COUNTRY NEWS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 11, 15 December 1877, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

About six weeks ago a large fono was held of all Savaii people at the itu o tane, or north side of Savaii. While the fono was sitting. "u> t nad ill-feeling ran very bijh, so mifh bo, that it appeared as if it would end in a row, for groat difficulty was experienced in keeping the parties from cracking one anothers heads ; as it was, the meeting, or fono ended without coining to a proper conclusion, or even a good understanding among the different chiefs. They dispersed and went to their houses with anger and divisions among themselves.

In former years the people ef the Faasaleleaga district, which comprehends the east side of Savaii, always took the lead in political affairs; for in that district was situated the capital of Savaii, viz., Safotulafai, and the principal malae of Savaii and Manono. This malae was formed out of tlie eviLs of the different districts of Savaii, in this wise : —lf any part of Savaii people were obstropulus to E lasaleleaga and Manono, they were polite'.y told by the lords of Faasaleleaga and Manono to bring a basket of sand from their village or dUtrict. In a spirit of contrition the people would bring two or three baskets of sand, and spread them out on the malae, showing they were still under the sway of the Ma'.o, or of Faasaleleaga and Manono, Mar, ono was the head, and Faasalelcaga wi s the body. The cause of the angry fe< ling in the above noted fono was through Saleaula, the capital of the Itu o tano, or north side of Savaii, arrogating to hj Tsclf the leadership of all SavaK instead i JE Faasaleleaga, and alsj to be the can tal of Savaii instead of Safotulafai. 1" usy said that Faasaleleaga was thrashed, driven away, and succumbed to a mightier power, and is nobody. Two other parishes or towns joined I ier, but all the rest would not agree to it. Faasaleleaga at this fono or meeting, instead of speaking and opening the n meting, had to hold down her bead, and sit in sackcloth an 1 ashes.

The Taitr-.u i and Faipule have come I • the conclusion to send thirty of the Anna men to make copra at Fasitootni,: to pay the Vana debt for breech-loadera t© a firm ii i Apia ; but there i 3 no popo here for th m to work on, what was here has all l>ec t taken by the people now hew and s< Id to other merchants. This is only a bind to shuffle off the m reliant frem gettb. g his debt, for it will take three or ieur years for thirty men to make con ■ i to pay off the debt. It appears th it, three, if not four men came over as pi meers in one of the trailing schooners i o Apia, and were sent on to Fasitootai They had not been there many hou • s before the local Magistrate, Alipiaseuc a gang of people after them to beat the mto death. There were four men tha c -went to spy the land, and tkey wero. set upon by a lot of the Leulumc.o *a people, and well niobbe3"bj'" them, c* b sing the death of one in twelve' hours af t> irwords; one now lying between" fife and <leath, one with a broken leg, the other s. ncalped head. So much ..forsending; people to make copra to pay debts, \io\v about the murderers ! will they b<( hung according to the laws of Samoa ? No—the so-called government laughs t\ t it. This was a murder of the first d? jree by a mob of armed men upon f rar unarmed men. Laws—the laws o the old Samoan Government have Liwken up the social fabric of the native customs—have taken away the influe r.ce of the chiefs over the common men, 1 iave also made the people covetous and_ r.varicious. In their customs, in the?r ways and dealings one with another, ill t ,iuir thought* and ideas, and in their pin- is they are now different to what they were twenty years ago. Looker os.