Our South Sea-protectorate becomes now, probably because of the occupation of Riautschou, more and more the focus of attention. It is not only the general importance which is a criterion for the wide-ranging esteem, there are also a lot of attendant minor circumstances which stimulate the observer´s imagination because of their novelty and strangeness and then stick in his mind. The picture that shows the black protective unit on board of the " Bussard" leads me to many reflections. A protective unit in the South Sea that even comes in a small number and barely dressed is hardly noteworthy today, so some people will think. Yes, if this had been several years ago, when everyone was talking about East-Africa because of the fights and wars there, then people would have payed some more attention to the distant South Sea-colonies, as well. But the farer our colonial development and the appreciation spread, the more we will get used to giving the South Sea its right that it deserves because of its special merits. Our magazine therefore did not miss to open its readers´ eyes to this big and promising protectorate with the help of pictures.

The pictures that we show today can be split into two groups, for they refer to conditions in the two German protectorates and on Samoa. However, there is little martial about the protective unit that we mentioned before because it serves only as a support for the navy. They just put the suitable Papuas, who have shown a certain reliability on "Herbert´s High" in the Bismarck-archipelago or in New Guinea as workers on the plantations and who feel the urge to play soldier on behalf of the government, a cap on, they put a rifle in their hands, practise them a little and use them on forays against insubordinate natives. These Melanesians, all of them brave people, are quite valuable for the work in the bush where the European cannot push ahead without difficulties, but they cannot win any laurels though, because there is no severe, lasting resistance offered by the natives, splintered into several tribes. If there was the necessity to fight against organized enemies once, as in East-Africa, then we certainly would have talked differently about these people and their leaders. But our South Sea-islanders are just a temporary help, in a way, because most of the times the crew of a warship is absolutely enough as we can see on the other picture that carries us off to the Marshall-Islands, our beautiful protectorate.

The Marshall-Islanders value the possession of firearms and try to get as many of them as possible, but sometimes they even use them against white traders. The islanders are largely peaceful, but from time to time discord among them occurs, and an intervention by the armed forces becomes necessary to take the dangerous instruments away from them. Such expeditions always had a quite peaceful character so long, in spite of the martial marching-up; for the natives offered no resistance but received the orders that did not have to be ignored, sitting in front of their huts. They just told the chiefs to bring all guns in their possession on board of the steamer within a certain short period of time so that they could not fool around with this machinery of war - for there is no hunting on the coral islands -, and after a moment of hesitation they always obeyed to the order. The disarming of the natives happened without serious difficulties, so on the island Arno as well, where they took a whole arsenal with them. If the disarming of natives always happened so smoothly as on the Marshall-Islands, we could count ourselves lucky.

On the Somoa-Islands, being located south-east from there, there was still, until recently, total anarchy because the powers that have control over the islands never acted vigorously enough or fundamental actions were paralyzed by reciprocal petty jealousies. The governmental control by several powers proved to be very disadvantageous for Samoa, and it is to be hoped that Germany, who shows the most interest there, obtains the predominance at last. But unfortunately, there seem to be no real prospects at the time. Several years ago the first chiefs had an argument with one another about the predominance, Malietoa was brought on a German warship and was taken out of the country, just to be given back to his homeland at last. He died of a typhoid fever on August the 22nd this year. His opponent, Mataasa, was brought to Jelust on the Marshall-Islands in the year 1894 on the cruiser "Sperber" where he lives in political exile with several chiefs of Samoa. This reprimand was recently rescinded by the joint resolution of the three interested powers Germany, England and America, and the exile was allowed to return on certain conditions. Mataasa will therefore be able to intervene personally in the fight for the throne that has become empty. Until the election of a successor the government will be ruled by the German, the English and the American consul in association with the supreme judges and the chairmen of the municipal council of Apia.

Beautiful, lively, intellectually bright people - the picture of the Samoan girls shows how bewitching and charming this tribe is -, but unreliable and filled with bad passions, to which have come recently - apart from a certain megalomania - also political ones. But a war on Samoa means, under today´s circumstances, always an impairment of the German interests through robbery and looting of the plantations which, for the most part, belong to the Germans.