dinary mercies; if the day come when these
must be taken, have us play the man under affliction. Be with our
friends; be with ourselves. Go with each of us to rest; if any awake,
temper to them the dark hours of watching; and when the day returns
to us, our sun and comforter, call us up with morning faces and with
morning hearts--eager to labour--eager to be happy, if happiness
shall be our portion--and if the day be marked for sorrow, strong to
endure it.

We thank Thee and praise Thee; and in the words of Him to whom this
day is sacred, close our oblation.

APPENDIX II

ADDRESS OF R. L. STEVENSON TO THE CHIEFS ON THE OPENING OF THE ROAD OF
GRATITUDE, OCTOBER 1894

Mr. Stevenson said, "We are met together to-day to celebrate an event
and to do honour to certain chiefs, my friends,--Lelei, Mataafa,
Salevao, Poe, Teleso, Tupuola Lotofaga, Tupuola Amaile, Muliaiga, Ifopo,
and Fatialofa. You are all aware in some degree of what has happened.
You know these chiefs to have been prisoners; you perhaps know that
during the term of their confinement I had it in my power to do them
certain favours. One thing some of you cannot know, that they were
immediately repaid by answering attentions. They were liberated by the
new administration; by the King, and the Chief Justice, and the
Ta'its'ifono, who are here amongst us to-day, and to whom we all desire
to tender our renewed and perpetual gratitude for that favour. As soon
as they were free men--owing no man anything--instead of going home to
their own places and families, they came to me; they offered to do this
work for me as a free gift, without hire, without supplies, and I was
tempted at first to refuse their offer. I knew the country to be poor, I
knew famine threatening; I knew their families long disorganised for
want of supervision. Yet I accepted, because I thought the lesson of
that road might be more useful to Samoa than a thousand breadfruit
trees; and because to myself it was an exquisite pleasure to receive
that which was so handsomely offered. It is now done; you have trod it
to-day in coming hither. It has been made for me by chiefs; some of them
old, some sick, all newly delivered from a harassing confinement, and in
spite of weather unusually hot and insalubrious. I have seen these
chiefs labour valiantly with their own hands upon the work, and I have
set up over it, now that it is finished, the name of 'The Road of
Gratitu