The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-01-31
HA WATIAN ISLANDS.
England Trying to Create Re
vulsion of Feeling Against

america.
WASHINGTON, January 1.-The
Washington Post has commenced
to agitate the question of suprem-
acy in the Hawaiian Islands,
alleging that England is deter
mined that the United States shall
gain no foothold there, not even to
the extent of acquiring a station
for coaling purposes. England is
as mercenary and grasping as ever,
it is said, and is attempting to
create feeling of revulsion against
the United States for the benefit of
her own tradesmen.
The Post quotes from confiden-
tial report made during the Cleve-
land administration by Major-Gen-
eral Schofeld and Colonel B. S.
Alexander concerning their spe-
cial mission to and inspection of
the Hawaiian Islands. These dis
tinguished United States officers,
acting upon confidential instruc-
tons from the President of the
United States, visited the Ha-
waiian Islands and ascertained the
defensive capabilities of their diff
ferent ports, examined into their
commercial facilities and collected
all the information in their power
on other subjects in refer zee to
which the United States overn-
ment ought to be informed in the
event of a war with a powerful mar
thine nation.
The secrecy and mystery which
surrounded proceedings in the
United States Senate last year as
to the proposition to appropriate
$25O,O0O to be expended under the
direction of the President of the
United States toward the estab-
lishment of a foreign naval station
for the United States in Hawaii
we're due in part to the fact that
the Senate had before it the various
secret and confidential matters re-
lating to affairs in Hawaii which it
was deemed impolitic at the mo-
ment to discuss in public session.
One of the documents was a con-
fidential report made by General
Schofeld and Colonel Alexander,
and there were similar reports OF
later date made to the Navy De.
partment by United States officers
relative to the Investigations look
ing to the selection of suitable sites
to be acquired in Pearl River har-
Dor for the United States naval
station, and the practicability and
cost of removing the coral reef at
the entrance of the harbor.
In compliance with their conf
Dental instructions General Soho
field and Colonel Alexander made
a lengthy report to the Govern
ment at Washington. They ascer.
tanned that Honolulu is the only
good commercial harbor on the
whole group of the Sandwich Is
lands. There are many other So
called harbors or places for an
chorage, but they are mostly open
roadsteads, affording shelter only
from certain winds, and they are
all entirely incapable of being de-
Tended by shore batteries.
Even the harbor of Honolulu it
self cannot be defended from the
shore. 1t is small harbor, lying
seward from the land, and is on
ly protected from the sea by out.
lying coral reefs. An enemy could
take up his position outside the
:, entrance to the harbor and COM
: mand the entire anchorage as wei
t as the town of Honolulu itself.
This harbor would, therefore, be
of no use to us as harbor of ref
uge in a war with powerful mar
thine nation.
With one exception there is M
harbor on the islands that can be
made to satisfy the conditions ne
cessary for a harbor of refuge in
time of war. This is the harbor OF
! Eva on Pearl River.