a footnote to history-第7章

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killed；　or　punished　and　forgiven。　　We；　on　the　other　hand；　harbour　

malice　for　a　period　of　years：　　continuous　shame　attaches　to　the　

criminal；　even　when　he　is　doing　his　best　…　even　when　he　is　

submitting　to　the　worst　form　of　torture；　regular　work　…　he　is　to　

stand　aside　from　life　and　from　his　family　in　dreadful　isolation。　　

These　ideas　most　Polynesians　have　accepted　in　appearance；　as　they　

accept　other　ideas　of　the　whites；　in　practice；　they　reduce　it　to　a　

farce。　　I　have　heard　the　French　resident　in　the　Marquesas　in　talk　

with　the　French　gaoler　of　Tai…o…hae：　〃EH　BIEN；　OU　SONT　VOS　

PRISONNIERES？　…　JE　CROIS；　MON　COMMANDANT；　QU'ELLES　SONT　ALLEES　

QUELQUE　PART　FAIRE　UNE　VISITE。〃　　And　the　ladies　would　be　welcome。　　

This　is　to　take　the　most　savage　of　Polynesians；　take　some　of　the　

most　civilised。　　In　Honolulu；　convicts　labour　on　the　highways　in　

piebald　clothing；　gruesome　and　ridiculous；　and　it　is　a　common　sight　

to　see　the　family　of　such　an　one　troop　out；　about　the　dinner　hour；　

wreathed　with　flowers　and　in　their　holiday　best；　to　picnic　with　

their　kinsman　on　the　public　wayside。　　The　application　of　these　

outlandish　penalties；　in　fact；　transfers　the　sympathy　to　the　

offender。　　Remember；　besides；　that　the　clan　system；　and　that　

imperfect　idea　of　justice　which　is　its　worst　feature；　are　still　

lively　in　Samoa；　that　it　is　held　the　duty　of　a　judge　to　favour　

kinsmen；　of　a　king　to　protect　his　vassals；　and　the　difficulty　of　

getting　a　plantation　thief　first　caught；　then　convicted；　and　last　

of　all　punished；　will　appear。



During　the　early　'eighties；　the　Germans　looked　upon　this　system　

with　growing　irritation。　　They　might　see　their　convict　thrust　in　

gaol　by　the　front　door；　they　could　never　tell　how　soon　he　was　

enfranchised　by　the　back；　and　they　need　not　be　the　least　surprised　

if　they　met　him；　a　few　days　after；　enjoying　the　delights　of　a　

MALANGA。　　It　was　a　banded　conspiracy；　from　the　king　and　the　vice…

king　downward；　to　evade　the　law　and　deprive　the　Germans　of　their　

profits。　　In　1883；　accordingly；　the　consul；　Dr。　Stuebel；　extorted　a　

convention　on　the　subject；　in　terms　of　which　Samoans　convicted　of　

offences　against　German　subjects　were　to　be　confined　in　a　private　

gaol　belonging　to　the　German　firm。　　To　Dr。　Stuebel　it　seemed　simple　

enough：　　the　offenders　were　to　be　effectually　punished；　the　

sufferers　partially　indemnified。　　To　the　Samoans；　the　thing　

appeared　no　less　simple；　but　quite　different：　〃Malietoa　was　selling　

Samoans　to　Misi　Ueba。〃　　What　else　could　be　expected？　　Here　was　a　

private　corporation　engaged　in　making　money；　to　it　was　delegated；　

upon　a　question　of　profit　and　loss；　one　of　the　functions　of　the　

Samoan　crown；　and　those　who　make　anomalies　must　look　for　comments。　　

Public　feeling　ran　unanimous　and　high。　　Prisoners　who　escaped　from　

the　private　gaol　were　not　recaptured　or　not　returned　and　Malietoa　

hastened　to　build　a　new　prison　of　his　own；　whither　he　conveyed；　or　

pretended　to　convey；　the　fugitives。　　In　October　1885　a　trenchant　

state　paper　issued　from　the　German　consulate。　　Twenty　prisoners；　

the　consul　wrote；　had　now　been　at　large　for　eight　months　from　

Weber's　prison。　　It　was　pretended　they　had　since　then　completed　

their　term　of　punishment　elsewhere。　　Dr。　Stuebel　did　not　seek　to　

conceal　his　incredulity；　but　he　took　ground　beyond；　he　declared　the　

point　irrelevant。　　The　law　was　to　be　enforced。　　The　men　were　

condemned　to　a　certain　period　in　Weber's　prison；　they　had　run　away；　

they　must　now　be　brought　back　and　（whatever　had　become　of　them　in　

the　interval）　work　out　the　sentence。　　Doubtless　Dr。　Stuebel's　

demands　were　substantially　just；　but　doubtless　also　they　bore　from　

the　outside　a　great　appearance　of　harshness；　and　when　the　king　

submitted；　the　murmurs　of　the　people　increased。



But　Weber　was　not　yet　content。　　The　law　had　to　be　enforced；　

property；　or　at　least　the　property　of　the　firm；　must　be　respected。　　

