Chapter 6

GENTLEMEN:--For the congratulations you have just offered me on the recurrence of the anniversary of my birthday, I thank you very kindly indeed. I do indeed hope that further experience may offer me new lights by which to be directed in my endeavors to secure prosperity to all who dwell within this Kingdom. But let me assure you that your felicitations on this occasion cannot fail to stimulate and encourage me, for they show that at least up to this very day the large and predominating powers you represent, are good enough to survey with satisfaction, and through you, Gentlemen, to express their satisfaction for the present, and their hopes for the future, in the conduct of my Government, and with God's help, I will not disappoint them. In justice to myself and your kind expressions connected with the names of the Queen and our son, I must express the peculiar pleasure with which that portion of your address has filled me.

To Mr. Reiners and all other Consuls of foreign nations, his Majesty made the following gracious answer:

GENTLEMEN:--To congratulations so warm and so flatteringly addressed, it is difficult to reply so as to be satisfied that I have done justice to your feelings as they have this moment been expressed. I and my house have, indeed, a great deal for which to be thankful to Divine Providence, and on this twenty-seventh anniversary of my birthday, I cannot but be sensible of the debt I owe to the King of Kings. Any occasion which is converted into an opportunity for the expression of satisfaction and cordiality on the part of those who represent great external interests, must be gratifying to one whose position is a difficult one, even when things are at the very best, if due allowance be made for the number of conflicting interests to be respected, and more than that, fostered.

At a time when our commerce is drooping from causes beyond the control of any Government, it is a source of high satisfaction to me to receive so many well wishes for the continuance of my rule from gentlemen so perfectly adapted as yourselves to judge of the benefits which my reign is likely to bestow. On the part of the Queen and the Prince of Hawaii, I thank you, most kindly and sincerely, for your prayers in their behalf.

Transcriber's note

Minor punctuation errors have been corrected without notice. The following words were spelled in two different ways and were not changed:

birthday, birth-day

preeminently, pre-eminently

interisland, inter-island

A few obvious typographical errors have been corrected and are listed below.

Page 15: "to be regreted" changed to "to be regretted".

Page 16: "circumstances that will alway" changed to "circumstances that will always".

Page 19: "these island" changed to "these islands".

Page 19: "I forsee a high" changed to "I foresee a high".

Page 24: "an Hospital established" changed to "a Hospital established".

Page 34: "Prince may develope" changed to "Prince may develop".

Page 34: "child is your's" changed to "child is yours".

Page 36: "Prorogueing the Legislature" changed to "Proroguing the Legislature".

Page 36: "an Hospital in Honolulu" changed to "a Hospital in Honolulu".