7

A.—6

In matters of cleanliness and habits of decency these people carry their customs to a higher point even than the most fastidious of civilised nations, although they are not so far advanced in the useful and ornamental arts as the Society Islanders and other people to the eastward. Their canoes are built of separate pieces of timber tied together, with the usual outrigger, and the covered part or deck is ornamented with rows of white ovulum shells. Their larger canoes are hauled up on the beaches beneath thatched sheds, to protect them from the sun, These large canoes, in which they make voyages to the neighbouring islands, are capable of holding fourteen paddlers besides the helmsman, and are constructed, in addition to the floatingoutrigger, with a long spar projecting to windward, on which stands one of the crew as ballast, regulating his distance from the gunwale according to the strength of the breeze. The sail is of matting, narrow at the top, and set between two masts. As they have no way of reefing, they are sometimes blown off the coast, and either perish or are picked up by some passing vessel. A Samoan village is thus described by Captain Erskine: " Our approach to the village of Fanga-saa was indicated by the provision-grounds, fenced with low walls of broken coral, in which, interspersed with breadfruit-trees, were growing bananas, yams, taro, and the kava pepper (Piper mythisticum). A neatly-kept path led into the village, situated under the shade of a cocoanut grove, and only a few yards distant from the sea, on the borders of which were seen their canoes and sheds. The houses stand at irregular distances, and in no formal order; the path or street being, however, cleanly swept, as is the open space in front of the large house which is common to all the inhabitants when meeting either for business or amusement, and is also the residence of casual strangers. This house, although of larger dimensions, is of similar construction to all the others, forming an oblong with elliptical ends, of about 50ft. long by 20ft. broad. Three posts of from 20ft. to 30ft. high support the ridge-pole, which, with the surrounding line of posts of sft. high, form, as it were, the skeleton of the structure. The roof, which is constructed separately from the rest of the building, is composed of three parts, the centre and the two ends, the rafters of the former being parallel to each other, and those of the ends curved, and resembling an immense cabriolet hood. The effect of the latter is very singular and pleasing ; and they, being of considerable length, are made of separate pieces of the wood of the breadfruit-tree, joined together by an ingenious scarf or joint. These portions of the roof, which are well thatched with the leaf of the sugar-cane, being elevated on the frame above mentioned, are securely lashed with cord made of the cocoanut fibre, first to the lower row of posts and then to each other, no nails or pegs of any description being made use of; thus leaving the whole house open to the height of sft. from the ground. Mats suspended from the lower part of the roof may, however, be let down when required; and the floor, which is raised some feet above the level of the surrounding ground, and paved with pebbles like many of our summer-houses, is covered with soft mats for sitting or reclining. Two wood fires are generally kept burning between the central posts, and the large kava bowl occupies a conspicuous place." All cooking is performed outside of the houses, in the hot-stone ovens common in Polynesia. When a stranger of consequence enters a house, a new and clean mat is offered for his seat; and an air of cleanliness and freshness pervades the whole building. These buildings occupy a considerable time in their construction, and a regular gang of carpenters are employed for that purpose. When built, they are easily taken to pieces and moved from one place to another, the three compartments of the roof being made so as form separate loads. In the missionary villages there are cha.pels of coral plastered with lime, and the dwellings of the missionaries are usually constructed of the same more durable material. Although former voyagers who have come into contact with the Samoans described them as fierce and dishonest, and M. de la Perouse spoke of them as a set of barbarous savages, later visitors to those islands give us a much more favourable account. Captain Erskine says that, on leaving Tutuila, " there was a general feeling of regret in parting with those people, who are certainly the most agreeable to deal with of any I have ever seen in a similar condition. That this has been owing, in great measure, to their communication with a good class of white men, and to the teachings of the missionaries, no person who reads the opinions of the first discoverers with respect to the islanders is likely to deny. Captain Wilkes mentions that the massacre of Le Langle, eighty years ago, was projected by the then savage people in consequence of the death of one of their number, who was shot alongside one of the French ships ; and, were both sides of the question impartially told in connection with the various massacres that have taken place in former times amongst the Polynesian Islands, it is probable that the Europeans would be found frequently to have been the aggressors in the first-instance." Captain Erskine's opinion, however, only applies to former times—that is, previous to 1850. The murders set out in Appendix B were extremely cold-blooded, and the whites were not the aggressors. It is a matter of regret that this fine race has so little stimulus to steady industry. They lead an easy and happy life in the luxurious climate of the tropics, the lavish gifts of Nature surrounding them on every side with all that they require in the shape of food and clothing. They could easily produce cocoanut-oil to an almost unlimited extent, as well as cotton and arrowroot; and all descriptions of tropical produce might be grown in abundance on these fertile islands. Their manner of extracting the oil from the cocoanut is of the simplest kind; they merely scoop the kernels of the nuts, and, putting them into an old canoe perforated at the bottom, leave the oil to drip through into vessels placed beneath to receive it. The missionaries have obtained iron tanks in which to store up the oil, and several hundred pounds' worth of it have been contributed annually by the Samoans for sale on behalf of the missionary societies. " The timber of the Pacific Islands is now, and must be in future, of great value. The trees at Samoa exhibit great beauty and variety. Some are remarkable for their size, and others for their flowers, fragrance, or fruit. Most of them are evergreens —indeed, there are but two or threo deciduous trees on the islands. In general, the new and old leaves, the bud and the blossom, the young fruit and the ripe, appear together, and adorn these through the whole circle of the year. Some of the trees are exceedingly valuable as timber. This is tho case with the tamanu (Calo-