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Samoan Value of Words - Samoan Parliament - No Voting - Success to the Strongest - Samoan Incapacity for Self-government - No Benefit from Treaties - No Child of mine - Preference for Great Britain.

IN the beginning Of December the Samoans had for some time been in active and continuous argument over the value of the wording of their last peace agreement, in which it was stated that Malietoa was to resign at the end of seven years, and that then a general election should be held by the whole nation to select whom they wished to reign.

The opposition insisted that this meant that at the end of the prescribed period the present King was to stand on one side, and that their man, the Vice-King, was entitled to succeed. They had been wasting their entire time in these jealous squabbles instead of legislating for the good of their country before it struck either side that they were drifting dangerously near to a split up again, and, indeed, a single indiscreet word from the King would have produced a war; but he bore all these vexatious proceedings with wonderful patience, and at last asked the Consuls to come and give him the benefit of their support and views on the matter in question.

There is no general Parliament-house for a Samoan session. Each political division has a house told off for its particular use, and discussion is carried on from house to house; the speaking member, standing out a few paces in front, and leaning on his long orator's staff, with fly-flap over his shoulder, holds forth to all within earshot in his most eloquent manner; whilst generally the previous speaker, motionless as a bronze statue, will remain in listening attitude in his place, to receive all that may be said in contradiction or in support of his just delivered opinion.

There never is any vote-taking as we at home understand the matter; all the real business in that way is done by delegates from the originators of schemes circulating amongst the various district houses and assemblies. In differences upon serious subjects, the whole thing turns upon whether the proposers or dissentients are strong enough in party to fight out their opinion. If the opposition consider that they are, they will leave the Government, go home and prepare for eventualities, defying openly all efforts to reduce them to obedience; and if not, they will remain until an opportunity occurs to try again.

On arrival we were seated in the same house with the King, which fact was immediately taken advantage of by the opposition to hint in the politest manner in the world that he was trying to intimidate them; but at the same time they said they were very glad to see the foreign representatives amongst them, and to hear anything they in their wisdom would wish to say.

Having given them a few words of advice in turn, to the effect that it would be a good thing for them if they were to drop all such disturbing arguments until they had established their system of government on a solid basis, such as would command the respect of all their well-wishers, we left them to their own devices, after they had thanked us for our good wishes, and requested us to visit them again when they had seriously discussed what we had told them.

The adjourned meeting came off two days later, when we were invited to hear the decision that had been arrived at. When we appeared, the leader of the opposition, after making a review of the whole discussion, and thanking us for our presence, informed us that they, the opposition, being there at all was a sign that they had taken our advice, and would shelve the disturbing question until Samoa had a strong Government, or, at all events, until the seven years had expired. In the interval, they would occupy their whole time with public legislation.

The Samoan nation is, without doubt, quite incapable of forming and carrying on for any length of time anything like a stable Government by themselves, and the natives are well aware that such is the case. Their political history for the past thirty or forty years fully establishes that fact. Within that period they have seen themselves making fresh departures, one after the other, each new one hopefully tending towards a final settlement of the country, but only to meet with continual failure, either through their own native jealousies or through some foreign interference in their affairs.

Their treaty relations with foreign Powers, the real meaning of which the few who signed did not rightfully understand, whilst the great majority of the nation knew nothing at all of their existence until called to account for some breach of a clause in the treaties of which they were ignorant, only served to involve them in many more complications than ever they were in before.

One treaty has a clause whereby the Samoan Government agrees to ratify all land transactions previous to its existence, an admirable arrangement, considering the multitude of shady ways in which land was formerly acquired. These treaties have never proved of the smallest benefit to the natives; but, on the contrary, have from the time they were made supplied the foundation for many an act of oppression.

Samoa never will be settled until some Power takes her in hand. The natives know it, and openly say so themselves; but for choosing the country they would wish to be annexed to, they have had to suffer many persecutions, which, however, have not in the smallest degree shaken their resolution. They are painfully aware of their hopeless weakness, and heartily sick of the shuttlecock, no-child-of-mine sort of existence that they have to endure, tossed about between three nationalities, each jealous of the other, and who will neither let them alone nor take them up.

Their choice for annexation is most decidedly British, for which they have petitioned over and over again since very old times. American protection they sought once, but to Germany they never have appealed, though several times ordered to do so.

The following is the text of the last Samoan petition to Great Britain sent to the Governor of New Zealand to be telegraphed to her Majesty the Queen:

'Mulinuu, Samoa, 5th November, 1884.

'YOUR MAJESTY'

'We, the King and Chiefs of Samoa, now write to your Majesty, that you will grant this our humble request.

'Our King wrote nearly a year ago begging your Majesty to take possession of Samoa, and we have waited anxiously for a reply, but have received none.

'Your Majesty, great is our respect for your Government, and we know that you will protect our people, and that they will be contented under your rule; and we therefore earnestly pray your Majesty to relieve us from our great anxiety and trouble by extending your Government over Samoa, and either making it a British colony, or allowing us to be governed by New Zealand.

'Your Majesty, our minds are full of trouble, and we are much afraid that other nations desire to take our country against the wish of our people, and we therefore implore your Majesty to save us by granting our petition.

'We wish to make this clear to your Majesty, that we the King and Chiefs will give over our country to the government of Great Britain, and we rely upon your Majesty to protect our people.

'We pray to God that He will bless your Majesty and Government.

(Signed)

'MALIETOA, King of Samoa,
' TUMA, Vice-King.'

Here follow the signatures of fifty-two in number, representing the whole Samoan Government and nation.

Whilst walking down the beach, I turned in at the Court House where a case was in course of trial. It was that of a native who had attempted to steal a pair of trousers, of which attempt the evidence of the woman in charge of the store was quite sufficient to convict him; in fact, he never denied the charge. He received his award without a murmur, and requesting to ask a few questions of the magistrate, began :

'You white men always tell us that it is wrong to fight.'

'Yes,' said the magistrate.

'And whether right or wrong, to fight is against the law and punishable by the magistrate?'

Yes.'

If one fights and the other does not, the one who fights is convicted of assault and punished?'

'Yes, if so proved.'

'Then,' exultingly burst out this injured man, 'I punish that woman, for when I was running off with the trousers she punched me in the back two or three times, and I did not hit her.'

He went off to be locked up, bewailing the inconsistency of 'papalagi' law.

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