r all that, this
gentleman lay for a considerable time, watched day and night by German
sailors, a prisoner in the American Consulate; even after he had
succeeded in running the gauntlet of the German guards, and making his
escape in a canoe to the American warship _Nipsic_, he was imperiously
redemanded from under his own flag, and it is probable his extradition
is being already called for at Washington.

_Secondly_.--An English artist had gone into the bush sketching. I
believe he had been to Malietoa's camp, so that his guilt stands on
somewhat the same ground as Mr. Klein's. He was forcibly seized on board
the British packet _Richmond_, carried half-dressed on board the
_Adler_, and detained there, in spite of all protest, until an English
war-ship had been cleared for action. This is of notoriety, and only one
case (although a strong one) of many. Is it what the English people
understand by the sovereignty of the seas?--I am, etc.,

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

II

TO THE EDITOR OF THE "TIMES"

_Vailima, Upolu, Samoa, Oct. 12, 1891._

Sir,--I beg leave to lay before your readers a copy of a correspondence,
or (should that have reached you by another channel) to offer a few
words of narrative and comment.

On Saturday, September 5, Mr. Cedercrantz, the Chief Justice of Samoa,
sailed on a visit to Fiji, leaving behind him certain prisoners in the
gaol, and Baron Senfft von Pilsach, President of the Municipal Council,
master of the field. The prisoners were five chiefs of Manono who had
surrendered of their own accord, or at the desire of Mataafa, had been
tried by a native magistrate, and received sentence of six months'
confinement under "gentlemanly" (_sic_) conditions. As they were marched
to prison, certain of their country-folk of Manono ran beside and
offered an immediate rescue; but Lieutenant Ulfsparre ordered the men of
the escort to load, and the disturbance blew by. How little weight was
attached to this incident by the Chief Justice is sufficiently indicated
by the fact of his departure. It was unhappily otherwise with those whom
he left behind. Panic seems to have marked them for her own; they
despaired at once of all lawful defence; and, on Sunday, the day after
the Chief Justice's departure, Apia was in consequence startled with
strange news. Dynamite bought from the wrecker ship, an electrical
machine and a mechanic hired, the prison mined, and a letter despatched
to the people