Local and General News.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 33, 1 June 1889, Page 2

Local and General News.

The schooner IJ tuiuapu, Captain i Pita, which loft here on Tuesday, the 21st ult, with mails and passengers to meet the mail steamer due at Tutuila on Saturday, the 25th ult, returned to Apia on Thursday last, bringing her mails and some of her passengers back again. Capt Pita states be arrived at the waiting place off Poloa on Friday, and remained therei until, the following Wednesday, without sighting the mail boat He then determined to return to Apia This ia extremely .vexatious just at the present time, while all parties in Samoa are so anxiously awaiting telegraphic news from New Zealand respecting the doings of the Samoan Conference at Berlin. If-the mail steamer has gene by without stopping- at the usual place to take the mails and passengers, it is the-first time we are aware of it having occurred. If, on the other hand, Capt Pita baa not kept a good look out for the steamer, and she has passed by daring the night without being seen by the people ol the schooner, he should be severely censured. Cant Mullin, who was a passenger by the schooner, was c«*dently impr ssed that the steamer '«#.» delayed from some causes .or other, between Sydney and Tutuila, and determined to remain at Poloa. If this should be the case, and the captain of the Utumapu not wishing to remain any-longer, it would have been better had be left the mails at Poloa, and if the steamer came Capt Mullin or some of the residents ashore would have.seen that the mails were forwarded. The whole business would be really annoying at any time, but more particularly at present

TtmiMM and his people, who leese-toed at tmtuanoa, are having a feast befrre entirely disbanding. A large number of foreign residente, principally German, are invitod. A considerable .quantity, .of stored baa been forwarded to Loatnanau for the purpose, and the feast will likely feat two or three days. After the meeting ?ftraatw»e and his followers will go to their homes. Bome statement was created in Apia this week by a report that •Tsaaasssa and Ms 'people would march through Alia on their way home. "We hope ihiareport is not stratta woaki.most likely excite •the Taenaaeaaw afataft/k's. nreaant

wmmmm^mmm^mmmmmmmmmmm veey eerioos Malta. If seek U Tanmsasae intention, we hope the Oeiaww Consul will exercise his b*-' ftuenos to. prevent ii It muat be' borne in mind that the Tuamaaaga aw Mataafa's principle lighting men, and were the moat active fit the late war, and, as a corneal* tee, lost more men lrom their district than any other party of Matuafa'e forces. The Tuamaaaga still retain a bitter feeling against I'amaaese which ia only being restrained by the influence of Mataafa. Therefore anything like a domonstration, more especially if accompanied by anything like bravado, would wo fear be very likely to cause an outbreak of the Tuamaaaga. We are now at peace, and it is the duty of all foreigu residents to use all the influence they possess to prevent such a misfortune.

£y the schooner Gleu, which will shortly bo despatched for San Fran-. Cisco, Admiral Kimberly will ship all the small guns and some other material recovered from the Trenton and Vandalia. The large guns and carriage*, will remain in their pre-" sent positions. On Friday afternoon, tne 24th ult., as the Rev. Mr. Came, the We&leyan Miss* >nary, while crossing the Straits from Savaii with Mrs. Carne and family in their boat the boat was upset Some of the crew swam ashore to procure help; the party clinging to the boat which was drifting about for more than three hours before assistance could be brought. Eventually boats arrived from Manouo, and Mr. and Mrs. Carne and the children were relieved from their perilous position. Happily no lives were lost; but as the boat was heavily ladtin with j baggage, none of which has been I recovered, Mr. Curno is a considurI able loser by this adventure. This ; is the second boating accident that has happened to our Knzlish Missionaries this month. It is only about a fortnight sine** th-- Rov. Mr Clarke was capsizo*' in the Tafua Kssageon th»> Sav<tii curat,hi* boat ing badly broken on the ivf and his luggage all lost in deep water.

