The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-12-05
Our Commissioners are Interviewed.

The tribe Of newspaper reporters in the United
States is well nigh ubiquitous. They are wonder
fully persevering and PERSISTENT in their " interviews
Of prominent perDonnges, whereby they may md
matter with which to fill q column. The Hawaiian
Treaty Commissioners who recently arrived in San
Francisco were of course subjected to the interview
ing process, and the result appears in the journals
OF the day, from one of which we copy the following
which, earring perhaps the story about the ministe-
rial portfolio. is generally correct:
Judge Allen, the senior member of the Embassy,
Is q well preserved gentleman over threescore years.
He is short in stature and slight in build with q
pleasing expression of countenance. His hair and
side whiskers were OF an iron gray hue and worn
spariDgly. He was attired in q dressing gown left
open in front and with loose, flowing sleeves. Mr..
Carter was o much younger man, being apparently
thirty-fye years of age. He is of medium hight, has
well-cut features, light complexion and brown hair.
His Hhiskers are trimmed very close, the chin being
chaven clean, and q slight mustache setting off an
otherwise handsome and intelligent face. he was
dressed in q plain black frock coat and wore a blue
scarf embellished by o pin with a miniature head
carved out of coral
ANrEcEDEsTs OF THE AMBASSADORS.
Judge Alien is 8 native Of Bangor, Me-, and rep
resented his District in Congress from lS4l to 1S43,
during President Tyler's administration, and was
the youngest man in the congress Of that day. He
has served as the Chief Justice of the Hawaiian
Kingdom successfully under six different monarchs.
81 IL II VI II " 4Ch LLCa IA tAC ~
Of his nation, and was regarded as eminently fitted
for the important mission on which he has been dis
patched.
Mr.. Carter is a native OF Honolulu and an accom-
plished scholar. He is at the head of the firm of c.
Brewer s. Co., one Of the leading mercantile houses
in his native city. His thorough familiarity with the
commercial interests Of Hawaii led to his selection by
the King to act in conjunction with the Minister
Plenipotentiary in negotiating a treaty with this
country. When the late King Lunalilo assembled the
throne Mr.. Carter was invited to accept the portfolio
Of Minister Of Foreign Relations, but he declined the
distin guished honor. He has never held any other
public position save that Of being q member of the
Kings Privy Council.
OBJECTS OF THE MISSION.
In conversation with the ambassadors the reporter
learned that their official visit to the United States
was made exclusively to negotiate a reciprocity treaty.
Former missions Of the same character had not met
with success because Of the failure of the United
States Senate to ratify the treaties drawn. For the
past twenty years the various administrations IN
power in this country had regarded with favor the
negotiation of a reciprocity treaty with the Hawaiian
Government. These gentlemen hoped to meet with
better success than that which resulted from previous
missions. They said the people OF the islands did not
understand why our Senate should be so averse to
reciprocity when the President, the Secretary of
State and American Consular officers always mani
tested 90 much desire for the scheme. The people of
Hawaii interpreted the opposition TO 8 spirit of IN
friendIiness instead Of attributing il to an unwilling
ness on the part of the United States to slightly re-
duce one source Of revenue American influences
were IN the ascendant IN Honolulu. Inc merchants
there preferred to trade with this coast. They had
no home market for their own products and they
manufactured nothing. Owing to the contiguity of
the islands to the Pacific Coast, their trade naturally
sought San Francisco. The heavy duties levied on
their rice and sugar shipped to this port amounted
almost to
A PROHIBITION OF COMMERCE
With the islands. The result of the policy pursued
by the United States was to steadily drive the foreign
trade Of Hawaii to thu Australian colonies, while the
exports and imports to and from the United States
we're diminishing each year, they were increasing in
respcct to Victoria and New South Wales. The duty
on sugar in Sydney is one cent a pound and in Mel
bourne a tribe less than q cent, while in San Fran
cisco it averages about three cents a pound. Hawaii
imported lumber and manufactured goods, and all
she desired was to conclude 8 treaty on a fair basis
Of exchange. The ambassadors are armed with sub
tables showing the foreign exports and i'm
ports Of Hawaii for several years past In regard TO
annexation to the United States the ambassadors de-
clared that the Hawaiians were very jealous OF their
Independence as q nation. but that should annexa-
ton ever occur, the Hawaiians would most likely
seek that country with which they had maintained
the most favorable commercial relations.
hasa re- y ]