Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1851-05-17

foreign nations Ii is not believed that the
French Government will persist in Furnishing rs
crime of this Government what is only mis-
apprehension OF its Own.
The misunderstanding of the French Cow
ernment upon the subject of language Is, VI pos
sible, greater. Had the Hawaiian Islands been
discovered by the celebrated La Perause, and
had French ships and merchants exclusitelF
visited and conducted the trade of the Islands
for many years, afterwards, the French lam
guage would have been, in all probability, az
current in the Islands, as the English has been,-
in alt Operations of trade for the lhst fifty
years. But Providence otherwise ofGnedsshe
Islands were discovered by.t famous Cook,
nearly rs years ago up to the visit OF Van,
lccuSer, "a years afterwards, the English ansF
Americans the only foreigners EaYIDg re-
atons with The Islands it Continued for
many succeeding years, during the existehce OF
the fur trade on the Northwest Cousf ! the
| Islands afterwards became the resort of Amer
lean and English whale ships, and from alf
these natural causes, the English language had
gained such an ascendency that both the Span
tard Don Francisco de Paula Marin, ard the
Frenchman, NJ. Jean b. Rives, the earliest reg
uar interpreters employed by kamehameha'
the I, and Kamehameha the II, had to exercise
their functions through the medium Ofthat LAM
guase.
On the other hand the relations Of France with
these Islands, are comparatively OF but recent
date. In 1929 two French vessels touched at
Honolulu in 1888 three in 1910 two; in iS4f
| one in 1912, FIVE; and in 1S4S, fourteen. IL
does not appear that any arrived during the
wears 1S24-5-6-7 and 1928, excepting the
French ship COMET, in 1927, which hal discharg-
| ed her cargo in Mazailan, and came to the Is
lands only 10 land the first Roman Catholic Mis-
sonares. Now by referring to page o. OF the
appendix, you will find that during The same pc
Rod, that is, from 1924 to 1S4S inclusive, 1877
American vessels, and 3O3 British had arrived.
Since then things have not materially changed.
Thus, in 1S49, while we had during the year,
26l American whalers, and 60 American Mer.
chant vessels, one British whaler, and As British
merchant vessels, we had only seven French'
whalers and three merchant vessels. Again, IN
| 1850, while we had Oil American whalers and
277 American merchant vessels, and two British
whalers and l24 British merchant vessels, we
had IA French whalers, and only French mer-
Giant vessels.
1 Nor has France, relatively, larger share in
| goods imported into the Islands. Thus, in 1849,
while the importations from the United States
| Exclusive of SlSI $685. SO importatons from.
California; amounted to sass, ,246,42, and the
| importaions from Great Britain and her colonies
to S97 ,S99, 10, those from France amounted on
ly to s2S,455,7s. In 1850, The importations from
The United States exclusive Of $S05; 1913 % 'm-
portations from California; amounted to $2SS,
/ OS7 40, and the mportations from Great Britain
| and her colonies to S176, ,769 80, while the inn
porta,ions from France amounted only TO ST.
6S3 ,4s.
| Nationally speaking, now that California be-
longs to the United States, the impOrtations from
| California ports, ought to have been aided to
/ those from American ports; but, under the ex-
raor,Iinary aff1ux of vessels from all quarters Of
the world to California, the shipments from
thence have so much consisted OF the nIanutac-
tures and produce of Eng land Sydney, New Zea-.
land, China, Manila Chill, &c., that il is dlffi.
cult, in inportations from California, to form "a
distinction between such goods and those really
of American production.
| For the same reason the imports from Tahiti,
(which, in Is49, were SIS, SAG, 81, and in 1850,
SI9. .2sS, 90, are not added to the importati0nss
| from France. French goods form very incon-
siderable proportion in the importations from
Tahiti, and other Society Islands, and what
I goods are imported from thence, come in very
4 small proportion under the French flag. Thus,
in 1S49, we had 10 vessels from the Society ls--
lands under their various Island flags, one under
the French flag, and one under the American,
the British the Danish, the Chian, and the
/ Hawaiian, respectively.
i Nor is it otherwise with the relative propor-
tions ofFrencbmen, Englishmen and Americans,
who reside on the Islands. Up 80 the 2lst of.
March, in the register of the certificates Of na-
tionality, only II Frenchmen appear, against
ilS citizens ofth United States, and 80 subjects
of Great Britain. In the register OF fnatnraliza-
tions from the 29th C? March, IS43, to the 18th
of March, 1851, only % natives Of France
found enrolled against 428 natives of the United
States, and 204 natives Of Great Britain and hes
colonies.
So far as language goes, the United States and.
Great Britain are to be taken together. In tina
sense, the English language may be said to rep
resent s45 persons on the Islands, and the French
sS-short Of a proportion Of per. cent.
i In the trade Of the Islands, Hs the same sense.
taking last year as basis of calculation, and
leaving out inportaiions from California, entire.
Iy, the English language represents an nmoui,t
Of $46l ,807, and the French an amount Of Sk-
l6SS, short of a proportion Of 2 per cent.
i Owing to the natural and inevitable result OF
the circumstances before mentioned, the English
language is SO Indispensable to the transaction OF
all matters Of business in the Islands, that Ch,-
Il nese, Chilians, Columhians, Danes, sGerinaAss
Hawaiians, Italians. Japanese, Mexicans, all
! Polynesians, Portuguese, Prussians, Russians,
Spauiards, Swe.ies, and even the French theri-
selves. speak it, advertise their goods and wares
and send in their invoices, bills, &c., in that Ian
, euaee. There is not one of you TO whom ali OF
this Is NOT notorious, bur nothing Of this kind
seems to be known or believed in France. She
. considers that under the second article OF the
treaty ofthe 96th Of March, 1916, she has rie'lt
thai her language should be AZ current here. As
q the English, and hence the 9Th Article Of tha-
. Declaration signed by NJ. Perrin ard me, On the
, 25,h Of March, published 10 the PoIynssisn on.
the goth.
could not 60 further to please Fr1nce With
: out subiecsing the King to an achievement which
: omnipotence only could perform, fog ndtnin&
: short of such snperhuman power could place the
tl French language upon Pdv with the Enghsns
= in CURRENCY and usefulness, eUen to ireneAmen,
= Is things now are, and they are likely 70 be,
e on these Islands, for many years to come.
MI Il may appear to you strange, that great and
" enliehtenei nation like France, should % insist
4 upon thing, in itself little, mpractcahfe,
!. and even contrary to the interests Of her own
!, citizens doing business ia these Islands. phe-
= no,nenon SO remarkable, aud international reia-
tions so unusual, can only be explained ny sup.
i posing belief in Paris, that the number apd