416 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. 
[August, 
tor of the Pacific* What would the laborious whaleman do, 
after toiling five or six long months upon the boisterous Japaii 
Sea, in his daring pursuit, fatigued, and out of- fresh provisions, 
had he to toil his way to the coast of South America for refresh- 
ments and necessaries ? At the Sandwich Islands they muster 
in numbers, and find wherewith to refit them once more for the 
dangers of their hazardous profession. Once more they take the 
sea, revived and refreshed ; and in a few days find themselves 
again on the ground, where the persecuted monsters of the deep, 
driven from clime to clime by these persevering adventurers, have 
now taken up their abode. Here, too, the northwest trader, after 
toiling and chasing the otter and seal on the bleak coast of Amer- 
ica, finds a pleasant retreat for the winter months, near at hand ; 
and from whence, in a short time, they may return to their sport. 
Vessels hound across the Pacific, now a track so common, can 
often find the means to repair the disasters of the seas, without 
being compelled to put back, perhaps thousands of miles, or pros- 
ecute a voyage rendered dangerous by unforeseen events. Du- 
ring a war, what interest would not these islands hold out to us, 
as sources of refreshment for our men-of-war, while protecting 
our commerce, whaling, and other interests in these seas ? 
But, independent of all these general views, which must of 
course be strong in the eyes of everyone, and, in a national point 
of view, paramount, to induce a cultivation of a proper understand- 
ing with the natives ; we say, independent of all these grand ob- 
* A writer in a late number of the London Metropolitaii Magazine, proposes the 
taking possession of these fertile islands by the British government. He speaks 
not on the subject of right, but merely of expediency. We are willing to concede 
to our ancestors all praise for their masterly enterprise and courage in the discovery 
and settlement of new lands. But the British standard is no longer the undisputed 
master of the seas ; other nations have some claims, and some power too, on the 
great highway of nations. To sum up the matter, have any nation the right to lay 
violent hands on that which does not belong to them'! ,The writer, in his fruitful 
imagination, has already fortified Honoruru, as he thinks it would be a good place 
from which to watch ours and the Russian trade to China, Mexico, and the north- 
west coast of America, in sandal-wood, opium, turtle, furs, &c. England will find 
enough to do to take care of her interests in India, New-Holland, Canada, &c., 
without stopping to worry her mind about such trifling matters as planting new colo- 
nies in the Pacific. Leave to the peaceful labours of our missionaries the introduc- 
tion of civilization and Christianity, and in time they may grow up to be little, but 
independent communities, of their own election. 
