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numerous places, many packages of the 'Richmond's' cargo, damaging and injuring many of the commodities a-ttd the packages which enclosed them. I stayed some time watching these operations, but was unable forcibly to resist them. All this time an armed German guard-boat also kept watch near the ' Eichmond.' About 4.30 p.m., whilst the search was going on, the German Captain-Commandant Fritze came on board the 'Richmond' and gave some instructions to the German naval officer who was directing the search. The Germans continued their search on board the ' Richmond ' until 5 p.m., when it was time for us to put on the hatches. They found nothing which they alleged to be contraband of war. All this time the ' Richmond' had the British flag flying. After this nothing else remarkable transpired until the following day, Sunday, the 20th of .January, when, in accordance with our custom, we gave the firemen and crew of the ' Richmond' liberty to go on shore for the purpose of bathing and washing their clothes. They left in the ship's boat at 9.30 a.m., but were immediately intercepted by the German guard-boat on watch over the ' Richmond ' and ordered to return to the ' Richmond.' I overheard the men expostulating with the German officer, and I also heard the officer tell them that if they wanted to land they would have to do so at the German wharf, pointing to it as he said so. They declined to do this, and accordingly returned to the ' Richmond,' and complained to Captain Hutton that they were not allowed to land. Thereupon Captain Hutton left the 'Richmond' with the intention of proceeding on board H.B.M.S. ' Royalist,' in order to protest to the captain of that vessel. The German guard-boat immediately got under way and gave chase. Captain Hutton, however, went alongside the American man-of-war ' Nipsio,' and the German guard-boat, having watched him for some time, returned to the usual station it had taken up near the ' Richmond.' Captain Hutton then proceeded to the ' Royalist' and, as I am informed and believe, had an interview with Captain Hand of that vessel. On the evening of the same day (Sunday) I went on shore to see the German Consul, and also the traders and consignees, and, having seen some of them, I succeeded in persuading many of them to submit to the goods being landed on the German wharf. In my interview with the German Consul I again complained of the delay he was causing us. He told me that Mr. Brandeis, who had reported that there was contraband of war on the ' Richmond,' was now in the Consulate and could be seen. lat once went in search of Mr. Brandeis, and, having found him, I asked him his reasons for making such a report. He replied that he knew for a fact that the -27,000 rounds of ammunition already referred to had been landed on our previous voyage ; but he added that he did not for a moment believe that either the master or the owners of the ' Richmond' knew anything of the matter, nor did he believe that they were aware that there was contraband of war on board the vessel. He had, however, he said, learned of this, and had therefore called upon the German authorities to prevent by every means in their power the landing of contraband of war. I asked him how he knew there were such articles on board as he alleged to be there. He replied that it had been reported to him, and that he knew everything that went on. This terminated the conversation, and I left, the time being between ten and eleven o'clock p.m. On returning to the ' Richmond,' the German guard-boat on the watch over her came alongside, and the officer in charge asked if I was taking anything on board, and generally looked over my boat. About six o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 21st January, an armed German boat, with, I think, twelve men on board, came to the ' Richmond' and boarded her. The officer in charge asked me to bring the captain. I accordingly called Captain Hutton. The German officer then asked to see all our passengers. Captain Hutton inquired his reason for such a demand, or something to that effect, and the German officer answered that he had instructions from the Commandant to arrest one of our passengers. We allowed the officer to see the passengers, and asked him if he saw amongst them the man whom he wanted to arrest. He answered ' No,' and then told me he would search the vessel for him. I replied that I had no power to prevent him. About this time one of the German crew called out from their boat alongside, ' Here is the man?' and the German officer, perceiving that I understood what the sailor had called out, said to me, ' Will you ask that man, whoever he is, to come up ? ' The bath-room had been indicated as the place where the man had been seen, and I went there, and finding in it an Englishman named Mr. Gelling, one of our passengers from Auckland, I told him that a German officer wanted to see him. In the meantime the officer had handed to Captain Hutton a warrant of arrest. Captain Hutton passed it on to me, and I then saw it was a warrant signed by. the German Commandant Fritze for the arrest of a passenger, name unknown, who could be identified by a witness as a man who had visited Mataafa's camp. Mr. Gelling came on deck, and the witness brought by the German party said, ' That is the man !' The officer then walked over to Mr. Gelling, put his hand on his shoulder, and told him that he arrested him for a breach of military law, and that he would be allowed a quarterof an hour to get dressed and his things together, when he and they would be taken off to the German warship ' Adler.' I protested against one of our passengers being forcibly removed from our vessel's deck. For answer, the German officer again exhibited his warrant, and said, ' I act by this authority. It is no use protesting or obstructing in any way; the man must go.' He then said to Mr. Gelling, ' Take all your clothes and other possessions with you, as you are not to return to the Richmond.' He added, ' I hope you will cause no trouble, in this, because I have sufficient men to force you to go.' Mr. Gelling, being thus arrested on board our ship by the Germans, went into the German man-of-war boat, and was taken away. On this, as on other days, as already mentioned, the ' Richmond ' was flying the British flag. This Mr. Gelling is a British subject, born in England. He is a quiet, inoffensive man. He is Town Clerk of the Borough of Hamilton, in W Taikato, in the Provincial District of Auckland, in the Colony of New Zealand, where, he resides. He had come with us on a holiday-trip, and had a return-ticket to Auckland. After our arrival at Samoa he had gone to see Mataafa's camp, merely, as I believe, out of curiosity. In fact, it had been arranged that on the following day quite a party of the ' Richmond's' passengers were to go out for the same purpose, under the guidance of the head bookkeeper of the German firm. After Mr. Gelling's arrest lat once went on board H.B.M.S. ' Royalist' and made a formal complaint to

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