The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-06-29
JOTTINGS.

On Monday the Hon. Mr.. Bickerton read a first
time a bill to regulate immigration from India,
and a bill to regulate the construction of rail-
roads. Ordered to be printed. The remainder
of the day, until 4 P. NJ. was occupied in the
discussion of the resolution of want of confidence
in the ministry, a full account of which appears
elsewhere in to-day's paper.
On Tuesday the bill to provide for lighting
the city of Honolulu with gas, was ordered to
be printed. Hon. Mr.. ". r. Castle read a first
time a bill to amend section 483 of the Civil
Code, respecting taxes on stocks and mortgaged
property, which was ordered printed. A bill
to reduce the dog tax vas read a second time
and on motion of the Hon. Mr.. Kaai, indefinite
Iy postponed. The bill to license insurance
companies and agencies was on motion of Hon.
Mr.. Cleghorn indefinitely postponed.
On Wednesday a bill to regulate the impor-
tation and sale of opium, was ordered printed
and a bill to amend the law of divorce. intro
duced by the Hon. Mr.. w. R. Castle was
ordered printed. The Hon. Mr.. Nawahi offered
a resolution to the effect that whereas, the paw
of the Attorney General is fixed at $4,000 per
annum, and whereas he has paid for assistants
in the discharge of his duties out of appropria-
tions intended for other purposes therefore
resolved. That he repay to the treasury the
sums so paid out by him. The resolution was
indefinitely postponed-21 to Is. Hon. Mr..
Gibson offered a resolution appropriating $1,000
for a custodian of the museum, and librarian.
Referred to the Committee on Education. The
Appropriation Bill was taken up, in committee
of the whole, the Department of Foreign Affairs
being under consideration. The salary of the
Minister was fixed at $4,000, instead of $4,000
as in the bill. A sharp discussion occurred on
the item of S6OO0-for expenses of Foreign
Missions" Mr.. Rhodes enquired of the Min
istry what was the particular service proposed
and what was the ministerial policy that would
lead to the employment of another envoy.
The Attorney General replied that some
emergency might arise that would require the
employment of an envoy, and that it was only
proper that there should be q fund on which the
government might draw should it be necessary
but he wished to know what the gentleman
thought might be the political action of the gov
eminent necessitatiIg its appropriation.
Mr.. Rhodes said he had not intended to speak
on this subject at present, but would accept the
Attor ney Generals challenge, as the Government
itself was so uncommunicative on the subject OF
its foreign policy that he could not help suspect
ing there was some measure on foot which the
Ministry were purposely concealing from the
Assembly.
He had read the minority report handed in by
the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions. and any thing more Jgune or unsatisfactory
he had never seen-That report gave little infor-
to the Assembly on a subject of a most important
nature, the state of the Foreign Relations of
the country. Not having yet seen the majority
report he was at a loss to account for the reti-
cence of Ministers and :heir friends on a subject
upon which the assembly was entitled to the
fullest and most complete information unless they
had some uuavowed object in contemplation.
He would now state what was passing in his
mind, it being the only conclusion, on account of
Ministerial silence on this matter, to which he
could arrive.
In the Constitution of 1852 was q clause pro-
viding that under foreign insult or aggression the
Sovereign might ALLEVIATE his sovereignty to some
friendly power who would protect the country
against the oppressor. This was a most danger
Gus prerogatiVe and was more than suspected to
have bee1 purposely inserted by men then in
power to forward their Own designs. The objec-
tionable article was e~xpunged from the Constitu-
ton of 1864 of Kamehameha ", but the attempt
to subvert the independence of the country did not
cease. We all remembered what took place in
the reign of Lunalilo when the attempt was made
to dismeH,ber the country, the honorable Chair