The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-08-29
American Flag in the Pacific.

Capt. REYNOLDS, Of the United States steamer
LGokatraHHG, has reported TO the Navy Depart
ment that lie has, pursuant to orders, taken pos
session Of a group Of mall islands in the Pacific
Ocean in the name Of the Republic. lie names
them Midway Islands, from the fact that they are
about midway in the route of the Pacific Mail
steamers running between San Francisco and
japan. They are Fix Ia number and uninhabitcd.
The chief Of the group II known here a. Brooks
leland, from its discovery bv Capt. H.. G. Brooks
Of this city, and il was on this island that Cant.
Reynolds landed six bont-loads Of men, raised the
starr and stripes, fired u salute, and then formally
asserted the jurisdiction of the United States in
mid-Occan. As these islands cost nothing. and
no power disputes our claim, not the most de-
termined Opponent OF territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
will object To their occupation. Their situation,
with relation To our growing Asiatic commerce.,
renders them of peculiar value. They are low
and covered with shrubs and coarse grass, and
can be made available rs supply stations for gov
eminent ana merchant vessels. Brooks Island
has been partially abandoned as n coaling station
by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, owing
to the difficulty of entering the harbor but Capt.
Reynolds reports that the harbur can be made
frstrate for anchorage by blasting the CORAL reefs
that obstruct il; and this, he suggests, would
cost the Government but n few thousand dollars.
Abiding To the acquisition Of Midway Islands,
the New York Times, under the same caption
which We have adopted, has the subjOined remarks:
Our interests and our importance in the Pacific
] " ull uN. lhtN NV Etiht
by the acquisition of Alaska, and they would
gain still more by the possession of Lower Cali
lomia. The new steamship line between san
Francisco, japan and China, has attracted our
attention to IA quarter of the globe whose comlncr
Cial relations with this country ought tn be of the
closest and largest ard most profitable kind. The
King Of the sandwich Islands is in negotiation
with Us for n new reciprocity treaty, which lac
expects to find OF the greatest advantage To him
self by opening up a market for ali the sugar his
81 - S.auV = Ia..N -
gagged in discussing the treaty, with n view to its
prompt ratification. The King Of the Fejce Isl
ands, having got into trouble with this country
because OF the killing of an American citizen 10y
his people, has offered to give up his whole King
dom To US for a very small compensation, and is
80 afraid of our vengeance that lie can hardly keep
the camibals. NJ. BuTlingamc has shown us
consequence in the Pacific, and how we are about
To see the beginning of n commercial intercourse
that will reach yastcr proportions than any of us
Except tile CalifOrnians) have Yet dreamed OF.
The advance Of the Pacific Railroad, too, il con-
s;antly reminding us of the approach of the time
when the Continental highway for the traffic be-
tween the two oceans, between the Oriental old
world and the European old world, will be fully
opened up, and the ntercOmmunicatio of the
globe will be altered in such a way as to secure
for u the highest advantages. There is no ques-
ton, looking at all these signs, and at still more
important signs not so prominent on the surface,
that we are bound, within a short time, to be-
come the great commercial, and controlling and
e~ivilizing Power of the Pacific.-S. +. Bulletin.