TALK ABOUT TOWN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 79, 5 April 1879, Page 2

TALK ABOUT TOWN.

" There's a chiel auiang ye tukiu' notes, And faith he'll pient them." A. Poetical Peeler. It appears on the authority of the London correspondent of one of the Melbourne papers, that a successor to Thackeray's tuneful Policeman X has been discovered in one Sergeant Peck. This present laureate of the force does not, however, confine himself to ballad poetry. He has written a work "On Duty," not an essay, but an epic of no lees than 366 stanzas. On two classes of his fellow creatures his divine wrath is freely expended. One—- " The brutal London rough Of whose clan there are enough To populate a large provincial town; In their rookeries they thrive, There's no viler race alive, And a fearful task it is to keep them down." Tie other class this worthy and poetical peeler has a peculiar " down " upon, is, I regret to say, the reporter.— " There's another dreaded foe, As most policemen know, Whom they meet with, and who sits at work in Court, like a spider on the watch, Unsuspecting flies to catch, Ever weaving a sensational report. At the table there he sits, And his inky venom spits, And a story strange from nothing can concoct; And the public if it knew, , Just how much of it was true, Would often be less edified than shocked." That's rather rough Sergeant Peek. You evidently have lost sight of the fact that if it were not. for these same reporters whom you so roundly rate, the general public would know very little of, your " gallant captures," "exciting chases after runaway thieves,"—in fact the efficiency of the members of the force individually and collectively. I will be sworn that you have many a time got a " good notice" from this same•"dreaded foe" when you have distinguished yourself in the execution of your duty. Expunge that stanza, and then I hope the whole edition will be token up with honour and profit to yourself.

" From Samoa to Chili."

This is the heading of a " speoia} correspondence " letter ia, the Philadelphia Press, from Valparaiso, and hearing the initial signature of ex-Consul Griffin. The author of " My Danish Days " gives a description of the voyage to Valparaiso, which was a lone and tempestuous one ; and also of his Erst impressions of the capital of Chili. He iutends to spend some time in wandering through Chili and Peru, consequently the readers of the Philadelphia Press will receive some more instruction and enlightenment from the pen of this gifted author. He speaks in high praise of the discipline observed on board the U. S. war-ship Adams; but carefully avoids any allusion to the undignified manner in which he left these shores. Nor does he say anything of his intention to publish " My Samoa Days " as a companion to his other work. Both these circumstances are to be regretted, as the world consequently remains unenlightened. The Late H. B. Sterndale. One of the most notable of our South Sea celebrities has gone to " The undiscoverM country, from whose bourn No traveller returns.'' Handlev Bathunt Sterndale was born in India; his father was a native of Derbyshire, England, and his mother Hagaret Crawfuird, a aative of Ayrshire, Scotland. He was educated ia the High School, Edinburgh; was precocious and ready at his lessons, but very wild as a youth. It is related of him that with nil first pocket money he bought a pistol, and created considerable alarm amongst the peaceable residents by firing it off in a reckless manner. The A.uckland Weekly News of 22nd February gives a lengthy sketch of his extraordinary and eventful career, from whioh we learn that he ran away to sea before' his education was completed, and wandered nearly 'alt over the world, landing first in South California from whence he went through Central America. His wonderful oeparity for pioking up language* enabled !u.m to go through some tumble adveu;ures during his journey. He then reamed to England, but the quiet life not luiting his restless, adventures disposition, te shipped as surpercargo uf a vessel xrood *» San Frauouco. .He then

