II

In 1722, Samoa was made known to the world by a Dutch exploring expedition under Commodore Roggewein, who is credited with describing the natives with fair accuracy in his report, and also with misplacing the archipelago on his chart by some hundreds of miles. The particular islands he visited page break

Interior of a Samoan House

page 11were a group of three in Eastern Samoa, known collectively as Manua.

Of the Dutch discovery, it is recorded by an eighteenthcentury geographer,¹ that, on their quitting the Island of Recreation they steered a north-west course in order to reach New Britain, and three days after discovered in the latitude of 12° south, and in the longitude of 290, several islands, which at a distance appeared very beautiful, and on their approaching them, they plainly discovered that they were well planted with fruit trees. That the country produced roots, herbs, and corn in great plenty, and was laid out in large and regular plantations towards the coast. The inhabitants no sooner observed the ships, than they came in their boats, bringing fish, coconuts, Indian figs, and other refreshments; in return for which the Dutch gave them as usual, small looking-glasses, strings of beads, and other trifles.

"It soon appeared that these islands were fully populated, since many thousands of men and women, the former of whom were generally speaking armed with bows and arrows, came down to the shore to look at them. Among the rest they observed a very majestic personage, who, from his dress, and the honours that were paid him, they easily discovered to be the Prince or Sovereign of the nation. He presently stepped into his canoe with an agreeable young woman who sat by his side, upon which his canoe was immediately surrounded by a vast number of other vessels that crowded about it, and seemed intended for a guard. All the inhabitants of these islands were of the same complexion as the Europeans, except their being a little sun-burnt. They appeared to be a harmless good sort of people, and very brisk and likely; for they treated each other with visible marks of civility, and had nothing in their behaviour that was wild or savage. Their bodies were not painted like those of other Indians the Dutch had seen; but were cloathed from the girdle downwards, with a kind of silk fringes very neatly folded. On their heads they wore hats made of a very neat sort of stuff, and extremely large, to keep off the sun, and about their necks they wore collars of very beautiful and odoriferous flowers.

"The country appeared exquisitely charming, every one of page 12these islands being finely diversified with hills and valleys, and affording the most delightful landskips. Some of them were 10, some 15, and others about twenty miles in compass. The Dutch thought fit to call them Bowman's islands, after the Captain of the Teinhoven who first discovered them.

"Many of the Dutch were extremely desirous of making a longer stay in so plentiful a country, and among such a civilized people, as it was morally certain, that by the help of the abundance of wholesome provisions with which the natives willingly furnished them, all their sick would in a month's time have perfectly recovered. These islands had besides one convenience superior to those they had before met with, as there was exceedingly good anchorage along their coasts, where the Dutch rode safely in 15 or 20 fathoms water. So many advantageous circumstances ought certainly to have prevailed on the Commodore and his officers to have remained there; but their heads were so full of an East India voyage, and they were so extremely fearful of missing the easterly monsoon, that they could not be brought to listen to the proposal.

"Weighing from Bowman's islands, they continued their course to the north-west."

The silk fringes very neatly folded, here mentioned, actually was tattooing.