New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-11-20

An expedition of an unusual character, and highly
interesting in commercial point Of view is about to
leave our shores. a number of respectable persons
Of various industrial pursuits, accompanied by their
families, design to sail shortly for island in Cen
trail OCeaniCa, one of the Papuan groupe, with the
ayowed object Of establishing colonial settlement
for the cultivation Of sugar cane, cotton coffee, and
other tropical products, with the abundant and
cheap free labor to be obtained from portions Of the
Malay Archipelago; also to establish a free port for
the exchange Of products with the people Of the sur
rounding islands, which shall become eutrepOt of
trade with China and Australia, and available as q
Coang station and for the supply and Teiltting OF
whaling ships in the Pacific waters.
The objects embraced in this scheme Of COLOMBIA
ton and trade have within the last two years engaged
the attention and received the appreciation of several
departments of our national Government and Of COM
merCial bodies in different parts OF the country. The
House of Representatives, in report No. 307, Saith
Congress, LIST session, recommends that we open
the trade of the Mayay Archipelago at points where
Holland fails to make good her pretensions to an eX-
elusive intercourse, aud suggests that " private en-
terprise will he abundantly sufficient to accomplish
this end " if protected by the Government and says
furthermore in this connection Let that surplus
of energetic force which frequently manifests itsel
by restlessness at hOme or in adventurous and i'll
devised enterprises, be turned into this opulent chan
mel and it will become source of strength at hOmt
and theme OF admiration Abroad The Boston
Board Of Trade, reviewing this report in q memorial
addressed to Congress, published by the BOard il
|
prety and importance Of dispatching . an envoy t.
negotiate treaties Of amity and commerce with am
independent tribes OF States of the Archipelago
which may be found there of sufficient power and i'm
pOranCe to warrant SO doing
1t is not the policy of our Government to take the
initiative in enterprises OF this character, but it j,
ever ready to protect the enterprises of private cti
zens in remote lands with which we have had no pre-
yous intercourse by the establishment Of diplomatic
and consular agencies and we are informed that the
promoters of this new American enterprise in tbs
Sonth Pacific have been assured by the Executive
that the expedition shall be protected by ofcia
appointment.
The scheme now presented is q novel one, and may
appear somewhat romantic in some Of its aspects
but we are assured that it is the result OF much care
ul personal observation at the point of settlement
and that it has been carefully matured. Our presen
relations with China which obtains from the MALAY
and Papuan Islands the greater portion of the raw
staples employed in herarts and manufactures, rende
the establishment OF a free entrepot in the eastern
portion Of the Malay Archipelago, under American
auspices, and to become in u measure an American
Singapore, an event Of signal Importance to ou
Eastern and Pacific commerce. Jour, of Commerce