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Enclosure 1. Translation of Letter from the King of Samoa to the Governor and Members of Parliament of the Government of New Zealand. Sir, — . Apia, Ist January, 1886. I, the King, and my Government write to you. This is our entreaty and earnest request to you gentlemen who have the control of the Government of New Zealand. Our entreaty is, that you would make known to Her Majesty Queen Victoria and her Government our great distress on account of the things now being done by the German Consul in Samoa against me and my Government. Therefore I entreat of you, if there is any difficulty which prevents the Government of Her Majesty the Queen from using means to deliver us from these our troubles, that you the Government of New Zealand would rescue us. " Let us be one/ We know well that this is a difficult matter; but " love" is able to cover the transgression of the law. Petitions never yet accepted, let them be accepted now. There are many things we wish to make known to you; but it is to no profit, for, though many, they have one single meaning : Receive us; let us be one. These gentlemen who have gone to you belong to my Government. They are Seu Manutafa, of Apia, Governor of the Tuamsaga, and Tuiletufuga, Member of Parliament in Apia. These two are taking this message from my Government to your Government. Let us all be equally prosperous. Done by the King and the Government of Samoa. Malietoa, Selu, Secretary. King of Samoa.
Enclosure 2. Tuiletufuga Upalu and Seu Manutafa to His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. Sir, — Wellington, New Zealand, 18th January, 1886. With reference to the recent interviews which your Excellency has been good enough to afford us since our arrival in Wellington, we deem it advisable to lay before you the following representations relating to the state of affairs at Samoa, in the earnest hope that you and your Responsible Advisers will take such steps as may induce Her Majesty's Government to sanction what our people so much desire—namely, the annexation of Samoa to New Zealand. It is all the more desirable to place in writing the reasons and object of our mission, inasmuch as King Malietoa had not sufficient time, from causes which will hereafter appear, to state in his letter, which we have conveyed from him to your Excellency, the very unsatisfactory state of matters at present existing at Samoa, in consequence of German aggression. In order to fairly represent the harsh treatment which our people have received at the hands of the German authorities, it will be necessary to go back some little time in the history of events in Samoa. About twelve months ago the German Consul at Apia sent an agreement to King Malietoa and the Taimua (the Upper House) for signature. The agreement required that certain German officers were to be appointed in the Samoan Government service, and that a German gaol and Courthouse were to be erected at Mulinuu. The King and the Taimua declined to sign the document. Immediately after this had occurred the King forwarded a petition to the English Government, asking that Samoa might be annexed to England. This request, however, as your Excellency is aware, was not complied with. In consequence of this petition having been sent to England, the German Consul (Mr. Weber), agent to the German firm at Samoa, placed themselves in communication with the Vice-King, Tamasese, offering to have him appointed King in place of Malietoa, provided that submission was yielded to German rule. The first reply given by Tamasese was to the effect that, in consideration of his oath, he could not accept the offer. A few days afterwards the proposal was repeated, and Tamasese replied that, if he could be made King without creating trouble, he would become a party to the agreement. He was then told by the German authorities to withdraw from the Government, and take with him those members of it who were willing to go with him. He withdrew accordingly; but only a few members of the Government followed him. Immediately after this the German Consul addressed a letter to King Malietoa, forbidding the Samoan flag to be hoisted again. Next day some of the crew of the German sloop " Albatross " came on shore, and erected on property belonging to the Samoan Government a flagstaff, on which they hoisted the German colours. The English and American Consuls protested to the German Consul against this outrage j but no attention was paid to the protest. The German flag remains there to this day. We understand that the English and American Consuls wrote to their respective Governments, reporting this proceeding, and that, when the German Government was communicated with, it gave instructions to its Consul at Samoa to pull down the flag. These instructions, it will be seen, have not been obeyed. On the 18th December last Mr. Weber addressed a letter to King Malietoa demanding the payment of rent for the land occupied by the Government at Mulinuu. The King replied that he would accede to the demand, but that he did so under protest; adding, also, that he would pay <85,000 to extinguish whatever claim the Germans had on the land. These terms Mr. Weber declined to accept. On the 30th December the King and the Government decided to remove from the land in
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