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etc., and in developing the resources of this group, which, so far from being injurious to our people, would be a profit in the exact ratio of the increased amount of products and improvements.

As the United States commerce is now the principal commerce here, with additional incentives it would absorb the entire commercial wealth of these islands. There is a great want of lumber for building houses, for sugar barrels, for sirup and molasses casks, and for every other use to which sawn and split timber is usually applied, and, I may add, hoop poles also.

Such a treaty would place these islands, in their social and commercial relations with the United States, very much in the attitude of a State in the Union, which, I presume, would not be considered, in any sense of the word, injurious to us.

This treaty, if perfected, would not only give us the general commerce and trade of these islands but would have a tendency to secure the friendship of this Government and people, and by that means thwart an inimical influence forever at work here against the Government and people of the United States, and perchance crush it out silently.

Additional reasons which might be adduced may be found in the very significant fact that all the important sugar plantations on this entire group, with but two exceptions, belong to citizens of the United States; and hence, so far as it might favor the people of these islands, the chief benefit would fall to the share of American citizens owning said plantations. Permit me further to say, as justice to the subject demands it, that the nonacceptance of the proposal for a reciprocity treaty, made by this Government to the United States in 1852, was employed by a certain nationality as a means of alienation, and not without effect,

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or at least this is my undoubted belief, and it is the undivided opinion of every intelligent American here. If we could suppose (as I do not suppose) that no benefit to any portion of American citizens would be derived from the proposed treaty as its immediate fruits, yet it would evidently accomplish much for the future, by reviving that friendly feeling and reciprocal kindness which in former years bound this people to Americans, and caused them with filial trust to look to the United States Government as their dearest friend and surest protector, and would be an incentive to Americans to settie and reside here, that they might engage in all the various pursuits and avocations to which these islands are adapted, and in the course of time become a controlling element in the society of these luxuriant and balmy islands, which should never be lost sight of by American statesmen-not with the view of changing the form of government, but to maintain it in its integrity and efficiency, and thereby ward off an influence prejudicial to both the honor and the interests of American citizens, and in the end reap a full reward.

If this dispatch presents some peculiar features, as I am aware it does, it is not my fault; the circumstances out of which it grew were very peculiar, and this is my apology.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD,

JAMES MCBRIDE.

Secretary of State, Washington.

No. 14.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 8, 1864. SIR: I have a given careful perusal of your very interesting dispatch, No. 16, upon the subject of reviving negotiations with the Hawaiian Government in reference to a reciprocity treaty.

The peculiar circumstances in which this country finds itself at this time render it inexpedient to adopt a policy of such moment without a mature consideration of all the interests involved in the proposed negotiation. Without, therefore, expressing any definite views in relation to it, I have only now to assure you that the subject will receive earnest consideration.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

JAMES MCBRIDE, Esq., etc.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

SIR: I inclose a copy of a reciprocity treaty Hawaiian Islands, which was signed here on

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, January 17, 1867. between the United States and the the 25th of July, 1855, and subse

quently laid before the Senate for consideration. That body did not then approve it, mostly, as is understood, from an apprehension on the part of the Senators from Louisiana that the sugar from those islands would interfere with the demand for sugar, the production of that State. This must have been an unfounded apprehension, for, even though duty free, probably little or no Louisiana sugar went to our possessions on the Pacific, and the Sandwich Islands are too remote from our Atlantic States for the sugar to enter into competition with that of Louisiana. Under these circumstances and an important political consideration are believed to make it desirable that the instrument referred to should be renewed. Your views upon the subject are requested.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

Hon. HUGH MCCULLOCH,

Secretary of the Treasury.

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.

TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

The United States of America and His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands, equally animated by the desire to strengthen and perpetuate the friendly relations which have heretofore uniformly existed between them, and to consolidate their commercial intercourse, have resolved to enter into a convention for commercial reciprocity. For this purpose the President of the United States of America has conferred full powers on William L. Marcy, Secretary of State, and His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands has conferred like powers on the Honorable William Little Lee, chancellor and chief justice of the supreme court of those islands, a member of His Hawaiian Majesty's privy council of state and cabinet, president of the board of land commissioners, and His Majesty's envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the United States of America.

And the said plenipotentiaries, after having exchanged their full powers, which were found to be in due form, have agreed to the following articles:

ARTICLE I.

For and in consideration of the rights and privileges granted by His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands in the next succeeding article of this convention, and as an equivalent therefor, the United States of America hereby agree to admit all the articles named in the following schedule, the same being the growth or produce of the Hawaiian Islands, into all the ports of the United States of America free of duty:

Schedule.

Muscovado, brown, clayed, and all other unrefined sugars.

Sirups of sugar; molasses.

