Geitjftniiliieai |»o»iilon of tho irnr cnnuvis Climate nod Air of Ibc Samoan 



Samoaa Group THE SAMOANb. |, Undt . 103 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE SAMOANS. 



..,:.n-,li»vlIH At. POSITION UF THE SAMOA* GROUP— ITS HA RAOCRS— TIDES AND CURRENTS— ITH CLIMATE— SIKE Of 

 Til E li LAMBS— (01 L AND PRODUCTIONS OF THE OHOIT- IT* CI T.TI V ATlON— 0_ir A DRV F f. DS — HI A DS — A S IP 1 1 t.ES— 



pish-froducts available for commerce— language of its natives— their disease*— their general 

 appea rance— their national ch a racter — l a sours of the m issiokariea-~natl ve m is- 1 - > k a a ies — sf. i. v.c.- 

 ti0n of them p«h the hew llebhtdes— population op the islands — religion op the heathsx— til e11t 

 idea op the creation— op a future state— their ok kn s— th etr superstition — to el r dances— til ei e 

 musical ikstih'mkxts — their a husementb— th elk hi htiis— tiie1 r marriages and col' ats1i t p— the1 e 



ADOPTION OP CHILDREN — THEIR IDjllH IMsfH IK'I KM SO — THEI 11 MAS SERB AND APPEARANCE — Til H ft 



DftESS— IMPROVEMENT IH THE ANCIENT Dft RSS— TATTOOING THEIR MANUFACTURE OP TAPA AND MATS— 



IAM0AN CANOES -BOAT-SONG— HOUSES OP THE NATIVES — THEIR LIC.IITS— THEI R FOOD — THEIR H ADITS — TH El H 



M ALANOAS— THEIR PCS 1SII M ENT1 FOR CHIMES THEIR WAHS-THK.IH OLOS— THEIR PEACE MAEING CLAIRES 



OF SAMOAN SOCIETT— ALLOTMENT OP L*N»S— MODE OF GO VERM MKKT— DESCENT OW CHIEFTAINSHIP— CERE- 

 MONIES AT THE F0NO8. 



Dukino the time that the .squadron remained in the 

 BlITnOWl Group, nil the island*) of which it is Hindu 

 up were visited ; nut only were the examinations, 

 spoken of in the two preceding chapters, mnde, but 

 their Bhoroswere minutely surveyed by boats ; Uie 

 meteorological instruments were duly registered ; 

 astronomic and magnetic observations made, and a 

 full record of the tides kept. We have thus obtained 

 a large amount of information, which will be inure 

 easily intelligible in a condensed form, together 

 with a great number of facts in relation to the 

 aboriginal population, winch may be made more 

 interesting when applied to give a general view of 

 the habits, character, and mate of civilization 

 among the natives, tbau if dispersed in isolated 

 remarks in the accounts of the separate tours in 

 which it was obtained. 



Tin; group lies between tbe latitudes of 13° 30' 

 and 14° 30' S., and the longitude* of 1(56° and 173 a 

 W. The islands, as has been seen, agree in the 

 general character of being of volcanic structure, 

 and having coral reefs ; differing, however, in the 

 modifications of these formations, which have been 

 from time to time described. The harbours are 

 usually situated within the reefs, hut Tutuila is an 

 exception to this rule, by the possession of the deep 

 laud-locked basin of I'ago pago. This is, of all the 

 ports, the one best adapted for the refitting of ves- 

 sels; but Apia, in Upolu, in the latitude "f 13° -IK' 

 56-6" S., and longitude IJl° & W W., is not so 

 difficult of ogress, and in consequence of its prox- 

 imity to the fertile district of Anna, the most con- 

 venient for vessels seeking only a temporary an- 

 chorage and refreshment. 



The approach to Pago-pago, and the other har- 

 bours of the Sarnoan isles, is not difficult ; and 

 as the soundings extend in some places for a dis- 

 tance beyond the reefs, vessels may drop an anchor 

 in case of necessity. 



The flood tide among these islands sets to the 

 westward; beyond its influence, on the southern 

 side of the islands, a current generally prevail ■ to 

 the eastward, while it runs westward on their 

 northern side. Vessels, therefore, when heating 

 to windward, would find it to their advantage to 

 keep on the southern side of the group, whue 



there is not only a favourable current, but where 

 the winds would be found more regular, and calms 

 less frequent. 



Tidal observations were made contemporaneously 

 at Tutuila, Upoht, and Savaii; these show a regular 

 difference of one hour in the tidal wave between 

 Tutuila and Upolu; the tide at Savaii appears from 

 the record to have been mare irregular than at the 

 other islands, which may in part be attributed to 

 the extent of the reef, but 1 also fear that there 

 may have been a want of due attention to the 

 observations. 



The climate of these islands may be termed 

 variable, and there is much bad weather, particu- 

 larly during the winter months, when long and 

 heavy rains, attended at times with high winds 

 mid northerly gales, are frequent. Destructive 

 hurricanes also occur, and of these one is still 

 recollected which blew down the bread-fruit trees, 

 and destroyed many of the houses. 



The air' is more moist than that of the Society 

 Islands, and the vegetation in consequence more 

 luxuriant. Thunder and lightning are often ex- 

 perienced, but during the summer months light 

 winds and calms are the prevailing characters of 

 the climate. 



Some of our gentlemen made the remark, that to 

 fttdge from the time at which the bread-fruit was 

 L'aile-ivd, there must be a great difference between 

 the seasons of this island aud Tahiti ; for when we 

 arrived at Tutuila, that product was ripe and in 

 abundance, although when wc left Tahiti, only a 

 few days before, it was unripe and not to be had. 

 The same remark was made in relalion to the 

 vi-apple (spondiaa duleis). But, by comparing the 

 voyages of Cook and Wallis, it would appear that 

 the time of the year at which the bread-fruit is in 

 season at Tahiti is not constant, for both these 

 navigators f<nind it in perfection, although they 

 visited that island in different months. If there 

 he a difference between the time of the ripening 

 of the bread-fruit in the Society Islands and this 

 group, the greater moisture and higher mean 

 temperature of the Samoan climate will account 

 for it. 



The isLnids of the Samoan tinmp contain one 



