The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-08-23
A SPECK OF WAR,

A late dispatch from Victoria, B. G., in.
forms us that a British man-of-war had just
left the waters of that vicinity for the Sand
witch Islands and that war vessels of other
powers were Fastening to the same objective
point. This movement of men. of-war, it is
said, was brought about by a report that the
United States were about to "gobble up the
Islands, but just how cur government pro-
poses to cobble them up the dispatch fails to
Inform us. Some time ago the drunken
kanaka King started on a t our of the world.
While the ostensible object of his tour was
to collect information concerning The science
of government, and to recuperate his physical
energies wasted in low debaucheries, It was
secretly whispered that the sensual King was
endeavoring to iinl a purchaser for his beau-
tiful Islands. He started out on his pilgrim
age drunk and At last accounts he was COLI
tinuing his Cd Dirt nix at the expense OF the
British aristoclacy at London. At a dinner
recently given by His Royal IIishness The
Prince of Wales we hear of the heasiIy drunk
ard b ing seated at the right lIanl OF the
Prince, with whom he appeare! to be Oh the
most Intimate terms. 1t must not be sup
posed that the heir to tle British throne could
fiud anything in the drunken kanaka that
would commend him as a companion for re-
fined men, nor could lis position as the chief
of a semi~halbarous people eXalL him to that
houor. Not anything of The kind. It may
be reasonably supposed that our fine Prince
knew what he was about, and thai he did not
take the tattoced heather to his royal bosom
in response TO his aesthetic tastes. 1t is also
just possible that the Prince exhibited a little
stroke of diplomacy in SOLDERING over the
disgusting brute whom he las SO royalty
entertained, and that the rushing of Eng
lish war steamers to the Sandwich Islands
is but the corollary Of an understanding az.
rived at between the British government and
the king of the missionary eaters. We say it
is just possible that this may be the case. 1t
is certainly as fair to presume this and the
supposed fact appeals with greater force to
our credulity than the assertion does That the
United States are about to "eobble up the
Sandwich Islands.
1t is very questionable whether our GOV
ernment would take the Islands if they were
offered to it for nothing, and il is equally
questionable whether it would permit Great
Britain or any other power to take possession
of them. They lay near the track Of our
trans Pacific steamship lines and have been,
for years, the winter quarters for the North
Pacific American whaling fleets. There are
many Americans upon the Islands engaged
in sugar cane raising and its manufacture
and a large and lucrative trade has been car
ricd OIL for a number of years between them
and the Pacific Coast. The possession of the
Islands by a European power would disrupt
and revolutionize the and the le-
lations now existing between the United
States and the Islands. Our government
will not permit this to be 'one, and should
it be attempted the speck Of war which may
be seen in the distance will enlarge to des-
tructive proportions,