No. 65.-Consul Cusack-Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury. (Received April 2.) MY LORD, Samoa, February 16, 1891. I HAVE the honour to report that, in accordance with the rovisions of the Treaty of Berlin, the election of the Municipal Council for Apia took place on the 30th January, and resulted in he return of three Germans, Messrs Weber, Haidlen, and Grevsaubl, two British subjects, Messrs. Dunnet and Meredith, and one American, Mr. H. J. Moors, who was hotly opposed by the American Consul and Vice-Consul. The Municipality had been divided into the East Ward and the West Ward. In the former there were 73 voters, and in the latter 33, a total of 156 voters, of whom 141 recorded their votes. The majority of the British subjects were greatly dissatisfied with the result, but as the best and most peaceable of the candidates have been returned, I hope we may be spared much contention and trouble in the municipal affairs. After the election of the Municipal Council the Chief Justice requested the advice of the Consuls as to the powers to be exercised by the Municipal Council pending the arrival of the President. My view that the Council was incomplete without the President according to the Act was unanimously agreed to, and it was decided that, until properly constituted, the Council should merely exercise the functions previously performed by the Consuls, viz., the repairs of roads, bridges, &c., lighting, preparation of the monthly Budget, &c. My reason for strongly wishing to limit the powers of the Municipal Council until the arrival of the responsible President was to prevent the taxes collected during 1890 being squandered in accordance with the "election promises" of the various Councillors. Already there is a general impression that the salaries of the Chief Justice and the President will be defrayed for ever, if necessary, by the Powers; and without the most rigid supervision of the finances of Samoa some such course would become unavoidable. The year 1890 only yielded for municipal expenditure, even supposing that all the import and export duties belong to the Municipality, a total of about 1,9001., which will not, as far as can be ascertained, be much exceeded this year. It would, I venture to suggest with ail submission, be important that the Municipal President should clearly understand that after the first year he must look only to Samoa for his salary. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., T. B. CUSACK-SMITH. No. 67.-Mr. Lincoln to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received April 8.) MY LORD, Legation of the United States, London, April 7, 1891. I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Lordship, in accordance with instructions from my Government, that the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States, has appointed Mr. Henry C. Ide, of Vermont, to be a Land Commissioner in Samoa, under Article IV of the General Act signed at Berlin the 14th June, 1889, by the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, providing for the neutrality and autonomous govern ment of the Samoan Islands. Mr. Ide is a lawyer by profession, and has a high reputation for competence and impartiality. It is expected that he will leave for his post at an early date. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. ROBERT T. LINCOLN. No. 72.-Consul Cusack-Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury.— MY LORD, (Received April 30.) Samoa, March 9, 1591. I HAVE the honour to inclose an extract from the "Samoa Times" of the 7th March, 1891,* describing the rebellious attitude of the Island of Manono in this group. The firm action of the Chief Justice has, I believe, crushed what would otherwise undoubtedly have ended in another war in Samoa. Mataafa is entirely under the influence of the Roman Catholic priests here, and there is but little doubt the action of the men of Manono was inspired from the same quarter. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., T. B. CUSACK-SMITH No. 80.-Foreign Office to Consul Cusack-Smith. SIR, Foreign Office, June 8, 1891. I AM directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 25th April last, relative to the position and functions of the President of the Municipal Counc outside his municipal duties, as compared with those of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As the duties of the two functionaries are distinct and are clearly defined in the Act, I understand that the point raised is * Not printed. one only of precedence, and in that case his Lordship is of opinion that the first place should be given to the Chief Justice. T. B. Cusack-Smith, Esq. I am, &c., P. CURRIE. No. 81.—Mr. B. Haggard to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received MY LORD, June 24.) Apia, Samoa, May 23, 1891. I HAVE the honour to inform you that Mr. Ide, the Representative for the United States on the Samoan Land Commission, arrived three or four days back. Herr Eggert, the German Land Commissioner, will doubtless arrive back again here on Sunday, the 24th, when the vessel is expected from Sydney, where he has gone to recruit his health. I have been here waiting a month since I returned from Sydney. Our Commission will doubtless begin its work four months after M. Eggert and I arrived together, owing to the absence of the American Commissioner, and I draw your Lordship's attention to the fact that, under the Treaty, there is a period of four months for the mere presentation of documents by owners or claimants to property. As there is no charge to be made by the Commissioners to any one claiming property, I am afraid we shall have many "bogus" claims, as time is of no importance to the native here, and he has no charge to meet on coming forward and claiming property; he will have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., BAZETT M. HAGGARD. No. 83.