South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1889-02-15

OF the cause of'.b7 Samaan.troub les
between THE country aud G.rma
together with . description Of The L.
lands. The ony importance they
possess for the United STATES lies il
the fact chat they are directly in The
path OF our TRANSATLANTIC com ncrce. and
We have coaiing station (Pa.o Payo,
on one OF them. II is now thought
That Secretary Of State Bayard and
Prince Bismarck, the German pre-,
mier, will be abe to agree upon an am.
lcaole settlement of the controversy
at the Conference TO he held in Der.
lie.
'Navigators' leland, or Samoa, o
group.in ihs Southern Pacific, APO
miles northeast OF The FIJI islands,
lying between IL degrees 80 minu es
ana IL degrees 20 minutes sou b la,i
tude. and between 100 degrees and
i13 degrees west longitude. 1t mum.
pe's IN all thirteen islands, but most
of :hese are little more than barren
roc g, aud three oply-Sawaii (Pola J
Upo!u (Oyalava) and Tutui!a (Mauns
are large enough to be of any i'm
portance. Sawail 700 square mi!es1
Is almost entirely occupied by lofty
and barren mountains. 1t has 70
rivers or streama, the water altering
away through the porous soil, and
there Is but one harder. Upo, u
l5oO- square miles is also mountain.
Gus, but it is vel wooded and fertile
and possesses several considerable
streams. Apia, the chief town, lies
al the head of an oval bay on the
north coast. Since 1879 i, has bee n
uader a municipality directed by the
consuls Ct Germany, Great Britain
aud the United Safes. 1t is in
Upoiu that the present troubles are
occurring. Tutuila 55 square mi les
Ia miles long and 5 broad, ! is almost
cut IN .tso by tue harbor OF Pago Pa.
go, Pango'Pango,] one OF the best
In The South Pacific. In general
character tue island is like UpoIu.
'lhe Samoans are physically a fine
race OF nen, and tLcse Oh Upsolu are
Ill nominally Christisn, but thew dis
play great lack ofindus,ry and per.
severance. Both Upolu, and to some
ex'ent Tutuiln. have attracted a con
si1erao!e number of Americans an d
europeans. (mostly German capital.
ists, and large portion of the land
has passed into tue hands OF foreign
residents, who number about three
hundred.) The bulk Of the foreign
trade belongs. to The successors OF
the famous Hamburg finn Of j. G..
Godeffroy & Son. Cotton, coccauts
and bread-fruit are cultivated for ex.
port, anu ma'Ze, sugar, ccffee, etc,
for LEGAL consumption. Copra or
cobra Ii. e., dried cocoanutsl is the
most Important article of trade. In
1881 the planters bad abou, /, 800 la.
horers from The Line Islands, Tey
Britain, New Hebr;des, etc., the
Samoans icing too independent to
hire themselves out, A series of
petty ware, continued with little inter.
mission from 1868, has greatly inter
isre with the prosperity OF the ma.
tive population, whose numbers Lave
decreased from $4,000 in 1910 to So
OOO in 1872, and 10000 in 1880.
The Samoan group are possibly
The Baumann's Islands of the Dutch
man RcggeVeen. G722,) hu, it was
BouSainville who made them definite
iy known, and who called them lies
des Navigateurs, owing to the skill
with which the natives managed their
canoes. AT Asu or Massacre bay
La Perouse lost two OF his assistants
DE Lamanor and De Langle-and
boats crew. Christianity was in
troduced By John Williams in 1889 >
The origin of the trouble is as fol-
lows: In 1879, after protrac.ed dis.
orders growing out Of the claims of
rival chieftaiDs 10 the throne, MaIie-
toa WAS recognized rs King by the
consuls of Germany, Great Britain
and the United Stale This country
had previously, in 1873, concluded a
treaty with Samoa, guaranteeing to
use its ''good offices" in behalf Of IL g
kingdom, but not, as has been erro-
neously supposed by many, agreeing
to establish protcctorate over tue
islands. Later on the United Siates
government. was expressly rrccluded
from this course by its ineistence IN.
on the independent sovereignty OF
Malie'os, the principal point OF con
tentlon now raised in connection with
the German support Of the rebel King
Tsmasotc.