The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-20
A NOVEL, EXPEDITION


An expedition Of an unusual character, and high
lv interesting in 4 commercial p int OF view is about
to leave our shores number OF respectable per
sons Of various industrial pursuits, accompanied by
their families design to sail shortly for an island in
Central 0ceanica, one of the Papuau groupe, with
the avowed object OF establishing colonial settle
mcnt for the cultivation of sugarcane cotton coffee
and other tropical products, with the abundant and
cheap free labor to be obtained from portions of the
Malay Archpeiae0 also to establish free port for
the exchange of products with the people of the
rounding islands, which shall become an entrepOt Of
trade with China and Australia, and available
coaling station and for the supply and refttng of
whaling ships in the Pacific waters.
The objects embraced in this scheme of colonial
tion and trade have within the last two years en-
gagged the attention and received the appreciation
ct several departments Of our national gOvernn9nt
and Of commercial bodies in different parts of the
country. The House of Representatives, in re
port, No. 30I thirtyourth Congress, first section
recommends that we ''opeD the trade of the Malay
Archipelago at points where Holland fails to make
good her pTetensions to an exclusive intercourse,
and suggests that "priyate enterprise will be abun-
dantly sufficient to accomplish this end if protect
ed by the governments and says, furthermore, in
this connection: Let that surplus of energetic force
which frequently manlests itself bv restlessness at
hOme in adventurous and illdevised enterprises,
be turned into this opuent channel, and it will be-
come source of strength at home and theme OF
admiration abroad" The Boston Board of Trade
reviewing this report, in memorial addressed to
upon the attention of Congress the propriety and
Importance Of despatchng Gan envoy to negotiate
treaties of amity and commerce with any indepen-
dent tribes States of the Archipelago which may
be found there of sufficient power and Importance
to warrant so doing"
1t is not the policy of our Government to take
the initiative in enterprises of this character but
is ready to protect the enterprises of private
citizens in remote lands with which we have had no
previous intercourse by the establishment of diplo
matte and consular agencies; and we are informed
that the promoters of this American enter
prise in the South Pacific have been assured by the
Executive that the expedition shall be protected by
an official appointment.
The scheme now presented is a novel one, and
may appear somewhat romantic in some Of its as
poets, but we are assured that it is the result of
much careful personal observation at the point of
settlement, and that it has been carefully matured
Our present relations with China which obtains
from the Malay and Papuan islands the greater
portion of the staples employed in her arts and
manufactures, render the establishment of free
entrepot in the eastern portion of the Malay Archi
pelago, under American auspices, and to become
in measure an American Singapore, event of
signal Importance to our Eastern and Pacific COM
merce.-Journal of Commerce.