The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-10-21
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 81.

I UPON receipt oil the intelligence OF the ueatn
. of His Excellency, Z. c. Wyllie, I'll. III. NJ.
/ Minister of Foreign Affairs, we requested a gen
! tleman of this city, who has been personally &C
! quainted with him from his first arrival at these
Z Islands, and at times upon intimate terms, to
I furnish us a fitting obituary notice, which We
/ insert. For his character as a man we have
! always entertained respect, however much we
J have differed with his official policy.
| The death of His Excellency, ROBERT erich
! TON WILLIE, H.. H. NJ. Minister Of Foreign
! Affairs and Secretary of War, occurred on the
4 morning of the 18th instant, at five minutes to
] eleven o'clock, at his residence at Rosebank,
! Nuuanu Valley. Honolulu. The public has
been apprised on several occasions of late, by the
; newspapers, that his health was gradually fail
ing and his demise might be daily expected.
Its public announcement was accompanied by
an order, under the authority of the Minister
of the Interior, to close all Government Offices.
The national flag at the fort on Punchbowl, and
at the Government offices, was lowered, as well
as the flags Of the various Consulates. Many of
the merchants closed their stores, and other
demonstrations of public mourning were not
omitted.
1t is highly appropriate that His Majesty's
Government and the public generally should
thus make every becoming demonstration of
respect to the memory of the deceased, who has
SO long and faithfully discharged the duties of
Minister of Foreign Affairs of this Kingdom.
For more than twenty years, early and late,
has he been found at his post of duty and
responsibility. The Office, during his incum-
bency, has been no sinecure.
Mr.. Wyllie landed at Honolulu on the Sd
of February, 1874, in company with General
Miller, who had been sent out by the British
Government rs Consul General for the Sand
wich, Society, Friendly, and other Islands Of
the Pacific They came from Mazatlan, rs
passengers, on board II. b. NJ. ship Hazard,
having travelled overland from Vera Cruz,
via the City of Mexico. They arrived at 4
most critical period in the political history of
this Kingdom. Admiral Thomas was residing
here as the representative of the British Gov
eminent. Tie perplexing affair OF the ProYi-
sional Cession of the sovereignty OF these
Islands to the Queen Of England had not been
satisfactorily settled. Having remained a few
weeks in Honolulu, Mr.. Wylie was making his
arrangements to leave for China, when His
Majesty, Kamehameha Ill, invited him to assume
the lutte Vi HIS N1lHlsttT u TOEtiSu <fudIfS
and whatever changes may have taken place
in the internal arrangement of the Government
or in its foreign relations, he has ever retained
the Foreign Minister'S portfolio; hence, the
period of his service has been u few months
over twenty-one years. At that time the in
dependence Of this Kingdom was barely ac-
knowledged by the United States and Great
Britain, but by no other civilized nations.
During the period which has since elapsed,
and through a diplomacy which he has con-
Quoted, almost every civilized nation on the
globe has acknowledged the independence of!
this Kingdom, and entered into treaty stipu-
lations with it. There have been seasons in the
history of this Kingdom when its independence
has not only been endangered, but its very
existence threatened. On several occasions,
representatives of great powers most per-
sistently eyinced a disposition to eneroach upon
the rights and privileges Of this Kingdom as an
independent sovereignty. As a foreign Minister, /
(and as such he will occupy an important place /
in Hawaiian history,) his leading and funda- {
mental principle has been that the Hawaiian /
Kingdom was an independent and sovereign !
State, entitled to all the rights and preroga- I
tives of an independent nation, and should be I
treated as such, just the same as Russia, {
England, France or the United States. To the :
honor and credit Of his memory, he has con- !
scientiously endeavored to carry out this princi- (
pie in negotiating numerous treaties with all {
the greater and lesser nations of the civilized 3
world which have sought to enter into treaties :
with this Kingdom. (
When Mr.. Wyllie arrived at these islands he !
possessed of an ample fortune, having been {
long and successfully engaged in financial and
commercial affairs, in London, Calcutta, United 3
and Mexico. He was a native of Hazel &
Bank, Ayrshire, Scotland, having been born, {
October IL, 1898, hence he was 81 years and &
6 days old. In early life he received a good i
classical and medical education, and subsequently, s
became acquainted with the French and Spanish &
languages. The latter he wrote and spoke with 3
the fuency and accuracy of a native Of Spain. s
While some may withhold their assent from all Z
the political views and opinions of the deceased, :
and may severely censure some of his measures, 3
asserting that he was wrong and opinionated, s
it will be readily acknowledged that a most {
remarkable man has passed away. Very many 8
looked upon him as a true and generous friend, as s
we'll as a most laborious, faithful and conscien- :
tious public officer. He died in communion with Z
the Reformed Catholic Church. &
At n meeting of the Hawaiian Bar and the e