Chapter I: Part 1

Transcriber's note

Minor punctuation errors have been corrected without notice. Several words were spelled in two different ways and not corrected; they are listed at the end of this book. A few obvious typographical errors have been corrected, and they are also listed at the end.

SPEECHES

OF HIS

MAJESTY KAMEHAMEHA IV.

TO THE

HAWAIIAN LEGISLATURE,

WITH HIS MAJESTY'S

REPLIES TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF FOREIGN NATIONS AND TO PUBLIC BODIES; ALSO WITH SUNDRY PROCLAMATIONS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO HIS ADVENT TO THE THRONE, ETC., WITH THE LAST PROCLAMATION AND AN OBITUARY OF HIS LATE MAJESTY

KING KAMEHAMEHA III.

PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

HONOLULU: PRINTED AT THE GOVERNMENT PRESS. 1861.

SPEECHES OF HIS MAJESTY KAMEHAMEHA IV., AND OTHER DOCUMENTS.

DECEMBER 8, 1854.

_The last Public Proclamation made by His late Majesty King Kamehameha III._

PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, It has come to my knowledge from the highest official
sources, that my Government has been recently threatened with
overthrow by lawless violence; and whereas the representatives
at my Court, of the United States, Great Britain and France,
being cognizant of these threats, have offered me the prompt
assistance of the Naval forces of their respective countries,
I hereby publicly proclaim my acceptance of the aid thus
proffered in support of my Sovereignty. My independence is
more firmly established than ever before.

KAMEHAMEHA.

KEONI ANA.
PALACE, 8th December, 1854.
By the King and Kuhina Nui.

R. C. WYLLIE.

DECEMBER 15TH, 1854.

_Public Proclamation of the Succession To the Throne of His Majesty Kamehameha IV._

PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove from this world
our beloved Sovereign, His late Majesty, Kamehameha III.; and
whereas, by the will of His late Majesty, and by the
appointment and Proclamation of His Majesty and of the House
of Nobles, His Royal Highness, Prince Liholiho, was declared
to be His Majesty's Successor. Therefore, Public Proclamation
is hereby made, that Prince Alexander Liholiho is KING of the
Hawaiian Islands, under the style of KAMEHAMEHA IV. God
preserve the King.

KEONI ANA,
Kuhina Nui.

DECEMBER 15TH, 1854.

DECEMBER 16TH, 1854.

_His Majesty's Address to His Privy Council of State in reply to their Condolences over the Death of His late Majesty Kamehameha III._

CHIEFS:--I have become by the Will of God, your Father, as I
have been your Child. You must help me, for I stand in need of
help.

To you Ministers, and other high officers of State of Our late
King, I return my sincere thanks for the expressions of
condolence with which you have this morning comforted me. I
request of you to continue your labors, in the several
positions you have hitherto held, until when my grief shall
have allowed me time for reflection, I make such new
arrangements as shall seem proper.

I thank the Members of this Council, in general for their
condolence, who will, also, I hope, assist me with their
advice, as though they had been appointed by myself.

JANUARY 11, 1855.

_His Majesty's Address on the occasion of taking the Oath prescribed by the Constitution. Extr. from =Polynesian=, Jan. 13, 1855._

I solemnly swear, in the presence of Almighty God, to maintain
the Constitution of the Kingdom whole and inviolate, and to
govern in conformity with that and the laws.

Immediately afterwards, His Highness the Kuhina Nui repeated the words "God preserve the King," which were re-echoed everywhere throughout the Church with loud cheers; His Majesty's Royal Standard and the National Ensign were hoisted and a royal salute fired from the fort.

Afterwards it pleased the King to make a solemn and eloquent address, in native, to His subjects, which was received by them with great enthusiasm, a translation of which is as follows:

_Give ear Hawaii o Keawe! Maui o Kama! Oahu o Kuihewa! Kauai o
Mano!_

In the providence of God, and by the will of his late Majesty
Kamehameha III., this day read in your hearing, I have been
called to the high and responsible position of the Chief Ruler
of this nation. I am deeply sensible of the importance and
sacredness of the great trust committed to my hands, and in
the discharge of this trust, I shall abide by the Constitution
and laws which I have just sworn to maintain and support. It
is not my wish to entertain you on the present occasion with
pleasant promises for the future; but I trust that the close
of my career will show that I have not been raised to the head
of this nation to oppress and curse it, but on the contrary to
cheer and bless it, and that when I come to my end, I may,
like the beloved Chief whose funeral we yesterday celebrated,
pass from earth amid the bitter lamentation of my people.

The good, the generous, the kind hearted Kamehameha is now no
more. Our great Chief has fallen! But though dead he still
lives. He lives in the hearts of his people! He lives in the
liberal, the just, and the beneficent measures which it was
always his pleasure to adopt. His monuments rise to greet us
on every side. They may be seen in the church, in the school
house, and the hall of justice; in the security of our persons
and property; in the peace, the law, the order and general
prosperity that prevail throughout the islands. He was the
friend of the Makaainana, the father of his people, and so
long as a Hawaiian lives his memory will be cherished!

