IOANE II. Member of the Treasury Board. (L. S.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 376, 21 November 1849, Page 2

lOANE 11. Member of the Treasury Board. (L. S.)

It is matter of gratification that the British Consul at Honolulu appears throughout the transaction not only to have formed a clear and correct view of the unwarrantable conduct of the French officers, but to have given manly and unequivocal expression to that view, and to his sympathy with the unoffending and deeply wionged King. We have already published his Protest addressed to Admiral de Tromeun. We now add Mr. Wylue's communication to him respecting the demands made by the French, and his (Mr. Miller's) reply. Foreign Office, 25 August, 1849, passed at 2 p. m. (Separate and urgent.) Sib,— The King rr.y master commands me to convey to you for your information, and for that of your Government, as a joint patty to the engagement of the 28th November, 1843, and to the Treaty of ihe 26th of March, 1816, the enrlosed copies of the peremptory demands rrnde on the 22nd instant by the Admiral and Consul of France, and of the leplies to the same, which I have sent in by his Majesty's command. It is not believed that any consequences can justly ensue endangering the lives and properties of British subjects, which bis Majes'y will protect so long as his sovereign authority and the empire of his laws are I reipected. When that period ceases, his Majesty's power to protect will cease also ; and it will be for you as the representative of her Britannic Majesty, to act as you may consider to be necessary. It may be of importance to you to know that by command of the Kmg I addicssed, on the 23rd inst., by the James Munroe, a requeit in his Majesty's name, through his Comuaissioner in London, for the friendly mediation of the Biitish Government with that of Fiance, in regard to all demands made, or that may be made, upon tins Government by the Consul and Admiral of the Fie-ach Republic; and to obtain this favour, the King commands me to request your good offices. With the highest respect and consideration, I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient and humble servant, R. C. Wyllie. Win. Miller, Esq., H. B. M.'s Consul General. N- B — In case the mediation of the British Government should be objected to, or should be decline by them, a similar mte, with a similar intent/ is now passed to the Consul of the United States; The K>ng engages to ratify and abide by the award of the British Government, or of the President of the Uaited States, acting either solely or joiptly, on all points that may not be agreed upon between the French Government and the King's Special Commissioner, James Jackson Jarves, Esquire. K. C. Wyllie. To this letter the British Consul replied as follows •• — Her Britannic Majesty's Consulate General, Honolulu, August 27, 1849. Sir, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 25th instant, in which, by order of the King, you enclosed to me, for my information and that of the British Government as a joint party to the de* claration s gned in London on the 28th of November, 1843, and to the Treaty of the 2Ht\\ of Mnreh, 1846', copies of the peremptory demand 1 ] made on the 22nd instant by the Rear-Admiral and Consul of Fiance, and of the reply to the same by His Majesty's command. You at the same time inform me that the Hawaiian Commissioner in London had been instructed to solicit the friendly mediation of the British Government with that of France in regard to all demands made, or that may be made upon this Government by the Admiral and Consul of the French Republic, and that in a»!>e ths mediation of the B.itish Government should be objuited to or declined, a note has been passed to the Consul of the Uuited States with a view to obtain a similar fii j ndly mediation of the American Government; and ultimately, that the King engaged to ratify and abide by the award of the British Government or of the United States, acting either solely or jointly, on all points that may not be agieed upon between the French Government and the Hawaiian Special Commissioner, now on his way to Pi.ns.

