however, that this Samoa business is merely
q case of history repeating itself. Forty or more
years ago. there was Just such u conflict in Hawaii
nei between foreign officials and the native gov
eminent, and DR.. Judd was our Col. Steinberger.