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No. 6. The Agent-General to tho Premier. Sir,— 30th March, 1887. In continuation of my letter of the 10th instant, No. 343, I now beg to enclose a copy of the recent Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States and Tonga, signed at Tonga on the 2nd October, 1886, and communicated to the United States Senate by message from the President on the 14th February, 1887. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. F. D. Bell.

No. 5.

Enclosure. [Extract from the New York Daily Tribune, Wednesday, 2nd March, 1887.] A Treaty with Tonga.—Seeking Control of the Pacific Trade.—Full Text op the Treaty recently negotiated : its probable Fate. [By Telegraph to the Tribune.] Washington, Ist March.—ln November last the Tribune was the first newspaper to announce the conclusion of a treaty between this country and the Tongan Islands. The failure of Mr. Bayard to make mention of this important step in a scheme to secure the control of the Pacific Ocean trade in the President's annual message caused some comment at the time, and many people were led to believe that the information obtained by the Tribune was incorrect. The full text, which is given herewith, shows that the information was based upon trustworthy sources, and that the main features of Mr. Bayard's curious scheme were correctly interpreted. While Mr. Bayard, when he came into office, recalled every commercial treaty negotiated by his predecessor, he was willing that the extension of the Hawaiian Treaty, which had been signed by Mr. Frelinghuysen also, should be ratified by the Senate. Therefore he did not withdraw it, but, on the contrary, let no opportunity escape to impress upon senators in private the importance of preserving the control of the Pacific Ocean trade to this country. When the late Consul Greenebaum, by his conduct at Apia, in the Samoan Islands, came near precipitating an international difficulty, Mr. Bayard sent out a special envoy, Mr. George H. Bates, of Delaware, to settle the difficulty. Mr. Bates received at the same time instructions to proceed, upon the conclusion of his task at the Samoan Islands, to Tonga, and there negotiate a commercial treaty with King George. Mr. Bates proceeded to the islands in the " Mohican," and it was on board of this vessel that the treaty was signed on the 2nd October of last year. Precisely what Mr. Bayard hopes to accomplish by the conclusion of a treaty with so savage a race as the Tongans it is difficult to see. The products of the soil there are meagre, and consist for the most part of tropical fruit. On the other hand the inhabitants are so poor that their imports from the United States must necessarily be small. The Tongan group, which is five hundred or six hundred miles south-west of the Samoan Islands, is one of the few groups in the Pacific Ocean which has not yet been absorbed by any European Power. There has been a strong desire at times on the part of New Zealand to annex these islands, but they have had an independent government, the leading spirit of which is Mr. Baker, a Wesleyan missionary, who is called " the Premier," and who also is the signatory on the part of the Tongan Government to the present treaty. King George is an old Malay, with snowy white hair and a strong countenance. He is over eighty years old. He speaks no language except his native tongue, but he lives to a certain extent according to European customs. Nukualofa is the capital of the group. The Government has built a fine wharf, with houses, and there is a regular system of communication with Auckland and Fiji. The treaty has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, which has not yet reported upon it, and is not likely to take any action at this session. The treaty, and the letters which accompanied its transmission to the Senate, are given in full below : — " To the Senate of the United States. " I transmit herewith, with a view to its ratification, a Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, concluded 2nd October, 1886, in the Harbour of Nukualofa, Tongatabu, between the United States of America and the King of Tonga. I also transmit for your information a report from the Secretary of State, enclosing copies of the treaties of friendship concluded between the Kingdom of Tonga and Germany and Great Britain. " Grover Cleveland. " Executive Mansion, Washington, 14th February, 1887."

" To the President. "I have the honour to enclose, for transmission to the Senate, if deemed proper, a Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States of America and the King of Tonga, concluded in the Harbour of Nukualofa, Tongatabu, 2nd October, 1886. I further enclose, for the information of the Senate, copies of the Treaty of Friendship concluded between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Tonga, Ist November, 1876, and of the Treaty of Friendship concluded between Great Britain and Tonga, 29th November, 1879. " Respectfully submitted, " Department of State, Washington, February 3, 1887." "T. F. Bayard.

" Full Text op the Treaty. " Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States of America and the King of Tonga. " The United States of America and the King of Tonga, naturally desirous of maintaining and strengthening their relations and interests, have resolved to conclude a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, and to this end have empowered as their representatives, the President of the United States—George H. Bates, Special Commissioner of the United States to Tonga; and His