RECOGNITION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 133, 10 February 1874, Page 3

RECOGNITION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA.

The following letter from Commodore Goodenough, B.N. commanding the Australian station, to His Excellency the Govenor is published for general information:—“Her Majesty’s Ship Pearl: At Sea, Lat. 14’59 S., Long., 174’30 W., 14th November, 1873: Sir, —I have the honor to inform your Excellency that, on a recent visit to Samoa on the Bth instant, I found that the wars which have long been reducing the islands to poverty were at an end, and that the natives had been able to agree to a General Government, under the leadership of a body of seven chiefs, called Taimua, and to a constitution and laws which came into force on the Ist instant. This appeared to me to be a thoroughly genuine attempt at self-government, and carried with it a good prospect of future peace ; and I therefore received the Taimua (literally “ leaders”) on board the ‘Pearl,’ and saluted their flag in recognition of an authority which has been properly constituted, and has a clear right to exercise jurisdiction in Samoa. The flag is a red one, with a blue jack in the left upper canton, bearing a white star.

The question of tobacco importation over the Sydney border has again arisen in connection with the Customs duties. The vexed question of gold in Fiji has received a new impetus from the alleged discovery of rich gold-bearing stone at Tavua. The Auckland correspondent of the Lyttelton Times states that private advices have been received in the colony by the last mail that the Imperial Government were consided, ingt he propriety of stationing in New Zealanrfor short terms, regiments leaving India, for other climes, except that of England. It is thought that such an arrangement would result in a great saving of army expenditure. The Wesleyans in Christchurch have adopted the plan of holding a religious service upon the arrival of every new body of immigrants from the home country. The Rev. J. Buller attends the barracks upon every fresh arrival, holds a short, hearty thanksgiving service for those who choose to attend, and then addresses the strangers in a kindly practical way exhorts to sobriety, honesty, and frugality, and holds up to them for encouragement many of the examples of great success from small beginnings which he has personally known. A writer in the Nelson Mail relates the following facts regarding the increasing importance of this colony at home : —“ Talking of prosperity, lam reminded that a few days since I had the increasing importance of New Zealand as a whole brought forcibly under my notice. I was looking over the advertising columns of the London Tinies of the 24th October, and there I saw a list of the ships at present engaged, in the New Zealand trade. And how many do you suppose there were ? You might answer with a certain amount of surprise at your own rashness —‘ Five-and-twenty,’ but you would be far under the mark, and I suspect I should have to let you guess several times before you arrived at the actual number which was fifty-four. Nor are they small insignificant boats, for the tonnage ranges from 798, the lowest, 2,500 the highest. Not bad this for England’s youngest colony, which, when the last census was taken did not number more than a quarter million of souls. Of the vessels named six are now building for the Otago trade specially. They are to be 1,200 tons each, and will be named respectively the Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington, Nelson, Dunedin,' and Invercargill. New Zealand must be somewhat better known at home than it was a few years ago, when such a fleet as is advertised in one London newspaper is requires for its trade with the home country.”