TUAMASAGA MEETING.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 76, 15 March 1879, Page 2

TUAMASAGA MEETING.

AVo wish it to bo.distinctly undorstood that we do not hold ourselves rosponsiblo for, or endorse the opinions expressed by our correspondents. (FROM A roKKKKruNOKNT.) A meeting of tho Tuamaflogs was held on Wednesday, February Stith, at Afega, the capital town of tho Tuamasaga division. The Taimuas Lomaua, Tuia, and Samoa, with Lilo an scribo, attended tho meeting to explain certain a.t inns of theirs, ami also to have a talk about tho (.tcrman Treaty. After tho food—pigx, talo, breadfruit, and bananas—had been allotted out and partaken of by tho assembled people, lx'leua, the speaker of tho Falcnta district openod the meetiug bv thanking tho Taiinun for attending tho meeting.' Though they, tho Tuamaaaga, did not agree with all that the Malo had done, i yet [in u very sarcastic maimer ] it was'

pleasant to * ■ tfeom there, ujJ to hear tJeir ?oice. Welcome to Af«>g*. you Malo that taakc straight things io" be ]>o _\ u forget when everything you did was America? America here, Am rica there, America everywhere. It wu iß»ih in everything, wait for America. The Tiiamasaga duos not forget this. He ■ you did blow when thei j American man-of-war arrived ; but it a!i ended in smoke. Tuamasaga asks you j now. win-.-,, is th.3 treaty with Amtrica ? i In what corner of the have you I stowed thai treaty ? We alac remember when we asked you at !:;at time why you lid not make a treaty with E'lglaml and I Germany, you answered that you did not want to do it; you were freightened to do it. How is it ymr fright has gone awi.y, and you cnu make a treaty now irith Germanv, and shot up ou.- Tuamasaga lands; lands t.iiat have been sold wrongfully, not having h?on sold by the true owners. To-day if. is Germany everywhere; gb to Mulinuu, it if s. itbing but Germany ; go to Atua or Aana and it is nothing but Germany. Trie German feagaiga wi&u you the Malo as you oall yourself, You Toitnua (Tuia) it wis pis I'uamasaga who took you t<> Muliuuu to ir-ii. to aiike a gouJ Government and

to make laws, but whit havo you done P. Vi ho toid you to sign away your powers to the Consul of Germany to make laws for Samoa.' No laws are to be made without German sanction. You .Malo who make pretence to be wise, we: would like to be great and do great things; how you have fallen—having trodden upon slippery ground. What has •England done ? What has Fiance done ? tliat .ou should shut them out of Pagopago and of Saluafata. Who gave you power to give away the property of your private people. You as a Malo do not own those harbours. In tho name of the Tuamasaga we discard you and your work. We do not recognise your doings. (At this exclamation the flag was hoisted and a salute from one gun at Afega and one gun at Malia was fired). Lemana, on the Government side replied that the Tuamasaga was very hard on the Malo, and especially so when the American treaty was being signed by the Malo. You Tuiatafu asked many questions in the name of the Tuamasaga that were rather hard to answer.

Upon this Tuiatafu rose and said, yes, I have also questions to as ask about this German treaty. Bring your treaty forward and rend it section by section. When Lilo got up and read the treaty as desired, Tuiatafu asked tho following questions:—Are you going to appoint, or have you appointed a Samoau chief as Consul to Germany I What Samoau man-of-war will go to Germany ? Will you go to Germany in a taumualua ? When a Samoan goes to Germany he must abide by the laws of Germany ; but your laws—the Samoan laws—must first get the sanction of the German Consul. Is that right ? Is that wise ? Why did you not make an agreement with the Consul of the Germans about those fines that are put upon the people through you? Has he not still the power to fine you when he likes without an investigation ? What about the lands that we and you all know were sold Mo tho Germans byparties who had no right to them j* You know quite well how they got these lands, and here you agree to no one obstructing them in the occupation of these lauds. Where are these land.s ? mostly in the Tuamasaga are they not ? Who told you to shut our mouths in this matter? Lemana said, that in explanation of this clause with the German Consul, the Consul said he would not reject investigation of peoples claims when brought before him. Puiatai u : Yes, very good, and very wise in yon. He may nut reject an inbut lie may refuse to give the laud up ; rej.ct investigation and refuse to ;ive up when proved, are two different things. Why did you not havo those words put in the treaty ? It is you Malo who havo faamaued our lands ; the treaty says no one is to interfere. Tuia, you have notdone right in this; you did not consi-lcr well what you were doing. Did not the American treaty open your eyes ? What good does this treaty do for Samoa ? You are a representative of the Tuamasaga, but we do not agree with what you have done for us. The Tuamasaga does not recognise this treaty ; we are as far from it as the east is from the west. You want a stranger white man to bo with you iu the Malo. What to do P to Help you eat up our money; to help jou drink gin, and ride about on horseback ? Can he speak Samoan, or is Meisako to bo his helpmate to load you astray as he has doue before ? Have you not had enough of white men, and of Americans I Tuamasaga tells you to take no strange white men into your bosom. Tuia, you will hear from us again. Malo Samoa, we have given you our word and our king, which is a hard knot to break ; that knot has either to split us, or it will split you in two.