DISTURBANCES AT SAMOA.

Evening Star, Issue 4098, 15 April 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

DISTURBANCES AT SAMOA.

The following is a full account of a disturbance at Samoa, as given in the ‘Fiji Times’:—“A great meeting of chiefs had been summoned for the 13th March, to which the King was to submit the question of his retention of the throne, or retirement on an appointed day. Captain Stevens and the English and American Consuls were to attend the meeting with a guard of honor of fity men. Two armed boats, provided with rocket tubes, were also sent to the back of the peninsula on which the meeting was to be held, for the purpose of preventing the tribe from the opposite side of the Bay from interfering therewith. This tribe was strongly opposed to the Kaimuna and Faipute (the legislative bodies), and had driven their judge into the bush on account of the aforesaid body having dethroned the King. The guard piled arms in front of the house where the meeting was to be held. Whilst waiting the commencement of proceedings, Captain Stevens was informed by one of his officers that large bodies of natives with arms were in the adjoining bush and crossing the road, thereby intercepting his communication with the boats at Pia. Captain Stevens ordered his senior lieutenant to disarm all who were seen to be following the before-mentioned natives. The blue jackets advanced in skirmishing order, and came upon a large body of natives, all armed, who were hiding in the houses. These men were ordered, through interpreters, to disarm ; but instead of doing so, they rushed into the road, and opened fire. The encounter lasted between fifteen and twenty minutes, during which time the firing was very brisk, the Samoans being armed with percussion rifles, brcech-loading cartridge revolvers, and large knives. We should state that after the natives had commenced fighting the Barraoouta men had not been allowed to load or fix their bayonets, and the pouch belts captured with the Samoans who were taken prisoners had from forty to sixty rounds of amunitiou in them —the sailors and marines having left the ship with only ten. Eleven men of the Barracouta were wounded, one dying on his way to the ship in the boat which was conveying the [wounded, and which was fired on —the same fire wounding one of the crew of the boat. After firing had lasted some minutes, some few chiefs arrived, to whom Captain Stevens appealed to stop the tiring. They exerted themselves with success, and brought in about forty prisoners who laid down their arms at the feet of the Barracouta men. Captain Stevens and his force remained on the peninsula for about two hours after the encounter, but interrupted the meeting. It was not resumed during this time. Captain Stevens demanded and obtained three chiefs as hostages that the lives of Europeans would be respected, and as an ad interim security for the safety of foreigners, and as a gage for any future negotiations. Captain Stevens occupied the British Consulate on that night, and had earthworks thrown up, so as to form, with the aid of his Armstrong boat guns, a perfect defence, in case of attack, and was thus enabled when the chiefs came to negotiate, to dictate to them as a condition of his withdrawing his force.thar he should compel all strangers at Apia, and within a circle of ten miles, to leave at once for their homes, and upon these being reported as accomplished, withdrew his men on the 24th. The hostages were transferred to the Sappho on her relieving the Barracouta on the 31st.