It was not wise in the president to proclaim Mataafa and his followers rebels and their estates confiscated.

Such words are not respectable till they repose on force; on the lips of an angry white man, standing alone on a small promontory, they were both dangerous and absurd; they might have provoked ruin; thanks to the character of Mataafa, they only raised a smile and damaged the authority of government.

And again it is not wise in the government of Mulinuu to have twice attempted to precipitate hostilities, once in Savaii, once here in the Tuamasanga.

The fate of the Savaii attempt I never heard; it seems to have been stillborn.

The other passed under my eyes.