By the death of Kamehameha III., the chain that carried us
back to the ancient days of Kamehameha I. has been broken. He
was the last child of that great Chieftain, but how unlike the
father from whom he sprung. Kamehameha I. was born for the age
in which he lived, the age of war and of conquest. Nobly did
he fulfill the destiny for which he was created, that of
reducing the islands from a state of anarchy and constant
warfare to one of peace and unity under the rule of one king.
With the accession of Kamehameha II. to the throne the tabus
were broken, the wild orgies of heathenism abolished, the
idols thrown drown, and in their place was set up the worship
of the only living and true God. His was the era of the
introduction of Christianity and all its peaceful influences.
He was born to commence the great moral revolution which began
with his reign, and he performed his cycle. The age of
Kamehameha III. was that of progress and of liberty--of
schools and of civilization. He gave us a Constitution and
fixed laws; he secured the people in the title to their lands,
and removed the last chain of oppression. He gave them a voice
in his councils and in the making of the laws by which they
are governed. He was a great national benefactor, and has left
the impress of his mild and amiable disposition on the age for
which he was born.

To-day we begin a new era. Let it be one of increased
civilization--one of decided progress, industry, temperance,
morality, and all those virtues which mark a nation's advance.
This is beyond doubt a critical period in the history of our
country, but I see no reason to despair. We have seen the tomb
close over our Sovereign, but it does not bury our hopes. If
we are united as _one individual_ in seeking the peace, the
prosperity and independence of our country, we shall not be
overthrown. The importance of this unity is what I most wish
to impress upon your minds. Let us be one and we shall not
fall!

On _my_ part I shall endeavor to give you a mild, and liberal
government, but at the same time one sufficiently vigorous to
maintain the laws, secure you in all your rights of persons
and property, and not too feeble to withstand the assaults of
faction. On _your_ part I shall expect you to contribute your
best endeavors to aid me in maintaining the Constitution,
supporting the laws, and upholding our Independence.

It further pleased His Majesty, in accordance with a suggestion made to him, to make the following _impromptu_ remarks, in English, to foreigners owing allegiance to him, and others residing in his dominions:

A few remarks addressed on this occasion, to you, the foreign
portion of the assembly present, may not be inappropriate.

You have all been witnesses this day to the solemn oath I have
taken in the presence of Almighty God and this assembly, to
preserve inviolate the Constitution. This is no idle ceremony.
The Constitution which I have sworn to maintain has its
foundation laid in the deep and immutable principles of
Liberty, Justice and Equality, and by these, and none other, I
hope to be guided in the administration of my Government. As
the ruler of this people, I shall endeavor, with the blessing
of God, to seek the welfare of my subjects, and at the same
time to consult their wishes. In these endeavors I shall
expect the hearty co-operation of all classes--foreigners as
well as natives.

His Majesty Kamehameha III., now no more, was preeminently the
friend of the foreigner; and I am happy in knowing he enjoyed
your confidence and affection. He opened his heart and hand
with a royal liberality, and gave till he had little to bestow
and you but little to ask. In this respect I cannot hope to
equal him, but though I may fall far behind I shall follow in
his footsteps.

To be kind and generous to the foreigner, to trust and confide
in him, is no new thing in the history of our race. It is an
inheritance transmitted to us by our forefathers. The founder
of our dynasty was ever glad to receive assistance and advice
from foreigners. His successor, not deviating from the policy
of his father, listened not only to the voice of a missionary,
and turned with his people to the light of Christianity, but
against the wishes of the nation left his native land to seek
for advice and permanent protection at a foreign Court.
Although he never returned alive, his visit shows plainly what
were his feelings towards the people of foreign countries. I
cannot fail to heed the example of my ancestors. I therefore
say to the foreigner that he is welcome. He is welcome to our
shores--welcome so long as he comes with the laudable motive
of promoting his own interests and at the same time respecting
those of his neighbor. But if he comes here with no more
exalted motive than that of building up his own interests at
the expense of the native--to seek our confidence only to
betray it--with no higher ambition than that of overthrowing
our Government, and introducing anarchy, confusion and
bloodshed--then is he most unwelcome!

The duties we owe to each other are reciprocal. For my part I
shall use my best endeavors, in humble reliance on the Great
Ruler of all, to give you a just, liberal and satisfactory
Government. At the same time I shall expect you in return to
assist me in sustaining the Peace, the Law, the Order and the
Independence of my Kingdom.

The preceding is the address, as it was taken down at the time, by a practised stenographer.

His Majesty afterwards, from the portico of the church, addressed, in native, a crowd of several thousand, who had not been able to find room in the church, and who had congregated in front thereof, outside the military. The crowd listened in breathless silence, and when the King concluded, cheered His Majesty most rapturously.

The whole solemn proceedings were conducted with admirable order, and His Majesty throughout appeared calm, collected and dignified.

JANUARY 6TH, 1855.

_Extract from the =Polynesian= of January 6, 1855._

OBITUARY.

[UNDER SPECIAL AUTHORITY.]

His late Majesty, Kauikeouli Kaleiopapa Kuakamanolani, Mahinalani, Kalaninuiwaiakua, Keaweawealaokalani, whose royal style was Kamehameha III., was born on the 17th March, 1813, in Keauhou, District of Kona, Hawaii. His father was the renowned king and conqueror, Kamehameha I. His mother was Keopuolani, daughter of Kiwaloa, son of Kalaiopuu, of Kau, Hawaii. On the day before her death, while conversing with the celebrated chief Kalaimoku, respecting her children, she said, "I wish that my two children Kauikeouli, and Nahienaena (her daughter), should know God and serve him, and be instructed in Christianity. I wish you to take care of these my two children,--see that they walk in the right way, counsel them, let them not associate with bad companions." But after her death, the chief who had the immediate charge of the young Prince's person was Kaikeoewa. When he retired to Lanai, Kaahumanu placed the Prince under the immediate charge of Boki. The earliest education which the infant Prince received, was at Kailua, from the Rev. A. Thurston, and Thomas Hopu, a native who had been educated in the United States. In Honolulu the Prince became the pupil of the Rev. Hiram Bingham.

