The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-02-28
Official Correspondence.


The Gaseae of this week contains nearly two
columns of correspondence from the Foreign Office,
which, as it is Of quite q formal character, we will
summarize. Under date of the 18th, the then in
cumbent Of that office writes to the Representatives
of the United States and Great Britsin, informing
them that {" riotous mob have Unexpectedly made
a violent attack upon the Court House and the men,
bers of the Legislature and that the government
90 have not the force at hand to resist, - and request
ing aid at the earliest moment possible from the
ships of those nationalities, to assist - the police in
q%ueliing the riot and temporarily protecting life and
property On the same day the Minister writes
to the Commissioner of France, informing him of
the election of the King, of the attack by the mob
on the Court House, and Of the call for aid upon the
ships of war, and it is added that had there been
a French ship of war in port, NJ. Ballieu would also
have been requested to join in affording the author
tiles temporary add Under the same date, NJ.
Ballieu in acknowledging receipt of the Minister'S
dispatch, says You may rest assured that l would
have given to the French forces similar instructions
to those transmitted by Mr.. Peirce and Mr.. Wode-
house, and that the good feelings of the country
which l represent will never be wanting in matters
involving the security of the Hawaiian nation and
of the inhabitants of these islands, On the 10Th,
His Ex. W. L. Green, (who on the previous day had
assumed the duties of the Foreign Ofice) informs
the American and British Commissioners {" that such
arrangements have now been made for the preserv-
alton of order in this city as will allow of the with
drawal of the forces which were landed from - the
U. S. S. Portsmouth and TuScarora and II. b. MS
5. IeHedOS, (which have rendered such invaluable
services to His Majesty's government" To this,
appropriate replies werO rooOivod fsvnu tic Ieepvvtive
Commissioners, informing that the forces would re-
-AaahAsL-A an tho 2nth--On- the Dist the Minister in
forms the French Commissioner that the occasion for
the presence OF the foreign troops having passed
away, they had returned to their respective ships;
and on the same date the Minister, by command of
the King, thanks the American and British Commits
sioners in His Majesty's name, and in that of His
government, and through the Commissioners, Com
manders Belknap and Skerrett of the Tuscarora
and Portsmouth,, and Captain Ray of the TenedOs,
for the prompt and efficient aid rendered to the
local authorities in suppressing the riot in this city
on the 18th inst. The events of the 18th inst, un-
fortunate as they may have been, served to exhibit
the feelings of friendship which exist between the
countries, and the certainty with which this govern
ment may rely in cases of emergency upon the cor
dial and disinterested cooperation of the Represent
atives and ships Of the United States, as well as
those of Her Britannia Majesty The reply of the
British Commissioner is dated on the 22d, and that
of the American Commissioner on the 23d. Major
Wodehouse says "I beg that you will, in my
name and in that of Captain Ray of Her Majesty's
ship 'Tenedos,' express to His Majesty, and His
Majesty's Government, our thanks for their kind
recognition of the services which we were enabled to
perform on the occasion of the riot of the 18th of
February. 1t is hardly necessary for M to give the
assurance that in any case of emergency, His Maj
esty's Government may rely upon the cordial and
disinterested cooperation of Her Britannia Msjesty's
ships of war;" In the reply of Mr.. Peirce the fol-
lowing language is used "The purport Of said
note was communicated Immediately to the gallant
u. s. Naval officers named. In their behalf, and by
their request, l now tender to His Majesty and the
Hawaiian Government, our joint and grateful ac-
Acknowledgements and sincere thanks for the express
sions of your generous appreciation of the services
rendered as referred to, and, presented in your note,
in words gratifying to a naval officers sense of pro-
fessional pride and honorable to the service of which
they are members. In reply to your allusiOn, in re-
gard to the friendship that subsists between the
United States and this Kingdom, permit me to re-
mark that that friendship has existed uninterrupt-
edly for three quarters of a century past, with what
benefit to this nation the recording angel and human
annals will show. May the future intercourse of the
two peoples be as happy and as glorious as the past
Translated from "HaVdii PonOi," FEB. 25th.)
The Hawaiian people ought to learn some lessons
from the disturbance and riot that happened in Ho-
nolulu the other day. The people who think seri-
ously will learn that there are among US many who
do not think seriously, and who are easily deceived
and excited to mischief by bad men. The shameful
destruction Of property that took place and the at
tack on the members of the Assembly. shows how
very important it is that good citizens should make
it known that they will stand firm together to uphold
the laws and to put down violence.
The mob, as We now find out, were excited by the
lying words Of certain leaders, who told them if
Kalakaua became King the taxes would be increased,
and if Emma became Sovereign, the taxes would be
reduced. The ignorant mob seemed not TO know or
think that no king can increase or decrease taxes
without the consent Of the Representatives. Another
very important thing they did not perhaps remem-
Der, that by their lawless and violent acts they were
saying TO foreign nations that Hawaii is not able to
take care of herself or to maintain an independent
government. Any more Of such disturbances will
perhaps afford to foreign governments an excuse for
ceasing to regard our independence,-th i~ndepend-
ence which We are all so anxious to maintain. So
that we see that every lswless act of the mob of
February l2th-every destruction of property and
every blow at the Representatives-was an insane
blow at Hawaiian independence I! 1t is no use to say
that they have mobs in America and England-they
are able to put them down themselves, and they were