The Polynesian., 1840-09-05

SanOWlcn ISLANDS, tnat II should be undo,
stood that his sovereignty was wrested from,
him by the strong arm of power, than. tbs,
"of his own free wil'' he has yielded IN h,
rights to any foreign monarch. A crisis !,
the Sandwich Islands history is doubles,
drawing nigh, when the government will hs |
sustained in the exercise of all its leri,im,,,
rights by a sense of justice in more powerG
nations, or it will pass into other hands. and
the chiefs become the pensioners of foreo,
government but whatever may be the fate
OF this nation, We shall always feel q de-,
interest IN It's prosperity, and think that should
it continue an indspcaIeM sorereign'v, not
only nomi"oHy, but reoiiy, it will be more for
the mutual interests of all concerned, than
that it should become an appendage of any
foreign power.
The foregoing general remarks upon the
Treaty, have been elected by the commup.
cations "A Merchant" and "A Resident
They have taken somewhat wider rance
than the nature Of those communications do.
manded, and we designed that they should
They have been such, as in our view, the|
nature ofthe case required. We may have
erred in judgment, "To err is human''-we|
think, however, we have shown at least thai
"a Merchant S" Interpretation of the Treau|
is correct-and that the differences which "A|
Resident" has drawn from such construc.|
ton are legitimate.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
SAMUEL N. CASTLE |
August 81, 1910.
rs. Since writing the "bove, we have
been informed that the French Consul had
stated that the Treaty was not designed t|
intcrdlct the Sandwich Islands government
from laying any impost they pleased upon al
French merchandise, brandy and ,cine er.
cepfed, which must not pay over per cent
ad valorem. This is so directly at war wit
the plain letter of the Treaty, that no man
could ever put such construction upon h
without manifest violence to the meaning ii
/ this is to be Judged of at all from the lanl
Su"SH' ~ 'i'iS diC Ho OtneT Tencn mef1
chandises, and no other French produce
known to be such, except wine and BRANDY
thea, indeed, this is the meaning, and ther
is no obscurty; but, if there is ana othc
article, known as French merchandise, the |
this cannot be prohibited, or duty exceed
ing 8 per cent imposed upon it, any NOR
than upon wine and brandy, this is meant
or nothing. "French merchandise, " an
"F'rench produce" particularly "wnes an
brandy we take to mean something beside |
wine and brandy; if it does not. then Amer
can merchandise particularly New Englan
Rum, means nothing but New Enelan |
Rum; thus sugar, cotton, rice, tobacco
wheat, corn, oats, rye, -four, cloths, print: |
soap, ashes, slaves, and many other things
mean neither more nor less than New En-
gland Rum. A sage conclusion this AID
one quite beyond our depth We leave those
to study it out, who have more time than We
can spare. Since, however, the French
Consul thinks that brandy and wine only are
meant by French merchandise, and the kin:
of the French, and the Duke of Orleans have
declared these so detrimental to French in i
terests, we trust he will lose 10 time in show
ing his devotion to French interests, by usinAf
all his influence to procure an immedlaI
Al