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For and in consideration of the rights and privileges granted by the United States of America in the preceding article of this convention, and as an equivalent therefor, his Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands hereby agrees to admit all the articles named in the following schedule, the same being the growth or produce

of the United States of America, into all the ports of the Hawaiian Islands free of duty:

Flour of wheat.

Fish of all kinds.

Coal.

Schedule.

Timber and lumber of all kinds, round, hewed, and sawed, unmanufactured, in whole or in part.

Staves and heading.

Cotton, unmanufactured.

Seeds, and vegetables not preserved.

Undried fruits not preserved.

Poultry; eggs.

Plants, shrubs, and trees.

Pelts; wool, unmanufactured.

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The evidence that articles proposed to be admitted into the ports of the United States of America, or the ports of the Hawaiian Islands, free of duty, under the first and second articles of this convention, are the growth or produce of the United States of America, or of the Hawaiian Islands, shall be a certificate to that effect from the American or Hawaiian consul or consular agent of the port from which such articles are exported; or, in case there shall be no such consul or consular agent resident in such port, a certificate to that effect from the collector of the port.

ARTICLE IV.

The present convention shall take effect as soon as the law required to carry it into operation shall have been passed by the Congress of the United States of America, and the convention shall have been approved by his Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands in council. The convention shall remain in force for seven years from the date at which it may go into operation, and further, until the expiration of twelve months after either of the high contracting parties shall give notice to the other of its wish to terminate the same, each of the high contracting parties being at liberty to give such notice to the other at the end of the said term of seven years, or at any time afterwards.

ARTICLE V.

The present convention shall be duly ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Honolulu within eighteen months from the date hereof, or earlier, if possible.

In faith whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed this convention, and have hereunto affixed their seals.

Done in triplicate, in the Eng ish language, in the city of Washington, this twentieth day of July, anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.

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SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your communication of 17th instant inclosing the printed form of a proposed treaty of reciprocal commerce between the United States and His Majesty the King of the Hawaiian Islands, concerning the provisions of which you desired an expression of my views.

By the terms of the treaty it is proposed that certain specified articles of the produce of the United States and of that of the Hawaiian Islands shall be admitted

into the respective countries free of duty. On reference to the statistics of the commerce between the two countries it appears that the value of the imports into the United States from the Sandwich Islands during the past seven years has been as follows:

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The value of the exports from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands has been as follows:

Value of exports of domestic produce from the United States to the Sandwich

1860.

1863.

1864.

1865.

1866.

Islands.

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* Years 1861 and 1862 the books were mislaid and could not be found.

Value of exports of foreign merchandise from the United States to the Sandwich

Fiscal years.

Islands.

Atlantic ports.

Pacific ports.

Total Total
Atlantic Pacific
American Foreign American Foreign
vessels. vessels. vessels. vessels. ports. ports.

Total.

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Of the imports the principal articles imported into the Atlantic States appear to have been the products of the whale fisheries, and of those imported into the Pacific States the principal articles appear to have been unrefined sugar and molasses. Of these latter articles there was imported the following amounts:

Statement exhibiting quantity and value of unrefined sugar, sirup, and molasses imported into the United States from the Hawaiian Islands, from 1880 to 1866, inclusive.

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The principal imports for the past year were as follows:

Statement exhibiting the value of foreign merchandise imported into the United States from the Hawaiian Islands during the year ending June 30, 1866.

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Partial statement exhibiting the value of the principal articles imported from the Hawaiian Islands to the United States for the year.

13, 532

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The aggregate declared value of all the imports of unrefined sugar, sirup, and molasses into the United States during the past seven years was about $220,000,000. The aggregate declared value of the imports of the same articles from the Hawaiian Islands during the same period was nearly $3.000.000, a little more than 1 per cent of the total imports of the same articles into the United States.

Were this amount not so comparatively insignificant as it is, or were unrefined sugar, sirup, and molasses the important articles of the product of the United States, which they once were, I could not see what advantages would be likely to accrue to the United States from this treaty, worded as it is, for it fails to provide for the free admission into the Hawaiian Islands of the very articles which form now, and for several years past have formed, the burden of our exports thither: For instance, cotton manufactures, clothing, boots and shoes, fancy goods, furniture, hardware, saddlery, provisions, drugs and medicines, and machinery. Of all the principal articles of the product of the United States which are annually exported to the Hawaiian Islands, fish, breadstuffs, other farm products, lumber, and mineral products only are proposed to be admitted free by the terms of this treaty. Accordingly, unless the first-named series of articles are already admitted into the Hawaiian Islands free of duty, which, if it be the case, the Secretary is not aware, the provisions of the treaty appear to be rather one-sided. The following table exhibits the details of the past year's export transactions, the articles marked

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