And　during　an　absence　of　the　consul's；　he　seems　to　have　drawn　up　

with　his　own　hand；　and　certainly　first　showed　to　the　king；　in　his　

own　house；　a　new　convention。　　Weber　here　and　Weber　there。　　As　an　

able　man；　he　was　perhaps　in　the　right　to　prepare　and　propose　

conventions。　　As　the　head　of　a　trading　company；　he　seems　far　out　of　

his　part　to　be　communicating　state　papers　to　a　sovereign。　　The　

administration　of　justice　was　the　colour；　and　I　am　willing　to　

believe　the　purpose；　of　the　new　paper；　but　its　effect　was　to　depose　

the　existing　government。　　A　council　of　two　Germans　and　two　Samoans　

were　to　be　invested　with　the　right　to　make　laws　and　impose　taxes　as　

might　be　〃desirable　for　the　common　interest　of　the　Samoan　

government　and　the　German　residents。〃　　The　provisions　of　this　

council　the　king　and　vice…king　were　to　sign　blindfold。　　And　by　a　

last　hardship；　the　Germans；　who　received　all　the　benefit；　reserved　

a　right　to　recede　from　the　agreement　on　six　months'　notice；　the　

Samoans；　who　suffered　all　the　loss；　were　bound　by　it　in　perpetuity。　　

I　can　never　believe　that　my　friend　Dr。　Stuebel　had　a　hand　in　

drafting　these　proposals；　I　am　only　surprised　he　should　have　been　a　

party　to　enforcing　them；　perhaps　the　chief　error　in　these　islands　

of　a　man　who　has　made　few。　　And　they　were　enforced　with　a　rigour　

that　seems　injudicious。　　The　Samoans　（according　to　their　own　

account）　were　denied　a　copy　of　the　document；　they　were　certainly　

rated　and　threatened；　their　deliberation　was　treated　as　contumacy；　

two　German　war…ships　lay　in　port；　and　it　was　hinted　that　these　

would　shortly　intervene。



Succeed　in　frightening　a　child；　and　he　takes　refuge　in　duplicity。　　

〃Malietoa；〃　one　of　the　chiefs　had　written；　〃we　know　well　we　are　in　

bondage　to　the　great　governments。〃　　It　was　now　thought　one　tyrant　

might　be　better　than　three；　and　any　one　preferable　to　Germany。　　On　

the　5th　November　1885；　accordingly；　Laupepa；　Tamasese；　and　forty…

eight　high　chiefs　met　in　secret；　and　the　supremacy　of　Samoa　was　

secretly　offered　to　Great　Britain　for　the　second　time　in　history。　　

Laupepa　and　Tamasese　still　figured　as　king　and　vice…king　in　the　

eyes　of　Dr。　Stuebel；　in　their　own；　they　had　secretly　abdicated；　

were　become　private　persons；　and　might　do　what　they　pleased　without　

binding　or　dishonouring　their　country。　　On　the　morrow；　accordingly；　

they　did　public　humiliation　in　the　dust　before　the　consulate；　and　

five　days　later　signed　the　convention。　　The　last　was　done；　it　is　

claimed；　upon　an　impulse。　　The　humiliation；　which　it　appeared　to　

the　Samoans　so　great　a　thing　to　offer；　to　the　practical　mind　of　Dr。　

Stuebel　seemed　a　trifle　to　receive；　and　the　pressure　was　continued　

and　increased。　　Laupepa　and　Tamasese　were　both　heavy；　well…meaning；　

inconclusive　men。　　Laupepa；　educated　for　the　ministry；　still　bears　

some　marks　of　it　in　character　and　appearance；　Tamasese　was　in　

private　of　an　amorous　and　sentimental　turn；　but　no　one　would　have　

guessed　it　from　his　solemn　and　dull　countenance。　　Impossible　to　

conceive　two　less　dashing　champions　for　a　threatened　race；　and　

there　is　no　doubt　they　were　reduced　to　the　extremity　of　muddlement　

and　childish　fear。　　It　was　drawing　towards　night　on　the　10th；　when　

this　luckless　pair　and　a　chief　of　the　name　of　Tuiatafu；　set　out　for　

the　German　consulate；　still　minded　to　temporise。　　As　they　went；　

they　discussed　their　case　with　agitation。　　They　could　see　the　

lights　of　the　German　war…ships　as　they　walked　…　an　eloquent　

reminder。　　And　it　was　then　that　Tamasese　proposed　to　sign　the　

convention。　　〃It　will　give　us　peace　for　the　day；〃　said　Laupepa；　

〃and　afterwards　Great　Britain　must　decide。〃　…　〃Better　fight　Germany　

than　that！〃　cried　Tuiatafu；　speaking　words　of　wisdom；　and　departed　

in　anger。　　But　the　two　others　proceeded　on　their　fatal　errand；　

signed　the　convention；　writing　themselves　king　and　vice…king；　as　

they　now　believed　themselves　to　be　no　longer；　and　with　childish　

perfidy　took　part　in　a　scene　of　〃reconciliation〃　at　the　German　

consulate。



Malietoa　supposed