The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-26 00:00:00

It is now just seventy-three years since Captain
COOKE discovered the Sandwich Islands, at that time
inhabited by a race of ferocious savages, who, if not
absolutely cannibals, were at all events in the almost
constant habit of perpetrating human sacrifices, and
whose government was that which universally pre-
vails among all uncivilised nations, namely, absolute
authority on the part of the chiefs, and unresisting
submission on the part of the people. Hawaii, the
chief island of the group, was the scene of the mur-
der of Captain COOKE by the savage denizens of the
island, and a quarrel for the possession of a few goats,
which the discoverers of the island had left behind
them, gave rise to a fierce and long-continued
war between two neighbouring tribes, in the
course of which the goats were all de-
stroyed, a fortunate circumstance for the
belligerents, as it prevented their own extermina-
tion, an event of by no means improbable occurrence
had the war continued for a short time longer. Such
was the state of affairs in the Island of Hawaii in 1778.
What is the present state of that island and its in-
habitants ? Let the following extracts from the New
York journals just received per the Niagara answer
the question :

" Our Honolulu papers are to the 31st of May.
" The two Houses of Parliament were formally opened
by the King in person on the 6th of May, at the large
stone church in Honolulu. Referring to the relations of
the Sandwich Islands Government with France, the
King said that the diplomatic relations had not been
fully restored. He (the King) bad referred certain
claims fur indemnity to the Pre,sident of the French Re-
public, and he hoped that the French President would
issue such instructions as would put an end to an attitude
of hostility on the part of France, which the King )110
not sought and had not retaliated. 'My trienoly re•
lations with Great Britain' are uninterrupted, and
wi;h the United States, ' continue of the moll
friendly kind.' With all other states my relations
are friendly.' After reference to certain treaties and
other matters, the King recommends increased attention
to agriculture, the markets of California. Oregon, Van-
couver's affording a profitable outlet for more
than the island produce. Sanitary regulations are re-
commended in view of the revival of the cholera in ports
trading with the Sandwich Islands; and the revenue is
declared to be, though small, more than sufficient for ,
the wants of the Government, and it leaves a surplus '
for purposes of internal improvement.
" The speech was delivered i❑ the Hawaiian language,
and wterwards read in English fur the benefit 01 the
foreig❑ Ministers present."
A reader ignorant of the circumstances might be
well excused it, on reading the above, he were to in-
dulge in the usual lamentations of platform orators over
extinct races of interesting savages, for he might not un-
naturally be led to the conclusion that the aborigines
had been extirpated, and that the island had been re-
peopled by Englishmen who had, as usual, organised
for themselves a system of self-government in strict
conformity with that which they had enjoyed in their
own country. What would be the surprise of such a
person when he learned that this constitutional KING,
who formally opens the two Houses of Parliament by
a speech from the throne, after the most approved
fashion of the best constitutional Governments, that
the Members of these two Houses of Parliament, and
the constituencies who elect these Members are all
descendants, the grandchildren, the children of
the savages of 1778 ?—nay, it may well be that, in some
instances, they may he the very savages of 1778
themselves. The island is healthy, the race is long-
lived, and any inhabitant of Hawaii who is
now eighty years of age must have witnessed
the progress of his nation from the lowest depths of
barbarism to the highest pitch of civilization, from
cannibalism to constitutional government; the auto-
biography of such a man would be invaluable to
every student of political philosophy. The same
American journal gives us the following educational
and re venue statistics of the kingdom of the Sandwich
Islands

" There aro in the Sandwich Islands 441 Protestant
schools, with 12,949 scholars, and 102 Roman Catholic,
with 2,359 scholars: total number of schools, 543; of
scholars, 15,308. The amount paid for teachers' wages
in 185 0 was dolls. 20,630 58. The average yearly cost
of each school was dolls. 47 68; the average wages of each
teach( r, dolls. 37 99. The income of the island, tor the
year ending Marsh 31, 1851, was 330,546 dolls; the ex-
pendi,urP, 250 707 dolls. The revenue in 1843 amounted
to 44000 dolls.
How comes it that the state of the Sandwich Is-
lands presents such a gratifying contrast to that of
almost every other aboriginal race which has come in
contact with European civilization ? In considering
this sr thject the first point that strikes us, and, as it would
appear, the great distinctive point between the case of
the irihabittints of the Sandwich and that of every other
aboriginal race with which Europeans or their
descendants have come in contact, is, that whereas in
the case of other nations the white man has attempted
to colonize, in the case of the Sandwich Islands he
has made no such attempt, he has been content to
trade and to instruct, offering his trade and his in-
struction, not forcing them—thus, whilst to the
aboriginal races of other lands he has been known
only as the overbearing task-master, the despoiler of
heir' land, and, in too many instances, the destroyer
of their kin and race, to the Sandwich I-landers he
has been known as the guide, philosopher, and
friend ; they trusted him, and, in this instance at
least., he has never abused his trust, and he
has .had his reward, for to England, to Prance, to
Awe rica, their respective shares ol the commerce of the
kingdom of the Sandwich Islands is far more valuable
than could have been at the present moment the ab-
solute possession of these islands as a colony to either
of them- The present state of the Sandwich Islands,
as compared with that of colonized countries, should
cartairdy induce us carefully to review cur whole
system of colonial planting, with a view to deter-
mining whether it is wise or expedient to follow the
systel n any further. We have said it would be wise
to review our system of colonial planting, and we
have made use of the word planting advisedly. In
colonies already planted the policy as regards
the aborigines cannot be altered without risk-
ing the lives of our fellow-countrymen located
in tiuose distant lands, and therefore, however
prudent it might have been in the first instance to
have abstained from planting, yet the course once en-
tered. upon must be carried out, and it is too late now
to enter upon the consideration of the question.
Another most important question that suggests itself
to Vac, student of political philosophy, in comparing
the mlative state of the Sandwich Islands in 1778 and
ltheam
851:weith that of the civilized natives of Europe at
period, is the following:—How comes it that
the Siuldwich Islanders have within the course of 73
years d
solved the problem of constitutional govern-
ment,organized a constitution of King,
Lo rei3, arld Commons, .
mons,
,w.,_hjo.ll is not only ex-