Mr. GRIMES. I rise to oppose the passage of this resolution; and I will say to tie Senfrom California that I am impelled to do it, in a measure, by the remonstrances of the very officer of whom he has spoken, who has been ordered to command the Lackawanna, to be stationed at the SandwichIslands, in conjunction with varions other naval officers stationed or who expect to be stationed in the Pacific ocean. A year ago and upward we passed a bill authorizing the subsidizing of a line of steamers between SanFrancisco and the SandwichIslands, Japan, and China. The PostMGenl issued his proposals. One great company, as the Senator has told us an immense company, a company that has thus far been able to frown down all opposition, the great Pacific Mail Steamship line, a company of immense wealth made its bids for this contract. Other parties, doubtless, who were aware that the Pacific Mail Steamship Company was about to bid, declined to enter into competition with them. The result was that thicgreat company succeeded in securing the contract. An now, without having built a single ship, without havin. but a single vessel upon the line, without having done anything except to contract, as we have been told by the Senator, for 2 large ships, they come before us and ask us to release them from a part of their contract; to release them from that part of it which, I undertake to say, is of most importance to the commercial interests of the U.S.; to release them from that part of it in which I feel infinitely more deeply interested than in another part of itthat part of it which compe them to touch at Honolulu, to keep our continent in close connection with the American interests at the SandwichIslands, and thus be able to restore in some degree the American influence which, during the last 8 or 10 years, has been greatly supplanted by the British influence there. What are the arguments that are urged in favor of this proposition? 1st, that these large steamship s are not able to enter the har bor of Honolu u. Was there a seaman connected with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company that did not know that they could not do it in the 1st instance? Does not the Senfrom California know that half the Whalers from NewBedford vessels with a tonnage of from 900 to 1,000 tons lie out side the bar and transfer their oil and bone from the islands by lighters to the ships? If the Senator does not know it, as he shakes his head at that engestion, I can produce gentlemen who have ived for years in the SandwichIslands, doubtless now within the sound of my voice;I can bring him the charts and the rec ords from the Navy Dept that will convince him of that fact. There is not a very great depth of water over the bar at Honolulu, and all large vessels lie outside of the bar.