THE FIGHTING AT SAMOA.

Evening Star, Issue 4114, 4 May 1876, Page 3

THE FIGHTING AT SAMOA.

We have in the Fijian and Hawaiian papers accounts of the proceedings which is ued in the disastrous conflict at Samoa, somewhat different from those hitherto pub listed. The Hawaiian * Gazette ’ gives a narrative up to the seizure and sale of the Peerless, and then proceeds : Next occurred the meeting between Captain Stevens, of the Barracouta, and King Malietoa, when the former made a long speech presenting five or six trumped up grievances, which are too silly and absurd to reproduce. Among other things which the Captain asked the King was, whether he and his chiefs approved Colonel Steinbergcr’s acts, to which his Majesty emphatically replied that he did. This question was repeated in different forms several times, to which he replied more decidedly than before. This is a brief narrative of the trouble, the prime mover in which would seem to be the American Consul, Foster, whose act in soliciting the aid of a foreign war ship in committing an outrage on an American vessel will probably receive attention from his Government. The part taken by Dr Judd in the organisation of the Hawaiian Government, and that of Colonel Steinberger -with the Samoan, are identically the same, however great the difference in the two men. Both undertook to set in motion the machinery of government from the rudest material. Both also encountered the bitterest opposition. The ‘Fiji Argus’ has an account of the conflict, and the events which led to it, which differs from the statements we have already received :

One day, when Parliament was sitting (a convocation of high Samoan Chiefs, with Colonel Steiuberger amongst them), an aimed party from the Barraconta, with unholy tread, approached its sacred precincts. The King (there are two in Samao, Malietoa the old and Malietoa the young, both rivals), on the entrance of Captain Stevens and his posse comitatus, pointed out the Colonel as an imposter, dismissed him from bis post of Premiership (to which on the formation of Government he had been appointed for life) and gave him in charge of the “Barracouta’s.” They took him in charge, and ignominiously conveyed him on board Her Majesty’s ship, a pale, pitiful spectacle. Before doing so, however, they proceeded to his head office, seized all his papers and documents, and handed them over to the charge of Captain Stevens’ secretary. The force from the Barracouta then retired. These sudden and summary proceedings seemed rather to puzzle the honorable members of the House, for the silence which followed them was broken by murmurings loud and deep, which soon assumed a more serious form. Those honorable 'gentlemen (the chiefs) demanded of the King how he dared to proceed to such extremities, as to introduce foreign forces to them, denied his authority to send Colonel Steinberger away, and told him that they would certainly, and at once, cut his head off ! Upon this the King made a rush from the Legislative Halls, followed closely by honorable members. His Majesty was, however, more swift of foot than they, and bounding through the thicket like a deer, made good his escape to Savii (a town in the vicinity), where he hid himself. Thence he proceeded on board her Majesty’s ship, detailed his wrongs and his griefs to Captain Stevens, and implored British aid, that he might be again placed upon his throne and restored to his rights. Captain Stevens undertook even this. He summoned an extraordinary meeting of the chiefs to reconsider the unheard of and ungentlemanly behaviour they had been guilty of, and hinted the necessity, as a duty they owed themselves if they valued their skins, of restoring his new protegt, King Malietoa, to the authority he formerly possessed, and to the throne of his ancestors.

On the appointed day, the 13th March, the chiefs all met, and were in grave deliberation. They, however, had taken the precaution of having a regiment of their own Native troops, well armed with rifles, planted among the scrub in the vicinity, simply as “a guard of honor,” lest the sailors of Queen Victoria should again menace their sacred council. Captain Stevens determined to take part in the deliberation, and he went to attend the meeting also accompanied by a “ guard of honor of fifty men,” armed with Snider rifles, to each of whom thad been served out twenty rounds of ball cartridge. And as a further guard of honor,” he had “two armed boats provided with rocket tubes,” stationed close by the Parliament House, a compliment intended only to the uniform he wore, and not by any means as a menace or a provocation. On landing, Captain Stevens marched his men in front of the Parliament House, at this time honorable members having taken their seats and commenced their °dehate. Here the Britishers were halted. The gallant captain having been informed that the parliamentary “guard of honor” was in the vicinity, detached his senior lieutenant with a party of “blue jackets” to disarm them. The blue jackets, followed by the remainder of the party under Captafci Stevens himself, advanced to this duty in “skirmishing order,” and demanded the disarmament and surrender of the Samoan “guard of honor.” That band of warriors, however, like brave men, replied, but not as was expected. Instead of placid, tranquil, and perhaps servile obedicnc*, they “rushed into the road and opened fire.” And then an encounter commenced, which resulted in the slaughter of four of the force from the Barraconta, and the wounding almost unto death of a dozen more, whilst the Samoans, it is said, lost double that number in killed ; it is unknown how many wounded. The latter then, at the request of their chiefs, who had been appealed to by Capt. Stevens, fell back for a short time. The Parliamentary proceedings were now brought to a close, but the British forces remained for some time on the beach, detaining with them three chiefs as hostages. A desultory lire from the Samoans continued whilst the ship’s boat’s were retiring, one man having been shot dead in the boat, on its way to the ship. Firing promptly in return was duly kept up by the boat party. That night, in token of the victory he claimed, Captain Stevens again occupied the town of Apii. He had earthworks thrown up around the British Consulate, upou which he mounted all his Armstrong boat guns. Nor would he withdraw his force until he had dictated terms to the chiefs, had compelled them to send away from the neighborhood all strangers within a circuit of ten miles of Apia, including the soldiery, and did not evacuate the fortification until the 27th ult. Thus ended this memorable engagement, an engagement scarcely paralellcd in the history of British arms for its meaningless and barrenness of results. Had Captain Stevenson his conquering Samoa, erected a flagstaff and hoisted upon it the meteor flag of England, —proclaimed the Navigators group conquered and annexed, left his senior lieutenant | in command as first Governor, and con- * structed an establishment of officials, wo I should have been able to congratulate him ( upon his achievement. But as he did not

complete what lie bad so well began, and so ably, np to that most important climax in bis operations, proceeded with, we are afraid we cannot. Nevertheless, England has conquered Samoa, and no doubt a chaplet of laurel leaves will greet the brow of the conqueror on his return to the land he has shed another ray of lustre upon.