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Wi 


r    V 


r 


A8T0R,  LEKOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


z^^'T^id.tk^t^, 


SANDWICH  ISLAND 


NOTES. 


■ ; } 


BY    A    H  A  0  L  ^. 


NEW   YOEK: 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

82    BBBKMAN    STXEET. 

1864. 

V  . 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

560790 

ASTOR,  LFNOX  AND 
TILDEN   F''       JOATIONS. 

R  1912  L 


r 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Oongrefis,  in  the  year  1864^  by 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


It  is  with  feelings  of  much  diffidence  I  submit  the 
following  pages  to  a  perusal  by  the  pubUc,  but  it  is 
-with  the  hope  that  the  object  at  which  they  aim  will 
be  speedily  accomplished.  Several  pamphlets  and  vol- 
umes have  already  been  issued  from  the  press,  concern- 
ing that  most  important  of  all  the  groups  that  stud  the 
vast  Pacific — the  Sandwich  Islands.  But  these  fects 
have  not  deterred  me  firom  making  my  own  observa- 
tions, and  employing  my  own  language. 

If  the  present  condition  of  affairs  at  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  augur  any  thing,  there  can  not  but  be  a  good 
prospect  that  they  will  soon  form  an  integral  portion  of 
the  United  States.  They  are  absolutely  essential  to  the 
protection  and  advancement  of  American  commerce, 
and  whoever  owns  them  will  be  master  of  the  Pacific. 

I  have  endeavored  to  portray  the  condition  of  things 
as  they  appeared  to  me  in  1853,  and  my  only  aim  has 
been  impartiality,  independent  of  all  party  considera- 
tion. I  have  taken  especial  pains  to  develop  the  past 
and  present  condition  of  the  people,  in  their  various  re- 
lations, and  have  endeavored  to  specify  a  few  reasons 
for  the  "  annexation"  of  that  important  group  of  isl- 
ands. 

I  have  drawn  extensively  fircon  materials  furnished 


viii  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HONOLULU. 

Society. — ^Foreign  Officials. — Residents,  Foreign  and  Native. — ^Ha- 
waiian Women  and  Dress. — ^False  Charges  refuted. — ^Population. — 
police.  — Militia. — Hawaiian  Guards. — ^Houses. — Streets. — Street 
Si^ones. — ^Honolulu  at  Night — Saturday  Sports. — Sunday  in  Hon- 
olulu   Page  H 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

ENVIRONS   OP   HONOLULU. 

NuuHiu  Valley. — The  Pali  of  Nuuanu. — ^Former  Battle-ground. — 
Rid©  to  Diamond  Head. — ^Village  of  Waikiki — ^Remains  of  a  Pa- 
gan Temple. — ^Reflections  on  Paganism. — Leahi,  or  Diamond  Head. 
— View  from  the  Summit — ^The  Plains  below. — ^Punch-bowl  Hill 
tktid  its  Fortifications. — ^Panoramic  View  of  Honolulu. — Alia-ptta- 
kaij  or  Salt  Lake. — Curious  Theory  relating  to  it — ^Testimony  of 
Commodore  Wilkes^  U.  S.  N. 90 

GHAPTER  Vin. 

JOURNEY   TO   KUALOA. 

Flaini  of  Eaneohe. — ^Eonahuanui  Mountains. — Geological  Features. 
— Probable  Formation. — Site  of  an  old  Pagan  Game. — ^A  Legend. — 
Miaaionary  Station  at  Eaneohe. — Christianized  Natives. — "Month- 
ly Concert" — ^Residence  of  the  Missionary,  and  Style  of  Living. — 
Eoad  along  the  Sea-shore. — ^White  Man  turned  Savage. — Singular 
Corri-reefe. — ^Fish-ponds. — "Women  as  Laborers. — ^Driving  Hogs  to 
Market — Simplicity  of  Native  Manners,  and  Domestic  Life. — ^A 
Bolitsry  Grave. — A  Hawaiian  Patriarch. — Thoughts  on  early 
Boi^ea. — ^A  Native  Judge. — Taro  Plantations. — Thro  as  an  article  of 
Food— How  converted  into  P<n. — Eualoa. — Sunset — ^Night  104 

CHAPTER  IX. 

