Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii. Promulgated July 4th, A.D. 1894.[Honolulu, 1894]. 22 x 14.5 cm. Stapled leaves in publisher's original blue/green wrappers, with letterpress title on front. Kept in modern half morocco clamshell box.

VI, [2 blank], 56 pp.The 56-page issue, plus index, of the first edition of Hawaii's last constitution as a sovereign country, containing 103 numbered articles. When in 1893 Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii was overthrown, she was replaced by a provisional government consisting of members of the American Committee of Safety, striving to achieve annexation of Hawaii to the United States of America. When annexation was not forthcoming they set up a constitutional convention and adopted the present constitution for the Republic of Hawaii. The annexation was finally ratified four years later, the transfer of sovereignty taking place in August 1898. "The present constitution is among the more important pieces of literature pertinent to these times" (Streeter).Forbes notes that page 56 is unnumbered and blank ("[56] blank"), but in this copy it is numbered and contains the last names of the members of the constitutional convention. The present copy includes the 6-page index, often lacking.With a library stamp on front wrapper, the spine of the wrapper reinforced. A very good copy.l Forbes 4569 (55-page issue); Streeter 3766 (55-page issue); cf. A.F. Lee, The Hawaii state constitution: a reference guide (1993), p. 5.