The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-11-24
A Novel Expedition.

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 an island
in Central Oceanica, one of the Papuan
groupe, with the avowed object of establish
ing a colonial settlement for the cultivation
of sugar-cane cotton, coffee, and other tropi-
cal products with the abundant and cheap
free labor to be obtained from portions of
the Molay Archipelago; also, to establish
free port for the exchange of products
with the people of the surrounding islands,
which shall become an entrepot of the trade
with China and Australia, and available as
coaling station and for the supply and re-
fitting of whaling ships in the Pacific
waters.
The objects embraced IN this scheme of
colonization and trade, have within the
last two years engaged the attention and re-
ceived the appreciation of several Depart
ments of our National Government and
of commercial bodies In different parts of
the country. The House of Representa-
tives, in a report, No. BOT, Thirty-fourth
Congress, Firsts Session, recommends
that we "open the trade of the Malay Ar
chipelago, at points where Holland fails to
make good her pretensions to an exclusive
intercourse" and suggests that "private en-
terprise will be abundantly sufficient to ac
complish this end" if protected by the Gov
eminent and says, furthermore, in this
connection Let that surplus of energetic
force which frequently manifests itself by
restlessness at home, or in adventurous and
ill-devised enterprise, be turned into this
epulent channel, and it will become a source
of strength at home and theme of admi-
ration abroad" The Boston Board of Trade,
reviewing this report, in a memorial adj
! dressed to Congress, published by the board
in 1857, urge upou the attention of Con-
gress the propriety and Importance of des-
! patching " an envoy to negotiate treaties
/ of amity and commerce with any indepen-
! dent tribes or states of the Archipelago,
| which may be found there of sufficient
| power and importance to warrant so do
ing"
1t is not the policy of our Government to
| take the initiative i'll enterprises of this
| character, but it is ever ready to protect the
enterprise 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 new
American enterprise 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 aspects but we are assured that
it is the result of much careful personal OBJ
seryation 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 raw staples employed
in her arts and manufactures, renders the es-
Enlistment of a free entrepot in the eastern
portion of the Malay Archipelago, under
American auspices, and to become in a
measure an American Singapore, an event
of signal Importance to our Eastern and
Pacific commerce.