The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-09-23
new Treaty besvvecn France nnd Hnw"n'
In a French point ~ View.


Mr.. EDITOR The opinion which am gong .
express is entirely Independent of the po'em'c OF tn
two political papers of Honolulu on the sames uD)ecs
much less will it be the echo of the ideas Of the frenc'
Consul that has acted rs Commissioners. onstne Par
! of my government. during the eight years hDort na
brought forth that undigested sample of dipsomeey'
The first regular agent Of France IN these lslanus
having acted under the impression OF the nxeo ioe'
that the high duties upon brandy IN this arcnsPe'aes
we're very injurious to the interest OF frencn com
merce, his reports to his government have natura'y
led the latter to adopt his views on that question: anu
to make them the sine qua non OF a good understand
ing with Hawaii; the successor OF that agent, tue
present Consul, arrived here with intructions oased
upon the admission Of that condition, In principie'
During his long schooling here. one should have ex-
pected that Mr.. Perrin would have acquired the
knowledge of the following facts: That the brandies
consumed here are chiefly artificial compositions
manufactured in England, in Germany, and In the
United States of America; that brandy Is not I'M
ported by the French; that a degenerated taste In
these islands is unfavorable to the genuine French
brandy; and above all, that the high duty upon all
sorts of alcoholic liquors has not worked to the detri-
ment of the consumption of brandy, in favor OF other
LIQUORS which are submitted to the same duty. Had
he observed and represented to his government these
different phases of the case. one could scarcely imag-
inc that, after such a disclosure, the French govern
ment would have continued to insist upon a reduction
that will not in the least benefit France.
The great distance that separates France from Ha-
wall, the humble station of this microscopic kingdom,
in the INST of monarchies, have abandoned to a repre-
senting agent the care of providing Paris with the
bulletin of the state of things in these islands; conse-
quently, the information of the French government
depends. in correctness. upon the capacities and verac-
ity of the Judging agent. 1t is deplorable that in such
cases, an intermediary deficiency should load the head
with solidarity for the errors of the ~extremities.
For this illusory conquest on the duty upon brandy,
the former treaty becoming void, the French Commits
sioner comedies to Hawaii its full liberty of action, in
regard to a new tariff, by which the articles consid-
cred as more or less luxurious, will be raised in duty
three or four times above what they were before.
French manufacture being at the head of the produc-
ton for luxury, it follows that the new tariff will ma
terially affect French produce. Thus our advocate of
French interest here let's go the flesh to catch the
shadow.
A great concession however seems to make up for
whatever might not be satisfactory in other respects;
I will speak Of the article headed by the cabalstic
No. 8. Henceforth Frenchmen will have the right to
present 10 the HaWaflau aut0OI1titSu ocuucntS u
up in their own language, with an annexed transla-
ton, of course; which advantage, as far as | am able
to understand it, consists in the necessity of pro-
ducing a paper in two languages, instead of one.
Mr.. Perrin is the man to revise his translation and
deliver a certificate of such approval; a very wise
provision, as long as the French Consulate will be
managed by such a competent philologist. The addi-
tional article informs US that this confusion Of Ian
- e - I-.z- -.,-.-o
but if every most favored nation should hereafter.
claim the same privilege, the custom house will be
converted into a tower of Babel, until, by act of par
lament. the Hawaiian language will be condemned,
as inadequate to the exigencies of civilization, and re-
placed by the English, spoken by almost the general
ity of foreign inhabitants. and the ruling language in
all courts of justice aud governmental offices.
d. Prick, L i. D.
Honolulu. Sept. 20, 1858.