News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-08-23
GLIMPSES OF SAMOA.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE DESCRIBES THE
ISLANDS AND THEIR CUSTOMS.
Scenes of Battle and shipwreel-A Visit TO
the Royal Palace - Trade Gin" and
"Kava"- King Malietoa's Missionary
Flag-Beach Combers.

the Royal Palace Trade Gin" and
"Kava"- King MaIietoa's Missionary
Flag-Beaeh Combers.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch, lS9Ll
APIA, Samoa, July "A hundred
and sixty dead men in the angry wa
tiers; one ship sunk out of sight so that
not so much as a plank or rope has
nnce appeared; of our three great Amer
lean warships lying in the harbor the
Leipsic beached, the Trenton and Van
dalia demolished; of the three great
German men-of-war the Eber and Olga
gone completely under; the Adler rolled
over ON its side and cracking apart amid
ships; out of all the vessels in harbor
only one saved, and that because it had
steam up and could sail out into the
sea; three days of wreckage and fright
and horror which shook the island, and
by report of next steamer transtixed all
nations, all this brief putting of what
an antipodean hurricane did for this
harbor in March, 1889. While all up
and down the beach of this island are
pieces of the wreckage of that unpar-
alleled tempest, only one skeleton OF
ship remains, the Adler, sufficiently
distinct to represent that scene Of cy-
clonic Information. 1t is rather unfor-
tunate that Samoa, in the popular mind
of all nations, stands as a synonym of
shipwreck, for the place is as fine a
specimen of foliage and fruitage as the
world holds. Indeed its harbor is the
sea captains anxiety, for, though a
wide harbor, it has only small en-
trance, and rocks in all directions toss
the white foam. The captain told us we
need not think we were left if we saw
him sailing out to sea, for he would do
so if squall came up, but he would re-
turn and take us.
After more than seven days OF ocean
rolling, without sight of ship or land,
the Samoan islands greet you like be-
attic vision. AS we came on deck this
morning the waters were covered with
small boats of natives bringing speci-
mems of coral and all manner of flowers
and fruits, ready to sell these and trans
port to shore all the passengers who
chose to go. A boat belonging to the
German legation, with four stout oars
men, took us three-quarters of mile to
the beach. From thence we went to
King Malietoa's residence. But it is
time of war. The king had fled to the
forest A few nights before he was
thought to be at village house, and it
was surrounded and shot into, and the
king would have been slain if he had
been there. The whole island is in
turmoil. We were shown the kings
rooms and his pictures and bric-a-brac.
The walls suggested fondness for Ger
man and English royalty, but l found
not the face of any American president
or general. We saw the queen, and at
the invitation of the warriors went into
the guards tent-about 10 dusky SOL
diers, each reclining on pillow of
round wood upheld by two small sup
ports, more uncomfortable pillow, it
would seem to me, than that in Bethel
from the foot of which Jacob saw the
angeles.
Each of the warriors had a gun with
in reach. At their invitation we sat
down ON a mat beside those who were
sitting and in scant vocabulary talked
over the Samoan troubles. We saw one
soldier who had been shot in the foot
and he was limping along leaning On
an assistant. Four men were killed last
night in a skirmish, and another Skin
mish is to take place tonight. There are
natives who do not want to pay their
taxes, and their various grievances have
been summed up, and young warrior
wants to get the throne and introduce
the millennium.
A long continued struggle is opening
Meanwhile German and English man
of-war is in the harbor, and an Ameri-
can man-ofwar is expected soon. What
will be the result no one can prophesy.
But this is certain-this island and all
the group of islands are suffering from
foreign interference. 1t is a common
saying among the natives that first
comes the missionary, then comes the
merchant, then comes the consul, then
comes the man-cf-war, then-oh, my!
Why should three great nations like
the English, German and American
stoop to such small business as to be
watching with anxious and expensive
vigilance these islands for fear that this
or that foreign government should get a
little advantage? Better call home your
warships and leave all to the mission
<.:~ aries. They will
sa.tbuaisl do more for the
q va civilization Of
g 49, w Samoa than all