THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1880.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 141, 19 June 1880, Page 2

THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1880.

" PKACK cm War." These were the notes sounded on Tuesday last on tho arrival in town of a deputation numbering about .'iOO warriors from Aana and Atua. This deputation, which came for the purpose of arranging the terms on whioh Aana and Atua should give in their alleiganeo to Malietoa, was tV.e outcome of an arrangement entered into between the representatives of the King, the foreign resident in this place, and the chiefs of Atua, on the occasion ■ of the visit of the two former to Salua- ■ f.ita on the 3rd instant. Quite an excitement was caused among the natives here, and a good deal of comment made hy tho foreign residents, when it became ' known on Tuesday afternoon that the : strangers instead of proceeding to Muli- : nun apparently intended landing at Apia, • and from the attitude which matters assumed for a short time, caused by this departure from the usual -custom of proceeding to head-quarters, it almost appeared .06 if .the visitors would havo to return home without effecting their 'purpose of meeting the King. Tho flittle misunderstanding /was, however, ultimately got over, an* .» " fono" arranged for Wednesday, It would appear that tho Aana and Atua folks, previous to leaving their homea, had decided -to ask tho Consuls to act as arbitrator! between tuom and tho King, hence the reason for the departure from tho usual- courso. Wo are glad to record that at tho ineetinjr which wan held on Wednesday pacific'in tout ions prevailed, 'and if tin: promises umdo hy tho King in his speech on that occasion aro adhered to, wo do not doubt but that Samoa will enjoy peace for a longer period thau has 1 itely fallen to lift lot. i

"While opportunities of forwarding mails from this port are not unfrcquent, the paucity and irregularity of incoming mails has long formed a subject of remark with the foreign residents of this Group, and from present appearances the matter is likely to continue to be a theme for discussion. A year ago we could count upon a colonial vessel reaching us at least once a month, but the decline of business between this Group and Australasia having caused several old traders to discontinue coming to these waters our present chances of receiving mail matter arc reduced to an Auokland vessel which reaches us about once in three months, and to such stray craft as may happen to come this way from tho colonies. But while Samoa is in the matter of mail and general communication not only standing still but actually retrograding, the other Island Groups are either securing steam communication with the great centres of population which must one day form the markets for the varied products of tho Pacific, or are improving the moans of communication and transit which they already possess. Glancing at late colonial papers we observe that the French Government at Tahiti have just entered into a contract with a steamship company in San Francisco for a monthly mail service between that port and Papeite. The first vessel of this line will leave Papeite about November next, and we do not doubt but what the residents in the Society Islands will 60on reap tlie benefit of the enlightened policy of their Government. Coming nearer home, we observe that the Friendly Group, a group of less commercial importance than this, has within tho last month been connected with Fiji and the colonies by a legular lino of steamers. Fiji itself has fortnightly steam communication with the sister colonies of Victoria and New South Wales, and will presently have a monthly service to and from Auckland. New Caledonia has for some time had a steamer running at stated intervals between Noumea and Sydney; some of the Groups to the north-west are in steam communication with Chinese ports, and the Sandwich Islands have the steamers of various lines calling frequently afrlouululu. It was at one time thought here that the Pacific Steam Navigation Company might make a mail station at Pago Pago, but we do not think that any relief for the present unsatisfactory condition of our mail service need he looked for from that quarter. Now that Tonga has been connecfed by steam with Fiji wo imagine that a little pressure brought to bear on the Australasian Steam Navigation Company might induce them to extend their lines as fur ns t.bn Nnvi-

gators and include Apia among their ports of call. We would then have removed from us tho reproach thai it takoe a yaai to get an answer to a letter addressed to Samoa.