SAMOAN (OR NAVIGATOR) ISLANDS. 



793 



Western Pacific. The twelve Saraoan Islands, 

 of which all but one (Rose) are of volcanic 

 origin, contain 600,000 acres of cultivable land. 

 Of this the Hamburg Company owns and cul- 

 tivates from 10,000 to 15,000 acres, being near- 

 ly all there is under cultivation by foreigners. 

 Here are grown for export, cotton, cocoanuts, 

 and coffee, while experiments have been made 

 with cocoa, tobacco, and cinnamon, the staple 

 article of produce for export, however, being 

 copra, the dried kernel of the cocoanut. As long 

 ago as 1877, the Samoan chiefs petitioned the 

 British Government to establish a protectorate 

 over the islands, but were refused. In 1879 

 Germany obtained a treaty securing certain 

 privileges, and soon afterward Great Britain 



praying for the establishment of British au- 

 thority over the islands, and alleging that he 

 had signed the agreement with the German 

 consul-general from fear. Finally, eurly in 

 1885, the Samoans actually passed an act es- 

 tablishing annexation with New Zealand, and 

 this was sent to the Government of the latter 

 colony in March, but was not concluded. The 

 Samoans, in passing this act, claimed that the 

 German officials interfered in their affairs, and, 

 in fact, a party of sailors and marines from the 

 German man-of-war "Albatross" landed on 

 one of the islands and hoisted their flag, when 

 the Samoan King and his followers fled. The 

 American consul at Apia telegraphed to the 

 United States Government an announcement 



HI 



SAMOAN OR NAVIGATOR 



ISLANDS 



SCALE OF MILES 



and the United States made similar treaties. 

 In 1881 the Reichstag discussed the question of 

 annexation, but declined to take the step. But 

 the Germans were pushing their colonization 

 schemes in the Pacific, and in 1884 a treaty 

 was entered into between that country and 

 Great Britain, by which these powers bound 

 themselves to respect the independence of the 

 Samoan Islands. Despite this, in November, 

 1884, the German consul-general at Apia, the 

 chief city of Samoa, concluded an agreement 

 with the Samoan King, which practically gave 

 Germany supreme control, and an effort made 

 by New Zealand in January, 1885, to effect 

 annexation proved fruitless on this account. 

 But, on Nov. 11, 1884, the King of Samoa had 

 addressed a letter to the Queen of England, 



of this act on the part of the Germans; but 

 the Foreign Office at Berlin disavowed it. As 

 a fact, the flag of the King was pulled down 

 by Dr. Steubel, the German consul-general, 

 with a party of armed sailors. 



In the mean time, internal troubles had 

 sprung up in Samoa, owing to the appearance 

 of a rival claimant for the throne. The sov- 

 ereignty over the islands was in the hands of 

 King Malietoa, whose title was said to have 

 come down to him through an unbroken line 

 of kings for five hundred years. A chief, named 

 Tamesese, held the title of vice-king, and up to 

 1886 had lived quietly at Apia. The title of 

 Malietoa was, in fact, unquestioned, and the 

 treaties that had been made with Samoa by the 

 Governments of Germany, Great Britain, and 



