The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-05-06

n Mr.. H. H. Hall, who was a passenger by the
Granada from Sydney to San Francisco on the last
trip, Is thus spoken Of by the Sydney Morning
Herald Of March II:
1--WE understand thar Mr.. II. II. Hall leaves Aus
traia by this months mail steamer, to return 10
America, and that his departure has been precipl-
tated by representation made from or through the
Government TO the contractors. The trans-Pacifc
mail service, in addition to its other troubles, has
had the misfortune to become complicated with our
local political %strifes.
When the present Government came into power it
declared itself obliged for the public honour to take
up and 60 on with the negotiations for the new con-
tract which were then being conducted by the colon
ial representatives in England, but it has carefully
abstained from a single word OF praise IN favor OF
the service itself. Every one can understand that,
when Mr.. Hall reappeared as the manager Of the
new contract, the position OF the present govern
ment in dealing with one they had so attacked was
an embarrassing one Ii Is not surprising that they
have been stiff with him to the last degree, and that
the con tractors have been made TO see that it is 10
their interest to recall him. For the present, there
fore. if not finally, Mr.. Hall disappears from the
scene of his labours. But if Australia is now 20
take it's farewell of him, it is but the barest justice
to take note of the service he has rendered. 1t has
been said that he is not the best general who never
loses a battle, but be who redeems disaster by splen-
did victories. Mr.. Halls faults and failures have
been visible to every one. His faults are his own;
how much of his failures are due to himself, and
how much TO circumstances over which he had no
control, Is known Only 10 those VINO nave Oeen De-
hind the scenes. For the present at least, and in
the popular Judgment, he must bear the whole re-
preach But putting all faults and failures into one
scale, we must as n simple act of justice put into
the other what he has done. He was the pioneer of
the service, and was the first man who ever ran n
steamer from Sydney to San Francisco and back.
The scheme broke down because he had no adequate
capital to back him, but that he had got hold of a
good idea is evident from the fact that after all our
experience the very same route he then adopted, or
at least one very near il, viz, the adoption of the
Bay of Islands as the New Zealand port of call,
stands out as the best scheme we can adopt so long
as the New Zealand alliance is important. Mr..
Webb, who succeeded Mr.. Hall, did not achieve any
greater success. The next attempt was what is
known as the temporary service. which, in our judg-
ment, was always a mistake, and but for which the
permanent service under Forbes and De Bussehe
would probably have been a great success. But
the Government of the day was urgent for it.
and Mr.. Hall, as usual, was s%anguine. Any
how if he had not gone to England to organ
Use it. we should not have had at our disposal the
MongOl, the Tarter. the Cyphrenes, the MaegregOr.
and the Mikado. and without them we could not
possibly have kept the service going. That ser
vice would not have been a failure but for the
losses consequent on the late arrival in Sydney
OF some of the boats and the wreck Of the Mac
gregor. If, after that Mr.. Hall had not again gone
to America and England. we should never have
seen the present contract. That contract is
the result of a combination. and that com
did not come together by chance.
1t was the result of protracted and laborious nego-
.tiations, and the heart and soul of those negotiations
was Mr.. Hall. Whether this contract is destined to
be a success, it is too early at present to say"