| Show THE ISLANDS som some peculiarities of the country and sma the natives the new news of trouble in tho the sa moan idanne and the removal of the king has brought most vividly to the mind of the writer some pleasant peasant days passed in that most picturesque of mid ocean island groups right in the midd leof the grand old ocean with its it beautiful blue waters almost unfathomable until some bright mind thought of using using piano wire to ascertain its depth jump u rup up here and there peaks of what were once volcanoes vol canoe in active operation A dearer approach discloses dense woods with green fertile p patybea itches dotted here and there with the building buildings of the natives and ai as one passes inside the coral reefs behind whose shelter the eit est of anchorages can be found he i ii s surprised to see some go good od sized v villages well filled with people in european costumes whereas being clothed in ones right mind with the addition of a breech clout for adulte adults was at one time the only covering required the simplicity of manner which has been mentioned by numerous early explorers who visited the island still exists more especially among amon those who live away from the villi ages and whose ideas show an almost utter want of what to us are the conven n tiona lilie numerous were the hearty laughs we had over their attempts at copying their european visitors and the utter failures which attended their eff efforts orts the color of the natives is as a rule dark olive the better class clan however are much lighter the men are tall and well formed giving one rather a false idea of bei being ng quite abbl athletic we saw nothing during eur our visit to indicate their excelling in sport of any kind the women are generally slight but quite symmetrical easy and graceful and the most laughing ing good humored creatures imaginable borne some of the chiefs have two or more ore wives wires but polygamy is rather the exception than the rule and eyen when a there is ii more mora than thin one wife ee se establishments establishment are provided for each the great evenness of climate makes t two w 0 crops 0 per er year a possibility ability a and d er should h IT some enterprise enter pria pris in parties undertake practical farming in samoa there are immense returns to be bad had but in a climate where the temperature is always between 70 and 90 energy seems to be the lacking clement element toward the carrying out of the extensive agricultural schemes and now the principal 1 L I 1 exports are loop cop pra or the da dried pi e d meat ot of the co chanut from which oil is made and a email small quantity of cotton nearly all the trade is controlled b by y somo hamburg houses and the germans are by far the most industrious of the foreigners it seems strange to hear hear that they are the ones making the present trouble Poi possibly bly all the privileges they have been lore tolore en enjoying were somewhat abrogated by y the exiled king hence his removal and the es establishing tab lishing of one more favorably disposed in his place one of the never failing sources of delight during the stay of our obi ship i p at the islands was woo to watch the wonderful display of dexterity on the part of the islanders in handling their canoes scores of which are daily ail plying about the hip dodging aug in in and out rush ruining i aig at each other under full headway as though one would go right through the other when by a dexterous movement of the paddle the speed of the boat would be almost instantly arrested or forced of her course to avoid accident from this great skill the samoa n Is land were named archip or chipel eldes des navigate davig te urs and they to day are called in addition to their more common name the navigator islands command er albade visited the island islands when in command of the steamer narragansett in 1872 and through his exertions succeeded in getting the kheife to place the harbor bango pan bango go u under n der the protection of the united unite d S states tates government with a view toward establishing a coaling station there it being oi on the direct route between america and australia in the future it will probably play an important part as the harbor is completely landlocked and has an entrance clear of rocks and water for the largest vessels A special agent was sent out after the return of the narragansett lt to negotiate the extension exten eion of the protectorate ate over all the islands as their value to ue us is beyond any question greater than it possibly can be to any auy other nation but in 1875 anat a native v e chief was elected einband Kin Ein gand our special mission ended by the agent becoming prime minister to the king the latter has shown numerous nume rons instances of friendly feel ing to the united states and has granted permission to establish a it naval and coaling elation station there of which we have never fully taken advantage |
