The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-05-14

IN order To- understand the causes
which lod Co the opening of ncgotia-
tions by Kamchamcha III. and his
cabinet In 1854 for annexation to the
United States, u ls necessary 10 20
back several years and review the
history OF those trouhious times
The Application for a PTotectorate In |
1861.
The subject uf annexation 10 the
United states was for the first time
seriously considered by the Hawaiian
Government In 1851. The proposition
Nns forced upon the attention OF the
King az that time by the unsettled
difiicultics with France. which had
been fomented, " not created. by NJ
Patrick Dillon, In 1883 II is not nee
sssary here to recapitulate the history
81 the affair OF lsis, OF the famous
ten demands drawn up by NJ. Dillon
and Of the "reprisals" taken by Ad-
miral DE Tromelin. An embassy had
afterwards been sent TO Paris, which.
from no fault of its members, proved
unsuccessful After the return OF this
embassy, NJ. EN-. Perrin was sent to
Honolulu as Commissioner OF France,
IN the corvette Serieuse. which arrived
ut Honolulu, December 10, 1850, and
remained in port three months, with
out exchanging salutes with the fort.
To the surprise OF all. he persisted in
pressing the identical ten demands.
presented by Admiral DE Tromelin in
1Si9 and his attitude became so
menacing that the King and Prlvy
Council were finally driven to seek
protection from one Of the great Pow
ers. on the 10th OF March, 1851. they
passed a proclamation, placing the Is
lands Professionally under the protec-
tion OF the United States of America.
They had, however. previously APP
piled to General Miller, the British
Consul General, who reluctantly adj
mitted that the convention between
France and Great Britain of Novem-
Der rs, 1913. effectually debarred his
government from accepting a protec-
torate over the Islands.
on the next day, a conditional deed
Of cession of the Kingdom to the
United States was drawn up, signed
and delivered in sealed envelope to
Hon. l. Severance. the Commissioner
Of the United States, by two of the
Kings ministers. This was to be act
ed upon only in case of an emergency,
the signal of which was to be the
raising of the flag of the United
States above that Of Hawaii over the
fort. In that case, the sovereignty of
the Islands was to be ceded to the
United States, TO be held in trust until
n settlement of their relations with
France, compatible with the King S
rights as an independent sovereign"
could be made, and II this should be
found to be impracticable, the said
protectorate was to be perpetual.
The u. S. S. Vandalia, Captain Gard
ner. was in port at the time The
deed Of cession was accepted by Mr..
Severance Professionally, and referred
to his government Mr.. w. C. Parke,
the Marshal, was directed to have the
Hawaiian and American flags sewed to.
gether, and kept in readiness to be
hoisted at moments notice. He re.
NAMED in the fort, night and day, on
The watch, during the 18th and 10th
Of March. BY some means, the British
consul General learned of what had
been done, and informed NJ. Perrin,
who thereupon withdrew the most OBJ
Boxious of his demands, and joint
declaration, comprising four articles,
was signed by both parties. March IS.
II appears, however, that Nj. Perrin
used language in his later dispatches,
which threatened to reopen questions
that had been supposed to be closed.
An appeal to the President of the Uni.
ted States was therefore drawn up and