The young Prince had the misfortune to lose his father Kamehameha, on the 8th of May, 1819, and his mother Keopuolani, on the 16th of September, 1823. Towards the end of that year King Kamehameha II. (Liholiho), embarked for England, where he died in 1824. The royal remains were conveyed back to the islands in the British frigate "Blonde," commanded by Lord Byron, in 1825. Soon afterwards, say in May, 1825, the reign of Kamehameha III. commenced, but under the political guidance of a supreme ruler, or "Kuhina Nui," till March, 1833, when he declared to the chiefs his wish to take into his own hands the lands for which his father had toiled, the powers of life and death, and the undivided sovereignty,--and confirmed Kinau (Kaahumanu II.) as his "Kuhina Nui." He then took into his own hands the reins of sovereign power, in the twentieth year of his age. How he has exercised that power, during the twenty-one years that intervened between its assumption and the 15th December last, when Death released him of all royal and other earthly cares, it will be the duty of his future biographer to show. His memory is, and must ever be, dear to his subjects, for the free constitutions which he voluntarily granted to them in 1840 and in 1852; for his support of religion and patronage of education; for his conferring upon them, and upon foreigners, the right to hold lands in fee simple, and for his willing abandonment of all the arbitrary powers and right of universal seignorial land-lordship, which he had inherited. There is scarcely in history, ancient or modern, any king to whom so many public reforms and benefits can be ascribed, as the achievements of only twenty-one years of his reign. Yet what king has had to contend with so many difficulties, arising from ignorance, prejudice, scanty revenue, inexperience and ineptitude, as his late Majesty King Kamehameha III.? It was only in 1844 that His Majesty had the assistance of a responsible legal counsellor, and of a Secretary of State; only in 1845 that a proper separation of the departments of government was attempted, and a cabinet formed. The political principles then established by His Majesty were the following, viz:

"That monarchy in the Sandwich Islands is indispensable to the
preservation of the King, the chiefs and the natives. That it
is the duty of the Ministers, in all their measures, to have a
single eye to the preservation of the King, the chiefs and the
natives.

"That the existence of the King, chiefs and the natives, can
only be preserved by having a government efficient for the
administration of enlightened justice, both to natives and the
subjects of foreign powers residing in the islands, and that
chiefly through missionary efforts the natives have made such
progress in education and knowledge, as to justify the belief
that by further training, they may be rendered capable of
conducting efficiently the affairs of government; but that
they are not at present so far advanced.

"That the best means of bringing them to that desired state,
are the careful study of proper books, and the practical
knowledge of business, to be acquired by ascending through the
different gradations of office, under foreign ministers.

"That such foreign ministers hold their commissions only by
the grace of the King, and agree to surrender them at the will
of His Majesty in favor of native subjects, whenever they
become properly qualified.

"That the King being recognized as Sovereign by Great Britain,
France, the United States and Belgium, has to maintain his
position and rank as such, and that all his ministers and
officers are to assist him in doing so, by deporting
themselves towards him with that respect and consideration to
which all sovereigns are entitled; and to discharge their
duties so as to do honor to his appointment and credit to
themselves.

"That it is the duty of the ministry to discourage all
republican tendencies and specious attempts to degrade the
King to the rank of a mere superior chief, as calculated to
undermine his influence and authority, and place the islands
in subjection to white men.

"That the subjection of the islands to white men, would lead
to the extinction of the native race.

"That the ministers ought to promote the numerical increase of
the natives, and their happiness, and wealth, by encouraging
religion, education, the arts and sciences.

"That the co-operation of Christian missionaries should be
admitted towards these objects, but that they shall not
interfere in the purely political concerns of the King's
Government.

"That equal rights and privileges should be allowed to all
foreign nations.

"That the revenue necessary to support the King's Government,
religion, schools, and to reward public services, should be
raised without such oppressive taxes as would oppress the
natives, and shackle their industry.

"That the faith of all treaties, conventions, contracts,
engagements, and even promises, should be religiously
observed.

"That a constitution and code of laws be provided, adapted to
the genius of the nation, to the climate and soil, and to the
wealth, the manners, and the customs, and the numbers of the
people."

These principles, so far as they could be applied to the good of his people, were faithfully adhered to by the late King, as will be seen by his recommendations to the Legislature, embodied in his speeches for the last nine years, which have been published together. The annual reports of his Ministers, and of his Chancellor and Chief Justice, best show whether those principles have been _mere profession_, or have had an _operative effect_, in promoting that progress which, for the last _decade_ of his late Majesty's reign, has unquestionably surpassed that of any other nation during the same period of time. All the reforms effected have been achieved without the creation of a national debt, and without one violent convulsion. The inference is irresistible, that monarchs may spring from the Hawaiian race, capable of well performing all the duties of constitutional sovereignty, and of fulfilling all the requirements of the government of an enlightened, independent nation, both in its internal and foreign relations.

Revolutionary violence, therefore, has no excuse except in the selfish rapacity which prompts it. It cannot plead the example of any country bordering on the Pacific, where life and property are more secure than they have been here, under the reign of the late King; where foreigners enjoy greater privileges, and where, like this Kingdom, foreign commerce (excepting spirituous liquors) pays a contribution to the State of _only 5 per cent. ad valorem_.

