The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-26

Inc COnsuls OF England ara FRANCE nave ON
cially protested against the annexation Of these
islands to the United States, and have charged
our American missionaries with an attempt to
effect this. Our Commissioner, the Hon. Luther
Severance, has replied to the protest with
proper spirit, has repealed the charge brought
against the missionaries and has boldly denied
the right Of any foreign government to prevent
negotiation which may aim at results deemed
desirable by the Hawaiian government and the
United States.
In political, as well as moral point of
view, these islands may justly be regarded by
us, at the present crisis, with peculiar interest
Frcm our Pacific border we are naturally look
ing out towards Asia There have long existed
powerful considerations for our directing COM
mercial enterprise to the alluring shores of that
continent with increased vgor. The declared
object Of our national expedition to Japan, and
the distinctly understood new duties that are
to deyolve upon our Minister to China, mark
an important epoch in our relations to taose
countries, aud are proemial to attractive and
perhaps stirring scenes, in which the Anglo
Saxon is to mingle, far more familiarity than he
has hitherto done, with the Mongul and the
Malay and to make these Oriental races feel
the power OF his world-pervading influence upon
human destiny.
The geographical position Of the Sandwich
Islands, the most northern of the Polynesian
groups, and one-third the way from California
to China and Australia, together with the desir-
able advantages they offer for harborage and
ship supplies to vessels in their transit to the
ocean far west" constitute them suitable
stopping place. which nature, in her kind pro-
vision for voyagers on the Pacific, has
admirably ordered and constructed as the
worlds depot. Once arrived at this snug
harbor, vessels westward bound may re-
ly with confidence upon the regular and
strong east trade winds to watt them
onward expeditiously. The speediest way to
India for vessels doubling the Cape is to sail
first for the Galapagos, and thence to the Sand
witch Islands, for the benefit of these winds. In
the southern half of the Pacific the trade winds
are irregular, but from the latitude of this
group of islands they are strong and steady.
John Quincy Adams, a few years ago, when
he was Chairman of the Committee of Foreign
Affairs. expressed the opinion that America is
united to the Hawaiian government by power
full and peculiarly interesting bond of national
fraternity. He was familiar with the fact that
American Christian missionaries were the means
of a social transformation, in the case of these
islanders, that is truly wonderful, and, in some
respects, unique in the worlds history. Within
the last forty years of his life he had seen race
Of rude savages and idolaters become civil
Lied people, claiming place among the indie
pendent nations Of Christendom 1T is" said
Mr.. Adams, !" subject Of cheering contempla-
tion to the friends of human Improvement and
virtue, that, by the mild and gentle influence
of Christian charity, dispensed by humble mis-
sionaries OF the gospel, unarmed with secular
power, within the last quarter Of a century, the
people of this group Of islands have been con-
verted from the lowest debasement of idolatry
to the blessings Of the Christian gospel united
under one balanced government rallied to the
fold of civilization by written language and
constitution, providing security for the rights
of persons property, and mind, and invested
with all the elements Of right and power which
can eDtitle them to be acknowledged by their
brethren Of the human race as separate and
independent community To the consumma-
ton OF their acknowledgment, the people of the
North American Union are urged by an interest
of their own, deeper than that Of any other por-
ton of the inhabitants of the earth, by vir-
tual right of conquest, not over the freedom Of
their brother man by the brutal arm Of phys-
cal power, but over the mind and heart, by the
celestial panoply of the gospel of peace and
love-"
In the history Of progress the case of this
people is remarkable moral and social phe-
nomenon. A part only Of the islands was first
known to Europe, through the discoveries of
Captain Cook, in the year 177S, just three
quarters of century since. Subsequent to
that time much additional information has
been obtained, aid new discoveries been made
by the successive visits of Portlock, Dixon, La
Perouse, and Vancouver Sixty years ago our
American whalers in the South Seas first made
Hawaii one Of their trysting places and then
the fur traders, on their way from our North
west coast to China, awaited themselves of the
singular advantages of this stopping-place on
the ocean highway.
On the tropical circle, in the same latitude
as Cuba, plentifully yielding taro camotes,
yams, oheas, cocoanuts breadfuit, bananas,
strawberries, and cape gooseberries, and other
delicious fruits, such as oranges, mangoes,
citrons, grapes, watermelons, pineapples, pome-
granates, and sugar cane-its waters abound
ing in fish, one Of its rivers supplying valua-
bic pearls, its lakes furnishing rich supplies Of
salt, and its forests affording for export the
precious sandal-wood, so much used for rei-
gious purposes by the Chinese-these happy
islands soon allured the appetite Of luxury
and the adventures of commercial enterprise
The cluster, which consists of thirteen
islands, five of which are inconsiderable, is the
most northern of the numerous island families