Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-04
SAMOAN ADVICES.
Malietoa Coming Back from
Exile.
PEACE REIGNS IN THE ISLANDS.
The Natives to Elect Their Sow
ereign-ReligiOus Dissen-
siOns Brewing.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD !

APIA, Samoa, July 20 (per steamer
Mariposa to San Frsncisco) Political
affairs at Samoa remain quiet. The Ger
man gunboat Wulf left here June 9th
for Joluit, Marshall Islands, for the pur-
pose of bringing back the depoeed King,
Malietoa, and the three chiefs who were
taken there by the Germans two years
ago. The Germans state that they are
bringing Ma,ietoa back to Samoa OF their
own free will, and not as the result Of the
Berlin conference. They also assert that
they will do all in their power to restore
the condition of affairs that existed here
prior to the time Malietoa was deposed,
and they announce that they will favor
Malietoa as King, and Tamasese as Vice
King.
The naval force at Apia now comprises
the German corvette Sophie and the
British warship Rapid. The Sophie
arrived recently from Zanzibar. She has
number of wounded men on board who
received their injuries during the CAM
paign at Zanzibar. The officers of the
Sophie state that the Alexandria will
arrive here in about month, and relieve
the Sophie.
Admiral S. A. Kimberly, accompanied
by Lieutenant e. A. Merriam, has gone
to Tutuila island, seventy-tive miles
from here, to inspect the harbor and
select site for storing the coal which is
expected to arrive there shortly from
Philadelphia.
Lieutenant Fl. O. Rittenhouse and
six men are the only survivors of the re-
cent hurricane who still remain at Apia,
and it is thought they will 60 aboard the
Adams as soon as she arrives from Hon
olulu.
The police appointed by Matsafa last
June have full charge of the town, the
police who held Office under the old
Tamasese government having been
forced to disband. Mataafa has also ap.
pointed native jadges for municipality
and country districts. The natives have
not an abundance of food, but it is be-
lieved the supply will last until their
plantations are again in working order.
The branch of the London Missionary
Society in Sydney raised $500 for the
Samoans on the strength of private let
ter from one of their missionaries here,
and sent $3.50 worth of rice and biscuits
to Apia, but the chief missionary III
Samoa at once wrote to Sydney and
asked that no more provisions be sent,
as it only tended to pauperize the
natives, for as soon as it was known here
that provisions had been received, a
number of natives went to the mission
aries and begged for food, saying they
were starving. The missionaries, how
ever, sent them away, stating that they
thought the natives were in no great
danger of starvation.
Considerable annoyance is expressed
here on account of a newspaper argument
which has been started in Sidney be-
tween Roman Catholics and the London
Missionary Society, as to which religious
body the natives belonged who saved
lives during the hurricane. Tne Samo-
ans are divided in their religious belief,
and it is feared this discussion may tend
to increase the bad feeling which already
exists among the natives. Some OF the
chiefs say they fear that religious differ
ences may be carried into the election
for King, which will be held on Malie-
toa's return, and that split may occur
among the adherents of the Malietoa
family, of which Mataafa is a member,
and that thereby Tamasese will be
6elecCeu Ming, III WulCu eVent tue OoI-
mans would have az full power as they
had two years ago.
Considerable excitement was caused
here month ago by the fact that num-
Der of Samoans left here on the steamer
Alameda for San Francisco in charge Of
an American. Mataafa supposed that
the latter was a British subject, and he
applied to the British Consul to use his
offices in preventing the Samoans from
going. The British Consul referred the
matter to United States Vice-Consul
Blackjack, and Mataafa wrote letter to
the latter, asking him to interfere in the
matter. However, the natives were by
that time aboard the steamer, and as no
boat could be obtained. it was impossible
to communicate with them.
Consul Blackjack has not yet COM
pleted the distribution of gifts from the
American Government, consisting of
money, watches, etc.
The departure of the shipwrecked Off
GERS and men of the American war ves-
sells, and the consequent loss of the cir
culation of considerable money, is felt
by the merchants in Apia.