this harbour, for
the sake of humanity I hereby respectfully and solemnly protest in the
name of the United States of America and of the civilised world in
general against the use of a national war-vessel for such services as
were yesterday rendered by the German corvette _Adler_." Fritze's
reply, to the effect that he is under the orders of the consul and has
no right of choice, reads even humble; perhaps he was not himself vain
of the exploit, perhaps not prepared to see it thus described in words.
From that moment Leary was in the front of the row. His name is
diagnostic, but it was not required; on every step of his subsequent
action in Samoa Irishman is writ large; over all his doings a malign
spirit of humour presided. No malice was too small for him, if it were
only funny. When night signals were made from Mulinuu, he would sit on
his own poop and confound them with gratuitous rockets. He was at the
pains to write a letter and address it to "the High Chief Tamasese"--a
device as old at least as the wars of Robert Bruce--in order to bother
the officials of the German post-office, in whose hands he persisted in
leaving it, although the address was death to them and the distribution
of letters in Samoa formed no part of their profession. His great
masterwork of pleasantry, the Scanlon affair, must be narrated in its
place. And he was no less bold than comical. The _Adams_ was not
supposed to be a match for the _Adler_; there was no glory to be gained
in beating her; and yet I have heard naval officers maintain she might
have proved a dangerous antagonist in narrow waters and at short range.
Doubtless Leary thought so. He was continually daring Fritze to come
on; and already, in a despatch of the 9th, I find Becker complaining
of his language in the hearing of German officials, and how he had
declared that, on the _Adler_ again interfering, he would interfere
himself, "if he went to the bottom for it--_und wenn sein Schiff dabei
zu Grunde ginge_." Here is the style of opposition which has the merit
of being frank, not that of being agreeable. Becker was annoying, Leary
infuriating; there is no doubt that the tempers in the German consulate
were highly ulcerated; and if war between the two countries did not
follow, we must set down the praise to the forbearance of the German
navy. This is not the last time that I shall have to salute the merits
of that service.

The defeat and death of Saifaleupolu and the burning of