100 



Territorial divisions of Upolu. 

 Tyranny of Tamafago. 



SAMOAN GROUP. 



Island of Apolima. 

 Survey of Savaii. 



as the town of Lauli ; Tua-Masanga is the middle 

 division, and includes the towns of Siuraa and 

 Safata, on the southern shore ; Aana lies west of 

 this, and comprises the remainder of the island. 

 The first of these districts is of the greatest extent, 

 the second is at present the most powerful, and 

 the third is the most fertile. The union of these 

 districts under one general government, in which 

 the island of Savaii is also included, is a late event. 

 Previous to 1830, this island had suffered from 

 the usurpation of a chief of Manono, called Tama- 

 fago, who was a great tyrant, hut who had con- 

 trived to cause his person to be considered as 

 sacred, and to impress on his countrymen the idea 

 that it would he sacrilege to disobey, hurt, or even 

 to touch him. After the conquest of a rival dis- 

 trict in Savaii, he assumed the style of king of that 

 island, " le Tupu o Savaii," a title which Malietoa 

 now enjoys, but without deriving from it any power. 



Tamafago not only ruled Savaii with royal and 

 divine attributes, but obtained a complete as- 

 cendancy over Upolu, where he compelled all to 

 give up their property to him, and to yield the 

 women of all classes to his desires. 



Finally, his tyranny and excesses exceeded the 

 bounds of patience, and the people of Aana rose 

 against him, conquered, and put him to death. 

 From. this arose the war of Aana, which will be 

 again spoken of ; for the chiefs of the other islands 

 considered themselves bound to avenge the death 

 of Tamafago. The people of the other districts of 

 Upolu were not united in the support of their 

 neighbours of Aaua, who had made themselves 

 almost universally odious by their haughty bearing. 

 The war was a bloody one, and resulted, after a 

 continuance of two or three years, in the entire 

 defeat of the people of Aana, by those of Mauono, 

 who expelled them from their district, and forbade 

 their return to it on pain of death. 



This fertile region remained entirely unoccupied 

 until the arrival of the missionaries; but when the 

 Christian influences of their preaching began to be 

 felt, the decree that condemned Aana to solitude 

 was annulled, and the few of its former inhabitants 

 who had escaped slaughter, were permitted to 

 return to their ancient homes. 



The island of Manono, whose inhabitants exerted 

 such an influence in the closing scenes in the war 

 of Aana, is situated within the sea-reef of Upolu. 

 It contains eleven hundred inhabitants, and is the 

 residence of the chief Pea, who must be distin- 

 guished from the inferior personage of the same 

 name who resides at Apia. This island is covered 

 with forests throughout its whole extent ; its cir- 

 cumference is about four miles ; and it is the 

 station of one of the English missionaries. 



In spite of its small extent and scanty population, 

 Manono is identified with the political history of 

 all the other islands of the group ; for, during the 

 reigns of the two Tamafagos, it held supremacy 

 over them. The reason of its acquiring and ex- 

 ercising this political supremacy, is principally to 

 be ascribed to the possession by its inhabitants of 

 the small island of Apolima, which they used as 

 their " olo" or citadel. To this retreat, inaccessible 

 except at a single point, the inhabitants of Manono 

 were in the habit of retiring when pressed by too 

 powerful an enemy, and when his rage had spent 

 itself, they thence returned to their home with un- 

 diminished numbers. 



This natural fortress lies between Manoiio and 

 Savaii, and soundings extend to it both from the 

 shores of Upolu and Savaii. The coral reef 

 attached to it is but small. 



Apolima, on the most cursory examination, is 

 evidently the crater of an extinct volcano. Per- 

 pendicular cliffs rise from the sea around its whole 

 circuit, except at a single point on its northern 

 side. Here the lip of the crater is broken down, 

 and admits the water of the sea into a small bay, 

 which affords a safe harbour for boats. The en- 

 trance to this is so narrow as to admit no more 

 than one boat at a time, and is dangerous whenever 

 there is any surf. It may, therefore, be easily 

 defended. There is only one other point on the 

 island where it is possible to effect a landing, 

 namely, at a small height to the westward of the 

 bay, and here it can only be done when the water 

 is perfectly smooth. But an enemy landing here 

 would have made no progress, for before the 

 interior can be reached from this point, the steep 

 and precipitous rocks remain to be climbed. 



The highest point of Apolima is on its south side, 

 where it is four hundred and seventy-two feet 

 above .the sea. The perpendicular cliffs which 

 face the sea are of course bare of vegetation; but 

 with this exception the whole surface is covered 

 with cocoa, bread-fruit, and other trees, or with 

 plantations of taro, yams, &c. 



In the centre of the island is a village of about 

 twenty houses, and the permanent population con- 

 sists of no more than about seventy-five persons. 

 The people are evidently jealous of the maiden 

 reputation of their natural fortress, and showed 

 much concern when we visited it, which the women 

 even manifested by shedding tears. 



While we were engaged at Tutuila and Upolu, 

 the survey of the island of Savaii was performed 

 by Lieutenant- Commandant Ringgold, in the Por- 

 poise. It has already been mentioned that this 

 vessel had been detached for that purpose, and 

 that Dr. Pickering, from the Vincennes, had gone 

 in her. The brig first touched at Sapapale, the 

 residence of the Rev. Mr. Hardie, who gave them 

 a cordial welcome, although much surprised at so 

 unusual an arrival. 



Many of the natives collected to view the white 

 men, of whom so many had never been seen 

 together on the island. In their remarks, they, 

 among other things, praised our people for their 

 beauty. 



Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant Maury were landed 

 here, to remain upon the island while the brig was 

 employed in surv eying it; the former to examine 

 its productions, the latter to observe the tides. 

 Mr. Hardie kindly afforded them accommodations 

 in a new house he had just been erecting. 



Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, after landing 

 Dr. Pickering and Lieutenant Maury at Sapapale, 

 proceeded around the island for the purpose of 

 surveying it. He began with the examination of 

 the large bay of Paluale, near the eastern point of 

 the island. Here there is a missionary station, 

 under the superintendence of Mr. M'Donald, who 

 had resided there for about six months, with his 

 wife and children. The natives are peaceable, but 

 are described as inquisitive and rude. The village 

 is prettily situated, and is approached through a 

 boat-passage in the reef. 



The south side of the island was found rocky and 



