FRENCH GRIEVANCES (!) IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 377, 24 November 1849, Page 2

FRENCH GRIEVANCES (!) IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

We have in two previous articles exhibited the most prominent features of tha French aggression on the weak and unoffending Government of Hawaii, as their hideousness is reported to us on evidence which we cannot but regard as irrefragable. The minor lineaments which ; complete the portraiture are not less revolting. It will be seen on reference to the formal statement of " demands" made by Admiral de Tro- j melin and M. Dillon that four of those "demands," (numbered 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the French despatch of the 22nd of August), had respect to wrongs alleged to have been inflicted on the French by the Hawaiian Authorities, and for which reparation was sought. It is wotth while to look a little closely into the foundation of these charges, that we may see whether the French had any real grievances to complain of that would -palliate — for even if the statements had been literally true they could not have justified — their recent proceedings Sufficient matezials on which to rest a conclusion aie fu/nished in the copious Appendix to the pamphlet of Documents on whicli we have aljeady largely drawn. As, however, those materials are dispersed through numerous letters, &c, which contain also much extraneous and merely incidental matter, it may be more acceptable to our readers that we should throw the leading facts into an abridged and consecutive form, than that we should copy the papers at full length. The first of these demands was that a fine of twenty -five dollars paid by the French whale ship General Teste should be returned, and that an indemnity of sixty dollars should be paid for the time she was detained at Honolulu — The simple facts were, — the General Teste had violated the law by leaving the port without a clearance; but the Hawaiian Commissioners of Customs, so far from dealing harshly in the case, i educed the penalty of rive hundred dollars, to which she had subjected herself, to the mitigated fine of twenty-five dollars. The second of these demands was with respect to the punishment of certain pupils of the High School, who were charged with " impious conduct" in a Roman Catholic Chapel. The allegation was that, as the Abbe Coulon expressed it, they " to the great scandal of the faithful applied themselves to profane the Holy Water and to mimic the ceremonies of the Catholic worship." The impropriety of such conduct in any place of worship, (whatever may be the character of the doctrinal or ceremonial system maintained there), is, of course, quite obvious ; but, in this case, the Judge before whom the two lads were tried dismissed the charge, as not sustained by evidence ; and the French, by not appealing against his decision, virtually acknowledged the justice of it. It is not unworthy of notice that M. Dillon - instead of laying this complaint before Mr,