In reply, I have the honor to statt 1 , for the infornmtion of the King and Government, that, having received a notification from Admiral de Tromelin. dated the 23rd inst., that it was his intention to resort to coercive measures unless he obtained a satisfactory an wer to his demands, the precise nature of which I was already aware of I considered it, under all the existing circumstances, evpcJ ent and proper in my reply to manifest the view I entertained as to the courie usually adopted in the event of any infraction of a Treaty, namely, that the Resident Consul or Diplomatic Agent of the party aggrieved first remonstrated, and if that was not en >uih, he then protested against the evil complained of, referring the questiou to his Go vernment for their determination. Actuated by a siucere desire to co-operate all in my power to bring the points in dispute to a peaceable termination, I, as the Biitish Representative here, offered to guarantee, if required, the execution by this Government of the decision which might be come to in Paris. Detachments of French armed seatren having, however taken and kept possession of the Fort and Government Offices of Honolulu, I have considered it farther my duty to protest, and I have this day formally pro'ested to the French Admiral, against the occupation of the Fort and Government Offices by the forces under his command as a violation of the mutual agreement of the 28th November, 1843, by which the British and French Governments reciprocally pledged j themselves never to take possession, either directly, or under the title of Protectorate, or under any other form, of any part of the territory of the Sandwich Islands. I have, moreover, addressed and forwarded with the Protest a letter to Admiral De Tromelin, in which I have given, at some length, the view I have been constrained to take with respect to his hostile proceedings, and to the nature of his demands, especially of those which insist upon the reduction of the duty upon s,>i ntuous liquois to 50 per cent, ad valorem, and the adoption of the French langnage in businass intercourse between the Custom House and other Hawaiian Government officers and French citizens, aad I cannot persuade myselj that the vi«\v which I have thus talcm and conveyed in a friendly manner to Admiral De Tromelin will fail to have «ome weight in conducing to an amicable termimtion of the existing differences. With <Hsuranc«s of higli consideration, I have the honor to bs, Sir, your most ob dient humble servant, War. Miller. R. C. Wyllie, Esq., Minister of Foreign Relations, &c. We may note here that, on thd 3rd of September, r Resolution was adopted by the King in full Council, presenting the thanks of His Majesty and the Government to Mr. Miller, as the Representaiive of Great Britain, " for j the friendly interest in support of His Majesty's I Rights as an Independent Sovereign so conspicuously manifested in said letter, and especially for his voluntary offer of the Guarantee of Great Britain for any demands or reparation that, after proper reference, might be aAvarded as just, against the Hawaiian Government, in view of the peremptory demands of the Admiral and Consul of France." The offer of Guarantee here referred to should not be forgotten whenever we view the case as a whole. It not only manifests a conviction oa the part of the British Consul that the Hawaiian Government was entitled to ail confidence and , support, but also casts light upon the real character and objects of an aggression, the actors in which refused to accept an arrangement which they must have seen was m ost avourable to them — if they were conscious of having any right whatever on their side the matter. Tha active and sagacious Minister of Foreign Relations (Mr. Wyllie), on the same day on which he wrote the above, addressed the following similar communication to the American Consul at Honolulu •. For.-ign Office, 25 Augns*, 1849, passed at 2 p. m. (Separate and urgent.) Sir, — The King my master commands me to convey to you for your information, and for that of your Government, the enclosed copies of the peremptory demands made on the 22nd instant by the Admiral and the Consul ol France, and of the replies to the same, wich I have sent in by his Majesty's comman-l. It is not believed that any consequences can justly ensue endangering the lives and properties of American citizens, which his Majesty will protect so long as his soveieign authority and the emphe of his laws are respected. When that period ceases, his Majesty's power to protect will cense also ; and it wi 1 be for you a« the Consul of the United SUtei, representing that Government, to act as you miy coisider necessary. — It may be of importance to you to know that, by command of the King I addressed, on the 23rd instant, by the James Munroe, a request in his Majesty's name, through his Special Commissioner, James Jackson Jrves, Esq., for the friendly mediation of his Excellency the Piesidentof the United States with the Government of Fnnce, in legard to all demands mads or that may be made upon this Government by the Consul and Admiral of the French Republic ; and to obtain this favour, the King commands me to request your good offices. With the highest and consideration, I have the honor to be sir, Your most obedient and humble servauf, R. C. Wyllie. JoelTurrill, U. S. Consul. N. B —In case his Excellency the President of the United States should be objected to as mediator, or decline to act as such, a similar note, with n similar intent, is now passed to H. B. M.'s Consul General. The King engnges to ratify and abide < y the award of his Kxceliency the President of the Uaited States, or of the Brnish Government, acting either solely or jointly, on all points that may not be agreed up in between the French Government and the King's Special Commissioner, James Jackson Jarves, Esq. R. C. Wyllie. Mr. Turrill's reply was fully satisfactory to the Hawaiian Government, conveying the impression that not only his sense of justice and honour, but his regard to the commercial interests of America, led him to condemn the course of the French. The principal passage i n his letter is this :— " Believing that the Admiral had been misinformed in relation to the violation of the Treaty, and knowing that the use of force for the purpose aud in the manner

