TALK ABOUT TOWN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 75, 8 March 1879, Page 2

TALK ABOUT TOWN.

B* i , " There's a (duel aiming ye tukin notes, And faith he'll nrent them."

An old Samoan identity has fallen a victim to tho fury of tho recent gale, and left " not a rack behind " to mark the spot where, for years, it nobly stood the quips and cranks, and jokes and jeers that were tacked on to it, and written not in Greek nor Cabalistic figures, but made so plain " that he may run th.it readeth it." Unfortunately it was dumb, else what talcs could that old fau tree have told: —that tree which, until Tuesday last, stood so proudly (and so inconveniently) in the centre of tho road opposite Mr. Volkmann's, in Matafolo. In days gone by, and before the advent of the Samoa Times tho tree did duty in many ways for the foreign residents who were not possessed of tho more civilised and legitimate means of making their wants and grievances public. Announcements of public meetings, notices of a most heterogenous description, expressions of public wants and private wrongs, harmless jokes and witticisms, laughable caricatures of prominent men, bitter inuendos and libellous assertions on the characters of others, the discussion of private quarrels and public scandal, even the private rows between the rival houses of the Samoan Montagues and Capulets were tacked on to this unoffending, uncomplaining tree, whose only fault was that it had chanced to grow in what was considered the host of all places to make the matters public, and attract tho eyes and arrest the footsteps of passers bye. It being in the centre of traffic, the foreign residents to a man silently and inwardly voted this fan tree as a fit and proper place upon which to fix their various notices. Many of these effusions, owing to their libellous or extremely personal nature, bore not the names of the authors, and were penned :r. purposely disguised hands. Such would bo sureptitiously nailed to the tree at " tho very witching time of night," when it is poetically and popularly supposed that " Churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world."

And truly a very fitting tiiuo for ju s'ing uji some of the documeuLs which have adorned or disgraced—according to the tnate of the render—this poor old tree. Occasionally'an irate foreigner, whose head seemed to fit to the cap which was thus nailed up would boldly tear down i the paper, cursing meanwhile the unknown author, and the poor tree which was the innocent means of making the document public. But with the birth in Samoa of that mighty engine of civilisation—the newspaper Press—this rude and semi-barbarous mode of appealing to the public gradually died out; and for ■ tho last twelve months at least, this fail tree has simply been the medium of displaying to the public Mr. Alvord's auction announcements, occasionally varied , by notices from captains of vessels that , they would not be responsible for any dobts contracted by their respective crews. This was undoubtedly too muo'i fo: the sensitive nerves of this fan tree. Once the proud exhibitor of public and publicprivate documents, [the centre of attraction and the observed of all observers; which had never told a lie, or divulged the names of those who in fear and trembling had by stealth affixed their unclean paper on its uncomplaining trunk ; who hod been cursed and reviled for doing its duty faithfully :—it is not to bo wondered, when tho fau tree found it was so far reduced in 1 ho social scalo (by circumstances over which it oortainly had no control) as to bo fit only for an auctioneer's advertising post, that it was ready to accopt ilealli in any form, than continue to live under such an ignominious ban. So, when it fell from its onoo proud state, it fell " like Luoifer, never to hope again." Ricked and tormontod, shaken and bruised the -whole of Monday night, it at last succumbed to tho incrensod fury of the cruel blasts of rude Dorcas early on Tuesday morning. I ty decease was witnessed by several of its on! friends, and soon afterwards the savage work of demolition and removal begati. Several kanakas were ■'"■ Mi on the snot, and dismembered the old tree limb ny limb, each carrying otf their share nf the spoil until not a vestige was left. Tho process of exhumation has no doubt I'cc'n commenced ere this by furnishing fuel for more than one kanaka . home. So nothing now remains of this

onee important tree beyond what is re- j tained in the fond memories of those who i knew it in its palmy days of old. If the so-called " Government " (?) has not already collapsed, the sooner they follow the example set by their houses on Mulinuu last Tuesday the better. They jrill at anyrate merit anil receive the heartfelt thanks of a much too patient and enduring foreign population. It would redound more to their honour mid credit surely thus to make their exit from the boards of the Samoa Theatre Royal, amidst the deafeuing plaudits of grateful foreigners than, as they are suro to do eventually, if they jiorsist in the performance of this farce, — " Go down To tho vile dust, » • • • Unwept, unhonoured, and unsung."