In private life, the late King was mild, kind, affable, generous and forgiving. He was never more happy than when free from the cares and trappings of state. He could enjoy himself sociably with his friends, who were much attached to him. Having associated much, while a boy, with foreigners, he continued to the last to be fond of their company. Without his personal influence, the law to allow them to hold lands in fee simple could never have been enacted; neither could conflicting claims to land have been settled and registered by that most useful institution, the Board of Land Commissioners. It is hardly possible to conceive any King more generally beloved than was his late Majesty; more universally obeyed, or more completely sovereign in the essential respect of independent sovereignty, that of governing his subjects free from any influence or control coming from beyond the limits of his own jurisdiction.

The sister of the late King, the Princess Nahienaena, died on the 30th December, 1836.

On the 4th of February, 1837, the late King was married to Kalama, daughter of Naihekukui, who has survived his Majesty, and is now the Queen Dowager. The King had by her two children, Keaweaweula and Keaweaweula 2d, who died in their infancy.

Being childless, the late King adopted as his son and heir ALEXANDER LIHOLIHO, who was born on the 9th of February, 1834, and who now happily reigns as KING KAMEHAMEHA IV.

JANUARY 16, 1855.

_Replies made by His Majesty to the Congratulations of the Representatives and Consuls of Foreign Nations and the Commanders of Foreign Ships of War in port._

It pleased His Majesty to make the following replies:

To the Diplomatic Corps:

GENTLEMEN:--You cannot desire your remarks to be more
gratifying than I feel them to be. In reply, I thank you, and
hope that the amicable feelings which have hitherto existed
between the several countries you represent and my own, may
never be impaired. For my part I shall lose no opportunity to
improve and strengthen them. Gentlemen, I thank you.

To the Consular Corps:

GENTLEMEN:--Your remarks are also very gratifying to me. The
geographical position of my islands is indeed such as to point
out plainly enough our policy--to make our ports what
Providence destined them to be; places of safety, refuge and
refreshment for the ships and merchants of all countries.
Nothing more bespeaks the prosperity of a people than the
extent of its intercourse with foreign countries. My utmost
exertions shall be given to foster that intercourse between
the countries, whose commercial interests here are placed in
your hands, and my islands. This I shall do the more heartily
from a pleasant remembrance of the harmony of our relations
heretofore.

To the officers of men-of-war:

GENTLEMEN:--The feelings expressed by you on this occasion
afford me sincere pleasure. The ports of my islands will
always be open to receive the vessels and ships of war of the
three nations which you represent--the three greatest maritime
powers of the earth--the three greatest supporters of the
independence of my kingdom.

JANUARY 16TH, 1855.

_Address made by His Majesty to His Ministers and High Officers of State on receiving their Portfolios._

GENTLEMEN:--On calling you to the high posts you respectively
fill, I propose to make a few remarks, with the request that
you will bear them constantly in mind. First, let me impress
upon you the importance of unity of purpose and action, for I
consider it impossible for the business of government to be
effectively carried out, unless there exist a great unanimity
of feeling among its officers. I have chosen you, because, I
thought that being actuated by one common policy, your
deliberations would be free from suspicious reserve, and your
actions all tend to one end. In a Cabinet divided into
factions, differing on fundamental points of policy, I could
place no confidence; and should I find mine thus divided, I
should feel it my duty to reorganize it. I am determined that
my Government, if any power vested in me can attain that
object, shall be respected for its honesty and efficiency.
Unsupported by these two pillars, no kingdom is safe. I desire
every part of the machinery of government to move in unison;
to subserve the great purposes for which it was intended; and
to be conducted with the strictest economy. Though young, with
the help of God, I shall endeavor to be firm and faithful in
the execution of the high trust devolved upon me, and never
let my feelings, as a man, overcome my duties as a King. From
all my counsellors I desire frank and faithful advice, and
those who advise me honestly, have nothing to fear; while
those who may abuse my confidence and advise me more from
personal interests than regard for the public good, have
nothing to hope.

One word in regard to the nominations for office which
according to law it becomes your duty to make, and I have
done. Let your subordinates be recommended by at least these
qualifications--honesty, temperance, industry and adaptation
to the places they are to fill; and let them be men in whom
you see good grounds for placing confidence.

May success crown your efforts and after years approve my
judgment in calling you to office.

APRIL 7, 1855.

_His Majesty's Speech in English and Hawaiian at the Opening of the Legislature, April 7, 1855._

NOBLES AND REPRESENTATIVES:--It has pleased the Almighty to
gather to his forefathers my beloved Predecessor. This
bereavement has been to me the source of the deepest sorrow;
but my grief has been assuaged by the sympathy of this whole
nation, in whom I see innumerable and ever-gathering proofs of
the love and gratitude they bore their departed Chief.

You meet this day in conformity with the Constitution he gave
you. Had his suggestions, on the many occasions he addressed
you from the place I now occupy, been matured by your
deliberations, and carried into effect, there would, perhaps,
be little for me to recommend, or for you to perform. The
measures he initiated reflect lustre upon his name, and if by
any endeavor of mine those measures shall be perfected, I
shall consider it indeed an honor.