indicated by him, would greatly injure American commerce in the Pacific Ocean, I expressed iv decided terms, in my answer to the Admiral's letter, that neither the letter nor the spirit of the Treaty had been violated by the Hawaiian Government^ and I protested against the enforcing of the demands in the manner indicated by the Admiral." Mr. Turrill concludes by saying, "I will lose no time in making the President of the United States fully acquainted with the course I have taken in relation to the proceedings of the Admiral and the Consul of France." The following official circular to the Consuls of the other Powers, sufficiently explains its own object : — (Open Circular.) Palace, half-past 10 a. to., 27 Aug. 1849. ' The undersigned Minister of Foreign Relations of the King of the Hawaiian Islands, has the honor to inform the under- addressed that he came down to his office this morning, with the keys in his pocket, intending to send them officially a circular, with a copy of the demands of Rear Admiral Leyoarant de Tromelin, Commander -in -Chief of the Naval Forces of France, and of M. Dillon, the Consul of France, upon the King's Government, and a copy of the reply of this Government, through the organ of the undersigned, sent into the above-named on Saturday the 25th instant, at half-past one of the afternoon, but that finding n French sentinel, und«r arms in front of the entrance to his own and other offices of the King's Government, he considers himself cut off from the means of sending them the circular and copies referred ti. Under these unexpected circumstances, the undersigned has only the alternative left of making known to the under-addressed his intention afore-aid, ani requestng them to inform themselves of the documents referred to, of the Bii'.iih Consul-General, or the Atnericau Consul — to whom only as the representatives of the largest interests of these Islands, the undersigned had tm.e to Bend copies on Saturday at 2p. in. In knowledge of these document* the underiidJiesstd will judge fop themselves of the actual stato of t'lin rs, so fir as they affcci the safety of the persons md prop' rties of their fellow-countrymen living under the King's jurisdiction. The undersignei, on behalf of the King) isoideied to ma'se known that the proclamation to the inhabitants of Honolulu, cxtens'vely ported up yesteiday morning throughout Honolulu and in front of the Government offices, bearing the signature of " Legoarant de Tromeliu, Rear Admiral," has not been issued by au honty of the Sovereign of this independent kingdom. It. C. Wyllie. /Seen, this date, at 1 1£ o'clock (Signed) Consul. L. H. Anthon, Royal Danish Consu' a To the Consul of rSeen and read by me, at 11.30' .Bremen. a. m (Signed), To the Consul of " S. Reynolds, Hambuig. (. Bremen & Hamburg Consul, ("Seen August 29, '40, at 12 m, To the Consul of J (Signed), lira. 1 ,J. F. B Marshall, l_ CcnS'il of Peiu. rSeen August 27, 1819, at 12 m. To the Acting Consul J by o Chile. 1 RmmRT C. Janion, (. Acting Consul for Chile, IgjST Too above will be pleased to write " o een," with the «l>\te aid hour, and their initials, opposite theiv i elective names. R. C. W. Admiral de Tromblin's Proclamation "To the Inhabitants of Honolulu," here referred to, (to which we alluded in our last) was as follows —

TO THE INHABITANTS OF HONOLULU. A cnisunerstanding, connected with the non-execu-tion of ihe Treaty, having existed for some time between France and the Hawaiian Island', the u .dersigned, Rear Admiral de Tromelin, came to Honolula, in the hope of settling it amicably and pacfieallv. — Wiih th s view he sought an interview with the King in Council, offering to hear their reasons and discuss lha qnestion with them in a conciliatory spirit, The advisers of the King, against whose arbitrary and unconstitutional conduct the representatives of the great Powers — France, United States, and Great Brit'iin r had already protested in a collective address, oa tho 13th December, 1848, thareby binding their respective governments, refused to grant the conference demanded. It became, therefore, part of the duty of the undersigned to forward to lhera an ultimatum, which they have also rejee'ed. In consequence thereof, the fonL of Llonolu'u has been disarmed by the French forces,, now in the harbour : but the Hawaiian flag still waves, and will continue to wave, over it. The undersigned, who neither aims at an occupation nor at a protectorate (or France, will hasten to withdraw with the forces under his command, the moment his just reclamations are attended to. Iti the mean time it is his fixed resolve to respect alike the interests of all foreigners, no matter what th ir creed or country. As far as Franou is concerned, the convention signed in 1839" by ; Ciptain Laplace, will form the basis of her relations, wHi these Llands. Accord. ng to this Treaty, French, merchandise of all k'tuds will be admitted at the uniform duty of 5 per cent. Legoakant de Tromcltm, Rear Admiral. We may introduce here a quotation exhibiting the patient and conciliatory, as well as firm and consistent course pursued by the Hawaiian Government amidst all the provocations and injuries inflicted by the French :— The fjit, government office, and cuslom*hou9e, were occupied on the afternoon of the 26th August, not by sentries, but by detachments of troops, and the keys o? the two latter edilicts were demanded, but not delivered up. The ordeis to those eutiusk'd with ihe keys were, to allow the French, if they chose, to take them out of their pockets, but, on no account, to give them up, voluntarily, or to open n single door, or do any other act whatever that might be cons. rued into an acknowledgment of the legality of the authority assumed by the French Admiral, within the Kind's domuiu. Upon the same principle, and under their oaths of office to the King, neither the Minister of Foreign tiehttitms, nur the Collector General of Customs, could recogn se the Captain of the Oassendi (much as they uiigut le^pect thai officer, individually,) as a competent Hawaiian authority, for the regulations, in legard to certificates, which the French Admiral proposed, but which, like the Admiral's proclamations the King's government could nowise acknowledge. By referring to the official correspondence, it will be seen when the

