The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-05

tants OF the Tonga, Samoa, and Tahiti
groups related to the equally brown Him
| docs, and so TO the Circassan race, since as
respects beauty they appear inferior To no
variety Of that Wanted type.
A peaceful disposition seems to have pre-
served tho Samoans from the atrOcity OF
cannibalism practiscd by their neighbors
| of Papuan stock. OF foreign wars they
| seem to have no record, and civil dissen-
| sion is infrequent and never destructive.
| Before the appearance Of the whites, crime
was literally unknown; and even the pas
sion for tobacco and strong drink, and the
consequent ooveting of money, have inn
PEELED this peculiarly gentle race rather to
deceit and roguery than TO deeds of vio-
lence The white race, which by every
method OF corruption had undermined the
morals of Samoan women, is now attempt
ing, through its missionaries, to inculcate
more exemplary principles; but so far the
main result of their labors has been to
divest the natives of their naive sincerity.
Polygamy, however, has long been abcl-
ished Marriage is studiously encouraged
by the laws, and even the morganatic
unions contracted with the whites are
subject TO stringent regulations.
Although the Samoans are in most re-
spects, n thoroughly civilized race, they
retain some primitive characteristics. The
normal garment of both sexes Is n broad
strip of native stun, dyed with the most
gaudy hues, which Is wound about the
loins and fastened with q scarf of the same
material Upon the urgent remonstrance
of the missionaries, this costume is some
times supplemented by the younger fe-
males with circular cape, having an
aperture for the head. The men continue
to tattoo their bodies above the waist in n
quaint checker-worlS pattern, whose feet
Is not dsagreeable. Like the Venetians of
TITrAN's day, the Samoans count il an en-
Enlistment to stain their black locks red.
Their dances. TO which they are greatly
addicted. are described rs s,tt gcneris, be-
ing as unlike those OF the IIindoo bayadere
or Spanish gitana as to n European qua
drille. They resemble a ballet. action and
mimicfy being no less essential than grace
full motion. The Samoans have a pleasing
voice, and their singing Is meodious. The
language appears TO be soft and liquid;
but rs to its structure, DIR. BoHR is not ex-
| plicit. He says II comprises only seven
| teen characters; but rs he adds that IL is
syllable, the two statements are hard to
reconcile. Like the Chinese and most
races of Polynesia, the Samoans are I'M
able to articulate the r sound. or Samo-
an history this traveller could find no
records, and he docs not seem to have at
tempted to collect traditions. Neither
does he venture TO estimate the number of
| i,,h
ing the European settlement Of Apia CON
tanned two thousand, while several others
quite as large could be found In the imme-
date neighborhood, the aggregate popu-
laton must be considerable.
The chief port OF the Samoas Is Apia.
and the harbor, though small, is nearly
landlocked, and one of the safest in the
South Seas Here is centred all the for
eign and coasting trade of the adjoining
islands, which Is mainly controlled by
| Hamburg merchants. Their business has
attained Il magnitude fully equal to the in
| ital efforts of the Dutch East India Com
pany. Every year large fleet Of ships
| replenishes their warehouses with Euro
pean products, aud these are distributed
| by smaller craft throughout circuit of
many hundred miles For the homeward
voyage ships are freighted with koprdh, or
the dried meat of the cocoanut. which is
extensively used in Germany for the man
ufacture Of oil and soap. To meet the
growing demand for this material, the Ger
man company has undertaken plantations
on great scale. As the Samoans cannot
be induced TO work, il has been found me-
ccssary to import lahorers OF a more hardy
and savage stock from distant islands, who,
on their arrival at Apin, are subjected to u
kind OF peouage. The development of
this system must prove prejIdicial to the
free inhabitants of the Samoas, but the
Hamburg merchants are practically mas
ters of the islands. II is true they tole-
rate the semblance of a government, in
| trusted to seven chiefs with provincial
suhordinatos named consuls, but German
influence based on the absolute control of
| imports is SO decisive and irresistible that
the attempt of STEISnERGER, or OF any
other foreign adventurer, to thwart their
interests would result in his summary OK
| pulsion from the islands.