The " difficulty " created by the extinction of the
reigning family in the Sandwich Islands appears to have been easily sur- mounted, Prince Lunalipo, known popularly, we believe, as "Prince Bill," an able man who dyinks too hard, has been elected by the popular vote, whit& it is expected will be ratified by the Legislature. The Legislature alone has, it is said, the constitutional right to elect, but the Legisla- ture's choice will, of course, be greatly influenced by the popular vote. The Islands will, therefore, retain their inde- pendence, and not become American property, at all events for some time. The matter has probably been arranged by the foreign residents to avoid disputes,.. but there never was any question as to which way the popular vote, if freely taken, would- be thrown. Judging from a description by Mark Twain, who resided for some time in the islands, the new King will be at-least as efficient as the old one, who used to reign for a month or so- as a civilised being, and then go off for a fortnight's enjoyment of utter barbarism, drunkenness, nudity, and all the rest of the delights of the South Seas. Mark Twain is on this subject a serious authority.
Previous page