In the exercise of my prerogative, I have availed myself of an
Act passed during your last session, and since approved by me,
by virtue of which I have separated the offices of Kuhina Nui
and Minister of the Interior. To the former post I have called
her Royal Highness, Princess Victoria Kamamalu. The Ministry
of the Interior remains in the same hands as heretofore, as do
the other portfolios of my Government; for, young and newly
come to this responsible position, I have gladly availed
myself of the wisdom and experience of the counsellors of our
deceased King.

I have instructed the high officers of my government to lay
before you reports of their several departments.

For a history of the Judiciary Department during the last
year, and for certain changes proposed in our laws, I would
refer you to the report of my Chancellor. His recommendations,
especially those suggesting remedies for the great evils which
are so speedily destroying our race, meet my most hearty
approval, and are worthy of your serious consideration.

I trust you will be able to devise such wise and salutary
measures as shall effectually check licentiousness and
intemperance.

The doors of Justice are open to all, and so far as I am
informed, its administration in the higher courts has been
prompt, efficient and satisfactory. Of the inferior
magistrates, there has been some complaint, no doubt in many
instances with reason; but the character of district justices
has greatly improved within the past few years, and it is to
be hoped it will continue to improve. Weak as we are, and
imperfect as our Government may be, it will not be doubted, I
think, that there is no country in which there is more entire
security for life, liberty, person and property.

His Royal Highness, Prince Kamehameha, on whom has devolved
the chief military command, will exhibit to you in his report,
which is embodied in that of the Secretary at War, the plans
he has in contemplation to render efficient the important
service intrusted to his care. I have to request that you will
give this subject the grave attention it deserves. His late
Majesty urged the matter upon you frequently, but the
appropriations have hitherto been insufficient for any
permanent or efficient organization of that important
department. I indulge a strong hope that you will remedy this
deficiency, and place the Department of War upon a firm and
better footing.

Deeply imbued with a sense of the responsibility that rests
upon my Government, not only to foster, but to lead the way in
all that tends to the general good, I would invite your
earnest attention to the recommendations that will be laid
before you by my Minister of the Interior, and particularly to
that portion of his report relating to the proposed
improvements in the harbor of Honolulu. The facilities that
would be afforded in the loading and unloading of vessels,
native as well as foreign; the extra inducements that these
new accommodations would hold out to those parties who
contemplate making this port a place where ocean steamers may
seek refreshments, and take in coal and water; the general
impetus that would be given to trade by providing, at the
water's edge, a site for the erection of warehouses; and the
hundred other conveniences proper to a maritime city;--all
these considerations prove to my mind the propriety of
proceeding energetically with a work so national in its
character that no part of the islands can fail to share in
many of its advantages. To your wisdom it belongs to consider
in what way the funds necessary to effect this great
improvement may be best procured.

It is gratifying to me, on commencing my reign, to be able to
inform you, that my relations with all the great Powers,
between whom and myself exist treaties of amity, are of the
most satisfactory nature. I have received from all of them,
assurances that leave no room to doubt that my rights and
sovereignty will be respected. My policy, as regards all
foreign nations, being that of peace, impartiality and
neutrality, in the spirit of the Proclamation by the late
King, of the 16th May last, and of the Resolutions of the
Privy Council of the 15th June and 17th July, I have given to
the President of the United States, at his request, my solemn
adhesion to the rule, and to the principles establishing the
rights of neutrals during war, contained in the Convention
between his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, and the
United States, concluded in Washington on the 22d July last.

I have exchanged my ratification for that, by my great and
good friend, His Majesty Oscar, King of Sweden and Norway, of
the treaty concluded at my Court on the 1st day of July, 1852.

I have ordered my Minister of Foreign Relations to inform you
of all treaties with foreign nations negotiated under the late
reign, of the progressive steps by which the sovereignty and
independence of this Kingdom have become so generally
acknowledged, and of the transactions generally of the
Department under his charge.

I have committed an important mission to the Honorable William
L. Lee, Chancellor of the Kingdom and Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, and have accredited him as my Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, from which mission
I anticipate important results for the benefit of you all,
which will be made known to you hereafter. In the meanwhile, I
recommend you to vote such a sum as, in your wisdom, you may
deem adequate for the expenses of that mission.

My Minister of Finance will submit, for your considerations,
certain important measures relating to the National finances;
and you cannot fail to be impressed with the necessity of
devising some means of enlarging them. Without more extended
means we must remain in the position of having the will,
without the power, to stimulate agriculture and commerce, and
to provide generally for the physical, mental and moral
improvement of the nation. As a preparatory step towards
increasing the sources of revenue, we must increase the
revenue to be drawn from such sources as already exist. But,
restricted as we are, by treaty, from exercising a right
common to all free communities, we are unable to impose
discriminating duties on foreign imports, which, whilst
supplying the Treasury with additional means, would enhance
the price of articles of luxury only. To regain the right of
which we have, for the present, divested ourselves, it may be
necessary that you reconsider the act by which the duty on
spirituous liquors is now regulated. The Minister of Finance
laid this subject before you last year in a clear and able
manner, and his views have been confirmed by the experience of
another year. Whether it would be wise to assist the revenue
by a tax on property, is for you to determine.

To foster education and widen every channel that leads to
knowledge, is one of our most imperative duties. It will be
for you to determine what obstacles, if any, exist, to the
general enlightenment of my people. On this subject there will
be submitted for your consideration, certain proposed changes
in the Department of Public Instruction. It is of the highest
importance, in my opinion, that education in the English
language should become more general, for it is my firm
conviction that unless my subjects become educated in this
tongue, their hope of intellectual progress, and of meeting
the foreigners on terms of equality, is a vain one.