JOURNEY  TO  WAIALUA. 

Hoad  to  .EWML^-Repairing  Roads. — Paahao  Labor. — ^Natives  as  La- 
bopBrs. — ^A  Trial  of  Patience. — ^Balaam  and  his  Ass. — The  Proph- 
eV«  Conclusion. — ^Philosophy  of  Patience. — ^A  Trial  of  Speed. — ^Ewa. 
— Church  and  Station. — ^A  Patriarchal  Missionary. — ^Ecclesiastical 
Diadi^e.— Singular  Case  of  Divorce. — ^A  Night  at  JEwa 124 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

JOUBNET  TO  WAIALUA. 

]>epftrtare  from  JEwl — Old  Battle-ground. — Lands  of  the  PrincMS 
Yietoria. — The  Feadal  System. — ^Reform  of  the  Landed  System. — 
Fee-sinq>le  Titles. — Necessity  of  a  judicious  Taxation. — Off  the 
Road. — ^Extraordinary  Feats  in  Horsemanship. — Arriral  at  Waia- 
Ina. — ^Biission  Station. — Scenery. — How  Missionaries  extend  a  Wel- 
come.— ^Ride  to  Mokuleia. — The  Dairy  BnsinesiL — Singular  Freak 
in  a  Native's  Gostome. — ^Improvement  among  Natives. — Native 
Chnrch. — ^Popery  jsnd  Mormonism — Spnrions  Baptisms. — ^Native 
Conning.— A  novel  "Farewelll" Page  185 

CHAPTER  XI. 

ISLAND     OF     KATTAI. 
ntOM  HONOLULU  TO  KOLOA. 

Flogging  Scenes  at  Sea. — ^Eauai  at  Daylight — Aspect  of  the  Shores. 
— Location  of  the  Island. — Its  physical  Character. — Edoa  and 
Harbor. — ^Remarkable  Oaves. — Angular  Phenomenon. — ^Revolting 
offer  by  a  Parent 160 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Female  Penitentiary.  — Character  of  the  Prisoners*  —The  JaOer.^- 
Statistics  of  Crime. — ^Wrong  Legislation. — An  instance  of  Fanati- 
cism.— Curions  Method  to  obtain  Money. — Sugar  Plantations. — 
Indigo. — ^Former  attempts  to  cultivate  Silk. — Sunday  at  Eoloa. — 
A  Native  Preacher. — Specimens  of  Hawaiian  Eloquence. — ^liber- 
ali^  of  Native  Christians 161 

CHAPTER  Xra. 

FROM  KOLOA  TO  LIHUE. 

Uplands  and  Lowlands.  — The  "  Gap.** — ^A  Legend.— Scenery.-^Li- 
hue. — Sugar  Plantations. — Labor. — ^Na-wili-wili  Harbor  and  Riv- 
er.—Pleasure  Party.— The  *<  Stars  and  Stripes."— Significant  De- 
portment of  the  Natives. — ^Remarkable  Rock  and  Cave. — Yalley 
of  Cascades. — Moonlight — ^Lunar  Rainbows 179 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM  LmUE    TO   HANALBI. 

Wailoft  Village. — ^Wailua  River. — Objects  of  Superstition. — Strange 
L^ends. — ^Falls  of  Wfulua. — ^Estate  of  Eumaln. — ^Reminisoenoes 
of  a  Family. — ^The  Dairy  Busineea. — ^What  sort  of  Talent  is  nee4ecL 
-^Poliey  of  Government — ^Road  to  Hanalel — Settlement  of  Cali- 
fomians. — Traveling  on  the  Sandwich  Islands Page  189 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Valley  of  Hanalel — ^River. — ^Harbor. — Coffee  Plantations. — Early 
Efforts  to  cultivate  Silk. — Causes  of  the  Failure. — The  Spiritual 
versus  the  Secular. — Capacity  of  the  Soil — Extraordinary  v^e- 
table  Remains. — ^Evidences  of  a  remote  Antiquity. — ^Excursions.— 
Storm-stayed. — Fondness  of  native  Women  for  Dogs. — Delicate 
Appetite. — ^Mission  Station. — ^Manual-labor  School 201 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Visit  to  the  Cavee  at  Haena.— Ouriorfty  of  <^e  Natives. — The  Caves. 
— Tradition  concerning  a  Chiefl'-^ubterranean  Lakes.~^Perilous 
Position.  — Story  of  a  Traveler.  — Singular  Effsots  produced  by 
Torchlight — Native  Courage  and  Native  Fears. — Terminus  of 
Travel  by  Land.^-A  Night  at  Anahola. — Foi  and  Bed-fellows  210 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

