Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-05-23
THE eAMoAN AT HOME
Visit to the Islands ard Sights at Apia-
Appearance and Domestic Life

Appearance and Domestic Lie
The day vas hot, the air pure and baimyi |
and. under the influence Of a good sailing |
breeze. our ship giided over the mirror-iike 4
surface Of the sea at the rate Of eight or ten 1
miles an hour. Sharply defined Islands Win l
a pleasing variety Of lofty mountains, extinct
voleanoe. And charming valleys surrounded |
US on all sides; here lay the lovely pola
there the fs.ry-like islet Of Ssvaii yon'ier
the iauuriant Tutuilz, which contains Pago- /
Pago the port which the Ssmoans recently
coded to the United State. Thi. latter Island
looked like one Of those little gems which
!. I'd the broad bosom Of the Pacific The
scenery, a. sc worked our way slowly
through the coral reefs which abound around
this group Of Islands, Vas enchanting Nov
We we're skirting belt Of lOr, fiat land
dotted here and there with the honestsaGs
Of the planters and the picturesque huts OF
the natives then gliding past vail Of solid
rock. serving az basis to a central noun
tain which rose high In the sky, and seemed
70 form the backbone Of the island. It's
slope. we're in many places already white
With early cotton blossoms, and rich With
breadfrnit and cocoanut, while lie summit,
we're los, in the regions Of the clouds.
Peeping through the clear water could
.ee the bottom, some forty or my feet be
low There the tufts Of beautiful coral.
With branching stem and embryo leaves
formed a miniature forest. While round their
base. we're clustered. in rich profu.ion, deli
cate .eaweeds and my Rad. Of many eolored
fishes darted TO and fro within that fairy
abode As We progressed along the south
ern coast Of the Tgtuila the scenery often
changed in character Here the hiily and
undulating ground was dotted with vegeta-
ton Of the mos varied form and hue
( The cocoanut palm, the paper mulberry
the bresdfruit tree, the iron wood so we'll
suited for the war clubs Of the natives,
seemed to vie with each other for the mastery
" the ground. How vegetation so profuse
and varied can thrive on rocky and appar-
.
sight difficult to understand, but nearer ap
proach TO the shore reveals little patches Of
rich loan hidden away in the creYices of the
rock. which, in many places IS so smooth
and bare that the hardest creeper can hard
~ cling to it, Behind this rocky barrier,
and at a small distance from the shore,
could see dense forests Of tropical luxuriance.
and huge trees which rose giant like al
regular intervals on the shady side of the
hills, seemingly struggling upward toward
the b, and heat of the sun, while orchids
fern, and delicate NOSES clLng to every lint
and tangled cteepcrs hung in festoons from
tree 20 tree or trsieh in rope Ike masses OF
the ground thickly strewn with leaves anc
fruit
The Samoan, whom saw in Apia, th'
pri cpsl harbor and town o: the slan1 ~er'
tail. portly and of a diynitied appearance
The women struck me as rather pretty an'
/ graceful AID apparently retiring and modest
They shred in the out door labor equalll
vjh IN, IN II Both sexes had their head
p'a.itrol 90 70 speak with what seemed t.
, nc IKE qu. lime, and their hands and 81 in
stairod ~ ia nted with the JUICE OF fragrAn
allr his Practice | wa. told, tieds ftvo
: only among those natives who worship tn
, god of storm and lightning, and it forms
; part Of their religious rites The grOtesqu
but somewhat utjslically carved blocks o
stone anil wood, which are seen in yariou
places, are erected to their gods and god
de.ses. or to the memory of certain chief
whom they Worship.
They display great deal of ingenuity i
p the construct on of their dwellings Flanke
r fruit tree, matched with sugar cane an
rooted over with the palm and pandamu
leaves. Though rather primitive in thei
mode Of living, both men and women Ar
cleanly in their habits and exceedingly socia
in disposition. They justly deserve to b
called the Navigators for the dexteritv wit
which they row their canoes and steer thei
war boats Is simply marvellous. These boat
are made of the hollow trunk. of trees. an
are generally very light and small, althoug
some were manned by no less than 200 men
Seldom. If ever have seen in all IN
travels prettler and more intelligent childre
than those innocent and half-naked littl
Ssmoans, whose smiling faces greeted u
everywhere, and impressed me with a stroa
sense of paternal love ard domestic hsppi
ness A. NJ. correspondent of n Y
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