COMMERCIAL: Some help appreciated with possible business venture

Some sailors might have thought so, but Britain disagreed about this

- and protection isn't the same thing as owning anyway.

Leaving aside the author's confusion about the use of "England", and the union of the crowns and governments of England and Scotland:

" But the astute Ka-meha-meha, while looking for English protection from the greed of other nations, stipulated that the Hawaiians should "govern themselves in their own way and according to such laws as they themselves might impose." The action of Vancouver was not ratified in England, owing to more important European questions, and a real protectorate was never established. "

If you do some Googling, you'll find the details are disputed. It doesn't help that many modern USians have a bit of a fetish about flags, reading rather more into them and their use than modern Europeans tend to.

Well of course I agree, Arthur. *Everything* is disputed nowadays.

And I know what you mean about clinging to meaningless symbols. When I was at the MoD I tried to introduce TOPS codes to replace the old Regimental names. The Black Watch would have become the 48/2 and all the soldiers would have been numbered in the 48 200 range instead of having names like "McTavish".

Just think, none of this sentimental nonsense we are getting nowadays when some poor squaddie gets dismembered in Iraq. Just a notice that number 48

Cheers, Steve