The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-03-11
The Samoan Imbroglio.


In our brief reference last week to the state of
affairs existing at Samoa, we ventured the opinion
that it was a case of history repeating itself. Sub
sequent inquiries have served to confirm US in that
opinion; and we are assured on what we have reason
to believe is reliable authority, that the whole Of the
late proceedings there, including the proclamation
by the Consuls and the seizure of the Peerless, are
oil but parts of a scheme for the subyersion of the
native government of Samoa. and to place it as has
been done with FIJI, and as is doubtless intended as
to Tonga, under foreign domination, and that the
American Consul, Foster, has allowed himself to
be made a tool to that end.
1t appears that an individual named Young, an
Englishman who formerly lived in FIJI, had been for
some time plotting to raise a party in opposition to
the existing government of Samoa, on the one hand
extolling the new state of affairs at FIJI since annex
alton, and on the other decrying Col. Steinberger and
the Samoan authorities. In this he was heartily
seconded by that sort of characters to whom law
and order are unwelcome every where. Young made
trips back and forth between FIJI and Samoa, and at
last, on the 18th of December, it is supposed in con-
sequence of his representations, FL. B. NJ. s. Barrd-
couta, Capt. Stevens, arrived at Apia from FIJI.
Previous to this, there had been no complaints by
Consuls and everything had gone on quietly. Capt.
Stevens at once associated with the disafected of the
f--i7- ~"aidents-among whom we are sorry to hear
were persons connected with the London Missionary
Society, in distinction from the Wesleyan and Roman
Catholic Missionaries-and the Captain and Mr..
Layard, former administrator of FIJI proceeded to
hold meetings and invited the chiefs to present any
complaints that they might wish to make against the
government. At one of these meetings, two of the
chiefs were induced to sign a petition to the British
government, asking that Samoa might be annexed to
N.aok D,;Eo.r Tk.o opo,p e. kba lnovyloI1a nf
the King, the two chiefs were arrested, and repent
ing of their action they were pardoned. On the
18th December, Capt. Stevens and the British Con
sui issued a manifesto, in which they pronounced to
be false alleged injurious reports about the conduct
of the government Of FIJI, and invited the chiefs to
q meeting, at which correct information would be
impaired. A public meeting was accordingly held,
at which we're present the King, his Ministers, both
branches Of the Legislature, all the foreign Consuls,
and some four or five thousand people. Capt.
Stevens opened the meeting, and addressed the King
and assembled chiefs at considerable length, setting
forth a string of complaints that, i. their triaing,
frivolous and evidently mischief seeking nature,
strikingly bring to mind some passages in Hawaiian
history. Allusions more or less covert were fire.
quently made to Col. Steinberger, against whom for
no specified reason adduced the complainants appear
to be particularly enbittered, and at length the King
and chiefs were distinctly asked if they would not
discard him from the government. This inquiry
was made three separate and distinct times during
the conference, and at each repetition the question
was met with a distinct and emphatic no, from the
King and Legislature. "Then,' at length said
Capt. Stevens, " the situation becomes serious,''-
and the conference broke up.
Next came the seizure of the yacht Peerless, the
property of Col. Steinberger. by the force under
Capt. Stevens, at the instance Of Mr.. Foster, the
American Consul. The allegation was, that being
an armed private vessel she was in contravention of
the American neutrality laws Her armament was
put on board from a U. S. armed ship; she carried
the American flag at the fore and the Samoan flag at
the main, and was employed as a dispatch vessel by
the government between the islands. Capt. Stevens
took her alongside the Barracuda, where she was
stripped and dismantled, aud thirty days afterwards
sold at private sale by Consul Foster without notice.
for e34O. A German house stood ready to purchase
her for the government, had the sale been a public
one, for Ss942 in cobra, worth S2s, 600 in Europe.
The " proclamation Of the Consuls, issued Jan.
IS, COPIED by US last week from an Auckland paper)
brought out a response from the King, the Mobiles
and Representatives, in which, after denying that
they have hindered or DISTRACTED the legitimate
Jurisdiction and authority of foreign representatives
IL OaulO1 eASy Ia NUENN
claimed the right to make laws to govern their
own people without the interference of foreign off,
Gals, and protested against the issuance of the pro-
clamatiou. The different clauses in the consular
proclamation were considered one by one, and their
fallacy and injustice exposed, beginning with the
first, which claimed that (" No subject or citizen of q
nation represented by a Consul shall be arrested
without the consent of said authority. as previous to
July, 1878" In reply to this, the King produced
copy of q letter from the late lamented Commodore
Goodenough, dated in November, 1873. in which he
recognized the government of Samoa as an estab-
lished and welcome fact, and heartily approved of
their orderly and judicious course. In the course OF
this reply of the government to the Consuls, they
repeatedly spoke of their anxious desire and deter
mination to do justice to all foreigners within their
dominions, in accordance with the ussges of civilized
nations, but firmly insisted on the right to govern
themselves without interference from foreign officials.
Mr.. Poppe, the Acting German Consul, on after