o take possession, either directly or
under the title of a protectorate, or under any other form, of any part
of the territory of which they are composed."

ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT.

Both the king and his advisers saw that in order to maintain a permanent
government it was necessary to combine both the native and foreign
elements together in one common organization, and to make the king the
sovereign not merely of one race or class, but of all. During the next
few years the executive departments of the Government and the judiciary
were organized by a group of men of remarkably high character and
ability.

LAND TITLES.

During the period of 1846-1855 the ancient tenure of land was abolished,
and the foundation laid of individual property in land. In the first
place, the king as feudal suzerain divided the lands of the kingdom
between himself and each one of the chiefs, his feudatories, this
partition being recorded in a book called the _Mahele_ Book, or Book of
Division. After this first partition was closed, out of four million
acres there remained in the king's hands about two and a half millions.
The king then redivided the lands which had been surrendered to him,
setting apart about a million and a half acres for the Government, and
reserving for himself as his private domain, about a million acres,
including the best of the lands. The common people were granted fee
simple titles for their house lots and the lands which they actually
cultivated for themselves, called _Kuleanas_ or homesteads.

THE "REPRISALS" OF 1849.

From 1843 till 1848 the most amicable relations continued to exist
between France and the Hawaiian Government. But this state of things was
then reversed by M. Dillon, the new French consul, who endeavored to
reopen all old disputes and to create new grievances in every possible
way. His principal grounds of complaint were the high duty on brandy and
the alleged partiality shown to the English language. On the 12th of
August, 1849, the French frigate "Poursuivante," Admiral De Tromelin,
arrived at Honolulu, and was joined the next day by the corvette
"Gassendi."

On the 22d the admiral sent to the king ten demands, drawn up by M.
Dillon, allowing the Hawaiian Government three days in which to comply
with them.

As these demands were firmly but courteously refused, an armed force was
landed on the 25th, which took possession of the deserted fort, the
custom house and other buildi