uiser and several gunboats will be kept at Honolulu
until all fear of trouble is over.

The Japanese ship, the _Naniwa_, has gone back to her own country to be
cleaned and repaired, but will return to Hawaii as soon as this has been
done.

During her absence our Government is taking advantage of the opportunity
to make some necessary changes in the ships stationed at Honolulu, and
when the Japanese cruiser returns she will find quite a fleet of
American ships waiting to receive her.

A statement has been made that the Japanese Government is willing to
settle the immigration dispute with Hawaii for $100,000.

Hawaii is not anxious to make any such arrangement. She is a little
afraid that if she consents to do so, Japan will declare that she is
bound in future to let in as many Japanese immigrants as the Mikado
chooses to send. She is anxious to reserve the right of declaring what
citizens she will allow within her boundaries.

[Illustration]

The annexation of the islands is by some people regarded as assured.

The Senators and Congressmen who have visited the islands declare that
there is no opposition to the idea. Some few followers of the Queen
Liliuokalani would prefer to have her once more on the throne rather
than to be under the government of a foreign president, but there is no
serious opposition to the treaty.

With this news comes the information that Mr. Spreckels, the Sugar King
of Hawaii, has offered to withdraw his opposition to the treaty when he
is convinced that his rights in the island are not to be interfered
with.

Mr. Spreckels is a millionaire who has made most of his money through
his vast sugar interests in the Sandwich Islands. He was so afraid that
his business would be hurt by annexation, that he threatened to spend
half his fortune to prevent it.

Besides his sugar interests, he owns a line of steamers between Hawaii
and San Francisco, and he controlled so many votes in Hawaii that he was
a dangerous enemy to the project.

President Dole of the Sandwich Islands has been endeavoring to break Mr.
Spreckels' power, but has made very little progress until the other day,
when he granted permission to one of the Pacific mail steamers to enter
into competition with Mr. Spreckels' boats for the carrying trade of the
islands. The permission stated that the President would allow the
Pacific Mail Company to increase the number of vessels on the line if
they desired to do so.

This was a d