The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1880-10-13
rcnmmnnic.ted1 L

In the leading article of the Last issue of the
P. c. Advertiser, iustifying the action of the Bush
Ministry in sending secret letters to the Govern
ments of the United States, Great Britain and
France asking them to recall the gentlemen who
now severally represent them near the Hawaiian
Government, an attempt is made to draw parallel
between the action of the United States Govern
ment In the Champion case in 1876 and the recent
action of the Bush Ministry in dealing with Gen.
eral Comfy Major Wodehouse and Mons Ratard.
The Advertiser makes light of the Champion case
in the following paragraph: We have notable
instance within our memory of the exercise of this
Sovereign ri.ht by the President of the United
States, Franklin Peirce, when he requested the re
call of Sir John T. B. Champion, British Minister
at Washington, for countenancine some infringe
ment of American law in respect to foreign enlist
ments. The British Government recalled their
obnoxious Minister, and sent another gentleman
more acceptable to the American Government"
As the learned editor of the Adrertiser obviously
desires to convey the impression that the action of
the Washington Government was precisely similar
to the action of the Hawaiian Government in asking
the recall of the foreign representatives and that
the request of the latter will be met by the three
governments with the amiable and obliging spirit
which he attributes to the British Government in
the Champion case, it is well that the people of
Hawaii nei should know the true history of the
Champion case. The United States Government
had issued proclamation of neutrality at the be-
ginning of the Crimean War, especially warning
own citizens against enlStlng In the land
forces of either belligerent and cautioned the re-
presentatives agents, ETC., against enlisting men
within the United States. An enterprising and in
triguing Italian of the Moreno stripe named VIII
telli concocted plan of wholesale enlistment, the
men to be engaged in the States to proceed to
Canada, where they were to be regularly enlisted
into the British army and sent to the Crimea.
| ViZiteli submitted his plans to Sir John Cramp-
ton who unfortunately for himself approved it and
supplied Vizitelli with funds. Something over 100
men had been enlisted when the American Gov
ernment arrested Vizitelli, who revealed all the
details of the scheme duplicating Sir John Cramp-
ton the British Mir ster, md the Consns at Cncin-
natl New York and ....,.delphia. Sir John Cramp-
ton frankly admitted his Share in the transaction,
claiming In justification tuat as the men not
regularly enlisted until after they had actually
passed over into Canada, he had not violated the
neutrality of the United States territory. The
American Government refused to admit his plea,
and as the offence grave one, it decided to
dismiss the Minister and the three Consuls. The
Minister and CoHsHts not left in the dark as to
the action of the american Government Passports
were sent to the Minister and his staff, and the
exequators vert withdrawn from the Consuls. In
tellgence of this serious step received in Eng
land by the English people and the American resi-
dents with extreme anxiety to know what course
the English Ministry would adopt. Lord John
Russell who had only short time before retired
| from the Palmerston Ministry, gave notice that
he would take an early occasion (the next evening)
| to ask the Government what action they intended
! to take III connection with the dismissal of the
| British Minister at Washington. Would they dis
miss the American Minister in London? Lord
| Palmerston requested Lord John to postpone his
question for three days intimating that the Gov
| ernment had not yet arrived at decision with
gard to Mr.. Dallas. This delay increased the
anxiety, particularly amongst the Americans and
the English friends of the United States. Mr..
Dallas (the United States Minister), Mr.. Bates,
Mr.. George Peabody, Sir William Brown and many
other prominent men held daily consultations at
which fears were expressed that serious rupture
to the friendly relations of the two countries
Imminent. The momentous day arrived, the House
of Commons was crowded to excess by members
and strangers. The writer of these lines had the
good fortune to front seat in the strangers
gallery the House called to order at four, and
after short routine business Lord John Russell
pat his questions in few plain and forcible
words, he was followed by Lord Palmerston, evil
IDENTIFY IN an ill-temper, the effect as it was
ported of disagreement with his colleagues
upon the question at ISSUE In short speech he
announced that the Government had decided not
to suspend diplomatic intercourse with the Ameri-
can Minister in England The tension of anxious
suspense over. The writer ran from the gallery
and Westminster Palace, jumped into cab and
drove to the residence of the American Minister.
Mr.. Dallas was at home anxiousy waiting to hear
the result of the discussion in the House of Com
mons which he did not suppose would be concluded
at such early hour in the evening, and when the
bearer of the good news hastened to congratulate
him the Minister interrupted him saying: "1 fear
your congratulations premature my friend as
l am quite expecting to receive my passport from
the Foreign Office before the evening Is over"
Upon being told of the statement of Lord Palmer
ston in his place in the House of Commons. Mr..
Dallas joyfully said, this is indeed welcome news
come at once to the drawing-room and announce
it to the ladies who all very down-hearted at
the prospect of beipg sent home on such short
notice. Visitors soon arrived in rapid succession
to congratulate the Minister and his family, Mr..
George Peabody, Mr. Joshua Bates and Mr.. Russell
Sturgis, of Barring Bros, Sir William Brown, Mr.
Field, Mr.. John Bright, Lord Dufferin, and many
other prominent men came in, and in less than
half an hour the rooms were crowded with happy
party of Englishmen and Americans, all of whom
felt that the good relations between the two
countries had passed safely through II very grave
trial. Although the diplomatic compiler
ton did not alter the position of Mr. Dallas
IN London, 1t led to the suspension of diplomatic
intercourse between the two Governments at
Washington, as the British Government refused
to send Minister to Washington during the con-
tinuance of President Perce's Administration
and it was only after the Inauguration of his
cessor that Lord Napier sent to Washington
to fill the Office vacated by the dismissal of Sir
John Champion. The point of this narrative of
the Champion case is to show that dismissing or
insulting the Minister of friendly Government Is
not the light affair which the editor of the Com
merciat declares it to be; also that it is possible
that the refusal of the British Government to send
Minister to represent it near the Administration
of President Peirce may furnish precedent to the
three Governments in their future dealings with
the Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
We have read the diplomatic correspondence
referring to Mr.. Champions recall, showing pretty
plainly that if the charges made against him by the
United States Government, viz: of violating the
United States laws against enlisting men in the
United States, had not been reasonably sustained,
there would have been danger of collision. The
correspondence shows that Mr.. Champions exequa
tur was not Withdrawn until after he had been
fully informed of the charges against them, and
afforded opportunity to rebut them. The letter of
Lord Clarendon to Mr.. Dallas of May 1st shows
also that the British Government had previously
been advised by the United States Government of
the nature of those charges and that the recall of
the Minister was not at first requested. The
exequatur was withdrawn May 28th, 1S56.-ED.1
IT gives us pleasure to call the attention of our
readers to the improvements which the Library
and Reading room Association have lately intro
duced in connection with the circulating library
department of their work. The entire library has
recently been catalogued upon system which SO
far aware is entirely new here, but which
is adopted by many of the principal
libraries in the United States. We cannot under
take to explain the plan in detail further than to
say that the catalogue, instead of being in book,
as under the old system, is made on card slips,