It is a melancholy fact that agriculture, as now practiced, is
not a business of so prosperous and lucrative a nature as to
induce men of means to engage in it; and capital is absolutely
necessary to the successful production of our great staples,
sugar, coffee and tobacco. I beg you, therefore, to consider
whether there exist any restrictions, the removal of which
would give new life to this important source of national
prosperity, and tend to create a juster balance between our
imports and exports. I need hardly mention the obligation that
weighs upon you, to open wide our ports to commerce. Without
commerce our agricultural produce might moulder in our
warehouses; roads, and interisland communication almost cease
to exist; the making of wharves become a work of
supererogation, and the opening and closing of stores an idle
ceremony. As the legislators of a young commercial nation, we
should be liberal in our measures, and far-sighted in our
views.

A subject of deeper importance, in my opinion, than any I have
hitherto mentioned, is that of the decrease of our population.
It is a subject, in comparison with which all others sink into
insignificance; for, our first and great duty is that of
self-preservation. Our acts are in vain unless we can stay the
wasting hand that is destroying our people. I feel a heavy,
and special responsibility resting upon me in this matter; but
it is one in which you all must share; nor shall we be
acquitted by man, or our Maker, of a neglect of duty, if we
fail to act speedily and effectually in the cause of those who
are every day dying before our eyes.

I think this decrease in our numbers may be stayed; and happy
should I be if, during the first year of my reign, such laws
should be passed as to effect this result. I would commend to
your special consideration the subject of establishing public
Hospitals; and it might, at first, perhaps, be wise to confine
these hospitals to diseases of one class; and that the most
fatal with which our population is afflicted.

Intimately connected with this subject is that of preventing
the introduction of fatal diseases and epidemics from abroad.
Visited as we are by vessels from all parts of the world, this
is no easy matter; but I trust your wisdom will devise some
simple and practical remedy.

It affords me unfeigned pleasure to be able to state that,
according to the returns from most of the districts, the
births during the past year have exceeded the deaths.

It is to be regretted that the Chinese coolie emigrants, to
whom has been given a trial of sufficient length for testing
their fitness to supply our want of labor and population, have
not realized the hopes of those who incurred the expense of
their introduction. They are not so kind and tractable as it
was anticipated they would be; and they seem to have no
affinities, attractions or tendencies to blend with this, or
any other race. In view of this failure it becomes a question
of some moment whether a class of persons more nearly
assimilated with the Hawaiian race, could not be induced to
settle on our shores. It does not seem improbable that a
portion of the inhabitants of other Polynesian groups might be
disposed to come here, were suitable efforts made to lead them
to such a step. In a few days they would speak our language
with ease; they would be acclimated almost before they left
the ships that conveyed them hither; and they might bring with
them their wives, whose fecundity is said to be much greater
than that of Hawaiian females. Such immigrants, besides
supplying the present demand for labor, would pave the way for
a future population of native born Hawaiians, between whom,
and those of aboriginal parents, no distinguishable difference
would exist.

May the issue of your deliberations be crowned with those
successful results which the will of the Almighty only can
bestow.

JUNE 16, 1855.

_His Majesty's Speech and Proclamation on the occasion of Dissolving the Legislature._

NOBLES AND REPRESENTATIVES:--The Legislative Session of 1855
is now about to close.

For some of your acts I thank you in common with the meanest
of my subjects, for they embrace the interests of all.

Newly admitted elements of action have operated upon you, and
given to certain of your measures a vitality that authorizes
me to hope much for the future.

For the relief you have given to the estate of my Predecessor,
for the feeling of respect and love evinced by you in assuming
with alacrity, the expenses of his obsequies; and for the
loyalty you have shown towards me, and my family, I thank you.

Mixed with many circumstances that will always make the
session of 1855 pleasant to reflect upon, there is one that
must overshadow it forever in the minds of us all. The death
of His Excellency, A. Paki, has stamped this year, and,
indeed, removed a pillar of the State. From your own feelings
on the loss of that High Chief and staunch Hawaiian, you may
judge of mine. May the Almighty have us in his keeping, and
bless, and perpetuate the Hawaiian Nation.

Nobles and Representatives, I regret that you have not been
able to agree upon the details of the Appropriation Bill.

Therefore, in the exercise of my constitutional prerogative in
such a case, I feel it my duty to dissolve you, and you are
hereby dissolved.

PROCLAMATION.

TO ALL OUR LOYAL SUBJECTS, _Greeting_:

We hereby Proclaim that We have this day dissolved the
Legislature of Our Kingdom, by virtue of the power vested in
Us by the Constitution. The exigency contemplated by that
sacred instrument has arisen, by the disagreement of the two
Houses on the Bill of Supplies, which are necessary to carry
on Our Government; and furthermore, the House of
Representatives framed an Appropriation Bill exceeding Our
Revenues, as estimated by Our Minister of Finance, to the
extent of about $200,000, which Bill We could not sanction.

There seemed no prospect of agreement, inasmuch as the House
of Nobles had made repeated efforts at conciliation with the
House of Representatives, without success, and finally, the
House of Representatives refused to confer with the House of
Nobles respecting the said Appropriation Bill in its last
stages, and We deemed it Our duty to exercise Our
constitutional prerogative of dissolving the Legislature, and
therefore there are no Representatives of the people in the
Kingdom.

