so, since you are curious on
the point, St. Ives learned his English from a Mr. Vicary, an English
lawyer, a prisoner in France. He must have had a fine gift of languages!

Things are going on here in their usual gently disheartening gait. The
Treaty Officials are both good fellows whom I can't help liking, but who
will never make a hand of Samoa.--Yours ever,

R. L. STEVENSON.

TO PROFESSOR MEIKLEJOHN

Congratulating an old friend of Savile Club days (see vol. xxiii. p.
263) on his sailor son.

_Vailima, Samoa, Nov. 6th, 1894._

MY DEAR MEIKLEJOHN,--Greeting! This is but a word to say how much we
felicitate ourselves on having made the acquaintance of Hughie. He is
having a famous good chance on board the _Curacoa_, which is the best
ship I have ever seen. And as for himself, he is a most engaging boy, of
whom you may very well be proud, and I have no mortal manner of doubt
but what you are. He comes up here very often, where he is a great
favourite with my ladies, and sings me "the melancholy airs of my
native land" with much acceptancy. His name has recently become changed
in Vailima. Beginning with the courteous "Mr. Meiklejohn," it shaded off
into the familiar "Hughie," and finally degenerated into "the
Whitrett."[85] I hear good reports of him abroad and ashore, and I
scarce need to add my own testimony.

Hughie tells me you have gone into the publishing business, whereat I
was much shocked. My own affairs with publishers are now in the most
flourishing state, owing to my ingenuity in leaving them to be dealt
with by a Scotch Writer to the Signet. It has produced revolutions in
the book trade and my banking account. I tackled the Whitrett severely
on a grammar you had published, which I had not seen and condemned out
of hand and in the broadest Lallan. I even condescended on the part of
that grammar which I thought to be the worst and condemned your
presentation of the English verb unmercifully. It occurs to me, since
you are a publisher, that the least thing you could do would be to send
me a copy of that grammar to correct my estimate. But I fear I am
talking too long to one of the enemy. I begin to hear in fancy the voice
of Meiklejohn upraised in the Savile Club: "No quarter to publishers!"
So I will ask you to present my compliments to Mrs. Meiklejohn upon her
son, and to accept for yourself the warmest reminiscences of auld lang
syne.--Yours sincerely,

ROBERT LOUIS STE