THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1879.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 99, 23 August 1879, Page 2

THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1879.

The German Treaty.—A telegram to the .San Francisco Chronicle, dated Berlin, June 14th, says:—The Reichstag has approved the treaty with Samoa. Drunk and Disorderly. Neutral Territory Court, on Wednesday last, before T. M. Dawson, Esq., U.S. Consul. Mnttey Loino was fined >IO for being drunk and disorderly. Fine paid. Silt A. 11. Gordon.—Tho Governor of Fiji arrived here yesterday in H.B.M. S. Cormorant, which vessel had been sent from Sydney to meet him at Pagopago. His Excellency landed in the afternoon, when the Cormorant's yards were manned. The object of this visit has not yet transpired. Mvrderous Assault.—On Sundayevening last, at Matautu, five Sainoan natives named Selene, Vigi, Taicse, Ton, and Teragi committed a murderous assault upon another Satnoan native named Siatunu. The victim was very badly wounded about the head and other parts of the body with clubs or such like weapons, besides having two shots from n revolver fired at him, which happily missed their mark. The prisoners were all arrested and brought up before 'l'. At. Dawson, Esq., U.S. (.'onsiil, Neutral Territory Magistrate for the week, but Siatunu being too ill to attend at Court, the case was adjourned till to-day, when it will be tried before the three Consuls.

Mails for Samoa. —Wo huvc received the following notice from tlie London I’ost Office ;—Henceforward the mails for the Navigator’s or Samoan Islands will bo forwarded via New Zealand, and tlio correspondence addressed to those islands will be liable to the same rates of postage as that for Now Zealand, viz.: — Via S.F. or via Southampton.— Letters, fid. per loz,; newspapers, not exceeding 40z., Id. each ; hook packets or patterns, not exceeding loz„ Jd.; loz. to 20z., 2d.; 20z.. to 40z., 4d.; and every additional 40z., 4d. Vii Brindisi.—Letters, Scl. per loz.; newspapers, nut exceeding 40z., 2d. each ; book packets or patterns, not exccding loz., 2d.; loz, to 20z., 4d.: 2oz. to 4uz., fid. ; and every additional 40z., fid. The postage must in all cases be prepaid, or the correspondence cannot be forwarded.

Round Savaii. —Our special cnrrc.-t* pondeut “Cyril” lias returned to Upolu, after making a complete tour entirely round Savaii. He is nt piesent resting at Mr. Cornwall's at Fasitootai, recovering from another attack of the malady from which he has suffered for nearly three vears—chronic dysentery —and tljr severity of which, nt tynes, destroyed a great deal of the pleasure of his recent trip, and made travelling along that beautiful island of Savaii rather a burden than otherwise. However, we have not the slightest doubts that his chatty letters descriptive of his tour, —which are being written specially for the Samoa Times, —will yet be rend by both our local and foreign subscribers with interest. Wo expect, and hope, that our correspondent will be so far recovered as to be able to supply us with the first instalment in time for next issue.

EnoBMOIs Hex Hog, Our special <. [respondent, ,l Cyril." Touches (or the ollowmg: —While stopping at Lata, Mr. Cornwall’s plantation on Savaii. a few lays ago, Mr. MKcusie, the overseer, hawed him an extraordinarily large egg. vhich was laid bv one of his hens of the ’ochin China breed, on the 20th of July ast. “ Cyril ” measured it himself and bund it of the following dimensions: from end to end, 3 inches and } ; cirnmference, 5 inches and seven-eighths. liVhat do our breeders of fowls say to hisDuxloi 1 v. Cornwall. —The Chief fustice of tho Supreme Court of Fiji has rverruled the judgment of the Deputy j Jommissioner here, in the cose of Dunlop 1 Cornwall, the latter having to pay all ;osts. The grounds upon which this do- j :ision has been arrived at are, shortly, ( that there being no courts in Samoa, tho i getting back of tire goods by an act of Consular authority' was not such a itretelr and excess in tho nso of the power as to subject Cornwall in damages, but as ho used a wrong legal form of which he evidently did not know the meaning, ho has been left to pay the costs. Drift of Pouch Stone. — ln tho month of March last the wind atSalailua. Savaii (south side), blew steadily from north-west by west for eleven or twelve davs, at the end of which time a huge drift of pumice stone was washed on to the beach. Mr. De Vere showed me some i of tlio stone, and is of opinion, taking the direction of the wind for so many days, and allowing for currents, that this drift tame from the Solomons or New Britain. It was several days before the natives accomplished tho task of clearing tho beach of tills drift.—Communicated by • Cyril." An Heroic Woman. —About tho end of dime last, when the wife of Mr. Chas. DoVero was returning from Apia to her home at SahuUia, .Savaii, she had a very hard struggle in (ho water for her life, and tho lives of three of her children. Mr. I- 1 ’A ere was awoke early one morning by a native, who wished to draw his attention in a boat that was outside the reef, showing signals of distress. On looking through his glass he recognised it as his own, with his family in it. A couple of men swam off to see why the boat did not come in; and they soon returned with tlie news that the boat had been capsized and they were in want of oars. With the assistance of a large number of the townspeople, the boat was soon conveyed through tho passage, and brought to an anchor. The women and children were at once attended to; the youngest child, some twelve months old, being apparently lifeless. By dint of chafing, the application of hot flannels, and an emetic to throw tho salt water off its stomach, in tho course of an hour the littlo sufferer revived, and after a ten hours’ sleep was ipiite recovered. The other children more speedily recovered from the effects of their immersion and exposure. Mrs. DeVere’s account of the accident shows her to ho a truly plucky woman and a good swimmer. Tho occupants of the heat were Airs. UeVere and throe children, aged I year, 21, and 31 years respectively, another Samoan woman, and a boat’s crew of four men and a boat steerer. They arrived off tho passage through the reef at Salailna about two o’clock in the morning, and as tho passage was rough and the night rather dark, Airs. DeV rro proposed to lay off until daylight. Tho crow objected ; they allirmed they all knew tiro passage perfectly well, and could not see any reason in stopping out there for some hours when they were so n sir home. Their arguments finally prevailed, and they bent to their oars to send the boat, as swiftly through tho danger as possible. They did not however hit the centre of the narrow way, and the heavy surf took the oar out of the hands of the hoatstecror, swung the boat bioadside on, and in a second afterwards was overturned, and the occupanis !ei'; floundering in ('re surf. Airs. D \, i, oiling to the baby at the htvaM, mu get 1 lie in xt eldest girl on to her back, the other woman supporting the elder girl. In this position they were iii the water lor two hours and a half, the crew meanwhile trying to right the boat, but the current was so strong that they all drifted to opposite Foalolo, over two miles to leeward, before the boat was righted. Then commenced the work of hailing with their hands, and when tho water was reduced sufficiently to render it safe the women and children were placed inside the boat, and hailing continued until nearly dry. The crew then tore off the boat seats, and with them succeeded in paddling hack to the scene of tin; disaster. The boat, 2(! feet overall, was considerably damaged ; the stern sheets were stove in ; five oars lost; a chest containing Airs. DeVere’s and the children’s clothes, some of which she had just purchased at Apia; some four or live dollars in cash, and a quantity of various medicines, to procure which was one of Alts. DoVore’s reasons for making the trip to Apia—some seventy miles of open boating—were all lost. Airs. Do Acre says that had the children died,— ami she thought the baby was dead long before she got into tho boat, —she would have clung to their bodies and brought them ashore, or sank through exhaustion in tho attempt. Happily Ali-s. DeVore’s bravery was fully rewarded by tho fact (hat no lives were lost on that trying occasion.—Communicated by “ Cyril.”