A.—3

8

the British and American Consuls, the German residents on the islands would undoubtedly have been massacred. A force of German marines and sailors were landed directly afterwards from the German man-of-war " Albatross," who forcibly took possession of the place, and before whom the King and his advisers have fled for safety. The Samoan flag was hauled down by the German Consul in the presence of the German forces. The British and American Consuls have protested energetically against these proceedings on the part of the Germans, but without any effect; and a formal written protest was afterwards lodged. The natives are in the highest state of excitement, and a war is threatened, in which it is feared white men will suffer indiscriminately. The German interest in the Samoan group dates from the establishment in Samoa of the German firm of Messrs. Godeffroy and Co. They purchased large tracts of land, with the object of introducing German settlers. The firm interested Prince Bismarck in their scheme, and the German Government regarded it with favour. A scheme of colonization was drawn up, and measures were adopted for putting it in force, when the outbreak of the Franco-German war diverted attention from the matter, and the project fell through. In 1877 the Samoan chiefs petitioned the British Government to establish a protectorate over the islands, but their request was refused. In January, 1885, the New Zealand Government proposed to annex the islands; but it was then discovered that a treaty had been concluded between the Samoan King and the German Consul. By this treaty, which was dated the 10th November, 1884, the Germans practically obtained complete authority in Samoa. On the 6th January, 1885, the English Government received a telegram from Sir W. Jervois Governor of New Zealand, announcing that the chiefs and people repudiated the treaty, and that the Parliament of Samoa declined to ratify it. Moreover, in a letter dated the 11th November, 1884 addressed to Queen Victoria, the King of Samoa reiterates his repeated requests for the establishment of British sovereignty in the territories, states that he had accepted the treaty with the German Consul " on account of his fears," and he thought that " if your Government should be set up in Samoa, then the treaty with Germany would become of no effect." In a telegram to the Governor of New Zealand, dated the 19th January, 1885, declining to sanction steps m relation to the annexation of the islands, Lord Derby said : " In important speech Saturday, Prince Bismarck mentioned agreement binding England and Germany maintain staffs quo m Samoa; and colonial action would be regarded as breach of agreement, and might lead to immediate annexation by Germany." On the 21st March, 1885, the New Zealand Government received a copy of an Act passed by the Samoan Government for the annexation of the islands to New Zealand. To this, however, no effect was given.

[Extract from the Times, Tuesday, 12th January, 1886/ Germany and the Samoan Islands. In reference to a report published yesterday afternoon the Press Association states that the Colonial Office has received information as to the interference of some German officials in the Samoan Islands but Her Majesty's Government have reason to believe that the German Government have no intention of annexing the group. This is confirmed by the fact that Messrs. Houlder, Brothers, and Co., who are the largest shippers to that part of the globe from the United Kingdom, have received no information of German annexation, and the private steamer "Explorer," belonging to the firm, is the only means of communication between the mail-steamers and the islands. The German gunboat " Albatross" is known to have been near the spot for some time. In addition to the representatives of Messrs. Houlder, Brothers, and Co. there are several British subjects resident on the islands Mr. Wilfred Powell, the British Consul, was established there only a few months ago at the time when the German Consul, Herr Eougay, was sent out; and the London Missionary Society rank Samoa as one of their chief stations. They have six missionaries at present stationed there—one at Apia, two at Malua, one at Tutuila, one at Savaii, and one at Aana. One of these, the Eev. George Turner, LL.D., has lately returned from there after a residence of fifty-five years on the islands, and he expressed the belief that there are among the Christians in the 230 villages of the group six thousand who have been converted by the missionaries of the society, and that, exclusive of those under the care of the Wesleyan and Eoman Catholic missions, there are twentyseven thousand of the Samoans who look to the London Missionary Society for spiritual instruction The total population is now thirty-five thousand. It is pointed out that the greater portion of the land on the islands is owned by British subjects or by natives who have placed themselves under the guidance and instruction of Englishmen, and that the only German interest in that region has been created within a year or two by the formation of a trading station by Messrs. Godeffroy and Co., the Hamburg merchants, and the arrival at a comparatively recent period of German settlers invited by that firm. The King of Samoa in 1877 petitioned the English Government to annex the islands, which the Government declined to do, and in 1884 he was induced to enter into a treaty with the German Consul. The New Zealand Government, which regarded the possession of Samoa as vital to British interests, petitioned the Colonial Office twelve months ago to annex the islands, and the King again transmitted a request to the same effect; but the Home Government contented itself on that occasion also with forming an agreement with Germany to maintain the status quo.

[Extract from the Times, Wednesday, 13th January, 1886.] Samoa. Berlin, 12th January, 1886.—Nothing has transpired here with respect to the alleged hoisting of the German flag at Samoa. But, if there has occurred any incident of the kind alleged, it is probable that it had something to do with the late departure of the Imperial ironclad squadron from Zanzibar to the Australasian quarter of the Pacific. Letters for the squadron, it has been intimated, may next be sent to Sydney.