The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-09-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10.

lean missionaries had advocated the alienation Of
the sovereignty of this group, should not be al
lowed to pass without some remarks. Not only
was the assertion made by the King. but it has
been made by his Ministers on more than one &C.
casion, in public and private, and especially by
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in his wild
speeches when on = tour around The islands in
June last. No one desires more earnestly than
we 10 bear uniform loyal respect To our Sovereign,
for it is the first duty of Il subject. But 10
remain silent, is 10 countenance n wrong,
and Justice demands the truth TO be stated.
In this instance, His Majesty appeared to have
been put forward to occupy a position which
his Ministers cowardly shrunk from, and to be
the spokesman for acts of which they were I'M
willing to bear the responsibility.
Our whole community most deeply regretted
the speech of the King, to which allusiOn has
been made for, had its statements been in every
respect true, instead Of being based on hearsay
and unfounded reports, the policy of the Sover-
eign's uttering anything having 4 tendency to
dampen or ALLEVIATE the good will of 4 considera-
BILE portion of his people, is at least questionable.
The public are perfectly we'll aware that the Min
lister of Foreign Affairs has for months and years
harped on this charge, till he believes it himself
and has led others not conyersant with the facts.
to believe it also. But his recent course has EN-
Uttered the American missionaries and the body
of Americans also, against him, and since his in
v~ectives, he has ceased To enjoy that respect US 4
public officer which he once possessed. Ashamed
Of the part which he then took according 10 his
conviction of right, (and which no doubt We're
wise,) he now seeks to cast on Others the respon-
sibility of acts in which he was a principal, hoping
thereby to prove himself the only true and loyal
friend of Hawaii, and all the rest q gang of trait
os and conspiratnrs. 4
1t is all-important that the facts respecting the
attempts to ALLEVIATE the sovereignty of this group
should be made public, for they must become mat
tiers of history, and the parties concerned must
bear whatever responsibility pertains To them.
We will therefore state them as nearly as We are
able TO learn them, anG if our account is incor-
rect, we will cheerfully make corrections.
During 1919. the troubles between this Gov
eminent and the French Consul, Dillon, culmi-
mated in an open rupture and seizure of the Fort
and Royal Yacht, the result of which was the re-
call or withdrawal of that functionary, and the
appointment of Consul Perrin. So far from am
ieable relations between the two Governments be-
ing restored. the i'll feeling continued with vari-
GUS threats from me consul, winch created muCu
annoyance to the King (Kamehameha ILL., and
his cabinet and chiefs. During 1852 the King,
in order to escape the very humiliating position
in which he was placed, decided on seeking a for
eign protectorate. \ secret council of his chiefs
and advisers was called by him. held, it is said,
at his country seat in Nuuanu. Gen. Miller, the
English Consul General, was present, and was
asked by the King, .tIf | hoist the British flag.
will you protect me ?" The General rose and
made a long speech, without giving a direct re-
ply, when the Premier John Young interrupted
him by saying, that the King had asked him the
above question, and demanded a reply. The re-
suit of the conference was, that Gen. Miller de-
clined to accept the protectorate, on the ground
that his instructions from the home government
forbade it. This offer was made to highlands
representative at the proposal, as We have been
assured, of Mr.. Wyllie, seconded by Judge Lee
and Messrs. Judd, Bates, and Armstrong. These
debates were entered of record on the minutes of
the Privy Council.
Here was the first attempt to ALLEVIATE the SOW
~ereignty, done with the consent and knowledge
not only of Mr.. Wyllie, but all the Kings ad-
yisers and chiefs. This offer TO England's repre-
sentative having failed, the King sent for the
United States Commissioner, Luther Severance,
and the same question was put to him, 1T l
hoist the American flag, viii you protect me?"
The Commissioner, with that decision for which
he was we'll known, replied, II will" Mr..
Wyllie was then instructed by the King TO draw
up a treaty of cession, which he. assisted by Mr..
Armstrong, did, and il is said that treaty was ap-
proved BY the Privy Council, and it or a copy of
ii is in existence now, with the signatures Of the
King and Messrs. Wyllie and Severance attached
70 il. We have never seen it, and cannot vouch
United States Commissioner TO he binding only
under certain contingencies.
In the meantime, General Miller had FASTENED
70 the French Consul, and informed him of what
was transporting, the result of which visit was that
the latter functionary Immediately altered his
tone and language. promising to accede 10 the
views of this Government in forming a new treaty.
50 great and so sudden was the change in the
political horizon, that the treaty OF cession was
dropped or recalled, and nothing further was ever
heard Of il.
Some few months after these events, Mr.. Wyl-
lie, whose name was prominent throughout this
affair, and for reasons now clearly apparent, of
fered 3 resolution in Prvy Council that the rec
ords Of this discussion Be- erpungsd from the min
U'es or the Council, which was done. and the
three or four leaves recording it were cut out.
Now in all this, the principal actor was Mr..
Willie, who advocated the cession, first TO Great
Britain, and when thst failed, approved Of max