Correspondence.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 6, 3 November 1888, Page 3

Correspondence.

W» are always willing to jrive insertion to Ictteia of explanation or interest, bat wo wish it to be Uintiuotly understood tlmt wo do not endorse the opinion* expressed, or language u»ed, by our oormepondiuta. Our ideas of passing events will be found In oar local or editorial columns.

TO TmrilXOKOt'ltitas'iMOATtHM. papur, an it a r bit stru&e me u bo? put «re fyet in, i|,—;Ro,t", fst watu- ,'ar quite rite in *at.a,w,.JMX49Q*s'tb>?k.tt{e Gerraann fronds .sajl ,|JJ|SPL jßko, it—juiiid uewy wow.■ la"fru, t>nt truth oi'nt fillers greeble like, but watl w*a goin to esy is— 1 papur is enough for laint much of, a reader, but if * fiyd vrepaper-aint continued by the ~ Germaatts,u can put me down for 2 coppys initeud of 1. I dessay I cau aend it to turn fiend boo would like to reed it, and I think if the Brittish an Amerikan publicka here of it, they will all take 2 coppys instead of 1. Go on rite strata, and shame the Devel, as my old father used to tell me, an I can say for myself I found it auser, an I aiut afrade of no man, nor Devel eather.

1 am, Sir, Ure servant to commands,

Strat Fo&BA'D. P.S.—I forgot to say that I'm a Brittisher. if mite taik me for a Amerikan, bot tho they is gsst as good, I aint.

TO TBI XDITOB OF THB SAMOA TIMES. Sib, —In your last issue there is a letter from " Antona Perera," in re " the law as administered and justice (?) distributed by the present magistrate in Apia.'.' Antona Perera has no Consul to protect him, or to urge his plea. Ergo, can he expect justioe from a German magistrate, or (save the term) judge, in a ease in which Germans are defendants? It was the matter of much

comment during the existenoe of the municipality, -that the decisions of the German magistrate were contrary, not only to justice and oomtnon sense, but * also to the munioipal laws under which he should haTe acted. Antona Perera must be of a meat sanguine tempera-, mentto expect justice from such a mmnti"-,'-n< ■'■■•; Magistrate Kaitin of the municipality (Judge Martiu of the SumoanBrandeis Government) was. so. notorious in Us handling of the noJe •>■' iustto that his dismnmh by the American and Knr>>•"' "n.m-, but Mr. Consul Beskas tuu« tooc

dian knot by breaking up the muni* polity. He had no right to do so, but he held a trump card in his hand, viz., a German squadron in harbor. Neither England or America had a ship of war here, or I much doubt, though My. Consul Becker is somewhat daring whether he would have had the assurance to play this card. Antona Ferora says that " the present Government adopted most of the old municipal regulations," but ho is a Portuguese, and the defendants in the case Uurmana. Well, tbe scales of justice must be held by hands more immaculate than the present possessors, ere ho or any one else, not of the " Vaterland," can think of getting justice. . But let Autona Perera haye this solace; he has by his letter shewn the utter farco of the present administration of justice. His protest will have weight; many are suffering from the same rnul-administration, who have not made their wrongs public, but will from Antoua Perera's example publish their grievances. As an Englishman I protest against this arrogance of a German Consul and his creatures. Who are they that they should presume to dictate to free men ? —I am, &c. Pax-aut Bella. 70 the editor of the samoa times. Sin, —To understand more fully the position of the different factions now existing among the Samonns, it will be necessary to go buck some years in Snmoan history, when the diffireut chiefs of tho first and second grado reigued supreme, each in their owu district. They, through jealousy, were continually at variance or at war ono with another. The chiefs and people of thu.se districts wonld this year help or bj allies one to the t r but u- . t year there would be a division among them, the one part fighting against other in another war originating from 'auother cause. Who were allies one