PROft  KOLOA   TO   WAIMEA. 

Zoko  NcmUu, — ^Legend  concerning  Pelh. — Comparative  Mythology. 
— ^Novel  Method  of  sounding  a  Lake. — ^Noble  Specimen  of  a  Ha- 
waiian Woman. — Significancy  of  Native  Names. — Nmnilu  Salt- 
works.— ^Battle-ground  of  Wiii-awa. — Incidents  and  Results  of 
the  Battle. — ^Valley  of  Hanapepe. — ^A  Relic  of  civilized  |<aw. — 
Arrival  at  Waimea '. .  217 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Waimea  Village -^River — Harbor.  —  Historical  R^painisoences. — 
Charges  against  Captain  Coos. — ^Visit  to  an  ex-Queen. — A  Glance 
at  her  History. — ^RussiaA  Fort  at  Waimea. — ^Expulsion  of  the  Rus- . 
sians. — ^Missionary  Church  and  Station. — ^Peculiarities  of  this  Sta- 
tion.— ^A  Sabbath  at  Waimea. — ^Missionary  Labor. — ^Practice  ver- 
9u%  P/Mtry.-— The  right  kind  of  an  Epitapli 227 


CONTENTS.  xi 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

I^OM   WAIMEA   TO   KOLO. 

Volcanic  Features. — Tobacco  Plantations. — ^Wild  Cotton. — ^Plains 
and  Vegetation. — Nohili,  or  Sounding  Sands. — ^Probable  Theory 
of  Sound. — ^A  Night  at  Kolo. — ^Proceedings  of  a  Hawaiian  Family. 
—^Kindness  to  the  Traveler. — :Poi-making.— Evening  Devotions. 
— ^Return  to  Eoloa. — ^Departure  from  Kauai-r-The  "Middle  Paa- 
sage." — ^A  Tribute  to  Neptune.— Recent  Steain-boat  Project — ^Its 
Importance  and  Necessity Page  248 

CHAPTER  XX. 

ISLAND  OF   MOiiOKAI. 
FROM  WflHOJJJiXI  9»  KALTTAAHA. 

Devotions  of  a  Native  Crev.-^Fondness  for  Tobacco. — ^Despotic  Stric- 
tures.— Convenience  of  Native  Habits  in  Traveling. — Ealuaaha 
Mission  Station. — Civilization. — Serwiiig  Circles. — Female  Cos- 
tume.— SyBtem  of  Education. — Schools. — ^Influence  of  Christianity. 
— fiorw  it  is  valued.— -A  Hawaiian  Feast — ^A  Hawaiian  Marriag& 
-^Loves  of  the  Hawaiians. — ^Instance  of  , . «.- 256 

CHAPTER  XXi; 

JOURNinr   TO  HALAWA. 

Sea-shore  Road.  — Bullock-riding.  -^Fondness  for  Horses. — An  In- 
stance of — ^Mode  of  Fishing. — A  Hawaiian  "  Venus.** — Scarcity  of 
Singing  Birds. — Solitude  of  the  Mountains. — ^Noble  Ku^kui  Grove. 
— ^Halawa  Valley.— -Descent — Cascades. — ^The  Valley  at  Sunset 
— Cultivation  of  i'aro. — Kindness  of  a  Hawaiian  Family. — An 
Evening  Repast — ^Fastidiousness  of  a  Native  Cook. — ^A  Night  at 
Halawa. — Kapa  Sheets. — Manufacture  of  Kapa, — ^Population. — 
Religion.— Morals , .269 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

JOURNEY   TO   THE   PALIS   OF   KALAE. 

