The weekly Placer herald., 1854-06-03

England respecting the Sandwich Islands
have been we'll known. In 1888 Captain
Meares, Of the English navy, did not hesi
safe to declare that the inhabitants of
those islands would, one day, be ranked
among British subjects. In the year lS4S,
| under the pretext of redress of grievances,
and the prosecution of existing claims,
Lord Paulet took possession OF these
islands. The energetic interposition of
our Government resulted in the disavowal
of the act by Lord Aberdeen, as com
muncated by the British Envoy, MIR Fox,
to- Mr.. Upshur, our SECRETARY of State;
and the British Commodore, Thomas,
hauled down the British flag in the sum
mer Of the same year, and restored King
Mehama the Third to all his functions.
The importance of the Sandwich Is
lands as intermediate points between the
Russian Asatic and Russian American
possessions attracted, in 1919, the a,ten-
ton of the Imperial Company Of st.
Petersburg. In that year, Baranoff, the
Governor of Russian America, founded
settlement at the port of Bodega, on the
California coast, and sent ship TO Homo
lulu to establish factory. In 1914 be re-
neWed his efforts to open Commercial re-
!atons, and repeatedly afterwards; but
his attempts were discouraged, and finally
proved abOrtve.
The port of San Francisco has ever
been regarded as the key to the northwest
coast of America and the Pacific ocean.
"Ihe future Of these islands," says 81
! profound observer once connected with
the French Legation in Mexico, ''is ulti-
| .,t If,I.t II
the nation which will become the mistress
Of the one ought to possess the other; they
seem, in fact, designed as IA ralIying point
for vesseIs Of every description that fur
row the Pacific ocean north OF the equator,
placed, as they are, between California,
the contested Territory Of Oregon, the
northwest coast, Russian America, and
the numerous archipeagoes of the great
ocean and Asia" These islands, it will
be remembered, lie IN direct line, or
nearly so, between San Francisco and
| Hong Kong, and in the Goth degree OF
north latitude, being the parallel OF the
| island Of Cuba.
During the last forty years, our Gov
ernment, refecting the public will, has
been alive 70 the importance OF CONNER
cial position and ascendency on the Pa
cic. So impressed with this fact was the
Spanish Minister at Washington, that in
a dispatch Of the lst April, 1912, to the
Viceroy of Mexico, he forewarned that
flnctionary to be on his guard and arm
the frontiers, as the Government OF
the United States proposed to Tx It's
limits at the mouth of the Rio Bravo
del Norte, and ascend to the 3l-t degrees
of latitude, and then draw the line direct
! to the Pacific, which won d bring Upper
| California into the American Union.
Duriug the presidency of General jack
son, MIR. Forsyth, in his dispatch of the
9th August, 1885, to the United States
Charge d'Affaires in Mexico instructed
him to treat for line that would give us
the harhor Of San Francisco, with an
offer of five millions for it; and Mr.. Cal
houn, ss Secretary of State, sent, IN 1o44,
4 secret messenger TO the President OF
Mexico, with an offer of ten millions for
this harbor. The sequel of public events
which led to our acquisitions on the Paclti
ere before the world.
! Recent negotiations foreshadow, and the
law OF political affinity seems to indicate
the period as not far distant, when Sonora
area Of over two hundred thousand
square miles, and two thousand nine hun
dred of sea coast around the peninsula
and along the main land, will be embrace
ed within the boundary Of the Union.
The obligation upon the political depart
meuts in the exercise of legislative powers
TO bind together this nat on, IS Il solemn ana
paramount obligation. This measure ap
| peals to us in this point Of view, and from
/ the responsibility Of neglect, indifference or
! delay, we cannot escape before the tribunal
| of public opinion.
| If California were some distant dreary re
eon like the Orkney or Shetland Islands, In
| the midst of the Northern ocean, or some
/ barren strip Of land, unfit for culture, and
shut out from commerce. still as part of the
! territory Of the Union, your political power
| must reach it,
The principle established by those who
founded and matured the institutions they
| have bequeathed to us as sacred trust, and
! for which they staked their fame forever
was that not an inch of territory of the Re
public should be dsinterregated or dssever
ed For this the mistress of the world bat
tied in the days Of her glory, and maintain
cd it until she sank under an accumula ton
of social disorders, and the wounds which
misgovernment had inflicted. 1t was to
maintain this principle that induced wash
ington amidst thickening misfortune to de-
clare that e,never would give up the contest
for the independence of the united Colonies, or
the territory they claimed. even if driven to
the businesses of the Allegheny mountains:
Ii there was nothing attractive IN our fa-