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Going into Harbour - Visitors on Board - Supercargo's Martyrdom - Call at British Consulate - View of Apia - Roman Catholic Mission - Visit to Consuls - Opinions of Residents - Samoan Idea of the Franchise - Talking Men.

THE next morning everyone was on deck the very first thing, when we found the ship, which had been standing off shore under the easiest possible sail all night, was about eight miles from the island, which at that distance, and in the weak light, appeared an uninviting, lofty, dull mass of verdure, as dark in colour as a pine forest.

The wind springing up, sail was got on the brig, and soon we were bowling along merrily towards Apia on the first gust of the sea-breeze.

Approaching nearer and nearer, with the morning light increasing apace, we were in time able to distinguish the masts of the shipping in harbour, amongst which, although there were some three-masted ships of good size, were to be distinguished the lofty spars of the ever-present German man-of-war.

Between us and them, with no apparent break, as it were forbidding any too familiar approach to the inside smooth water, was a long line of white foam stretching- right across the bay, from point to point, caused by the heavy ocean swell breaking on the barrier reef.

On the eye becoming more accustomed to the novel sight, a difference could be detected-a small dark spot in the unbroken line of snowy white; and that was pointed out to the uninitiated as the entrance to the harbour.

About a mile o1T the reef to windward, we hove-to and picked up the pilot, an American citizen, one of the oldest and most respected inhabitants of Samoa, who had been waiting for us in his whaleboat, manned by four splendid-looking Samoans, whose favourable appearance gave me that good opinion of the race that I never after had occasion to change.

Under his charge we made direct for what had appeared to be the small dark spot, which, on close approach, opened out into a deep and sufficiently wide break in the reef, through which we safely passed, and soon were at anchor in deep water within 300 yards or so of the shore.

The anchor was no sooner down than a crowd of visitors, white, native, and half-caste, poured on board, and then began the martyrdom of our genial supercargo.

It was nothing but 'Mr. B. Johnstone! Hi! I say, where are my things?' 'What is the price of copra ?' 'Got any hats ? I'll take all you have got!' 'Any papers, old cock ?' 'Jim Smith's dead!' 'Laurina is looking out for you on shore!' etc., etc. All shouting at the unfortunate man at the same moment, and creating a din more suggestive of Bedlam let loose than anything else.

Soon, however, after the first burst our friend, in a manner peculiarly his own, had reduced this shouting mob into something like order, when I was introduced to many of the gentlemen amongst whom it was my fate to live for four years.

Bearing in mind the awful tales I had been told during my journey of the sort of men I should meet in Samoa, I scanned my new acquaintances closely, but failed to see anything particularly dreadful about them, either in manner or appearance.

I landed as soon as I had put my things a little in order, and immediately paid my respects to the British Consul, who courteously invited me to take up my quarters at his house pending my negotiations with the natives, to whom I bore letters through him.

My baggage not being ready to hand, I returned on board ship for the rest of the day, when, the decks being pretty clear, I had a good undisturbed chance of viewing my surroundings, the bay and harbour of Apia.

By some authors Apia Bay has been favourably compared with the far-famed Bay of Naples but the framers of this comparison can only have been to one of the two places. It is doubtless very pretty, but with a scenic effect due to the part of the world in which it is situated, and only to be found there.

The bay opens to the north-north-west, and has a barrier reef stretched right across it from Mulinuu Point to Matautu, the westernmost and easternmost horns of the bay; which directions are, in island parlance, termed windward and leeward, on account of the prevailing wind for the greater part of the year standing from the east.

A large break in the outside reef, right in the centre, forms an entrance to the harbour. An inner reef, starting immediately from shore and almost dry at low water, running to about 300 yards in width in the widest part, then falling sheer into deep waterj forms, between its edge and the barrier reef, the harbour of Apia.

The name of Apia, applied generally to the whole bay and its various settlements, is in reality but the name of one small part of it, each portion of the beach being known by a separate and distinct name, and always so designated by all resident whites and natives.

The town is situated immediately on the seashore, and consists of a straggling line of European-built houses of all sorts and sizes, placed at intervals round the edge of the horse-shoe bay inland of a fair road running its full length.

A short distance from the centre to leeward the houses are in double row, and form a regular street, some of them of very respectable size and handsome build. Here are the principal hotels and retail stores, also the Municipal Court House and Gaol, over which during the meetings of the Municipal Board the flag of Samoa will be seen floating, significant of the recognition of Malietoa's sovereign rights over all Samoa.

The constitution and working of the municipality of Apia I shall make the subject of a future chapter, explaining the apparent anomaly of a foreign jurisdiction existing in the midst of an independent kingdom.

Farther on are the stores, business premises, and cotton - ginning establishment of the ' Deutsche Handels und Plantagen Gesellschaft der Sud See Inseln zu Hamburg,' a trading company formed on the ruins of the old house of Goddefroy, the erst merchant autocrats of the Pacific, the director of which, combining as he did the offices of manager of the company and consul for Germany, was in his official position judge of his own acts, and thus, aided by the proximity of his liberally furnished men-of-war, was in an unusually favourable position for conducting business.

