Template:686-687

-p686-

one of the ministers, Mr. Parker, that all the native members of the Legislature were willing to have this cabinet out, and they expected to get one or two of the whites to go with them, and to vote them out very shortly.

Senator Frye. That was Parker?

Mr. Young. Sam Parker, yes; a former minister of foreign affairs.

The Chairman. Did you communicate that to Capt. Wiltse?

Mr. Young. Yes; I told him that myself.

The Chairman. But the minister did not believe there would be a disturbance of the cabinet, and he went away on this cruise?

Mr. Young. Yes; he did not believe there would be any disturbance at all.

The Chairman. And took his daughter with him?

Mr. Young. Yes; he believed that the ministry had come to stay and they could not be removed.

Senator Gray. What was the date of this cruise?

Mr. Young. Fourth of January when we left Honolulu.

The Chairman. Did Minister Stevens have any other part of his family with him?

Mr. Young. Yes; his wife and another daughter were in Honolulu.

The Chairman. They did not go with you on the cruise?

Mr. Young. No; they remained at home.

The Chairman. Where did you first go?

Mr. Young. The first to Hilo, the port of entry, situated on what is known as the island of Hawaii, the largest of the group, and we returned to Lahaina, on the island of Maui. An intimate friend of mine came on board near midnight from the island steamer that had left Honolulu the afternoon preceding and communicated to me that the Wilcox ministry had been voted out the day before and another one appointed in its stead. I told Captain Wiltse and Minister Stevens. At the time we were getting up steam to return to Honolulu in obedience to orders the evening before that we might arrive there in the daytime.

The Chairman. Is there any telegraphic communication between those islands?

Mr. Young. No; they attempted to construct an inter-island cable, but it soon corroded and was rendered useless.

The Chairman. You have to depend on steamers for communication between the islands?

Mr. Young. Yes, the inter-island steamers. They make their trips twice a week. One is the Widler Company and the other is the Inter- Island Steam Navigation Company.

The Chairman. How many days were you getting into Honolulu from Hilo?

Mr. Young. We left Hilo and returned to Lahaina and were there two days. We left Lahaina at 12 o'clock on the 13th of January, and we arrived in Honolulu at 10:30 o'clock on the morning of the 14th of January—Saturday.

The Chairman. Did Minister Stevens immediately go ashore?

Mr. Young. I am not sure about it. I was sent for by the captain, at least, I was off duty and he requested me, which was equivalent to an order, to put on full dress uniform and accompany the consul-general to the ceremonies of the prorogation of the Legislature. Before the ship was secured even, I left the ship.

The Chairman. Who was the commander of the Boston troops that landed?

-p687-

Mr. Young. Lieut. Commander Swinburn; he is down at Annapolis.

The Chairman. Had you been invited to attend the ceremonies of the prorogation of the Legislature?

Mr. Young. We had been invited; yes.

The Chairman. That is customary?

Mr. Young. Yes.

The Chairman. A matter of ceremony?

Mr. Young. Yes.

The Chairman. Did you attend the prorogation?

Mr. Young. Yes.

The Chairman. Were you with any troops?

Mr. Young. There was no one but myself; I was in full-dress uniform.

The Chairman. Do you know whether Minister Stevens left the ship before you did?

Mr. Young. No. My impression is I left before he did.

The Chairman. Did you go immediately to the Government house?

Mr. Young. I went first to the consul-general's and we drove together to the Government building.

The Chairman. That is not Iolani palace?

Mr. Young. No; it faces it, some little distance from it.

The Chairman. About how many yards ?

Mr. Young. I should say about 400 yards.

The Chairman. As much as that?

Mr. Young. It may be less—about 300 yards. The palace is situated in a large square, and King street passes in front of the palace. There is a kind of yard in front of the Government building, I should say between 300 and 400 yards very nearly.

The Chairman. Had you seen the consul-general before that day?

Mr. Young. No; I went to the consulate to meet him.

Senator Frye. Who was the consul-general?

Mr. Young. Mr. Severance. I went direct to the consul-general's office, and we together went to the Government building.

Senator Butler. You mean the consul-general of the United States?

Mr. Young. Yes.

Senator Butler. Was this Government building where the legislature met?

Mr. Young. Yes, sir; that is where the Legislature sits, but it was also the supreme court chamber and the other offices in the same building; but the large hall was the legislative hall. The Legislature was composed of nobles and representatives sitting in joint session.

The Chairman. Did you proceed immediately with the consul-general to the Government building?

Mr. Young. Yes.

The Chairman. What was going on when you got there?

Mr. Young. When I got there there was quite a crowd around the rear end of the building, and two or three leading Americans and Judge Hartwell, who was one of the leading lawyers of the place and minister under Kalakaua, informed me that the Queen contemplated the promulgation of a new constitution immediately after the adjournment of the Legislature, and asked me if I would not go on board ship and inform Captain Wiltse. I went in to speak of it to Consul-General Severance, and he laughed and said, "I do not believe a word of it." I went in and was shown the seat assigned me in the legislative hall, a little to the left and in front of the rostrum where speaker used to