Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/615

 SAMOAN ISLANDS 591 50 to 60 ft. wide, and the inner in some places 140 ft. It contains but 6 sq. m. ; Ofu, next to it, is somewhat larger. Tutuila is high and mountainous, with precipices rising from the ocean to a height of from 1,200 to upward of 2,300 ft. Its W. end, which is lower, is cov- ered with luxuriant vegetation and is thickly settled. On its N. coast are many good ports, but the best is Pango-Pango or Pago-Pago on the S. side. It is completely landlocked, has an entrance clear of rocks, and water enough for the largest vessels. It is one of the safest and best harbors in the Pacific, and, being on the direct steamship route between America and Australia, must become in time an impor- tant port. The area of the island is about 50 sq. m., and it contains, together with Anuu, an islet off its E. extremity, 3,500 inhabitants. Upolu, the most important island of the group, has an area of about 335 sq. m., and in 1869 had 16,610 inhabitants. A range of broken hills occupies its middle, the sides of which, covered with luxuriant vegetation, slope to the sea. Apia, on the N. side, the chief town, has a population of about 300, of whom 100 are whites. It is the official residence of the va- rious consuls, of the members of the London missionary society, and of the Koman Catholic bishop of Oceania. Almost all the business of the port is in the hands of Hamburg firms. The harbor of Apia is sheltered by a natural breakwater, and is second only to that of Pan- go-Pango. Manono, which is enclosed within the sea reef of Upolu, has an area of only 3 sq. m. Apolima, about a mile distant, 2 sq. m. in area, is a natural fortress. It is the crater of an extinct volcano, and is a ring of perpendicu- lar cliffs, with a single opening on the N. side, through which only one boat at a time can pass to the basin within. A few miles distant is Sa- vaii, the westernmost and largest island of the group, containing about 700 sq. m. and a pop- ulation in 1869 of 12,670. Its interior, which has not been explored, is occupied by a moun- tain chain, in parts nearly 5,000 ft. high, slo- ping gradually to the sea, and leaving but a strip of alluvial land a few miles wide along the shores. It has little timber and no run- ning streams, and its shores are rocky and pre- cipitous, with few harbors. On the N. side the bay of Mataatu affords good anchorage. A series of wonderful caves in the island have been explored for 2 m., but not to their full extent. The climate is very equable, the mer- cury seldom rising higher than 88 or falling lower than 70. From observations made in 1872 at Mama in Upolu, the mean temperature for the year was 78-33. The difference of temperature between sun and shade is seldom more than 7. Rains are distributed evenly throughout the year, excepting in January, February, and March, when heavy rain storms with northern winds prevail ; but destructive storms are rare. The soil is a rich vegetable mould, with a slight proportion of decomposed lava impregnated with iron. Excepting the 722 VOL. xiv. 38 shore line, the mountains, and a lava field on the E. end of Savaii, there is little naked land on any of the group. The interior is covered with dense forests of tropical luxuriance, con- taining many varieties of valuable timber trees. Among the trees and fruits are the banian, two varieties of pandanus, several species of palms, the anauli, bamboo, rattan, breadfruit, cocoanut, wild orange, lemon, lime, banana, plantain, yam, taro, paper mulberry, tacca (from which arrowroot is made), pineapple, vi apple, guava, mango, and citron. Wild sugar cane grows abundantly, and there are two va- rieties of sea-island cotton, one of longer sta- ple than the other. Tobacco is grown in small quantities, and some coffee is raised. The ava (macropiper methysticum), which grows in clus- ters from 6 to 10 ft. in height, is a species of pepper. From its dried root is made an in- toxicating beverage, which when taken in small doses is a delightful soporific. There are no traces of native mammalia except a species of bat (pteropus ruficollis), which often mea- sures 4 ft. from tip to tip of wings. Horses, cattle, and swine have been introduced. Poul- try is plentiful, and pigeons abound. A bird called the tooth-billed pigeon (didunculus stri- gerostris), allied to the dodo, is found in the lonely parts of the mountains. Among the Polynesian islands the inhabitants of the Sa- moan group rank in personal appearance sec- ond only to the Tongese. The men average about 5 ft. 10 in. in height, are erect and proud in bearing, and have straight and well rounded limbs ; the women are generally slight in fig- ure, symmetrical, and easy and graceful in their movements. The skin of both sexes is dark olive, but the chiefs and better families are much lighter. The nose is usually straight and not flattened like that of the Malay, and the mouth is large, with thick lips. In some the eyes are oblique. The hair is black and straight. Beards are not so common as among Europeans, yet many have heavy beards. Po- lygamy is customary, but two wives seldom live in the same house. They are generally cleanly in their habits and social in disposition. Women are considered the equals of men, and both sexes join in the family labors. Great ingenuity is displayed in the construction of their houses, which are built of the wood of , the breadfruit tree, thatched with wild sugar cane or pandanus leaves. The ancient religion of the islanders acknowledged one great God, but they paid less worship to him than to some of their war gods. They had a god of earth- quakes, a god who supported the earth, and gods of lightning, rain, and hurricanes, and also many inferior gods who watched over cer- tain districts ; and they had carved blocks of wood and stone, erected in memory of certain chiefs, whom they worshipped. All are now nominally Christians; there are schools and a church in every village, and the missionaries have unbounded influence. Nearly all the children seven years of age can read their own