The trial of tho laW ht»v for the murder of the S'Un •*■» Malaga itf not yet concluded. An important •witness from SiYvaii is' expected this week, and the trial has been postponed /or bin Correspondence has passed between the German Consul and Mataafa with refereucv to the .subjtet. In their previous correspondence the German Consul a-ked that two of Mataafa'** chiefs should join in the trial. As will be seen from tho letters in another column, Mataafa in his first communication agreed to this, but after a consultation with his chiefs bo wrote to the Consul leaving tho trial of the labour boy entirely in the Consul's hands, expressing his confidence that justice would be done to all parties.

The last charge of asssult preferred by Captain Sinnlatr atraitiftt Mr. R. Fletcher, whieli was hoard in tho Hijrh Comtni«sionnr't» <"V»nit, in March la*t before Col. Dedwttngan. when Mr. Fletcher wa* final £.5 and axts, has been quashed in Fiji. The fin? and omte hat been retu- ned to Mr. Fletcher.

Soiue virion—miii led scoiindrt>U, who »n evidnntly iliw.a'i*fieil with the present peaceful arrangement* which are about to he carried out between Hataafa an.il Tamases*, hare been ▼•it industrious in spreading a report in Apia, which has reached ftfs'taafa's •art. that Germany was sending down five men-of-war and thousands of troops to have revenge on Maiaafa and his people for the killing of the German: sailors ; in Dii-ember last. These mischief-makers even went into particular* by naming tbp German ships that were coming, We need hardly say the whole report is a vile fabrication. Some discussion has taken place in the Conference with reference to an indemnity for German losses, hut-we f«»l assured tbi-» matter will be fully settled in the Conference without th« aid of warships or troops. While on this subject we nay aa well mention that one or two." gentlemen" hav> assisted the false impression by stating they have received private in* formation that the G-rn.aa vesssU and robpe are coming immediately. Thursday last, being Decoration Day, was taken advantage of by the Btty officers and craw of the united itee ontlarent in Apia to do a praiseworthy and. graceful notion. Early in the morning all the Trenton's sailor* and marine* were paovided with tansies of iewste snppliai by the Bemoan eaddrea. The petty officers

a*d aattcamatched tu both cemeteries, e»4 placed floaara mi the s;ra»ae of their Uu ouwaian wbv www lust ia ttohankaM. Ttofr rt»nia»/shed W Mttiiouo Puiot, what*the Ottawa suUora who w«*e also drowned in the 14* gale were bariad, ud aovsr*d their graves with flowers, some off the Garmau marinea who were in the locality looking on w : .th p'eesure at the graoefolact. Some of the aad jm thin provided themaetvea with horses, and.rod* 'o Vailili, where Cautaiu Bchounmaker, u( tlw U.SJB. Vandalia, til buried. They carried flan and flower* in abundance, and placed ihein