gentiics were removed ; in conspquence of what ticspatches they weie lemoned ; and that no officer of the King resumed his duties, in his office, until those sentries had been removed. If tlieAdmiial did not know, the French. Consul ought to have informed him, that in this quiet town, no sentries are ever required f r the sa r es u >rd of the Government offices ; and the Hawaiian Government cannot admit the contrary assumption as a justification ly the military occupation, so long and so unnccessariis kept up. That the occupation was a military one, of evident from (he Admiral's despatch of 2Gch August, and Mi. Wyllies note of the -30th. One of the later communications in the correspondence manifests the continuance of the same good spirit on the part of the HaAvaiian government. The former portion of it refers to a characteristic attempt by M. Dillon to embarrass the government by voluntarily abandoning his house, and throwing upon them a responsibility for its value and that of its furniture, &c. Foreign Office, 31 August, 1849, half-past 11 a- m. Sir,— l am direrted to apprise you that, notwithstanding official notifications, by Mr. Consul Dillon, under dates 25th and 29th iustont, professing to throw upon this Government the responsibility of the safeguard, fioin the former d.i'e, of his house and furniture in Nuuanu Valley, and Cuanrellcue in Honolulu, but without oiteiing either inventory or survey, or appraisement, or even the rugs, has just been made known to the King in Council that M. Dillon personally and through his agents, has re-entered upon afid returned possession oC both of the piemises abovementioned. I am however authorised, fully, by the King and Council, to dechre to >ou that so far as his M»iesty'B now crippled meini3 will allow, the persons and properties of every French citizen, and all French vessels and citizens atiiving at auy of his ports, will remain just as safe and he as carefully protected as they weie before the reprisals that you have resorted Co, and as the persons and properties of the subjects and citizens of the most favoured nations now aie. 1 renew the asburance of the most distinguished consideration with which I have the honor to be. Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, It. C. Wyllie. To Admiral Legoarant de Tromelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocsan, off Honolulu. An additional specimen — (many such might he quoted) — of the ovei bearing and dictatorial lone assigned by the French office is, and thendetermination to go forward to the accomplishment of their ends, is found in the following ha. ighty little missive : — On bra-d the Admiral's frigate of the French Rcpub''c, "L\ Poursuivante," off Honolulu, 31 August, 1849, at f past 3 p. tn. [Received by Mi. Wyllie, at Rosebank, at 7 p.m] Naval S dion of the French Republic, in the Pacific Ocean. Ma. the Ministfh,-—! have the honor of acknowledging receipt of thice despatches whHi you have addicted to me to-day, and of (.hi* fotn enclosu e> svhirli tli^y contain. As the question now -t.mds, I consider v useless to icenter heio and h>'u>ilt:<r in a discussion tho reailts of which cm never lephtc j, in our ie*pecli*c hi> nations wheie we were before these U t nffairs. To the Fiench Government nlony it belongs now to di enss and duile. I renew he-re, Mr. the Mimotei, the assurance of my high consideration. The Rear Admiral the Commander-m-Chief of the Naval Forces of the French Republic in the Pacific Ooean, (Signed) Llgoauam he Tromcun. To Mr. Wyllie, Minister of Foreign Re'utions, of the Hawaiian Goveniramt, Honolulu. We shall only add, for the present, an important extract from a lemonstrance addressed to Admiral Tromixin by the Danish Consul, bhe acting Consul for Chile, and the Consul of Peru, on the 28th of August—the day following that on which they acknowledged having "seen" Mr. Wyllir's circular (as above). They take, it will be observed, a fair, businesslike, view of the aggression in its palpably injurious beaiing on the interests of commerce. Messrs. Antiion, Janion, & M irsiiall unitedly say^ — « "We v i ew with alarm the evil consequences to the commeicial interests of the citizens and subjects of our respective Governments, aiisiug from the hostile position you have assumed in landing an armed force, and in taking possession of the Fort, the Customhouse, and other Government Offices of Honolulu, as well as all the Hawaiian trading vessels, thus putting an entire stop to the transactions of business at this and other ports of these Islands. In view of these facts and the paramount foreign interests over the Ilawaiians thus affected, \\t deem it our duty respectfully to communicate to you this our earnest lemonstrance against the proceedings above alluded to, and we solicit your consideiatiou to the vjry serious hairier which you have placed in the way of our lespective countrymen from following their usual commercial avocations, and trust that you may find the means for obtaining justice for Fiench citizens, in some measure less disastrous to foreign interests here than the one you have pursued," The Consuls merely did their duty in thus recording their protest against proceedings so detrimental to commerce ; but what did Admiral de Tromelin and Consul Dillon care for that ? They had alteady trampled on aeneiosjty, humanity, national honour, and public faith, and were not likely to be turned aside from theii headstrong couise by a representation of the evil they weie doing to the trade and commerce of " foreigners,"