The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-02-04

HoyoLULu, Feb. 9. 1853.

HoyoLULu, Feb. 2, 1858.
SIR As you are aware, my absence from this
kingdom prevented me till the 18th ult. from know
ing anything of the discussion that, sine, Nov. 5,
1857, has been going on in the Commercial relative
to a quotation from a letter of my son, DIR. Gulick, of
Ascension Island; and when informed of it, I had not
the least idea of taking the pen to defend him. i
should not feel half the interest that | now do in the
subject, were his justification the matter of highest
Importance in the discussion. 1t has been intimated
that probably your friend, Cymon, has already set
tied the question in DR.. G. , favor, in the minds of
reasonable men. Friend Cymon, whoever he may be,
has my sincere thanks, and deserves the thanks of all
honest men and women too, for the plainness, force
and straight forward frankness with which he has
borne testimony on this momentous subiect,-the
morality of the whaling feet. But it cannot be sup
posed that the declaration of one man. in addition to
that of a missionary whose very name is a by-word
and reproach, would have that weight with captains,
ship owners, or the public as the testimony of many
both in the feet and out of it, must have with all
men.
With your permission l will lay before your read
ers a few items, which, without any effort on my part
to collect, have come to my knowledge. 1t seems to
me a striking fact, that while more than a thousand
miles distant, this same subject should have come up
for discussion on board the Morning Star, without any
design, or the least knowledge on my part, that my son
had used his pen to bring to light the deeds of dark
ness done in the whaling feet. But such is the fact,
though after much reflection l cannot now recollect
what introduced it. But some of the results 1 shall
never forget, nor the medium through which l re-
ceived them. One of these is a young Nw Englander
of limited education, who had been some years in the
whaling feet. He said to me, I have a letteraddress-
ed TO myself on this subject, which 1 wish you would
read. I assented, and soon after he gave it to me:
and though not designed for the public, vet in ac-
cordance with the spirit of the last sentence in it and
with the consent Of the owner, who said then and
there that he wanted to get the subject before the
public, l will give you an extract from it, merely re-
marking that the writer has grown old in the service
OF his Master, has spent many years at a seaport
much frequented by whalemen, and was never prone
to exaggeration, but is rather remarkable for saying
just what he means and no more. We're at liberty
to use his name, / need not have said this to secure a
candid consideration Of his statements. It is dated
Sept. %, 1855; SO it is evident it was not written to
back up DIR. G.
"Tliere will be a change in the manner Of conducting the |
whaling business. The Gospel brought to bear upon It must
work a revolution. But when or how the Gospel Is to be brought
to bear upon it is not so plain. So far as my own acquaintance
and opportunities for observation extend, the proportion OF those !
in the whaling fleet who are disposed to attend church ami listen
to the word of God when in port is smaller than it was twenty
years ago. Whaling as it Isl IL faithfully written, would make
msny, not only in the feet, but out Of it, cover their faces for
shame. I think many owners would hardly hold ND their heads
were It generally known in the community how great an inau-
ence for evil they exert, and in what ways. In fact, probably
few Of them know themselves. And none Of them know TO the
full extent. Among them are men who would sooner re,nuuish
their worldly all than, knowingly, do What they are doing.
81 do not regard myself as apologzing for slavery, or UNDER
rating its evils, when 1 say It may well be doubted whether the
present system Of American slayeu is a greater evil, considered
morally, reiigiously O politically, than the present system OF
whaling. God knows how TO break them both up-and He will
do IL in His own time. / have little hope from the violent, spas
modic efforts Of man. God viii, no doubt, make the diffusion of
hight and knowtedye, on these ~su1jects. a means Of working a
change. Those who asvs krossfed0e Therefore, and are abis 70
The under-scoring. and that only, is mine.
On returning the letter to my friend of the whaling
feet. I observed it was an exceedingly important sub
ject. hut how TO get il before the community l could