About the centre of the bay stands the coral European-built Roman Catholic Church on spacious ,grounds, enclosed within a white wall of masonry, with the quarters of Monseigneur the Bishop and the Marist Fathers.

This Mission owns a large quantity of land about Apia, devoted chiefly to food-cultivation, worked by the catechists. On the hill immediately in rear at Vaea stand their college and another church, approached through a fine avenue of tall native trees; whilst judiciously scattered around are to be seen many useful trees and plants, introduced by these good people for the benefit of those to whom their lives are devoted.

The Mission has also a convent-school for the education of girls, situated in very pretty grounds to the west of the bay. Here, under the care of the kind Sisters, are trained in civilized habits, and for a future career of usefulness, many girls, whom one only has to see for a few times to appreciate the good work done, to assist in which have been admitted several native Samoan nuns, under the same vows and wearing the same ungainly costume as their white sisters.

One of the greatest compliments that can be paid to these good ladies is to bear testimony that a 'Sisters' girl' can be recognised on meeting her anywhere in the group.

Farther along the beach to the east stands the native church of the London Mission, built of masonry with shingled roof; and I believe it is one of the only two buildings of the kind in Samoa, all the others being constructed on the native plan. Continuing in the same direction, we come to the iron Protestant Church, with the substantial-looking residence of the member of the London Mission resident at Apia almost at the back of it, standing in the midst of a garden filled with many native and exotic trees and plants, both useful and ornamental.

Almost opposite the native church the inshore reef ceases, caused no doubt by the excess of fresh water continually flowing from the river Vaisigago, which empties itself into the sea about 500 yards higher up.

Across the river, about a quarter of a mile still farther east, are the extensive premises of Mr. Ruge, a most courteous and highly-respected German merchant, close to which the flag-pole at the Pilot Station marks the extreme end of the bay.

The town is built upon an extensive flat, a considerable portion of which at the immediate back is fresh-water swamp, over a large extent of which the salt water flows at high tide. The houses are built upon a hard bank between the swamp and the sea.

The plateau opens out as it extends to the westward, backed towards the interior by rolling foot-hills and ridges of tropical verdure, gradually ascending until they reach the topmost height of the lofty backbone of Upolu, carrying with them the densest bush to the very summit of the range.

To the east the hills appear to close in, coming right down to the coast at Vailele, a few miles farther to windward. Set in the hills far back, at a high elevation, thrown out vividly by contrast with the dark bush background, appears a grand waterfall flashing like silver in the bright sunlight, making a most useful landmark for ships arriving.

Very few native houses are to be seen from the sea; apparently they have all been thrust back by the Europeans, who have wheedled the entire frontage out of the Samoans by means more or less fair.

The next day I landed for good, and was soon very comfortably enjoying the grateful change from the cramped life on board ship.

As it was with the concurrence of the other Consuls-German and American-that Sir Arthur Gordon undertook to procure a suitable man to take over the Samoan Advisership, I called upon those gentlemen, and likewise upon the most influential inhabitants, who one and all warmly welcomed me. Naturally the subject of conversation was the object of my visit, as to the success or otherwise of which there appeared to be but little difference of opinion.

However, coming backed as I was by the prestige of the gentleman who had sent me, it was thought that at the least I should be able to make a favourable start and get on comfortably for a time; but whether I should be able to overcome the difficulties of assimilating the antagonistic native factions in a general, honest contentment, or to endure patiently the petty intrigues, both Samoan and white, which in a short time would inevitably make their appearance, was quite another matter.

The natives had not long ceased fighting, but, I imagine, loved one another very little more than before; for the peace lately concluded was, I fear, more out of compliment to the foreign Powers who essayed to bring it about than from their own honest desires.

By the peace agreement a dual monarchy was established, one party supplying the King, the other a vice-King, who both presided over a government supposed to be elective, divided nominally into two houses, Lords and Commons, and called Taimua and Faipule.

Their elective system, I found out afterwards, exists only in name, and in all my experience I never found a Samoan who troubled himself a bit about his franchise. The chiefs not only ignore the whole system, but do not stick to the same representative for a continuance; for when one man becomes tired of legislating, home he goes, and up to the seat of Government travels another in his place.

When visiting at the west-end of Upolu once, I inquired of some chiefs of the place at which I was stopping, how they elected their 'Alii tofia' - appointed men - and pointing at the same time to a crowd of men outside, asked whether they were the voters.

The head-man with great scorn replied, 'We are chiefs! Do you think that we should let those pigs have anything to say about who should go to Mulinuu (the seat of Government) ? No fear! We three talk the matter over, and decide who shall go; that is, if we think it worth while to send anyone at all.'

Chiefs or no chiefs, the greatest power is most undoubtedly wielded by the talking-men of the various districts, in many cases men of low extraction, but invariably of more than ordinary intellectual parts. These men make early Samoan precedent their careful study; for the more they can illustrate present affairs by ancient references, the stronger they are in leading public opinion, on which they trade. Of course they always speak for their chief, who, according to severe Samoan custom, now rapidly dying out, is supposed never to injure his dignity by speaking for himself.

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