Therefore, We further proclaim Our Will and Pleasure, that Our
Loyal subjects, in all Our Islands, proceed immediately to
elect new Representatives, according to law, on the 10th day
of July next. And We convoke the Representatives who may be so
elected, to meet in Parliament in Our City of Honolulu, on
Monday, the 30th day of July, of this year, for the special
and only purpose of voting the Supplies necessary to the
administration of Our Government, without oppressing Our
faithful Subjects with unreasonable taxes.

Done in Our Palace of Honolulu, this sixteenth day of June,
1855, and the first year of Our reign.
KAMEHAMEHA.
VICTORIA K. KAMAMALU.

JULY 30, 1855.

_His Majesty's Speech at the Opening of the Extraordinary Session of the Legislature._

NOBLES AND REPRESENTATIVES:--By virtue of the power which the
Constitution declares to be vested in me, I have convoked you
to this Extraordinary Session of the Legislature. Neither the
late dissolution, nor, of course, this Session, would have
occurred under any but extraordinary circumstances. The only
public business of emergency left unfinished at the close of
the late Session, was the passage of the Appropriation
Bill--the most important measure of every Session. It is
solely to pass the Bill I mention that you are now brought
together. I trust that whilst your memories are so freshly
charged with the circumstances that prevented unanimity
between your two Houses in regard to the Bill of Supplies,
upon which you were deliberating when lately I dissolved you,
there will be a desire on the part of all to restrict the
amount appropriated for the current year within the probable
limits of the year's receipts. It is useless to make
appropriations for appearance sake, knowing that they will
not, because they cannot, be acted on. My desire therefore is,
that you will reject at once, in your deliberations, every
item that is not of immediate necessity, since the means at
your disposal will barely suffice for those outlays that are
indispensable. By acting on this suggestion you will save time
and render less likely the recurrence of differences on
questions not of public interest.

Nobles and Representatives, I hope the Session now opened will
be a very short one, and that you will all cordially unite in
appropriating our small means to the best advantage for the
general good.

AUGUST 13, 1855.

_Messages from His Majesty to the House of Nobles and House of Representatives, Proroguing the Extraordinary Session._

NOBLES:--The Extraordinary Session to which I convoked you
having terminated with the completion of the special business
which I recommended to my Parliament, I now thank you for
concurring with the Honorable Representatives of My People, in
voting the supplies indispensable to the administration of My
Government.

I now free you from further attendance, and prorogue you till
the Session of next year.

KAMEHAMEHA.

HONORABLE REPRESENTATIVES OF MY PEOPLE:--Having concluded the
special business for which I convoked you to an Extraordinary
Session, it only remains for me to thank you for the regard
you have shown to the safety and welfare of my Kingdom in
voting the supplies necessary to carry on the business of My
Government, and to free you from further attendance in
Parliament.

I therefore prorogue you.

KAMEHAMEHA.

FEBRUARY 15, 1855.

_His Majesty's Letter to Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland._[A]

GREAT AND GOOD FRIEND:--Believing that Your Majesty takes a
sincere interest in every thing which concerns the Hawaiian
nation, I doubt not but that You will partake in my sorrow for
the loss of my Predecessor, Kamehameha III., who died on the
15th of December last.

In accordance with the will of the late King, and the
Constitution of my Realm, I have succeeded to the throne of my
forefathers. My anxious endeavor will be to rule for the good
of my subjects, and of all foreigners residing within my
jurisdiction; and, in so doing, I shall rely, under God, upon
the sympathy and good will of Your Majesty, and of the British
nation.

Your Good Friend,
(Signed,) KAMEHAMEHA.
By the King.
(Signed,) R. C. WYLLIE.

[Footnote A: The same letter, _mutatis mutandis_, was sent to their Majesties the Emperor of the French, the Emperor of Russia, Kings of Denmark, Prussia, Sweden and Norway, Presidents of the United States, of Hamburg, Bremen, Chile, and Peru.]

SEPTEMBER 18, 1855.

_Reply by His Majesty to the Address of Hon. D. L. Gregg, Commissioner of the United States, on Presentation of the Letter of the President of the United States, condoling with His Majesty on the Death of His Predecessor, and congratulating Him on His Accession to the Throne._

I trust it is almost unnecessary for me to assure you, Mr.
Gregg, that the letter you have just delivered to me from the
President of the Great American Republic could not have
reached me through a more agreeable channel than the hands of
the United States' Commissioner.

I will not do my own feelings the injustice of attempting to
disguise the fact that, at the present moment this
communication from the Head of your Government, according to
my appreciation of it, loses entirely its formal character,
and appears to express only the sentiments of a Friend, who
has proved himself worthy of that high name. The Treaty
recently negotiated between my Envoy at Washington and Mr.
Marcy, on the part of the Government of the United States, is
indeed but one link in the chain that binds the two countries
in relations of the most happy kind. But it is a convention of
the greatest importance not only to those who are numbered
among my subjects, but to every American citizen who has any
interests upon these islands. I do not doubt but that its
effect will be to call hither more of your enterprising
countrymen, and direct towards the now partially developed
resources of this archipelago, the attention of your
judicious, but ever ready capitalists. Under this treaty we
may expect to see American citizens raising the produce which
American ships will carry to an American market. But their
prosperity will be ours. Indeed, the mutual interests of the
two countries are so interwoven in this regard, that it would
be a difficult task to define a line between them.