jjjenr wonld not be allies the next year, jjach rinite JhtlMpwadent in, m(bn'Mi^ Tffiy" IJfJier 'chief. TMifh Hie Waif- of f650 Atua and Aana 1 anjl jiaif of' the Tuatuosaga were allies,' 'on the one side. Fart of the Tuamasaga, Mauouo, and all Savaii on the other. Then coming on to 1870, Atua, Tuamasaga, part of Aana, and Iva from Savaii were allies on tho one side under Laupepa (Malietoa), Manono, Foasaleieaga, Ituotone, part of the Itnofafine and part of Aana wovo Hliied under Malietoa Talavou. The Tapna family were not thought of at this time, Talavou was uncle to Laupepa. The Malietoa family were thus divided instead of behig united, as they are now under Malietoa Laupepa, for Talavou is dead. In 1872 the whole of Aana joined Tuamasaga and her allies, only Faleata staid with Talavou. Then Colonel Steinberger appeared on tho political horizon. The chipfs of Samoa had beforo Steinberger's second coming and arrival, met and fonotd to fovm a government and to appoint a king, the Atua chiefs taking the lead against Malietoa now I put forward by the Tuamasaga. However, to ke«p poaoe, two kings were elected, •' Ylalietoa Laupepa" and "Tapua Pulepule." Parties again changed sides, Manono and half of the Faasaleleaga join the Malietoa party, and more than half of Aana join Atua. This was on account of " Loulumoega" being capital of Aana (in Sauaii "Tumua)and "Lufilufi," being the capital of Atna—so the " Tumua.' kept together and have done so ever sines.

Colonel Steinberger found two kings reigning over Samoa, Halietoa I*urtApa for the one party and Tapua Pulepule for the other. Colonel Stein, berger finding Pulepule not so pliable an Laupepa, by a little diplomacy and niing the Samoan custom, got Pulepule to resign and to wait his time for the kii.gship. Then came the Foster-Steinberger-Barracoota aflair, and Laupepa was driven from the kingship «ri»li In* principal ohiefs by the Lufi-

i! and r.ouliinioepa party. The \; ~<• ''-ora two cn|i»tals tnkinir full f.iiHi'<rrt'<.{ tiiu .f„vor;4iien?, xtyliojrtheir iiuiu liiu •' Tuiwuu " and " Fuipule "

Halo, and thus it continued without a King till 1876. Wheh the Taimna and Paipule were in full oharge of the Male they called the " Tapua " family together, namely, Pulepnle and Hataafa of Atoa," Tualeu " of " Palaule," and Tamaseae of Aiian, both in Savaii, to meet and to choose a king from their family. Pulepule voted for himself as aa agreement stood with Steinberger, but Tualau and Mntaafa voted for Tama* seae, aa Tamaseae held a judgeship, under the Toimua and Faipule Halo. Though thus chosen to be King,' and up to the 1879 war he v»as nobody, but held in hand aa a card against Malietoa, that war was by Talavou against Laupepa. We win pass over Talavou's reign hu<l death and look into the year 1885. When Laupepa was King Lufilufi and Lwlu uoega was still hostile to tho Malietoa family. This year Tamaseae left the Halietoa Halo, having tho above Tumua districts, the Ituotane and Ituofnfine as followers, and settled at Leulumoega in Aaua. This move being nominally under the protection of the German element in Samoa, gave, to Tamaseae great influence, so that a year after* wards Tamaseae in case of a war could reckon upon three-fourths Of the people of Samoa, including Tutuila. Malietoa wan i* a minority, yet every man of the Tuamasaga and Faasaleleaga would have died for Halietoa, and would have fought the Tamaaese party, though small in numbers. From* the above account it will be plainly seen that there have been always two parties in the Halo antagonistic one to the other. After Talavou's death the Halietoa family were united under Laupepa, and if Tamaseae were to die soon the Tapua family would have to look to Hataafa as their h»>ad. There are. many «f the Atua ' people now with Tamaaese that will leave him if Hata*Jai* ; Government : would get est*bliahecV They are i bound by no tie to; 'Psjaasese. but are | bound by Samcau; custom to be ou the sida of Hataafa as the highest chief, in

serais the fear of the coining after trihution by the German squadron, as notified to them while at Mulinuu, when the Tuamasaga people took up their arms to defend themselves from spoliation by the Malo of Tamasese. The last two years have made a great change in the feeling of the Samoan? for the Tamasese Government, through the stringent and autocratic mode of administration. In no one case has the Government consulted the chiefs, the Taimna and Faipule, as to their wishes or wants. Now. in the interest of Samoa, for the native inhabitants and for the European residents let there be two Kings. As Tamasese has gone to Atua under the German Dictatorship and Malietoa under stay in Tuamasaga, holding Aana and the greater part of Savaii, from Matautu Bay, round bv the Faasalolcaga and Ituofafine districts to Falelima. Tamasese has now only his family relations from Asau in the Ituaotane Faleasin and Fasiloo in Aana, and he being " alo alii" in Atua, parf ef Atua will stay by him, or else no King in Samoa, one European Government taking the fnil direction of affairs. What the Samoans have always said as their wish is that they form their own Government, control their own Government, and desire that one of each of the nationalities in treaty be appointed to help and to teach them to govern, that which would be the best for Samoa.—l am, &c. Old Gap.