United States Treaty Series/Volume 1/Regulations for neutral territory in Samoa

REGULATIONS FOR NEUTRAL TERRITORY IN SAMOA

• Agreement effected by exchanges of letters signed June 7, 9, and 13, 1879
• Superseded April 12, 1890, by the General Act of June 14, 1889,^[1] with respect to those provisions with which the General Act was inconsistent; annulled in entirety February 16, 1900, by convention of December 2, 1899^[2]

Department of State files; enclosures to despatches nos. 70 and 73 of June 11 and 19, 1879, respectively, from the U.S. consulate at Apia, Samoa

 

[TRANSLATION]

Gentlemen

You are aware of the obstruction that has arisen at the present time in Samoa. Therefore we have appointed you, the representatives of the Great Governments in Apia, to direct your attention to all things that we say in this letter, that you may protect the property and lands and houses and lives of foreigners, namely:

That you representatives will adopt measures to make preparations and regulations to prevent bad conduct and disorderly practices in the neutral territory, together also with the selling and giving of the intoxicating drinks of foreigners to Samoans and the people of other islands in the Pacific Ocean.

You representatives will please also to take proper measures to enforce such regulations in the neutral territory.

This agreement is binding all the time until the last day of the present obstruction that has arisen in Samoa.

May you live!

We are the Taimua of the Government of Samoa.

To Your Excellencies, the representatives appointed by the Great Governments in Apia.

• Government House
  • MK Le Mamea
• Secretary of the Government.

• XLetuli
• XMeafaifua
• XAufai
• XApela
• XAsiata
• XFuataga
• XSamoa
• XLavea
• XLemana

We hereby certify that the within document was signed in our presence at Leulumoega, Aana, on the 7th day of June A.D. 1879

[SEAL] Robt. S. Swanston
H.B.M. Act'g Consul

 

[SEAL] Thomas M. Dawson
United States Consul

Apia, Samoa
9th June 1879

[In a despatch of June 11, 1879, the U.S. consul at Apia, Samoa, stated that "on the 9th inst. Malietoa addressed a precisely similar document to each of the Consuls."]

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[TRANSLATION]

Apia 13 June 1879

Gentlemen:

We have received your letter by which you have appointed us that we should direct our attention to measures and regulations for the protection of the property, and lands, and houses and the lives of foreigners; that we should also together direct our attention to things thus in the neutral territory, to prohibit also the selling and giving of the intoxicating drinks of foreigners to Samoans and the people of other islands in the Pacific Ocean; that we should direct our attention also to such regulations and things, and thus enforce them in the neutral territory.

It is well. We truly accept it.

May your Excellencies live!

Th Weber
German Consul

Robt. S. Swanston
H.B.M., Act'g Consul

Thomas M. Dawson
United States Consul

Addressed to
Their Excellencies
The Gentlemen of the Taimua & Faipule of the Government of Samoa at Fasitoouta.

[On the above letter, the U.S. consul wrote: "The same letter was also sent to Malietoa and his chiefs thus: To the High Chief Malietoa, and also their Excellencies 0 Taupaii, Leiatana, Mataafa, Fata, Leutuiloa, I Mulinuu."]

1. TS 313, post, p. 116.
2. TS 314, post, p. 276.