EXTREMELY SCARCE LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR OF
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE AND KIDNAPPED

“WHEN MY BOOK WAS WRITTEN, IT WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO HAVE RECONCILED MATAAFA AND LAMFEFA: THIS IS NOW TOO LATE, THE TREATY HAS LOST AUTHORITY WITH THE SAMOANS, THEY HAVE PLUNGED AGAIN INTO A STATE OF DIEHARD REBELLION AND SPORADIC WAR”

STEVENSON, ROBERT LOUIS.  (1850-94).  Scottish essayist, novelist and poet.  Extremely-scarce Autograph Letter Signed, “Robert Louis Stevenson”.  Two separate pages, octavo.  “Vailima, Samoa”, July 14, 1893.   Folds strengthened on verso, else very fine condition.  To “Mr. Paulteney Bigilow, 10 Chelsea Embankment”, London.  Stevenson writes:

“I feel that my cure from Samoa now is not only likely to please the German Emperor.  When my book was written, it was still possible to have reconciled Mataafa and Lamfefa: this is now too late, the treaty has lost authority with the Samoans, they have plunged again into a state of diehard rebellion and sporadic war, which was natural to them from the beginning and which always must be natural to a native armed class.  And what I wish I could hope is that we should press into the hands of Great Britain, our natural, and I think in the whole statuary end.  But I fear it would not be easily commended to the Kaiser.  Yours very truly, Robert Louis Stevenson.”

$7500.00