THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1877.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 4, 27 October 1877, Page 2

THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1877.

In t all matters of public interest somebody must come forward with suggestions'; someone must take the - lead, and, no doubt when the community possesses a public journal, it is considered to be that journal's duty to open the subject for discussion. Therefore, taking this view of the matter, we deem it incumbent upon us to suggest that the time has now arrived when some united effort on the part of the foreign residents should be taken to maintain law and order amongst us. We do not intend to infer that the inhabitants of our town are of a disorderly character. Quito the contrary, for we question whether there is another community of the size and variety of cast of ours in the world that is so well conducted as this has hitherto been, considering there is no other restraint upon the residents than their own feelings of right and wrong. But considering that the h'xed population of our town now numbers something like 150, and that we are frequently getting new additions to it, which, perhaps, may not be of so order-loving a disposition as those who have hitherto resided here, and also considering that this is a seaport, containing at times a considerable

amount of shipping, we think that it is the duty of the foreign residents to form some union by which the possible lawless proclivities of newcomers may be checked. The necessity for this union of purpose has been made the more apparent by the disturbances that have lately occurred in connection with the seizure and re-takin" of the premises of G. J. Smith and Co. To take steps to maintain law and order is a duty we owe to ourselves, to our families, to our neighbours, ;>nd to the land of our adoption. If a robbery be committed, or if a raid be made upon our persons or property, what means of redress have we > Or if a vessel enters our port with contagion raging on board, what means have we of preventing those suffering therefrom from landing ? Very little, if any. It is true that the various Consuls have done much in times past to preserve order, and no doubt are still willing to assist all they can to that end, but their powers are not comprehensive enough to take in all the grievances that are likely to crop up in a community with an increasing population, without the aid and assistance of the public. It is not unreasonable to suppose that in a town like this may be found a few immoderate and unscrupulous persons, and in order to prevent them comin" prominently and strikingly before us it is necessary that the community should take some firm and united steps. Now is the time; it is no use waiting tillsome outrage is committed before we bestir ourselves. " Prevention is better than cure," is an old and wise adage, and worthy of consideration in this matter. Almost every day we hear of some outrage committed by natives in the town, either by assault or robbery. We are of opinion that if the native Government saw that we were taking steps to maintain law and order amongst ourselves, they would devise means to the same end amongst their people. Surely such a consummation of affairs alone would justify any trifling outlay that each individual would be put to. We have done our duty in bringing the matter forward, we trust the public will do theirs, by considering the question carefully and seriously, and propose some measures suited to the wants and requirements of the community, and which will tend to promote our welfare, peace, and prosperity.

I) ißi.vii Robbery.—On Monday mom ing last, the premises of Capt. Hamilton, the pilot, were entered, and some pieces of cloth taken therefrom. It appears that whilst the pilot was taking the German ship of war, Augusta, out, the ketch Pearl hove in sight, and Mrs. Hamilton went to the beach at the back of the house to signal the fact to her husband. A native—we believe a Tonga man—eame to Mrs. Hamilton, and said lie wished to buy some cloth, the same as he hail been looking at earlier in thß morning, but she told him that she could not come till she was sure that her husband had seen her signal. The man then went away. Mrs. Hamilton was suspicious, and following soon after, found that one of the doors had been broken in, and two pieces of cloth taken therefrom. By this time the ketch ' Pearl had been brought to an anchor, | and signals were made to the pilot, woo immediately sent his luaton shore. The thief was seen going round Matautu Point, ainl upon being made acquainted with the fact, the pilot boat immediately gave chase, and captured the daylightrobber, holding him till their employer came up. The canoe was then searched, the cloth found, the canoe confiscated and given to the captors, and then the native received a good castigation for his smartness, which sent him home, if not a wiser, a sorer man. These robberies are becoming so rife and daring now, that some such summary measures are necessary to put a stop to them. In the absence of proper courts wherein to trv, , and gaols to lodge tliese. light-lingered gentlemen, we think no better mode of punishment than that used by Capt. Hamilton can be put in force to prevent ' a recurrence of such acts.

A Stupendous Dictionary.—lt is stated that a dictionary in twenty modern languages is announced. It is being compiled by Herr A. Pesehck, of Br'un, who will be his own publisher. It is to be issued in about sixty parts.

Cross Geographical Ignorance.— For an out-and-out specimen of ignorance on the part of a writer in a public journal, commend us to the following from the " Portsmouth Times " : " Commodore Goodenough was wounded on the left side, and on the llead, and Kve men were also wounded. As may be remembered, the commodore gave a salutary lesson te the safagea by destroying their village, although he strictly prohibited the killing tf natives. The facts came prominently and fullv before the public in a letter published at the time by one of the olhceps of the Pearl. The vessel at once PROCEEDED SOUTH To GET COLD WEATHEB, but tetanus spasms sot in, and the commodore and two of the injured seamen died. The commodore was buried at SvDXKY, New Zealand, on August 2+. amidst manifestations of respect from the highest to the lowest at that port."

