New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-18

WIN e0e ulocVvSsy
California and The prospects Of dircc' COM
,,u,;..t;ar " irh tho Asian Continent across
a.. p..;fc the Sandwich Islands assume
~ ;mportance. They are destined
.,..,lv 20 be mainly subject to American
;.euence, both from their neighborhood 10
.uv shores and because they must serve as
.he h.If.wey station for the Pacific trade.
discovered 70 years ago, the only foreign
ere communicating with them for many
years afterward were Americans and Eng
iish. In 1919 Paganism was abolished; In
1s43 the independence of the Islands was
acknowledged by England and the United
Ststes, and by the entrance Of accom-
plished Americans and Englishmen upon
the management Of affairs, the Sandwich
Islands have made more rapid progress IN
civilization than was ever the lot of any
country before it had been century eman-
cipated from barbarism. Of the rare charm
of climate peculiar to this Archipelago~o
its wonderful vegetation-of its tropical
character, mingled with the heaitainess OF
the temperate zone-travelers and poets
tell bat one tale.
The United States, England and France
have long enjoyed political relations with
the Islands. Of these three powers, each
one is essential to the prosperity ofthe Ha-
vaiian Kingdom. Il has, therefore, been
q cardinal point Of the foreign policy Of the
Government not to favor any one OF the
three TO the exclusion Of the others.
France, however, whose conduct toward
small and unimportant States is not of that
character which the chivahy of French
men implies, took occasion, some two or
three years since, to accuse the King OF
the Islands of violating treaty, to its dstrl-
mept, and French Admiral proceeded to
lombard Honolulu. This event was .
serious blow to the settlement. 1t was
question very i'll understood at the time
both in Europe and America. While the
continent was rocking, small Pacific islands
might disappear, UNDECIDED. But, to those
Islands themselves, the question of their
political existence was the first and gfavest
consideration, and in view Of the increasing
interest which the United States must al
ways maintain in them, we have recently
read with care the documents relating to this
French quarrel. Ofcourse diplomatic cor
respondence is the very last place to look for
information but in this question there is
no other source of intelligence, and from the
mass Of assumption, bravado, direct asser-
zion and contradiction we have extricated
what appears to be the truth of the matter.
This tells, however, so entirely in favor OF
Of the Islands-Fsance is so manifestly
wrong throughout her Ambassador, M.
Perrin, is SO conclusively worsted by Mr..
Wylie, the Foreign Minister of the Islands,
that we were disposed tolmagine there was
something we had not seen, until we OBJ
served that the documents were complete,
and that M. Perrin had returned to France
Tor further instructions. The facts are
these:
France has had much less intercourse
with these Islands than either of the other
Powers. In 1929 two French vessels
touched at Honolulu in 1888 three, in 1910
two in ls4l, one in 1912, five, and in lS43,
fourteen. During 1924, IS, g, Y and 9, ne
French ship arrived except one in 1897
which landed Missionaries.
In this same time, between 1924 to ls43 In.
elusive 1877 American vessels and 30S Brit
ish had arrived. In 1850, while there were
ell American whalers, and CIT American
merchant vessels, there were but Ia French
whalers and French merchant vessels
These are facts which, in connection witt
the circumstances of the discovery and SET
element readily explain why the French
language was little understood in the Islands
and could not be the official tongue Of the
Kingdom. The English language represents
e45 persons on the islands. the French 33
Less than four per cent. The result is tina
all foreigners trading there are compelled
to adopt the English language as common
medium, yet it is one of the complaints o
France,--of which the statements its owl
refdtal, - that the French language is no
80 current in the Sandwich Islands as thu
English complaint as sensible as tina
the Islands lie just south and not just norsl
e the Tiopic Of Cancer.
The grievances Of France were origi
ably ten, as stated by the French agen
at out TO discuss them. But before tn.
vigorous logic and inaexible facts of Mr.