74 CRUISE OF TEE ' CUBAQOA.' 



I was told that a headgear of this sort was admired by the 

 natives as the thing, and that it is worth a pound sterhng. 

 The chief was correctly dressed in European style, from 

 which we concluded that he could at least speak English ; 

 but nothing of the kind; he knew nothing beyond his own 

 native tongue. Malietoa, Malietau, are titles signifying the 

 brave warrior, the generous ivarrior ; they were given to 

 one of the chief's ancestors by an enemy whom he had 

 conquered, and whose wives, waving the customary rights 

 which victory gave him, he had respected. The chieftain- 

 ship of Malietoa is recognized and accepted by all the isles 

 of the Samoan group, with the single exception of Tutuila, 

 which, and it is a matter of general regret, is not subject 

 to this central and paternal authority. The honours of the 

 ship were done to him, every part of. which he examined. 

 An Armstrong gun was fired off which greatly astonished 

 and pleased him, without his seeming to have much idea 

 what it was all about. 



As respects the character of the peojjle of the Samoan 

 group the reports are highly favourable. They are repre- 

 sented as being sober, quiet, inoffensive when not excited ; 

 but, if roused, the savage very soon gets the uppermost ; a 

 result however which is not uncommon among people of 

 a much older civilization. Such qualifying remarks, natural 

 enough in the mouths of missionaries prone to exaggerate 

 the roughness of the materials with which they have to 

 build, are not, it must be allowed, confined to them ; for 

 nothing, indeed, is more curious than the sort of shyness 



