The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-03-23


had upon his desk yesterday, and was
regarding it with the keenest interest.
1t is document that mus; bear in
the most important way upon any his
tory of Hawaii that is to be written
hereafter.
BEARS OUT TRADITION.
Before touching upon the nature of
this paper, it should be understood
that for eighty years there has been
handed down in the traditional story
of the islands, from mouth to mouth, n
tale of great meeting of the chiefs
which was said to have taken place
very early in the last century, at
which meeting the essential articles of
a treaty with the United States of
America were agreed to, and varions
other important matters of state policy
were discussed. 1t was even said that
there had been, at one time, written
minutes of what had happened at that
meeting, but if there ever had been
such memorandum. it was lost in
fire in one of the public buildings Ana
only tradition remained to give the
tale of the meeting. This gathering of
the chiefs is mentioned in Alexander g
history, but all that took place is not
told
The document found in the archives
stored in the garret of the Capitol re-
lates what happened at the meeting,
being an account, accurately and
graphically set down in a report made
by Captain Thomas ap Catesby Jones
to Hon j. C. Dobbin, Secretary of the
Navy, at Washington, d. G. Or, rath-
er, it is copy of the report of Captain
ap Catesby Jones to Secretary Dob
bin, which copy appears to have been
sent by the Secretary of the Navy to
Hon. r. c. Wyllie, Secretary for For
eign Affairs of the Hawaiian Kingdom,
in the course of a correspondence as the
result of dispute between Wyllie and
the American government as to the JUS
tice of certain American claims for dam
ages against Hawaii. The correctness of
the report of the meeting of the chiefs
is attested by annotations of the docu-
ment in the handwriting of Minister
Wyllie, who would seem to have been
bested in the encounter with the
American naval officer.
THE JONES REPORT.
In his report to Secretary of the
Navy Dobbin, which is dated Decem-
ber 20, 1855, Commander Thomas ap
Catesby Jones relates that on the Goth
day OF December, 1926, there was !,
meeting called by the Queen Regent at
Honolulu of all the chiefs, mobiles and
princes and princesses of the blood
royal, at which he himself was present
in full uniform, as was also the Con-
sular representative of His Britannia
Majesty, Captain Richard Charlton, In
full uniform.
"The princes, chiefs and nobles, -
writes Jones, 'were all attired in cost
ly garments, after our fashion,
After relating many of the details
of the meeting, Jones goes on to say
that when the question of the con-
clusion of a treaty between the gov
ernment of the United States and that
of the "Sandwich islands, was
broached, the British Consul, Captain
Charlton, made solemn protest in the
name of his government against the
conclusion of such convenant.
off this treaty is made,' said
Charlton to the assembled chiefs and
mobiles, "then my country will take
possession of these islands, as it has
perIecI rlSHI 10 90, Ine natives mere
of being only tenants on the sufferance
of Great Britain"
"Whereupon," writes the sapient ap
Catesby Jones, II asked him in what
capacity his government had sent him
to these islands?
He answered that he had been sent
here as Consul General, with full
power and authority to appoint con-
suls and vice consuls to represent the
interests of Great Britain
THE ISLANDS FREE.
And since when," Jones next writes
that he asked the Britisher, has it
been the habit of your government to
send consuls and consuls general to
portions of its own dominion"
''The utmost sophistry," Jones goes
on. could not escape the trap into
which Charlton had walked. and so
patent was II that Kalanimoku. other
wise known as Billy Pitt Prime
Minister OF the Hawaiian Kingdom,
raised himself upon his arm from his
bed, where he was even then dying of
dropsy, eXclaiming;
"'It IL so, Are America and Eng
land then, equals? We did not know
Il before"
And tharaupon tho aaparat IA traatU