Mr. Gresham to Baron Saurma.
Washington, January 29, 1894.
Excellency: I have just received your unofficial note of this date in winch you ask to be informed whether this Government has received from our vice-consul-general at Apia information confirmatory of the accounts contained in the New York papers of yesterday of a recent uprising in Samoa headed by the son of Tamasese, and, if so, what are the views of the United States of the situation and when this Government intends to dispatch men-of-war to Samoan waters.
Since our interview on the 24th instant I have received from our vice-consul-general at Apia a dispatch under date of January 1, giving an account of the situation on the islands. He speaks of symptoms indicating that peace is about to be disturbed, but thinks there is no fear of immediate hostilities. He says there are numerous malcontents on the islands and advises that they be treated as Mataafa and his adherents were treated, and that each of the treaty powers send three ships to the islands to disarm all the natives.
If there has been an uprising, it has occurred since this dispatch was written. I informed the British ambassador a day or two ago that you had information from your Government of an insurrection on the islands, or some of them, having for its object the dethronement of King Malietoa in the interest of a son of Tamasese, and that your Government [Page 700] desired the cooperation of the United States in the suppression of the rebellion. The ambassador replied that he had received no such information from his Government. Under these circumstances the Government of the United States does not feel called upon to dispatch a man-of-war to Samoa to act in cooperation with German and British; war ships, as suggested by your Government.
Accept, etc.,