Whatever may be the future in store for these islands, it will
be impossible for any Hawaiian while the nation exists to
forget or undervalue the fostering care which your Great
Country, as a Parent, has extended towards them; and among the
names of individual Americans that will stand out prominently,
I foresee a high place assigned to those of Mr. President
Pierce, and the gentleman I have the pleasure to address.

DECEMBER 10, 1855.

PROCLAMATION BY THE KING.

We hereby proclaim Our pleasure that Tuesday, the first of
January next, be kept as a day of solemn Thanksgiving to
Almighty God for His numberless blessings to Our kingdom and
people.

(Signed,) KAMEHAMEHA.

JANUARY 5, 1856.

_Notes of an Address by His Majesty, at the Formation of the Hawaiian Agricultural Society, reported to the =Polynesian=._

In due course of time His Majesty addressed the meeting. The difficulty of taking short-hand notes in English of what is being said in the native dialect, the construction of which is peculiar, a sentence often beginning at the end and ending in the middle, must be our apology for doing so little justice to the eloquent language and sound common-sense ideas expressed by the President.

After an opening sentence or two, the King spoke to the following effect:

Convinced of the importance of this undertaking, I consented
to address you to-day. I should not however, have done so, had
I not been fearful that a refusal on my part might have
induced others of more information and better acquainted with
the particular object we have united to foster, to decline in
like manner. At the same time I cannot help thinking and
hoping that my few remarks will be eclipsed by the weight and
breadth of those of other speakers who are to stand before you
on the closing day of this month and other specified days,
according to a resolution passed at our last meeting.

We also caught the following sentence, which, although it may appear a little disjointed here, was neatly introduced, and bore upon the argument then being used:

One of the greatest prospective advantages that we see in the
assiduous pursuit of agriculture, is the reformation it would
work amongst the people. It is not in the ranks of modern
farmers that you must look for the most ignorant or the most
immoral men. We all know that when an individual enters upon
an undertaking of the mode to accomplish which he is ignorant,
he applies for information where it may be found, having
learnt that a man unqualified for his task must fail in it.
Having acquired this much experience, and being solicitous for
the prosperity and happiness of his children, he will on no
account omit sending them to school, so that they may not be
trammelled in after years by ignorance as their father was.
Thus the rising generation is prepared for its work. The
children find themselves on starting in life possessed of the
information necessary to success, whereas their father had to
struggle on his way in the midst of darkness and
misapprehension. Suppose a step similar to the one I have
described were made by the young people from one end of the
islands to the other. Would not ignorance give way to
intelligence? Would not darkness become light? Would not
inexpertness succumb to proficiency? The general result could
only be a largely increased sum of individual and national
prosperity.

The King, who has of late been residing a few miles from Honolulu superintending some agricultural operations of his own, we believe upon the very spot which his great predecessor, Kamehameha I., cultivated before him, spoke with animation of our natural advantages:

Who ever heard of winter upon our shores? When was it so cold
that the laborer could not go to his field. Where amongst us
shall we find the numberless drawbacks which in less favored
countries the working classes have to contend with? They have
no place in our beautiful group, which rests on the swelling
bosom of the Pacific like a water-lily. With a tranquil heaven
above our heads, and a sun that keeps his jealous eye upon us
every day, whilst his rays are so tempered that they never
wither prematurely what they have warmed into life, we ought
to be agriculturists in heart as well as practice.

The following sentence contains a truth to which thousands can testify:

I wish to allude to a bad custom which prevails amongst us. I
mean the foolish hospitality extended everywhere towards the
lazy and good-for-nothing equally with those who are worthy of
it. A young man, able bodied and fit for work, lies in the
house upon which he confers the honor of a visit, whilst his
friends go out to labor. When they come back they share with
him their scanty meal, and he is not ashamed to eat of it. Is
that as it should be? Is it not a thing which we ought to feel
as a disgrace--a custom that reflects upon the heads of the
old and the hearts of the young? I am well aware that the
sharing of food with every stranger and visitor that comes
along is dignified with the name of ancient Hawaiian
hospitality. I now tell you it is not true hospitality. Can
that hospitality be correct in theory or practice which sends
old men and sick men to work under a hot sun, whilst lusty
young people lie in the house playing at cards.

There is a very wholesome tone in this remark:

At present we are a poor people, for the surplus produced by
the few who work is consumed by the many who claim at their
hands the rights of your boasted hospitality. Never close your
doors on those who are hungry through sickness, misfortune, or
the wrongs they have received; but on the other hand never
help those who are too lazy to help themselves.

Another nail is most decidedly hit on the head in the following:

I will allude to another bad feature in the native mind; I
mean the idea in which too many of you indulge, that a fortune
if not made in a day, ought to be acquired in a very short
space of time. If a man does not get rich in the first few
months of his endeavoring to do so, he suddenly relaxes in his
exertions, subsides into his native indolence, and becomes a
laughing stock to those whose ideas are in advance of his own.
You say commonly, everything a foreigner touches he turns into
money. But the fact is that if you worked and persevered as
the foreigners do, then you would grow rich like them. There
are three essentials to success in cultivating the soil. The
first is a place to cultivate--the second, the hands to work
with--and the third, perseverance. You have all your patches
granted you by law; your hands are not tied either by natural
or artificial bonds--but as cultivators you do not succeed,
because you have no perseverance.

The concluding sentence was almost word for word as under:

The great sources of poverty amongst Hawaiians are laziness
and the want of perseverance. I know that what I now say is a
matter of which you and I also have cause to be ashamed. But
placed in the position I occupy, and as a Father to my people,
I cannot hide the fact.