The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-17


ers, by way of San Francisco.
TREATY wrTH sAMo A.
TIA was in Washington WI en- Mamain the
So ,nnan chief. reached that sjty in November
1g7T md assisted, MS advis sr and interpreter
in tho formation Of The treaty between The
which was signed Mt Washington in Februa-
nv. 1878 and nfterw ard ratified Mt Apia in
.JIlIy following, witt the most imposing cere,
monies.
,abllsled betwe en- the United States and the
Samoan Islam ~, and the United States are
granted tho exclusive use OF tho beautiful
hnrbOr Of '.'ago- PaEo, in the island OF Ttl-
tuila. as scaling station. The English nnd
Germans are very much dissatisfied with this
treaty, because Of the exclusive privileges
confer rcd by II on Americans and are insist
ing Upon equally liberal treaties with their
governments, and DR.. Van Camp thinks that
their demands will have to be- complied with
eventually. At present the trade OF these
islands is inconslderabla, amounting TO be-
tween two and three millions OF dollars d
year, and is monOpolized by the Hamburg
house OF Godefroy Il Co
SAMOAN Islands.
This group of islands, nine in number, liee
In latitude 1872 80 W a. 30 south, aud l0hgt-
tude 1862 To 1739 west, and have In oil an area
vi about $3.50 square miles, with total p0pu-
lation Of about 10000 souls. They are OF vol
as $500 feet above the son level.
~ SOIL AND PRODUCTS.
Tho soil a dark loan, composed OF decom-
posed volcanic rock, Is very rich even To the
very tops Of the highest mountains, and the
island Ii covered with the richeat vegetation
The forests OF bread-frnit, cocoa nut, banana
and palm are most lnxuriant. while the
orange, lemon, tappa, coffee. sweet potatoes,
pineapples, yarns. nutmegs and wild sugar
cane abound In great profusion. Some cot
ton la grown on the island or Upolu. Inc
chief article OF export is cobra, or the dried
cocon-nut, which ID shipped principally to
Hamburg. where tho oil - pressed from 1t
and the cake used as food for cattle. A great
quantity OF table oil is made from It on the
islands and shipped to this country and Eu-
rope Ms olive oil.
The climate or oil these islands Is about the
same. there being but slight variations Of
temperature in any of them from one year 8
end to another. il is moist and pleasant. the
temperature scarcely ever falling below g.
or rising above So Fahrenheit. There are no
perceptible seasons, and in tho native Ian
guage Of the Samoana, as IN that 81 the sand
Wich islanders, there is no word that Expresses
the idea of arcnfher. which sufficiently indl-
Gates that extremes Of heat and cold arc I'M
known Through nine months of the year
the trade winds prevail, during which time
less rain falls than In tho three months Of
November. December ard january, when nre
known as the variable months. The rainfall
is somewhat heavier during these months
but such weather rs marks the rainy season
Of tho tropics Is entirely unknown.
MANNERs AND CUsTOMs
The Samoans. like nearly ali Of the natives
of the Polynesian islands, are 81 Malny ORR
gin, though DR.. Van Camp regards them ms
superior In many respects To the Inhabitants
Of any OF the other islands. except, perhaps,
their neighbors OF the Friendly or Tonga
and they vehemently deny that Cannbalism
was over practically them. They might %
| regarded as semi civilized, though the worl
OF civilzing them IL ~ very difficult one, anC
its results are never assured or permanent
Nature supplies their every want In tn
greatest proiuslon, leaving them no incentive
to exertion, and they readily retrograde when
ever the slightest COmmotion affords them M
excuse or opportunity. Among other aborignH
propensites IL an Inherent and inerahlchblt
repugnance to wearing clothes or covering ol
any description beyond simple breeeh -clout
This is the universal costume OF all Glasses
and both sexes, and though they may be In
duced to put on some slight apparel OF
special occasions, they Immediately dives,
themselves Of it ut tho first opportunity. A.
| an illustration, Mt Apa there y o female
seminary under the auspices OF the Catholic
| missionaries, attended by some $50 girls
While ut school these girls and young womer
are compelled to wehr n simple gown, 81
rather short skirt Of white cotton, but as soor
US they get out OF the school of it goes owe
| their heads and Is tucked under their arms
lated of old King CarcuInbaw Of the Fills
| who derives an annuity of G1500O, o
$4,000, from the British government
that on one occasion his royal high
ness undertook to put on some style, an'
accordingly encased himself In q suit 9
| clothes and pair Of shoes to call on the Gov
| ernor General. He had not proceeded NOR
| than q hundred yards on his visit before h
| tripped himself up and came near breaking
| his neck. Without getting up he stripped
| away, with a volley Of kanaka Oaths, and ht
| has never resumed them since, and, though
while his garb is as primitive 1t can scarcel.
| be said OF him that, like the Lady Godiva, h
goes about clothed on with chastity
GOVERNMENT, SCHOOLS, ETC.
! Apia, on the island OF Upolu, Is the larges
| town and the capital OF the Samoan islands
| The other large islands are, Savaii, the larg
est. having an area Of forty by twenty miles
| Manra and Tutuila. Apia has native popu
lation Of about 1000 with perhaps $50 foreign
residents, including number Of families
| There are white people on all the islands
though they are by no means numerous
| There are a few plantations and some cotton
but no sugar Is raised. Apia is the trading
point for a number Of adjacent islands, the
Wallace, Kingsmil. Marshall and other
groups The trade Is almost entirely In the
hands Of the Godefroy firm, who send thei
agents and trading vessels to these various
| island from Apia, whence they conduct thell
business with Hamburg. The Bishop Of New
Zealand resides at Apia, where the French
Catholics have two large seminaries, mal'
and female under the direction Of some fort,
missionary priests and a number OF nuns ant
Sisters of Charity. There are about 500 nativ
boys and girls attending these schools, tt
whom are impaired q religious training
and the documentary branches OF reading
writing, arithmetic and music, for which las
accomplishment the natives have a grea
| fondness and natural talent.
The government is one OF hereditary chief
Of the crudest and most unstable character
and utterly incapable of compelling respec
for It's authority from foreign residents
Although 1t has been recognized as an indie
pendent government, by the United States a
least, with King Malatoa at its head, the for
fuse to recognize it, and refer their dispute
to Sir Arthur Gordon, the British Governo
of the Fiji Islands, who virtually rules al
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