The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-16


i, of my stateroom ready for my passage acros
the ocean.
4 With sunset the last of the blue mountain
q tops of New Zealand disappeared below th
2 horizon; and, though the night had bcel
rough, tho morning brought us n calmer sea
4 stretching around us in its ilimitabe expans
q into the blue sky. Three days later we wer
I in the mild languid air of the tropics. and
! weeks sail brought us near the line. Warme
q grew the temperature rs we approached TIL,
{ path of the sun, and now that most brilian
and beautiful effect of tropical nature--th
/ moonlight-burst upon us at night, floodin!
the scene with its silvery luminous splendor
a and rendering tho waters Transparent to grca
depth. Soon we crossed the Equator, and once
more the sun shOne in the south, and in thu
{ silent night the long-invsible northern con
{ stelations blazed in tho heavens.
, One morning as / came on deck saw straight
ahead, with their peaks just peeping above the
: water-line,
THE HAviGAToRs' ISLANDS.
Nearer we drew, and more distinct became the
outlines. Long extinct volcanoes roso in silent
} majesty, Manua lowered like dome and tn.
tuila's Jagged precipices boldly pierced the
sky. The next day we skirtca the coast and
then could be seen the wooded sIonss Of tho
bills in their various.shaded dress of green,
aud here and there the lofty cocoanut palm
reared its beautiful head above tho waving
yellow fruit, aud the banyan, pandauus. BAN
boo, mango, ci!roR, breadfrnt aud other trees
which interspersed tho dense underground
common TO these parts.
We entered the harbor Of Pango- PanRo the
chief port of Tutuila, on tho south side. and
there dropped anchor. OF the ten inhabited
islands of this group, principal among which
are hanua, Orfu, Upolu, Savaii and Tutuila,
| none has such a harbor as Pango Pango which
Is OF importance also as n coaling station. The
| island Is high and mountainous, but the south
side slopes to ground covered with tho most
iuxuriant vegetation. aud is thickly settled.
/ saw much during my short stay. The men
| impressed me rs the finest ia appearance of all
| the South Sea people, with the exception, per.
haps of the Tongese or Friendly Islanders. OF
| good hight, they carry themselves crectly and
have straight and wcll-proportioned limbs
| Their skin is what might be termed a dark
| olive in collar, though that Of the better classes
aud chiefs seemed 10 be somewhat lighter.
| The nose is usually straight with thin. seugi.
| tive nostrils, aud not inclined toward flatnoss.
| as those Of most Of the islanders | have seen
! but the mouth is large aud the lips thick. The
! hair is long, black and straight aud many of
! the men wear boards though the custom is not
very common. The women ! saw were uni
| formly graceful and symmetrical Of figure, and,
| though not possessing great beauty OF feature
/ had dark, flashing eyes. and in their loose. flow.
| ing gowns bore themselves like queens. ] OBJ.
| served that the dwellings which were In most
cases planted close to the shore were built OF
what Judged TO be the wood Of the breadfruit
| tree, thatched with wild sugar cane aud the
leaves Of the pandanus. These people arc great
! surf-riders and born navigators; indeed Bou.
Granville, who visited the group in 1865, named
il the Navigators' Isles, because he admired the
skill with which the natives mauuycred their
! ffaii, light canoes, in which they venture far
out TO sea.
THERE Is NO HARD WORK
done by the natives Of Samoa. The great
abundance Of fruits, the variety " sholl.nsh
cast upon the Shore the little trouble 10 secure
the fish that populate the sea, aud the slight
expense of otheE food obyiates the necessity of
struggling bard for daily sustcnance The
little work done is shared by men aud women
alike, and there seems 10 exist an idea Of social
equality between the sexes hardly TO be ex-
pected among such people, even with the re-.
filming influences of Christianity; aud although
p0lygamy Is customary. IL is seldom that two
wives live in the same house.
visited the harbor of Apia. which in i'm
portance aud security is second only TO Pango.
Pango. IL is on the north side Of Upolu and
is sheltered By natural break water Apia Is
the Official seat Of the King and Of tho various
foreign COnsuis. Here, also, are the represent.
atives of the great German Trading & Planta.
ton Company, which has succeeded the house
Of GoddefrOy 81 Company, and controls most of
the port trade OF the Islands the prncpai part
Of which consists Of cOpfa, or dried cocoannt
meat, and cOcoanuts themselves, this being the
chief source of profit, though much loss Is often
occasiOned TO the owners Of c0cOanut groves
from the disastrous storms which destroy i'm
great quantities the tall trees which line the
shores.
cody LABOR
Considerable of the labor Is performed nv
- by fhuan Int It'd a..
cultivation Of the food products, and for tho
proper raising Of cotton and sugar-cane for
comparatively few Of the natives can be per-
suaded 10 work. Their souls are not filed with
yauting ambition, either for power or riches,
and their easy, lazy life suits them well enough;
although they are quickly reused 10 defend |
what they consider their rights, and are brave
and adventurous.
AS will be remembered, Apia was the center |
Of the recent political disturbances as well az |
the place where the effects Of the great storm |
there last Summer were felt most disastrously. |
was there, Of course, before all this, though |
at the time matters were IN anything but Il |
peaceful condition. Tennessee had Just declared
his non allegiance, King Mnlietoa had appealed
10 the American Consul, Mr.. G00debaum for |
protection, and an American protectorate had |
been assumed.
RELIGION.
The natives Of these Islands, who were for.
meTly pOIy-lheists, have come much under the |
influence Of the missionaries, and have gener- |
ally adopted Christianity. Churches and |
schools are 10 be found in all the villages of |
any size, and the intelligence of the native |
children and their readiness to learn seems TO |
argue satisfactory results for the labor ex- |
pended.
There Is much chance for Improvement both |
among the natives and in the further develop.
ment of tho great natural resources Of the |
country, The insecurity of land 0Wnershin tEa /
constant tendency OF the inhabitants TO domes.
tic warfare, swayed as they are by their amb.
tions chiefs, together with the interference of |
great foreign powers in their struggle for favor
and supremacy in the Islands, have, of course,
retarded such cultivation Of agriculture as tho
richness Of the soil and the variety of its prod.
ucts would seem to warrant True IL is that
the climate of these parts 10 hardly calculated
TO stimulate men to a great degree of labor and
this seems an obstacle to progression not easily
surm0untable, considering the disposition of
the natives and the inability of northerners To |
endure hard work in such climate.
left Samoa all unconscious of the thrilling
events soon TO happen there, but realizing that
ultimately some decided change must take
place, that the political state of the country
must be greatly bettered, and strong hand
be put forth to guide the weak monarch and
shape affairs before this country of magnificent |
possibilities could aspire to status worthy of
lis Importance 10 the world at large
J. N. INGRAM.