had been made to himself or to Weber {1} in answer to a question, and whether he had heard Wilson’s answer or only Weber’s question:  all otiose; if he heard the question, he was bound to have waited for the answer; if he heard it not, he should have put it himself; and it was the manifest truth that he rejoiced in his occasion.  “Sir,” he wrote to Sewall, “I have the honour to inform you that, to my regret, I am obliged to consider the municipal government to be provisionally in abeyance since you have withdrawn your consent to the continuation of Mr. Martin in his position as magistrate, and since you have refused to take part in the meeting of the municipal board agreed to for the purpose of electing a magistrate.  The government of the town and district of the municipality rests, as long as the municipality is in abeyance, with the Samoan government.  The Samoan government has taken over the administration, and has applied to the commander of the imperial German squadron for assistance in the preservation of good order.”  This letter was not delivered until 4 P.M.  By three, sailors had been landed.  Already German colours flew over Tamasese’s headquarters at Mulinuu, and German guards had occupied the hospital, the German consulate, and the municipal gaol and court-house, where they stood to arms under the flag of Tamasese.  The same day Sewall wrote to protest.  Receiving no reply, he issued on the morrow a proclamation bidding all Americans look to himself alone.  On the 26th, he wrote again to Becker, and on the 27th received this genial reply:  “Sir, your high favour of the 26th of this month, I give myself the honour of acknowledging.  At the same time I acknowledge the receipt of your high favour of the 14th October in reply to my communication of the same date, which contained the information of the suspension of the arrangements for the municipal government.”  There the correspondence ceased.  And on the 18th January came the last step of this irritating intrigue when Tamasese appointed a judge—­and the judge proved to be Martin.

Thus was the adventure of the Castle Municipal achieved by Sir Becker the chivalrous.  The taxes of Apia, the gaol, the police, all passed into the hands of Tamasese-Brandeis; a German was secured upon the bench; and the German flag might wave over her puppet unquestioned.  But there is a law of human nature which diplomatists should be taught at school, and it seems they are not; that men can tolerate bare injustice, but not the combination of injustice and subterfuge.  Hence the chequered career of the thimble-rigger.  Had the municipality been seized by open force, there might have been complaint, it would not have aroused the same lasting grudge.

This grudge was an ill gift to bring to Brandeis, who had trouble enough in front of him without.  He was an alien, he was supported by the guns of alien war-ships, and he had come to do an alien’s work, highly needful for Samoa, but essentially unpopular with all Samoans.  The law to be enforced, causes of dispute between white and brown to be eliminated, taxes to be raised, a central power created, the country opened up, the native race taught industry:  all these were detestable to the natives, and to all of these he must set his hand.  The more I learn of his brief term of rule, the more I learn to admire him, and to wish we had his like.