Miscellaneous

Lot 3902    SESSION 19 (4.30PM FRIDAY 1ST APRIL)    Miscellaneous

Estimate $1,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,400

LETTER HANDWRITTEN BY FAMOUS AUTHOR ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, c1894, one and a half pages on a plain, standard size folded-over page, written to his mother following a trip to the Manu'a Islands where he met the Queen, signed, 'R.L.Stevenson'. Much foxing as to be expected from this period and from this location, otherwise fine.

Together with business card from Tyrrell's Antiques - Books - Curios, at 281 George Street, Sydney, on the reverse is written 'Robert Louis Stevenson to his Mother'. This business is where the letter was originally sourced. James Tyrrell died in 1961. The family continued the city store until relocating to Crows Nest in 1971.

The letter reads as follows (note that some words are difficult to read).
'I went to Manu'a on the Curacoa and had a splendid excursion. Manu'a is very interesting, and a pretty place. The Curacoas and I enjoyed it all extremely. I saw Metu (?) there in a white lava-lava, such a big, little man! His wife Tainlu (?) - you remember her - wept on beholding the countenance of Tusitala. The Queen lives in a little European house on the beach and never goes out of it without a man blowing a (?) before her! She says it is mighty dull; but it is pretty to see all these long legged native chiefs presided (? ?) a little half-caste girl in a pink dress. No word of the furniture yet! Tell Graham we are all ready to eat him when he comes. Lord. Lord, what a volley of talking (?) is going to be in the lordy halls of Vailima.
Salute the Sharpes for me.
Ever your affectionate son.
R.L.Stevenson'

Tusitala (Teller of Tales) was the name given to Robert Louis Stevenson by the Samoans. In 1894, the same year that he died, he visited the Manu'a Islands for two days on board the British ship, HMS Curacoa. While there he stayed in a guest house belonging to Queen Matelita and he also met the Queen at her residence on Ta'u. He related that whenever she leaves the house an able-bodied native must walk in front of her and blow the conch shell continuously until she enters another house. She died on 29 October 1895 at the age of 22. This was nearly a year after Stevenson died on 3 December 1894 at the age of 44. His residence at Vailima, Samoa is now the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.