The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-24
THOMAS SQUARE.
An Ever-MemOrabIe Event in HR-
waiian HistOry-Ifs Past and Pres
emit Condition.

lie park, and named after Admiral
Thomas, occurred one of the most
memorable events in Hawaiian his
tory the formal giving back to
Kamehameha III of his Kingdom
and his sovereign rights, which he
had Professionally surrendered to
Great Britain in consequence of the |
oppressive claims against the country
made by NJ. Charlton and others, |
which Lord George Paulet threatened |
to support "a ct arms. The story of |
the last important chapter, of which |
Thomas Square was the scene, is |
long one, and has never yet been
told as it deserves to be, but as this
article is rather intended to deal with
that little-frequented public recrea-
ton ground in its present aspect, than
with its past history, we must dis
miss the latter in few sentences.
This day, February oath, is the an
niversary of one of the dark days in
the history of the Islands. Driven by
adverse circumstances, the violence
of Paulet and the craft of Simpson,
distracted by conflicting advice, and
the urgency with which they were
entreated to follow this and that
course, Kamehameha and his chiefs
finally, on the oath of February, 1843,
decided to follow the counseIs of DR..
Judd, and make a provisional surren-
der of the Kingdom to Lord George
Paulet. The alternative would appar-
emily have been for the King to set
his own laws at defiance. He was
urged to escape the dilemma by
ceding his Kingdom to France, but
| he, and his chiefs, and his white adj
visors, had the utmost confidence in
receiving justice at the hands of
that in regard to the main point-the
| independence of the Kingdom they
were in the right. Before. however,
| the decision of the British Govern
ment could be known, Lord George
Paulet's superior officer, Admiral
| Thomas, came in haste to undo his
work, and had not been here many
| hours before he let it be known that
| he intended to restore the Kingdom
to Kamehameha. 1t perhaps impos-
sible at this day to realize the sensa-
| ton caused by this news. What the
feeling was in February may be in
some measure gathered from the sor-
rowful wording of the Kings procla-
| 0f hn
Where are we, chiefs, people and
commons from my ancestors, and
people from foreign lands? Hear
! We! I make known to you that 1 am
in perplexity, by reason of difficult
| ties into which I have been brought
without cause; therefore, 1 have
given away the life of our land hear
We ~ He added an expression of his
hope that the Kingdom would be
restored to him when his conduct
should be justified. but in his own
mind he seems to have had rather a
feeling of dispair than of hope, judg-
ing from his exclamation as he
signed the deed of cession Let it
go; if I get help 1 get it; if not, let
it go. I can do no more ~ A period
of miserable suspense followed, which
was suddenly and quite unexpectedly
put an end to by Admiral Thomas,
who arrived on the Goth of July. On
the S1st there were gathered together
on the "plains east of the town."
which was then completely bare of
trees, almost the whole population
of the district. King Kamehameha's
royal standard was once more I'M
furled to the breeze in the presence
of all that concourse and the officers
of the men-of-war in the harbOr, the
Kings own troops and companies OF
marines, the heavy guns of the Adj
miraFs ship dublin" laundering
forth royal salute. The English
cOlors went down at the fort, and the
Hawaiian flag again took its proper
place.
It is somewhere recorded in print,
that the piece of land on which the
ceremony of restoration took place
was presented by the gratified SOW
ereign to Admiral Thomas, and by
| the latter Immediately represented
to the Government for the benefit OF
the public. This part of the story
has the appearance of likelihood, but
we have been unable to verify it.
Anyway, there lies the square, q
public recreation ground, bearing the
name of the beneficient Admiral, and
it ought to be a sacred place in the
eyes of every native Hawaiian, and a
place OF interest to every foreigner
who wishes well to this little King
dom. It is curious that it should have
been so long left waste, but it is so
lately that the city has spread itself
on to 1.-THE plains that perhaps we
ought not to be surprised that little
attention was given to what will I'M
doubtedly, in c few years from now,
be one of the most delightful and
popular public resorts in the city.
The first attempt to improve the
square was made some years ago,
when rough fence was put around it.
! The Iou6 waG fhen DlOwpd and SOwD