HAWAIIAN  ISLANDS.	583
I desire to express to your excellency this assurance in the spirit of that friendship which has ever existed 
between my Kingdom and that of the Government of the United States of America, and which I trust will long 
continue.
LILIUOKALANI  R. 
By the Queen:
SAMUEL PARKER, 
Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
WM. H. CORNWELL,
Minister of Finance. 
JOHN F. COLBURN,
Minister of the Interior. .
A. P. PETERSON,
Attorney-General. I
IOLANI  PALACE,
Honolulu, January 17, 1893. 
His Excellency JOHN L. STEVENS,
United States Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Honolulu.
On the back of the first page of this communication written in pencil is the word " Declined." Immediately 
under the signature of the attorney-general, also in pencil, is written " 1.30 to 1.45," and at the end of th-3 second 
and last page this sentence, written in ink, appears: " Received at the U. S. Legation about 2 p. m."
The cabinet itself could not be removed for two years, and the views of its members were well known to be 
against establishing a new constitution by proclamation of the Queen and cabinet.
Nearly all of the arms on the island of Oahu, in which Honolulu is situated, were in the possession of the 
Queen's government. A military force, organized and drilled, occupied the station house, the barracks, and the 
palace - the only points of any strategic significance in the event of a conflict.
The great body of the people moved in their usual course. Women and children passed to and fro through the 
streets, seemingly unconscious of any impending danger, and yet there were secret conferences held by a small 
body of men, some of whom were Germans, some Americans, and some native-born subjects of foreign origin.
On Saturday evening, the 14th of January, they took up the subject of dethroning the Queen and proclaiming 
a new Government with a view of annexation to the United States.
The first and most momentous question with them was' to devise some plan to have the United States troops 
landed. Mr. Thurston, who appears to have been the leading spirit, on Sunday sought two members of the 
Queen's cabinet and urged them to head a movement against the Queen, and to ask Minister Stevens to land the 
troops, assuring them that in such an event Mr. Stevens would do so. Failing to enlist any of the Queen's cabinet 
in the cause, it was necessary to devise some other mode to accomplish this purpose. A committee of safety, 
consisting of thirteen members, had been formed from a little body of men assembled in W. O. Smith's office. A 
deputation of these, informing Mr. Stevens of their plans, arranged with him to land the troops if they would ask 
it "for the purpose of protecting life and property." It was further agreed between him and them that in the event 
they should occupy the government building and proclaim a new government he would recognize it. The two 
leading members of the committee. Messrs. Thurston and Smith, growing uneasy as to the safety of their 
persons, went to him to know if he would protect them in the event of their arrest by the authorities, to which he 
gave his assent.
At the mass meeting, called by the committee of safety on the 16th of January, there was no communication 
to the crowd of any purpose to dethrone the Queen or to change the form of government, but only

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