Armstrong, the Minister of Public Instruction, as he knew he should do, — addressed a despatch to Mr. Wyllie, desiring that he would " carry the facts io the cognizance of the Minister of Public Instruction, whose department they concerned, and make known to him (M. Dillon) the measures that may be taken to prevent their return." This impertinence provoked Mr. Wyllie to write almost the only words indicative of personal feeling which we have found in his despatches, — " I cannot allow myself to be made a mere translator of languages, or postman, for the convenience or to suit the caprice of any Foreign Consul, although all this I have had to tolerate with M. Dillon." The third demand was that Kapeau, the Governor of Hawaii, should be removed, or otherwise punished, for an alleged violation of the domicile of the Abbe Marescejal, a Romish Missionary. The statement respecting this case given by the Governor merits attention. It is, in brief, as follows : — A man named Halel who lived with the Priest, refused to pay his School Tax, on the personal ground that he was poor, and on the political ground that the tax was unfair, inasmuch as soldiers and constables were exempted from it. In this refusal the Priest encouraged him. Hale was arrested and brought before the Magistrate of the district for trial, but while the Judge was considering his decision, he escaped from the yard of the Court-house, and took refuge in the house of the Priest, who, when the constables pursued their prisoner, threatened to prosecute them for invading his premises. A scuflle took place in the Priest's bed-room between Hale and a constable, when some injury was done to the bed ; but two Frenchmen seized the constable and turned him out. Another constable then arrived with this order from the Governor :—: — Kdil-ifi, H i wail, Marcli 2, 1849. Salutations to you. It >)<-. omes y< u to deliver up Hale, — for to have justice done is for men's good, and there should be no opposition to the word of the law. (Signed) George L. Kapeau, Governor of Hawaii. Jehoiakim, Catholic Priest in Kona, Hawaii. Hale was then taken to prison where he remained until the Priest paid his fine. ' This may passibly be objected to, however, as being the Governor's own statement, — although there seems no sufficient reason to question its accuracy. At all events, the Hawaiian Government were clear in the matter ; inasmuch as, when they heard of it for the first time during the proceedings of August, Mr. Wyllie informed the French Con* sul that the King's Chief Justice Mr. Lee, would investigate this " previously unheard of complaint," and offered M. Dillon a passage ia the King's yacht with the Chief Justice, " if he should wish to- see that the rights of the Rev. Abbe were properly attended to." In t 1 © same despatch Mr. Wyli ie remarked, — " The Courts of the Kingdom have always been and are as open to the Rev. Abbe, as they are to the King's subjects 01 the most favoured foreigners ; and, under the second Article of the Treaty of the 26th of March, 1846, all parties, whether natives or foreigners, have equally to seek for justice before the proper tribunals, as in all civilized countries."* The last of the demands founded on special cases of alleged wrong to the French, has additional interest from its involving in some measure the character of the officers and crew of a British ship of war. Admiral de Tromelin demanded " payment to the French citizen Proprietor of the Hotel of France for the damages committed in his house by foreign sailors, agiinst whom the Hawaiian Administration had not taken any process." The facts, as we gather them from copious and satisfactory documentary evidence, may be told in a few words. On the night before the departure from Honolulu of H. B. M. Ship Amphitrite, (15th of July), some of the sailors went to. the French Hotel of Victor Chancere, (which was kept open, it may be observed, at hours, when the more orderly Hotels were closed,) and, while drinking there, broke some tumblers, panes of glasses &c. M. Dillon made this a subject of formal complaint to the Government; on which Mr. Wyllie immediately communicated with Captain Eden of the Amphilritc, who, with Captain Meek, Lieutenant Furneau, Mr. Miller, (the British Consul), Mr. Jasper Police Magistrate and others, strictly and promptly investigated the affair. Captain Eden informed all the parties that "if the Proprietor of the Hotel would come on board and recognize any of the men who did damage to his property, they should remunerate him ; but he never came." Chancere, however, took advantage of the stir made in the matter to raise his bill from eight dollars (the amount which at first he claimed) to the sura of ninety-three dollars. Ultimately, this extravagant demand was satisfied, — but satisfied in a way that is in itself conclusive as to the character of the whole transaction. Thirty-six of the most respectable foreign residents in the town, who were altogether unconnected with the Government, liquidated the claim by a voluntary subscription, assigning as their motive for doing so their wish to -'bear testimony as to the feeling of the community towards His Hawaiian Majesty's Government in connection with the French claim, and towards the officers and crew of H. B. M. Ship Amphifite." Mr. Sea, the gentleman who, on behalf of the subscribers paid the money to Chancere, states, " a much

larger sum was subscribed, but so many persons wishing to sign, the subscription was lowered, f The self-evident futility of these pretences on the part of the French officers is instructive, as demonstrating beyond all dispute that they were seeking, and determiued to find, occasion of quarrel with tne Hawaiian Government, whose remote position and helplessness, so far from affording any extenuation of the outrage, only stamp it with deeper and more indelible enormity. The « Grand Nation," amidst its proud claims of pre-eminence, lays especial stress on its military glory and politeness :— what nation in the history of the world has, within the same number of years, fixed so many and such foul stains of infamy on its Banner as the names of Tahiti, Algeria, Rome, and Hawaii, in connection with the conduct of France, present to view.

* A few weeks ago we law in the Sydney Herald a Report (taken from the Polynesian, of several casei tried before Chief Justice Lee «nd a Native Judge w'lich we would have copied had the other demands on our space permtt'ed. Our Sydney contemporary ob« served thai the Report was " interesting as showing the advances to civilizition making by the Sandwich Itlanders ; " and so it undoubtedly was. It manifested a sagacity in the adaptation of the law »o the state of the community, and a righteousness in its adnoinhtiation, which would have done honour to any country. f As an additional illustration of the French Rotel Kcepe 's Htnexs to be a Co-adjutor of M. Dillon, we take the following f.ict from the Polynesian of October 6th :— " We assert upon the authority of citizen Vic tor's ova statement, tint, in 1844, he was banish d from Tihiti by the French Aut'nritirs at that place for dUregaiding a municipal regulation, as the Keeper, of a public-houae, and his property confiscated. He applied to the Fiench Government for red c s, but as yet they have given him n> indemnity."