traded through the islands of the Pacific, and was cast away on we island where he wm detained by the natives for nearly three yearn, HatrtveUedjihrough Cafju, After knocking about tpUUnds of the Pacific for abort seven Man, he went for the first lime to Audited about six years ago, whan, be JjlMlilwd in tileHerald a series of well-written, clever and grapbio description* of life in the South Sea islands, and also some interesting paper's on the commercial resources of thyw island*. For some time Mr. Sterndale was iuterested in •trading station on Suwarrar Island, m company with Messrs Henderson and Macfarlano of Auckland, but the venture was not at that time successful, and Mr. Sterndale on his arrival in Auckland, was arrested on the suit of the firm for £IOOO. He turned the table against them, and the case was settled out of Court. Mr. Sterndale theu went to America for the benefit of his health, and died in San Francisco on Christmas Day, after a long and painful illness which he bore with that unflinching bravery which throughout characterised his career. Ho leaves a wife, but no family. His mortal remains were interred on the 27th of last Dec, in "Laurel Hill," (Lone Mountain Cemetery.) A Novel Road Pakty. Within the past ten days the great Malo, or Samoa " Government," have successfully performed two wonderful acts which must place them and their country on an equal tooting with the greatest nations among nations. To now deny the physical and moral strength of this " Government," or to speak any longer in terms of disrespect or ridicule of the Taimua and Faipule, or even to doubt for one moment that the " Government" are not in every respect equal to their foreign contemporaries, and their instructor a second Disraeli, Bismarck or Thiers will be an unpardonable offence very little short in the degree of its enormity of high treason. Last week the " Government decided that a bad portion of the road in Matafele should be repaired. To show their countrymen, particularly those whom they are pleased to call " rebels " the Tuamasaga party,—and the foreign residents what an exceeding strong " Government" they were, every individual member, with only one or two exceptions, appeared ou the scene of operations on Thursday morning week last, with baskets in hand and commenced the work of road-mending. The highest chiefs in the land, grey-headed venerablelooking old codgers vied with the younger chiefs in carrying kits full of sand from the beach to spread over the road. They were all their Excellencies the Taimua (Upper House) and Gentlemen of the Faipule (House of Representatives), His Honor Finai, Chief Justice, and their Honors the Puisne Judges, the Consuls, " Prince " M. K. Le Mamea, late Plenipotentiary Extraordinary for the Court of Samoa at Washington, and Chief Secretary of Samoa; Meisake, the Under Secretary,—in one word, all the members and officials of the "Government" in propria person*. The new Director of Laws and Instructor displayed that amount of discretion and wisdom which his Samoan employers expect from him in confining his part cf this extraordinary programme to occasionally superintending the working party, and encouraging them by remarking in English, that they were getting along very well. As, however, only two or three could understand the language in which they were addressed, the well meant and kindly remarks had scarcely that effect which was intended by the General. They had nof been on the road very long, however,, before they commenced to beg tobacco from the foreigners opposite.whose houses they were working which, with a quantity of gin, was, I am sorry to say, supplied to them by the mistaken kindness of some of the foreigners. These fellows, " Government " as they are, love backsheesh in any form; intact the "bigger" the ohief the more inveterate beggar he will be. On that auspicious morning I was asked by a dozeu of them for a piece of tobacco, which I invariably refused, on principle, notwithstanding that I was on two occasions indignantly asked by the disappointed beggar, if I did not know that he was a chief ? " Of course I do," I replied, " and that's just the reason why I object to give you tobacco, and why you should be ashamed to beg for it" 1 " Why don't the ' Government make the Srisouers and offenders against the laws o this kind of work " ? is a very natural question to ask. It must not be supposed that they are not in a position to take offenders prisoners and make them work. 0 dear no t But having the welfare of the country so much at heart, they put •side a proper sense of pride in their position as chiefs and heads of chief families, as members of the Taimua and Faipule and high Government officials for the sake of setting • good example to the lazy and worthless members of Samoan society. Is not this a good, a wise, and a beneficent " Government" t Their second performance was the Gallant Capture of Cannon In the possession of the Tuamasaga at Malic. When the report was spread about town here, the " Government" party led us to believe that they had taken the piece of cannon from the Tuamasaga, who were afraid to offer any resistance, or even to say " boo 1" But what • different complexion the truth puts on the matter. The "Government" wero aware that the men of the village were all at another part of the island; there were only 'a few women left in tin- village. 'I hey sneaked the gun off

the beach, pat it in their tautnnalua, and peddled off to Mulicuu in triumph. Biavt Malo! Considering that war is not edeahied, some people call this a sneak - , mean piece of thievery, and I am one of those who hold that opinion. Ctml.