ent by the municipality. It is the function of the
Chief Justice to interpret the Berlin Act; its sense was thus supposed
to be established beyond cavil; those who were dissatisfied with the
result conceived their only recourse lay in a prayer to the Powers to
have the treaty altered; and such a prayer was, but the other day,
proposed, supported, and finally negatived, in a public meeting.

About a year has gone by since the decision, and the state of the Samoan
Government has been daily growing more precarious. Taxes have not been
paid, and the Government has not ventured to enforce them. Fresh taxes
have fallen due, and the Government has not ventured to call for them.
Salaries were running on, and that of the Chief Justice alone amounts to
a considerable figure for these islands; the coffers had fallen low, at
last it is believed they were quite empty, no resource seemed left, and
bystanders waited with a smiling curiosity for the wheels to stop. I
should add, to explain the epithet "smiling," that the Government has
proved a still-born child; and except for some spasmodic movements which
I have already made the subject of remark in your columns, it may be
said to have done nothing but pay salaries.

In this state of matters, on March 28, the President of the Council,
Baron Senfft von Pilsach, was suddenly and privately supplied by Mr.
Cedercrantz with a written judgment, reversing the verbal and public
decision of a year before. By what powers of law was this result
attained? And how was the point brought again before his Honour? I feel
I shall here strain the credulity of your readers, but our authority is
the President in person. The suit was brought by himself in his capacity
(perhaps an imaginary one) of King's adviser; it was defended by himself
in his capacity of President of the Council, no notice had been given,
the parties were not summoned, they were advised neither of the trial
nor the judgment; so far as can be learned two persons only met and
parted--the first was the plaintiff and defendant rolled in one, the
other was a Judge who had decided black a year ago, and had now
intimated a modest willingness to decide white.

But it is possible to follow more closely these original proceedings.
Baron von Pilsach sat down (he told us) in his capacity of adviser to
the King, and wrote to himself, in his capacity of President of the
Council, an eloquent letter of reprimand three pages long; an unknown
English