SAMOA. SUBMISSION TO TAMASESE DEMANDED. A Native Village Burned. BIALIETOA SUMMONED TO SURRENDER. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) Apia, September 5.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 221, 24 September 1887, Page 1

SAMOA.

SUBMISSION TO TAMASESE DEMANDED. A Native Village Burned. BIALIETOA SUMMONED TO SURRENDER. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) Apia, September 5.

Since I concluded my last letter, the Germans have been behaving as badly as ever. The German Commodore has issued a proclamation to the cil'ect that Tamasese is the rightful King of Samoa, and that all the natives must swear their allegiance to him by the 15th inst. Two of the German gun, boats were sent round the islands to posfc np these proclamations. At one place, Salupalin, the natives told them they would not have Tamasc^o as king on any account, and after they (the Germans) had posted the notices up the natives tore them down. However, as punishment for this the warship Sophie proceeded last Friday to the village named and burned 160 houses, 80 boats and canoes, shot 300 pigs, and cut down all the breadfruit and cocoanut trees and bananas in the village. The natives retieated to the bush. In one house a man had just died. The natives asked to bo allowed time to bury him. This was refused, and the coipse was carried oub of the house and laid under a tree while the house was burned. In another house, a woman and child were lying ill ; they were also carried out and laid under a tree while the work of destruction went on. The Germans have tin eatened to punish every village occupied by Malietoa's adherents, unless Mahetoa surrenders. Malictoa, however, declines, trusting when the mail arrives to find that England and America have not prc\ ed traitors, and sold him to the Germans after all their specious promises. A very small proportion of the natives are supporting Tamasese, and had it nofc been for blindly folio «ying the no doubb well-meant advice of the English and American Connuls, Malietoa could have swept the whole party oiY the islands, which would have effectually solved the difficulty. The defections from the rebel party still continue. It is to be hoped that, if not too late, the colonies will wake up and try to prevent the final occupation by Germany of these islands, at, such a result would be fatal to the island trade with the colonies. The next mail is looked forward to with great anxiety, as ix> is hoped that the German proceedings may bo explained satisfactorily, and not be so bad as they look for English and American interests here.