THE LATEST NEWS FROM SAMOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11059, 10 May 1899, Page 5

THE LATEST NEWS FROM SAMOA.

END OF THE WAR. VISIT TO THE REBEL FORTS. THE SCENE OF THE VALLELE DISASTER, RECOVERY OF THE AMERICAN GUN. [FROM our SPECIAL correspondent.] Apia, May 3. The fierce little war which has raged in Samoa for six weeks, during which time Mataafa. and his followers have held their own against the Malietoa people, backed by the warships of England and America, is over for a time, and unless some grave mistake is mado, may not begin again. Mataafa, together with his followers, has removed outside the boundaries defined by the English and American authorities, and has promised to remain there in peace until tho Commission, appointed by the three Powers, gives its decision. THE REBEL POSITIONS. It is almost certain that during tho wholo war the Mataafa forces havo beon established within less than two miles from Apia, and within easy reach of tho guns of the warships. They have built and occupied a lino of forts fully two miles long, just inland of Apia, and their position was so strong that it could only havo been forced at the cost of a largo number of lives. It is a matter of surpriso and regret that our ni'thorities could not obtain sufficient information to enable them to locate tho position of the enemy, for had it been known, a few shells, well placed, could havo driven off the enemy, and saved tho lives of the Malietoa warriors, lost wlnls* vainly attempting to dislodge the rebels at Yailima and Lolopa. The Malietoa people are much to blame for not scouting in the enemies' country, and our peoplo aro certainly to blame for not making them do it, or, at any rate, for allowing tho rebels to build and occupy a lino of forts so near to Apia without their knowledge. I beliovo that had the position of Mataafa's forces been known much of our loss would havo boon avoided. Tho lack of a proper system of information seems duo first to tho AngloAmerican contempt foi the average Samoan's veiacily, and secondly, ti completely neglecting to employ men in tho special capacity of scouts. Our forces havo patrolled nearly all the country within tho specified boundaries, and have found it clear of the enemy. Oil Monday, May 1, news came in that tho Mataafa people were building forts inside the western lines. Captain Sturdee and the Rev. Huckett (London missionl rode out, and had a friendly talk with the leading Mataafa chiets, who declared that they believed their position outside the boundary spcilied. They readily promised to remove their camp beyond tho lute mentioned by (Stptain Sturdee, and acted altogether in a very amicable manner. THE MATAAFA FORTS. The Matu.'a forts, which have been held by the rebel.? for so long, aro of great strength, and scent as if built under European supervision. They aro built of loose blocks of lava, hacked with earth in places, and tupped with the trunks of trees. They aurago between Ift and 6tt in height and between 3ft and Sft in thickness. In every ph,co they could successfully resist rille fire. or the (ire ot our field guns. The 4.Tin rilled gun, recently mounted on Midinuti, would, however, command the line of forts, and as their position became known, the guns from the warships could have made those forts much too warm for the enemy. TEE SCENE OF THE VAILELE FIGHT.

In company with a strung detachment of British sailors, unci about 500 friendly natives, I visiied the Vailcle plantation, the scene of the tight oil April 1. The main object of the expedition was to see whether the Alataafa people had cleared beyond the eastern boundaries, and, of course, to examine the country generally. F. B. Fisher, gunner's mate, from the Philadelphia, was the only American with our forces. Ho had stated on the day of tho fight he had, acting on Lieutenant Lansdale's instructions, hidden the body of the Colt gun, in a certain place, and believed he could find it, When we reached the sceno of the fight I happened to be quite near to Fisher, Ho said that hohad hidden the pun under a heap of cocoanut leaves, and remarked, It was somewhere about here, and if it was not in that heap it was in the next one, and sure enough young George Reid kicking at the next heap discovered the gun. It was rusty, of course, but just in the position where it had been placed. Fisher showed mc whero tho gun was when Lieutenant Lansdalo was first shot. It was on the side of tho road near the wire fence. The ejector of tho gun had failed to work, an empty caso had remained in the breech, and a full cartridge coming up had caused a jinn. Lieutenant Lansdale was sitting down closo to the fence trying to clear the gun. when he was shot in tho leg. Then lie told Fisher to take the bodv of the gun and hide it. This Fisher did, n'ith the result that lie was able to point out the spot weeks afterwards. The Philadelphia men were very pleased to get their gun back again, and Fisher deserves great credit, first for so thoroughly obeying the orders of his officer, at so critical a time, and then for remembering so well where he had placed tho barrel of the gun. One gets to know something of the comradeship and kinship between the British and American sailors. Some of the English are Americans, and some of the Americans are English. Fislior, who is an American, was born in Devonshire, and his father was a British soldier, and some of His brothers aro at the present time in the British army. The scene of the fight is a great cocoanut plantation, and the toll cocoa palms bear evidence to the heaviness of the firing. On each side of the road traversed by our men. nearly every tree carries a bullet mark, and the area over which these bullet marks are found suggests that between 700 and 800 rebels took part in the ambuscade. We visited the whole scene of the battle ; went down into the swamp where Monaghan's body was found, stood on the slope where Freeman was shot, and saw the barbs on tho wire fence tasselated with scraps of clothing showing where our men had scrambled through. It is a sad thing to go over a battlefield and see whero men you knew well, and liked well, have fallen. No matter how one looks at Vailcle, one cannot help thinking that soino deeper cunning than Samoan planned the ambuscade, for it was admirably arranged, and why we did not lose more men under such heavy fire, the bullet marks high u £ the stems of tho trees perhaps explain. We marched on to the Vailele homestead, the residence of Mr. Hufnagel, and saw where the rebels wero camped that day and days previous, when this gentleman was questioned by Lieutenant Cave. If ho had not seen them he must have known exactly where they were camped, for the smoke from their cooking-fires could have been seen from any part of his grounds. The sub-manager of Vailele made indignant complaints to Captain Sturdee about the damage wrought by the Malietoa people. Considering that the plantation bad for weeks been occupied by the rebels, and that j the Malietoa people had been on it only a , few hours, it seemed as if the charges should have been preferred against tlr white caps. But the Germans had to acknowledge that the rebels had occupied positions on Vailole with their permission, and they had not once given notice of this to the English or American authorities. One or the greatest causes of complaint from the Germans wa t the looting of a station-house near the beach. It was not nearly so much damaged as many English houses near Apia, and Captain Sturdee, pointing to some earthworks just in front of this house, asked who had built them, and the German manager had to confess that they were built by the Mataafa people. Speaking as an unprejudiced war correspondent, I should say that if at any time during the war a few shells had been dropped near the German houses on Vailele and Vaitele they would have killed a number of rebels,. ■. .. . C-;i .