ow the last resting place of * «*»»• wander who was esteeme I and loved by hi* officers And crew. Such acta m these will, do muro to ceroeut a friend»hip between parties th in diplomacy. Lieutenant Weinman, who was bent out to re-establish the shattered affairs of the German East African Company, has made an unfortunate beginning. Whether'the expedition which he is conducting prove a success or a failure it will evidently have to fight every inch of its way at a cost oif life which the German peoyle will not willingly pay. It is evident that the system of blood and iron which has chasacterised the management of German interests in Europe is not proving successful when applied to savages. Little is to be got out of turbulent barbarians by fighting methods. Fighting Is their life, their element. They aSk nothing better* «md.every armed expedition produces enough material of hostility to employ and necessitate two or three others. So far as we can sue, the bold Bismarck - inn raothods of the representatives of Germany in East Africa have kindled the flame of war among a brave and warlike people over the whole territory. It is the English mistake in tho Soudan over again with this difference, that England was dragged into that erabroglio by political considerations, and did not go there in the name of peace, commerce, and colonisation. What is hapueuing in East Africa is strengthening the hope of a peace ful settlement in Samoa. Prince Bismarck will not be very ready, on tb* initiative of fire-eating eons'.ils, to engage in enterprises which, whatever comes of them, must inevitably cause the loss of .many German, lives. He will in all likelihooduse the sitting Conference as a pretext for hacking out of his quarrclwith Mataofa, and will probably accept the decision of the Confluence as a settlen'.cnt in full of n!l past quarrels. This souths the-only w«y of getting out of the further prosecution af a game in which, whatever" side may win, Germany must certainly lose men, money, and prestige, and in which, even if victorious, she cannot be permitted to reap the rewards of victory.— Daily Tdegraph,VLh.y 14. A large and most enthusiastic meeting of the Irish residents of the city and sympathisers with the Home Rule cause was held in Her Majesty's Theatre yesterday afternoon, whenaddrcsses were delivered by Mr. John Dillon, Sir Thomas U rattan Rsmonde, and Mr. John Deasy, M.P.'s, the Irish delegates, who have visited these colonies for the purpose of soliciting assistance and support towards accomplishing the object for which Mr. Parnell and his colleagues havo been striving in the English House of Commons. In the course of a lengthy speech Mr. Dillon explained the exact position of the people of Ireland to two great political parties in England and also to the United Kngdomand the empire generally. He said they had no wish for separation. They did not even ask for ail the privileges that Australians possessed. All they wanted was the tight to make their own laws, and, as an earnest of their good feeling-, they were willing to leave the entire control of their military forces of Treland in the bands of the Imperial Government. SirThomap. Esmonde and Mr; Deasy followed, each pointing out the fairness of their demands and the justice of their cause. On the' motion of Mr W. H. Traill, seconded, by Mr. T Hassail, the meeting endorsed Mr. Gladstone's policy in the concessions of Home Rule to Ireland as bointr

the best means of restoring peace and prosperity to Ireland, and as an important factor in the developments of the beat interests of the British Empire. Daring the meeting a subscription list was opened, and aa a mult a sun of 42000 was contributed.-/). 7V%ijopaMayl4

4 cablegram published yesterday, informed us that theappareut intention of Germany is to punish MittTffi fc If this is the caw, and all evidence points that way, the Baffin Conference will prove fruitless. Puuishing Mataafa means a conflict of a fierce and sanguinary kind. Mataafa is "ai mod and well prepared." he has between five and *S thousand w»rrio»,*he flower of Ae Samoan race; he is well entrenched ; he has five miles of forts, and he knows his strength, To punish him, then, will requite a small army—more in fact, than four Qerman vessels of war can furnish. It is thoroughly well known that after the fight at Valili the Gar- j mans would nave subdued Mataata if they had had enough men on the' Olga, the Eber, aud the Adler. j They had uot enough men. J hen

came intervention on the putt of the United States, and the purpose was stayed. lb has been stated over and over by German officers at Apia, and by Dr. Knappe, the Consul, that Germany would punish " the rebel Mataafa" for the M uiur- j dei" of the Germans at Valili. If U*ruiany now or in the future pro- ■ cveds against Mataaia it will bo an ' iniquitous deed. The tight at Valili has been pronounced a mistake by Bismarck ; it is pronounced by all who know the circumstances, a* the result of an attempt on the part of the Uoimina to outflank Matuafa, and German officers ackno w ' e dged this much to our spe c ; a | (joiumisaioner. The United States has protested against not o nlr martial law. but it is prepared to protest against auy attack Mataafa. Mataafa cannot be Com»ted as a rebel. He is king by the. choice of the people. The statement made in our columns the other day by a German from Apia that Tamasesc has three or four thousand men with him in romance. Were that the ease it is indubitable that ho would have marched on Mataafa long before this, and" with the help of the Germans to attempt his destruction. It is folly to hold a conference to settle this vexed question uhhis the idea is given up ouce for all that Mataafa eithor deserves pnnUhment or mnst receive it. England's attitude in the matter is of the complaisant form tli.it would he expected of her, con-idering how all along sl.e has otfere I little protest against Germany's high-banded and unjust policy in Samoa.— Sydney Morning 11draid. May iC.