-Consul Cusack-Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury. MY LORD, (Received June 25.) Samoa, May 18, 1891. I HAVE the honour to report the arrival on the 28th April of Her Majesty's ship Cordelia. On the 29th April the Samoan flag was hoisted at the mainmast at 8 A.M., and saluted with twenty-one guns. On the same day Captain Grenfell and a number of the officers were received by the King, who expressed his extreme pleasure at the timely advent of one of Her Majesty's ships, and desired his deep feelings of respect and esteem to be conveyed to Her Majesty. All the native Chiefs of the Samoan Government were present, and several of them stated that, whereas they had begun to feel that Great Britain had forgotton Samoa, the arrival of the war-ship and the marked respect paid to King Malietoa had reassured them, and would produce an excellent effect throughout the country. The King and his Government thanked me for my efforts to maintain peace since my arrival, and I replied that I was only carrying out the wishes of Her Majesty's Government. King Malietoa paid an official visit to Her Majesty's ship Cordelia on the 1st May, when he was saluted on his arrival and departure. Her Majesty's ship Cordelia left Samoa on the 15th May. The Marquess of Salisbury. T. B. CUSACK-SMITH. No. 81.-Consul Cusack-Smith to the Marquess of Salisbury. (Received June 25.) MY LORD, Samoa, May 21, 1891. I HAVE the honour to report that the Chief Justice represented to me, unofficially, his desire that Her Majesty's ship Cordelia should convey him and some native police to Léoné, in the Island of Tutuila, to bring back on board some Chiefs who for a long time have defied the orders of the King Malietoa; that they should come to Apia to attend an inquiry into certain offences committed by them against the authority of the Local Resident Magistrate appointed by the Samoan Government; and 2. To compel a large number of natives who, for two years past, since the war, have been living at Léoné and constantly causing trouble, to return to their own homes; and 3. To prove that the Samoan Government, in its work of securing peace and order, has the assistance of the Treaty Powers, and thus refute the rumour which is gaining credence all over the islands, and creating difficulties, that the Samoan Government is left entirely to itself. At an interview with Captain H. Grenfell, commanding Her Majesty's ship Cordelia, he informed me that he had no instruc tions from the Admiral at Sydney to interfere in the police duties of the Samoan Government, and that, in the event of my being unable to show him any special instructions in this matter, he could not accede to the request of the Chief Justice. Captain Grenfell was also unwilling to place his ship in the invidious position of threatening without being able to carry out his threats. I informed Captain Grenfell that I agreed in his decision. I informed the Chief Justice next day, the 6th May, of Captain Grenfell's reply, and that I had received no instructions in this matter, and that I agreed in the decision. The Chief Justice expressed considerable surprise and concern, and stated that he had understood that the three Treaty Powers would constantly maintain a war-ship at Apia to support him actively in carrying out the Treaty of Berlin. In the absence of such active support, the Chief Justice considered that the successful carrying out of the Berlin Treaty became almost impossible. His orders were now disobeyed, and he had no power at his back to enforce them. I reminded the Chief Justice that, iu view of the disaster attending the landing of German sailors at Vailele in 1888, reported on page 269 of Blue Book, "Samoa No. 1 (1889),"* the landing of a small force would always be attended with risk, and I explained that it was owing to exceptional circumstances that so large a ship as the Cordelia had been sent to Samoa, and that she could only land a maximum of eighty men, a force inadequate in most cases in the dense bush. If, according to usual routine, one of the smaller ships had been sent, the possible landing party would be much smaller. Only last year the American Consul-General, in October, backed up by the United States' ship Mohican, visited the very same place, when the natives retired to the hills and defied the war-ship. I inclose the account which appeared of his visit in the "Samoa Times" of the 1st November, 1890, which, however, is very meagre. I further said that it would be impolitic to place Her Majesty's ship in an undignified position, and that I could not assume the responsibility of risking the lives of any of the crew; for, in the very probable event of the Chief Justice and his police being attacked, it would be necessary to land sailors to protect him. I also deprecated the use of war-ships of the Treaty Powers for police duties, as tending to produce a constant fear of annexation on the part of the population, and to increase the feeling of disquiet and uneasiness in Samoa. The Chief Justice has informed me of his intention to represent this matter to the Treaty Powers with a view to the issue of definite instructions to the Consuls here. He has since informed me that neither of my colleagues have any such instructions. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. T. B. CUSACK-SMITH. (Inclosure.)-Extract from the "Samoa Times" of November 1, 1890. * Vol. LXXXI, page 579. |