Samoa is about to host many Scottish people at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia. It was great to see King Charles III’s photograph wearing a kilt in Observer.

Congratulations firstly to our Government for securing the hosting rights and we believe the returns to our small Island nation fully justify any expenses this great occasion will cost us.

I refer in my Memoir “Tautua” to my great grandfather Harry Jay (HJ) Moors who authored a book “With Stevenson In Samoa” published in 1910.

Our Telefoni Retzlaff Memorial Trust is working on providing a more accessible paperback edition of HJ Moors’ book.

Unfortunately, this will not be ready for CHOGM but we are intending to have this printed before Christmas and we will be making it available through the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum and SSAB outlets. An ebook will be available through Amazon as well.

What we are able to do is provide the Cover Design and the Introduction and Preface which have been written by two of HJ Moors’ great grandchildren- the Sa’o of our Sā Ta’isi Family- His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi, and myself.

I am attaching this Introduction and Preface for your readers and they indicate a broad-based depiction of what we are trying to achieve.

It has now been many years since I was privileged to write Sunday columns for Samoa Observer many of which now form part of my Memoirs “Tautua”, which was reprinted in July 2024.

“With Stevenson in Samoa” by Harry J. Moors

Introduction

I was invited to deliver a Speech on 3 December 1998 as Guest Lecturer at the Annual Robert Louis Stevenson (Tusitala) Memorial Service commemorating the date that he passed away.

That Speech is reprinted in this volume of my Great Grandfather HJ Moors’ Book.

I refer to my Great Grandfather in my Memoir “Tautua” (p. 9) and again in more detail about his special relationship with Tusitala and the great work carried out by the original trustees of the Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) Museum who have both sadly passed away: Tilafaiga Rex Maughan and Jim Winegar (pages 91-94 Tautua).

It is only now that I have had an opportunity to properly study this book that our Telefoni Retzlaff Memorial Trust has undertaken to get “With Stevenson in Samoa” reprinted in a more accessible paperback edition.

The book stays focused on RLS (Tusitala) rather than the author, which is a real credit to HJ Moors. Many of these biographies about famous people get lost in the author’s own efforts to plant their own story in the guise of writing about a “famous friend.” My Grandpa HJ Moors did not fall into that trap.

Chapter VIII is particularly interesting as they discuss Tusitala’s many books and Grandpa Moors makes poignant and erudite observations. What is interesting is how many of these Tusitala agrees with.

“Once he asked me how I liked Treasure Island”, and I told him I considered it a splendid story, though I did not think the conclusion was of the same high standard as the rest of the book. “Moors” he said, if you only knew how hard up I was at that time and how I had to hurry to finish the story, you would excuse those last chapters. I agree with you, and many of my friends take the same view.” (P 96-97 Original edition Published by Small Maynard & Co Publishers).

This is but one of many examples of their conversations which establish two important points: they were not only close friends but HJ Moors had studied in detail all if not most of Tusitala’s novels and other writings.

Another important and significant chapter is XVIII (Death and Burial) Moors states categorically (p 206):   

“Stevenson had wished to be buried on the summit of the mountain, and his wish was respected”

He includes a photograph of Stevenson’s tomb (p 214-215) and the Requiem Poem (p 213) and then refers to the Samoan on the tomb in these words:

“On the other side, facing the West, are the words “The tomb of Tusitala, written in Samoan, followed by Ruth’s speech to Naomi.

“Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge, and thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried.”

Ruth 1:17 is obviously the passage that Moors is quoting as confirmation (in Samoan) of Tusitala’s wish to be buried on top of Mount Vaea.

After his passing, HJ Moors continued to take a caring and concerned attitude towards Tusitala’s estate, and his final chapter (Ch XIX) is an appeal that there be a permanent and lasting monument to this great man of letters who had chosen Samoa not only as his home, but to live out his last days and die and be buried here.

It can finally be said that Tusitala took a keen interest in all things Samoan including Samoan politics as evidenced by his treatise “A Footnote to History” which HJ Moors laments he was not able to fully complete at the time of his death. It is fascinating to me that between the two of them, they even chose their favourite as the leader of our People, even though the authorities at the time chose another.

I would invite all and any readers to enjoy HJ Moors book “With Stevenson in Samoa”. Not just for its in depth study of one of the greatest Men of Letters in the English Language, but of one of his greatest friends and confidants that I am proud to call my Great Grandpa HJ Moors.

Tugaga Misa Telefoni, (Grandson of Rosabel Moors – Nelson), (Great Grandson of HJ Moors)

Preface

His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi

I am grateful, as another great Grandson of HJ Moors that my cousin Tugaga Misa Telefoni has chosen to try to publish this paperback edition of “With Stevenson In Samoa” before the Commonwealth Heads Of Governments Meetings (CHOGOM) in Samoa on 20th October 2024.

Robert Louis Stevenson (Tusitala) is one of the greatest Men of Letters ever. The fact that he chose Samoa to live to improve his longevity as he was certainly tubercular and suffered from consumption, is not only a great tribute to our country, but a great tribute to the determination of our Great Grandpa HJ Moors to ensure that Samoa was the place “where he longed to be” and the “sailor was home from sea”. These are direct quotes from Tusitala’s famous “Requiem” poem which is engraved on his tomb on the top of Mount Vaea.

Did Tusitala write the “Requiem” to ensure that the world and especially all his Scottish country men would know that Samoa was his chosen and permanent burial place?

We Samoans believe he did. We know this belief is controversial but we believe in its truth and the “Requiem” is on his tombstone and confirms this fact for all who might view his grave.

In December 1894, Tusitala would have concluded given the distance and the state of transport those days, that he would be buried in Samoa.

Common sense leads to this one conclusion, but there is no greater proof of this fact than in Moors Chapter XVIII – “Death and Burial”. This chapter in Moors’ book sets out both the proof and establishes the truth of this indelible fact.

Both Tugaga (Misa) and I like to write. Did we inherit our writing ability and oratorical skills from our Great Grandpa HJ Moors?

You be the judge?

“With Stevenson in Samoa” is a great book and deserves its place in Tusitala’s archive of great reference books.

We thank the Telefoni Retzlaff Memorial Trust for putting out this accessible copy of the book and we thank you the readers for your continued interest in Tusitala, and now of course, his great friend and colleague H J Moors.

Alofas and Blessings to you All,

His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi. (Grandson of Rosabel Moors – Nelson) (Great Grandson of HJ Moors)