Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-11-18
United States and Sandwich Islands.

We publish to-day two important official
documents made public in the PolYCsian.
0lonolulu,) numbers Of which to Sept. 10th.
have been received The pcrusal will in
tcrcst our readers.
The Sandwich Islands, lying in north lati
tudc 90 and about 1900 miles west Of San
Francisco, have geographical surface nearly
equal to that of Vermont, half or more e.
tanning to Hawaii Gin our early school books
il was spelled owhyhcc) but the chief port
is Honolulu on the island of Oahu
As all our readers know, within the last
20 years, from about the time when American
Missions were established there, these islands
have gradually assumed II position Of great
importance in the commercial world. Changed
to great extent from the character and
habits of savHgrS to those of II christian and
civilized people by the good influences brought
to bear on them by men and means sent there
from the United States, her people and rulers
naturally look to this country for protection
and aid. wien they find themselves exposed to
the rapacity of other powers, of whose good
will towards all that to them has become
most valuable they have a right to be sus.
picious.
\ large foreign population has gradually
accumulated there, and from thos, natura
and moral influences which have ever cause,
the colorcd savage races to gradually diSlp
pear from the presence of civilized whites til,
number Of the native population has under
gone great rcduction,- and it is quite likcl,
that half century hence will find a lars
majority Of the inhabitants to be of forcigI
lareutaEc.
The native ralcrs lave been obliged in grca
measure to depend upon foreigners to FIJI som
of their most important positions in tn
management of their State affairs and nue.
, jealousy has been felt that 50 large a numbe
of those positions were occupied by Amer
leans.
The efforts to weaken their influence b
those whose national partalitics were di
/ fcrcnt, and by those who had personal ends t
S gain, (those ends not being always consistcr
5 with the moral and physical prosperity Of I'll
! islandcrS) have been unceasing. 1t is prob;
bic that such influences had something to d
with the cSiguations of McsSrs. Armstrol
and Judd as members of the Royal cabinc
e But most certainly no gain has occurred
II those who may have hoped to turn any di
e satisfaction with those gentlemen to the
lc own account with the government. iIo
is Elisha II. Allen WHO took seat in the cal
re net on the 9th SCI as Minister of Financ
ne was the |, 5, Consul there for the late Il
r. mlniStration IN this country; and tru
hearted and more upright and honorable mi
ne could not have been found for the position
I'd That he fayors the Union of the Sandwi,
e. Island, with the United States, under .
50 government, we think quite likely bccau
ig he has had the best opportunity of sect
n that in no other way can the true interests
- the inhabitants be secured to them. III
We France will seize the islands if she can &c
~ chance is very well known from the mo-
ments in that direction, already mat
nd which have been foilcd only by Americ
&c vigilance and resolution.