The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-13
KING TRIED
TO SELL.
HIS CROWN
Kamehameha iii
Wanted a Cash
Exchange.
Sovereignty to Go to
the Highest
Bidder.
Dr.. Judd Selected to Negotiate
and Documents Drawn Up
When Monarch Died.

Half a century ago the sovereignty OF
, the Hawaiian Islands came near being
disposed of to the highest bidder among
the powers of the world, His Majesty.
Kamehameha Ill, having set his heart
on getting rid Of crown which, to him,
was one of thorns. and to give the Is
lands into the bargain.
/ This interesting statement was made
last night at the annual meeting of the
Hawaiian Historical Society. when
Prof. w. D. Alexander read a hitherto
unpublished portion of the diary of
Mrs. Laura Fish Judd, wife of the late
DR.. Judd, and grandmother of Albert
F. Judd. The matter read by Prof.
Alexander was clearly within the init
mate knowledge of the writer. and was
to have been published in her book.
printed in the sos but for some reason
was withheld from its pages at the last
moment.
Prof. Alexander read directly from
the manuscript of Mrs. Judd. about as
follows:
"Kamehameha III. set his heart on
disposing OF the Islands. He wanted
to sell his crown to the highest bidder
in the world, no matter who offered.
When he sent his commission to
France he furnished DR.. Judd with
power to make the best bargain posi-
BILE for the disposal of the group. She
saw with her own eyes the documents
which the king had drawn up. and she
felt that the strongest proof OF the
kings trust in DR.. Judd was in this
strange proceeding. Mrs. Judd says
that she was very glad DR.. Judd had
no occasion to make use Of the docu-
ments in the manner intended. She
added that under the administration
of President Pierce the Hawaiian
Kingdom was looked upon with favor
and 1.-THE road to Washington was very
short, shorter than it would ever be
again." Prof. Alexander remarked
soto voce that she had overlooked the
coming of the cable.
The following were His Majestys
reasons for selling the Islands: ID
His subjects were decreasing in NUM-
bers. (2) The superior civilization was
bringing in foreigners who would soon
displace the natives. go He did noS
desire a repetition Of such treatment
as he had received from Lord George
possessions to a world power. the king
felt that he would meet the same fate
and that he escaped such fate was
only through the good offices of the
United States. "a The foreign element
was increasing and became more diff
cult to control, and the government
would eventually be controlled by for
eigners.
The king expected liberal terms at
his auction sale, and the monetary re-
endorsement expected was to be suffi-
cient to recompense the young princess
and other members of the royal fam
lilies for their loss of titles. enabling
them, however, to travel and obtain
educations abroad and to place them
beyond want The king became so inn
Fortunate that he wanted DR.. Judd TO
charter a certain schooner and go 10
Panama and thus across to Washing
ton as soon as possible. to commence
bartering the Islands. Mrs. Judd re-
marks that it was not strange that the
young prince, heir apparent to the
throne, was opposed to the measure.
The document needed the signatures of
the young Princes. His Majesty was
determined upon obtaining their sigma
lures, when he suddenly became i'll and
died soon after. At the request OF his
successor, Kamehameha ", the docu-
ment held by DR.. Judd was nulliied,
and reciprocity negotiations were en-
tered into in 1855. which, however, did
not materialize until about % years
later.
Prof Alexander also read a copy of a
letter from Barnum w. Peel. dated
September IS, 1855. to a Mr.. Wood at
Lahaina, regarding the treaty of rec
iprocity referred to. which he brought
to Honolulu from New York. The
treaty was approved by the king. but
failed of ratification by Congress.
L. A. Thurston announced that he