a family
chief; yet this is the palace of Malietoa-Natoaitele-Tamasoalii Laupepa,
king of Samoa. As you sit in his company under this humble shelter, you
shall see, between the posts, the new house of the president. His Majesty
himself beholds it daily, and the tenor of his thoughts may be divined.
The fine house of a Samoan chief is his appropriate attribute; yet, after
seventeen months, the government (well housed themselves) have not yet
found--have not yet sought--a roof-tree for their sovereign. And the
lodging is typical. I take up the president's financial statement of
September 8, 1891. I find the king's allowance to figure at seventy-five
dollars a month; and I find that he is further (though somewhat
obscurely) debited with the salaries of either two or three clerks. Take
the outside figure, and the sum expended on or for His Majesty amounts to
ninety-five dollars in the month. Lieutenant Ulfsparre and Dr. Hagberg
(the chief justice's Swedish friends) drew in the same period one hundred
and forty and one hundred dollars respectively on account of salary
alone. And it should be observed that Dr. Hagberg was employed, or at
least paid, from government funds, in the face of His Majesty's express
and reiterated protest. In another column of the statement, one hundred
and seventy-five dollars and seventy-five cents are debited for the chief
justice's travelling expenses. I am of the opinion that if His Majesty
desired (or dared) to take an outing, he would be asked to bear the
charge from his allowance. But although I think the chief justice had
done more nobly to pay for himself, I am far from denying that his
excursions were well meant; he should indeed be praised for having made
them; and I leave the charge out of consideration in the following
statement.

ON THE ONE HAND

Salary of Chief Justice Cedarkrantz $500
Salary of President Baron Senfft von Pilsach (about) 415
Salary of Lieutenant Ulfsparre, Chief of Police 140
Salary of Dr. Hagberg, Private Secretary to the Chief Justice 100
-----
Total monthly salary to four whites, one of them paid against
His Majesty's protest $1155

ON THE OTHER HAND

Total monthly payments to and for His Majesty the King,
including allowance and hire of three clerks, one of these