It is evident that Mr. Boreas is no re- ; specter of persons, for on the sixty or , more houses which he demolished at j Mulinuu Point, he blew no more softly on ( the residences of the " Malo " than on the , habitations of the more humble members , of Samnan society. Both the ohurches, the " Government " (?) Houses, the late ' residence of " Colonel " Steinberger and , his chum "Pencil Major" Latrobo, the , " Colonel's " gaol, the old American Con- , sulate (the erstwhile residence of Griffin I and othor shining lights), and the houses , of those swells the Taimun were all sent ; along with the rest flat to mother eaith. , Judgment was passed on Judge Final by a cocoanut tree which in falling caved iu one end of his Honor's house, and saved tho wind the trouble of blowing it down. Even the flag-staff, on which have floated at various times tho American flag and Steinberger's Government flag, was not spared by the unrelenting wind. The result of this wholesalo demolition of the " Malo's" town residences is that the " Government " (?) are as far if not further off thau ever of settling down to work, or of being more than a hindrance and stumbling block to a spi edy and amicable settlement of affairs. Their excuse for some time will now be that they cannot attend to any business until the Government buildings and their own bouses are re-erected, a work in which they are of course all personally interested, and at which they will person„'.!y assist. On the whole, I think they had better retire as speedily and gracefully as possible. Those people who objected to pay threepence for the privilege of crossing Mr. Williamson's bridge, at Vai-igago, will now have to pay double that amount to the boatman, put up with several inconveniences which did not exist in connection with the bridge, and lie tied to time at night. While I deeply sympathise with Mr. 'Williamson in the heavy loss he has sustained by the total destruction of his bridge, aud 'admit that this lossjwill bo a source of great public inconvenience, I cannot help feeling some sort of satisfaction in the knowledge of tho fact that those miserable few who carred at having to pay to cross the bridge,— ■ and who could always pass over for noi thing after dark, —will now-' ' have ; to swim across or pay doublt L old I amount to the ferry-man. There will be , no chance of franking oneself over . . i night either; on the contrary it is more ■ than probable that double fare will be ; charged after sundown. There are other I people who will fee! the absence of that convenient bridge:—the courting parties • from Matautu to Apia and vice-versa. These love expeditions will be considerably curtailed in point of time, and the ardent'" lovier " will have to divide his > attentions between his " ladyo fairc " ami ■ his watch to prevent the possibility of ! being too late for tho lost boat, and hav- ■ ing to swim for it, or stop out all night. ! I should think it rather takes the guilt ' off the sentimental part of the business 1 when the young man suddenly breaks off in the middle of a very sj>ooriy Bpeeoh 1 with the exclamation—"By Jove, I must J hurry up; only five minute; to catch the 1 last boat. Good bye. (A succession of hurried kisses). I'll be over to-morrow s night." Then as he speeds his way to ' tilt boat, he inwardly curses the time for '' slipping by so fast, the boatman for not 1 stopping up an hour later, and by Itho time he has reached the boat, perspiring J and almost breathless, he wonders " why the deuce that blessed bridge gave way I Host Acosta has, I beliove, rented from ' Mr. Williamson the right to ferry, and a • couple of days ago ouo of the gentlemen ! alluded to in the commencement of this ' paragraph, and who boasts that he has never paid ? red cent for the bridge, had to fork out his 2-!> cents like nny other j man, to bo conveyed to and from the Matautu sido of the river. Ho had franked his passago over to Matautu, but was 1 nicely caught by Joe, who said he would ' not let him return in his boat until he s paid tho fare—" no, not if ho knows it; 1 not for Josoph !" Cyril