Is that so ?—We, "S. M. Herald," learn from a gentleman who arrived at Newcastle in the American schooner Dreadnought, which left Apia, Samoa, July 20, that the reported assumption of a protectorate of those islands by the United States is incorrect, U. S. Consul Griffin returned to Apia, from Washington, July 25, on board the Dreadnought, with instructions not to interfere in the politics of the country, as it is contrary to the policy of the United States to make acquisitions abroad. The proceedings of Acting-Consul Colmesnil, .May 24th. in hoisting the American flag over that of Samoa, and declaring a protectorate, were without authority, and ire not endorsed. The native Government was unsettled and the election of a new king contemplated. Some ex-Fijians, among them George Austin Woods, Major Harding, and Attorney Hetheiington, were advising the natives in political affairs, ami Mr. Colmesnil, the American al>ove named, expected to be chosen Premier.

A Brave Woman.—The Muswcllbrook correspondent of the "Maitland Mercury" furnishes the following account of the rescue of a man from drowning by a woman :—" An aged man, named Moore, who is both deaf and blind, was tramping his way from Muswcllbrook to Aberdeen, and when getting to that portion of the northern road on the Muswellbrook side of the Dartmouth, where the river takes a bend, and has partially encroachtd upon the road, the bank being almost pnrdendicular, the old man walked across the precipice, and fell on to a ledge in the bank about ten feet from the top. Mrs. Sweeney saw the old man fall, and as she was standing at her house, distant some few hundred yards, and ran, calling to the poor old fellow to stop quiet, but, owing to his deafness, he did not hear the voice. Mrs. Sweeney, with great courage, at once jumped down on to the ledge where tho old man lay, and caught hold of him ; but he, not knowing what was goinsr on. made a struggle on feeling the friendly grasp to save him, add was thrown into the river, which was about four or five feet from where ho hod fallen, and the depth of which at that spot is about four feet. Mrs. Sweoney, however, nothing daunted, sprang after him, and, with groat difficulty, nauleil him safely out to the beMb on "the other side. There can bo no doubt that tho act of Mrs. Sweeney was one displaying great courage, and Moore owes his life to En brave efforts. Should she receive no other reward for her bravery, she will at nil events be nble to lav claim to having l i the Bwene, under ProviAaee, of having saved n folloW-CJ'oatliro Iroin BO

A skvkkk Snmoics roa iMfosrura Knonuc DiNtaan the "Ml Mali Gazette, "of July 16, states tliKt a (MB was tried at the Crown Gout, Newcastle,; the result of which showed that Judge* j ami j mil's are not disposed to ileal lightly with captains of ships who know- j iii"lv Import as assist to dLsseininaU j epidemic diseases. The master of a' vessel that arrived iu the Tyne from I Carthagcna WW siinmioneil by the chief officer of Customs at Shields, under the old Quarantine Act (Uth George IV., cap. 78) for refusing to answer, or for answering falsely, certain routine queej tions put by the Customs authorities as Ito the health of those on board. The officer in this aa.se, being satisfied at the time with the replies given, permitted the vessel to haul into dock, and the | crew were discharged. The next morning, however, one of them was found in a lodging-house, suffering from a malignant form of small-pox, from which he died. It appeared that the man was observed to have "a rash" on him ' during the passage, but was put into the ! same cabin with three other men. The Ijuryjound that the captain intentionally concealed the fact that the man was labouring under some eruptive disorder, that he had noticed it three days before, and that so the fact ought to have been I reported. The defendant was thereupon ! fined £2OO, and costs. A Fatal Accident and a Generous i Act. —A most melancholy accident ( occurred at the Bathurst railway station, (says the "Bathurst Times"): —A man, named Walter Serman, was engaged in endeavouring to block the wheels of a truck, and he used for that purpose a handspike, instead of the proper " sprag." Although he had been long enough at i work to know how to act under such circumstances, he stood on the " wrong side" of the handspike, and when this flew back through the revolution of the wheels it struck him and knocked him down. He did not seem to have been much hurt, as liejump.nl up at once and ran after the truck. He attempted again to " sprag " the wheels in the same way as he had done before, and he was knocked down a second time. He was then unable to rise, and had to be assisted home. Next day, as Serman grew worse, Dr. Cortis was called in, and found that several of the man's ribs had been driven in, and that he would probably nut recover. The patient expired that night, and by his death a widow and three children are left unprovided for. tn connection with this case, we desire to mention a circumstance which is worthy of record. Mr. Higgs informs us that an engine-driver, named James Haining—driving between Rydal and bathurst—upon being informed of the death of 1 Serman, went straight to the widow and . deposited in her hand a fa-note. Haining is not in a position to save much i out of his eornings, and his generous ' action will one day surely bring its recompense.