TALK ABOUT TOWN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 56, 26 October 1878, Page 2

TALK ABOUT TOWN.

+. “ Thorn’s a < hi* 1 amang vc takm’ notes, And faith lie'll prent thorn.” Tho San Francisco trader. Ada May* came into port on IhiC'dav morning last. She left here for San Francisco [on the loth.July last, and has therefore made the round trip in tM> flays, only two days over her previous voyage. In fact during the whole of tin: time she has been running she has niyde remarkably (pink passages; and she keeps her dates th t!ie regularity of a mail steamer. She bring v vy et ie news fr-ni the City • C ■ 1 : i ;i» re is -lid some . ig.-ii about. the Chinese ipiesi: .. *Sti!l tiie cry is, “wo by Cain s*- cheap labour/’ and the discontents nr.* beginning to open their eyes to tho fact that it is not so *-asv t" put down the '* heathen Chinee” as they imagined. Abusive language, ill-treatment and even the unlicensed use of the revolver, I, can no more effectually stop the influx of the myriads of those obnoxious people into the 1 nited States, than *a paling fence would impede the llo\v of the mighty Mississippi. I may agree with ■‘ Truthful .lames,” — “ That for wavs that are dark. And for tiieks that arc vain. The heathen Chine** is peculiar,”

luit I must admit at tin* sam«* time, that, (’hinese i mini "rants, whether in t ho States "i* in the Australian (’olmiies, siren people who liave au almost unlimited amount of ilooked perseverance, and when once (hey set tiieir feet in these countries, tl.iey will not he mobbed out by rowdy discontents ami agitators. It would he really amusing, if it did not display such a lamentable amount of ignorance, to hear the views of some people on the beach sis to the duties of the foreign Consuls. Only si few days ago a storekeeper, who had given some, natives some bread on credit, presented his accounts to one of the Consuls, requesting that he would enforce payment from the natives. He was quite surprised when ho was informed that if he chose to give credit to natives he must collect his own debts; and that it was not the duty nor the intention of the Consul to recover them for him. lie went awav a wiser, and perhaps a sadder man ; chagrin and astonishment being plainly expressed on Ids not over intellectual-looking countenance. Some such advertisement as the following, would no doubt delight the eyes of such funny cu.-lone rs : “ Consulate, Apia. Kents, taxes and debts promptly collected. Terms moderate ;no charge in ease of failure.'' Within the past week one nv*ofs anumber of strange faces on the beach anil if the many new arrivals are to he accepted as an index of the growing importance of the place. Samoa must surely be looking up. The Wandrabm from Hamburg, the ITpoiu from Sydney and 'Tonga, llie s.s. Sudsee from Sydney and Fiji, and the Ada May from San Francisco, have all brought a contribution to the foreign population of Samoa. •* Are things what (hey seem. ()r is visions about " f hear very bad news from the Tonga group. The majority of the natives arc on the verge of starvation : and as there is little or no copra, they have not got the wherewith to huy Kuropean food. Should the group be visited with another hurricane during the coming season,— November to the end of March, —they will not lie worth a tig for two years to conic. I'l ley have not thoroughly recovered from the blow some eighteen months ago, as the barren state of the cocoa-trees testify, but another putt’ this season will put them “up a tree” altogether. There is a tine opening for oik* of our enterprising storekeepers to make an easy cent per cent,by sending a few tons of kava to Tonga, where it is exceedingly scarce just at present. A Tonga-man will buy kava in preference to food, if ho is short of In ith iiiul can only pay for one, preferring the luxury to the necessary. Them aiv also very many kava drinkers among the foreign residents, who would willingly pay a long price for the mm hj coveted too. Samoa and enterprise for ever! Who is the plucky speculator game enough to go in for “ a safe thing Y" The correspondence colmnne of the .Samoa Times’’ wore unusually lively last week. ••Sunni t'lmpie"—or Some Quirk, or. Some Kui-k.ii, a* I lu\ hj ird that now famous Lt'.in motto pro:i.jaa:v.l,

threw a red rag at tin* bull, ami has | Uuu pretty considerably tossed on it'* horns in consequence. Uuess 4 Some Vuick* won’t show Sight any more. lies ‘bout played out,'* was the remark 1 hecud si person make after reading the three letters in reply to “ Sunni (’uiquo** ami in defence of the British Consul. Tin* general opinion about town seems to mrresjxmd with the sentiments expressed by my American friend. It is quite refreshing to hear of the whereabouts of that peniliar Indy of men yclept the Samoa •* tiovernmeiit.” So little has been heard of them lately, that it is not to lx* wondered at that some people are under the impression tlmt they have “shuttled oil’this mortal coil,” or tied to the inmost recesses of the hush, there to hide their diminished heads. But L am able to relieve the anxiety of those who feared that this intelligent, enlightened and distinguished body of men had come to an untimely end. A friend 'informs me, —with pardonable pride,—that lie had the pleasure of conversing and shaking hands with some of tin* members of the •• Uovern incut” at Monotio a few days ago. In answer to his inquiries they informed him that they were “stumping” the country with a view tore-clcction; and at the same time searching for a Samoan, —name and place of residence unknown, —who is a iit and proper person to be elected as President. They required a man who would neither thieve nor lie; would be above corruption and bribery; would not lend an car to the flattery and cajolery of one party, or the threats of the other. They also insisted that he should have a little brains; and a modicum of common ! sense. lam very much afraid that, under i such conditions, the olliee of President : will remain vacant for many long years Ito come. Tin.* party have since returned. 1 and wore unable to find one who could ! reply, with a clear conscience, to any one of the conditions, —“ Kccc Homo!” < VIIIL.