The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-10-22

n " " HLnhS W Va ArtN hh'Ah cNNA S"
ried for the very clear statement which he had made,
the meeting adjourned.
a SURPRISE PARTY.-One of those social and
friendly gatherings, which often occur in Honolulu,
took place at the residence of Mr.. Thomas Adamson,
Jr, late U. s Consul at this port, on last Friday
evening, October l4th. A large number of our most
influential citizens, by previous understanding, as
sembled at the residence of this gentleman for the
purpose Of manifesting their high appreciation and
esteem, and presenting him with a token of respect,
as q memento of his many friends in Honolulu. At
half-past eight O'Clock, all having arrived, Prof. W.
P. Alexander, of Punahou College, presented Mr..
Adamson with a very handsomely gotten up sandal
wood cane, accompanied by the following very ap-
~propriate remarks:
"MR ADAMsoN Our friends have imposed UPON
me a duty which, however pleasant in itself, I wish
had fallen to the lot of a filter person. We have as
sembled here this evening not merely for social en-
joyment, but also for q higher object. We wish, in
view of your intended departure, to express our high
appreciation both of your private character as a
friend and a neighbor, and of your patriotism and
unfinching integrity as a representative of that
great country to which many of us are attached by
so many ties.
eIn leaving US you will have the satisfaction of
knowing that you carry with you the esteem and
good wishes of q large circle of friends. We wish
you to have a tangible and enduring memento of
this occasion, -something that will always remind
you of friends who will long remember you in these
distant isles of the Pacific. Permit me, then, in
their behalf, to present you with this cane as q slight
token of our regard for you as a man and n public
officer. You will find no counterfeit metal in the
gold that surmounts it, an emblem of the sterling
integrity which we delight to honor"
"For a. that, and a. that, and a. that,
The mans the gowd for a that"
"The fragrant Hawaiian wood of which it is COM
posed will serve to remind you of the cordial aloha
of your friends in Hawaii nei. May the day be far
distant when you may need it to support your steps.
May Heavens richest benediction follow you and
yours in whatever place your lot may be cast, and
may you have the happiness of leaving this little
memento as an heirloom to children who will emu
late the virtues which it is intended to honor"
Mr.. Adamson, having been taken by surprise at
this unexpected feature, was not prepared for the
occasion-but, on accepting the testimonial. he re-
piled substantially as follows
president ALEXANDER AND FRIENDS You
have removed from my mind an apprehension of
which you had no idea. This morning, q friend who
is somewhat given to practical joking, informed me
that he felt it his duty to warn me that he had heard
that l was to be caned before my departure. His
manner was so serious that 1 could not doubt some
person had felonious designs against me, and the
anxious thought arose In my mind" Is he stouter
than II" see that the canor is not terrible in size,
and now that the Gaming has taken this unexpected
form, it finds me unprepared with a fitting response.
IF there is any place in this world where [
should be able to speak without fear of harsh criti-
cism, it is here, where 1 feel myself supported by
partial friends, but the sight of so many pleasant
faces has also the effect to fill my heart with emotions
which choke my utterance. While I accept, with
sincere thanks, this beautiful token of your kind
regard, / feel that the hattering terms in which it
was presented apply more fifty to the givers. If L
have done anything in the way of redressing wrongs
and correcting abuses which came under my official
notice, it is perhaps mainly due to the fact that my
hands were upheld, my resolution fortified, and every
effort nobly seconded by the company before me.
Without your kind assistance, l should not have been
able to deserve q title of the praise you have so
freely given me.
"In this community it is not so very difficult to
make an approach to right doing, for your hearts
beat warm and true in unison with every just senti-
ment or noble impulse that may be developed amongst
you. Wherever my lot may be cast, l shall carry
with me this token of your confidence, and it will, 1
trust. be the means of arousing me to exertions to
the end that l may better deserve your esteem and
while 30 engaged, L shall ever pray for the hsppi-
ness of you, my good friends, whose moral support
has been more valuable to me than even fine gold
and fragrant woods"
The head Of the cane. which is mounted by solid
gold, made by Mr.. Eckart, is inscribed +" Presented
to Thomas Adamson, Jr., by friends in Honolulu,
Oct IA, 1870"
After q short interval in friendly conversation over
the above ceremony, q large Bible, printed in the
Hawaiian language, ep4 bound in morocco, was
brought in by the Rev. Lowell Smith, when Mr.. Fl.
Nd. Whitney read the following note:
"HoNoLULU, Oct. IA, 1870.
"Po THOMAS ADAMsoN JR, ESQ. Late american
Consul at the HaacaiiaS Islands:
SIR The Undersigned Protestant C~lergymen, re-
siding in Honolulu, present you with this Hawaiian
Bible, not merely as a specimen of Missionary labors
amongst these Islanders, but chiefly as a token of
their sincere regard and high esteem for yourself,
and for the fidelity with which you have discharged
your duties to the American Government during
your short residence in this city.
We most sincerely regret that the Department at
Washington have (for no fault of yours,) been in
duced to recall you from this important post of duty
but, having been faithful to your trust here, we feel
assured that promotion to q more responsible station
viii be the result of your being thus early recalled.
And may the blessing of Abraham's God ever