SAMOAN TROUBLES. THE GERMAN GUNBOAT EBER BRINGS DESPATCHES FOR BERLIN. GERMAN ACCOUNT OF THE LATE FIGHT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 337, 26 January 1889, Page 6

SAMOAN TROUBLES. THE GERMAN GUNBOAT EBER BRINGS DESPATCHES FOR BERLIN. GERMAN ACCOUNT OF THE LATE FIGHT.

The German gunboat Eber arrived from Samoa on January 19, with "despatches from the Commodore, tor transmission to Berlin. There has been no change in thsituation since previous advices by the Lubeck were received. The opposing native forces are strongly entrenched and standing on the defensive. The Matauta party are said to oe subsisting very largely upon plunder obtained from German plantations, which are the only regularly cultivated plantations at Samoa. The Germans have taken no furtheraction, pending instructions from the Government, and the object of the Eber'b/ vitit to Auckland is to communicate with! Berlin. \ H.LG.jNI.S. Adler, the commodore's ship, and the Olga, are btili at bamoa, but Die German force is not sufficient to carry on an offensive war against the Samoanh. The Germans cannot land such a force as would keep all the positions, aud ifc is consideied ] probable that any attack made on the natives would lesulfc in the latter burning j down plantations, and othotwise committing extensive depreciations. The Geimanb, howevei, disclaim any desire to engage m active hostilities against either faction of the natives, and they deny emphatically that they weie the aggre&sois in the lecent tight, ' They state that they had not the slightest expectation that theie would bo any collision. The Commodore's ship Adler steamed up to the locality ot Mataafa's camp with the white flag flying at the masthead, and his only object was to persuade the natives to disperse, and return to their homes pending a settlement of present diiietences by i the great Powers, and an arrangement as to the luture government of Samoa. I In proof of the assertion that they did j not anticipate any lighting, the Germans | point out that not only was the force landed by them a \ery small one, and totally inadequate to grapple with 1,500 armed natives, but that the landing party was not suppoi ted by the ships, which could ea&ily have shelled the natives away from the beach, and so have effectively protected their forces on shore. In fact, they did this as soon ao the firing from the bhoie was heard. The ships came up and covered their forces, but before that some very hard lighting had taken place, and resulted in the loss of sixteen killed, including two lieuterants, and thirty-four wounded. The Germans state that the nathes are very anxious to disperse to their homes, and that they would do so if it were not for the continual intrigue ot a few white people who aie inciting them against the Germans, and telling them that the Germans are going to make slaves of them. A statement is also made that an Ameri-' can citizen, who had been living in the Mataata camp, came down to the beach when the landing party was coming ashore, and shouted out to the boats that they would be fired upon if the men landed. The landing ot the principal party took place on the Vailele plantation, which is German property, and it is maintained that the German party had a perfect right to land there. This plantation has suffered very much from plunder. The Germans further assert that their sole desire is to bring about a termination of the present disturbed condition of the country, which is absolutely ruinous to both traders and planters who have invested their money in Samoa. The natives are consuming all their stores ot food. They have done no cultivation, and aro now cutting down trees, and, without doubt, unless something is done to speedily alter the preoent unsatisfactory condition ot things, there will bo a very serious famine. There is no trade whatever going on, except by a few small traders who are selling ai'rns and ammunition to the natives as fa&t as they can, and the natives find dollars somehow to pay for the arms. Mataafa' < party, according to the German account, is being much better supplied with arms and ammunition than the Tamasese people, and it is stated that in tho last engagement, when Mataafa attacked Tamasese and was driven off, the Tamasese party might have gained a very substantial victory only that their ammunition ran out completely, and prevented them from following up their advantage. The Gcimans deny that when they went on their last expedition they moved any of Tamasese's men, or had any of Tamasese's troops with them. They say that, on the contrary, they expressly avoided holding any communication with Tamasese at that time, their desire being to induce Mataafa to agree to a general dispersion, and to send away his men to their villages and to resume their ordinary operations. As to the action of the Americans ab Samoa, the Germans say that the former are few in number and that their interests are exceedingly small, that German traders have a preponderating interest in Samoa ; that nothing could be more detrimental to them than the present state of afiairs ; and that any strong Government under any Power would be more acceptable to them than to have the loss at present arising from the present stoppage bt trade. The Germans say that, while they have been charged with inhumanity towards the Samoans, it is the people who have encouraged the natives to continue fighting that are really amenable to that charge, and who seem to desire that thenativessbouldgo on and fight the matter out. It is believed that, unless there is effectual intervention on the part of the great Powers, fighting between the two Samoan parties may continue for a very long period, and that it will not only be ruinous to all Samoan interests, but will result in great suffering and loss of life among the* natives themselves. Mataafa, tho Germans say, in not sup ported by the old Malietoa party, but some of Malietoa's principal supporters are with Tamasese, and opposed to Mataafa, although the latter was the recognised Crown Prince under < Malietoa Mataafa's followers are said to ibe anewa 'new party altogether, which, has been raised mainly by the incitements 1 of foreigners against the Germane, It is an anti-German party, in fact. . , - •