Deserted  Villages. — ^Road  over  the  Mountains. — ^Ravines.^Oascades. 
— The  Palis, — Sublkiie  Prospect — ^Plain  of  Kalaupapa. — District 
of  Wai-a-la-la.— ^Native  Morals. — ^licentious  D«nce. — ^How  to  study 
Hawaiian  Character. — ^Deserted  Residence. — ^Broken  Resolutions. 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

1 

— ^Unpleasant  Lodgings. — ^A  rough  Supper. — fleas  and  Musqui- 
toes. — "  Wailing**  for  the  Sick. — ^Refuge  in  a  ChapeL — Return  to 
former  Lodgings. — The  Scene  changed. — ^Daylight Page  280 

CHAPTER  XXm. 

ISLAND   OF   BIAUI. 

TAhaina  from  the  Sea. — Tiahaina  on  Shore. — Publie  Buildings,  — 
Palace. — Fort — Churches. — Houses. — ^Beer^hops. — ^** Fourth  of 
July"  at  Trfthaina. — ^Police.— Evils  of  the  Police  System. — ^Harbor. 
— Commerce. — Surf-bathing. — ^A  singular  Providence. — Marque- 
san  Chiel — Christian  Liberality. — Seminary  atLahainaluna. — ^Its 
Location.  — Early  History.  — Present  Condition. — Old  Hawaiian 
Gods 290 

CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

FROM  LAHAINA   TO  WAI-LU-KU. 

CroBsing  the  Mountains. — Isthmus  of  Eukk — Maui  formerly  two 
Islanda — ^Village  of  Wai-ka-pu.-r-Wai-lu-ku  and  Valley^ — Teirifio 
Battle-ground. — Old  Battle-ground  of  EahuluL— Hawaiian  *^  Gol- 
gotha.**— ^A  Cranium^Hunter. — Curiosity  of  the  Natives. — ^Modern 
Superstitions. — Doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  studied  over  the 
Bones  of  Warriors.— Why  the  Doctrine  ia  difficult  to  believe  308 

CHAPTEE  XXV. 

EAST   BIAUI. 

Makawaa — Sugar  Plantations. — Cultivation  of  Wheat — Indian 
Com. — ^The  Irish  Potato. — ^Agricultural  Lands. — ^Land  Monopoly. 
— The  Non-taxation  System. — ^Kindness  of  Foreigners  to  theTrav* 
eler. — Ascent  of  Mauna  HalS-a-ka4€L — Atmospheric  Regiona 
— Unexpected  and  unwelcome  yisitors.^Vastness  of  the  Crater. 
— Sense  of  Cold. — Splendor  of  the  Sun-light. — "  Ossian's"  Address 
to  the  Sun. — ^View  from  the  Summit  of  the  Crater. — Glory  of  <ihe 
Clouds. — ^The  Soul's  Emotiona — Man  immortaL — Qod  omnipo- 
tent   817 

CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

ISLAND    OF    HAWAII. 

Trip  to  Hawaii — ^The  Schooner  Mamiro-kchioaL — ^Hawaiian  Sailors. 
— ^Abuse  offered  to  a  Native  Woman.— An  unpleasant  Position.-* 


i 


CONTENTS.  xiii 


A  Btormy  Sunday. — The  snow-capped  Mountains  of  Hawaii — ^Ka- 
waihae. — Landing-place  at  Mahu-kona. — Mode  of  transporting 
Baggage. — District  of  Kohala. — ^Nmnerons  Evidences  of  ancient 
Population *. Page  829 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 

A  "Visit  to  the  JSeiau  of  Puuepa. — ^Accursed  Despotisms  of  Paganism. 
— Wholesale  Slanghters.— Testimony  of  an  old  Pagan  Priest— Oc- 
ular Demonstration. — Solitude  of  the  Ruins. — ^Public  Works  of  a 
past  Generation. — Graves  of  a  forgotten  Race. — Glances  at  De- 
population.— Causes,  Past  and  Present, — ^New  House  of  Worship 
at  I0I6. — Character  of  Missionaries. — ^Friends  and  Foes. — ^Import- 
ance and  Necessity  of  an  impartial  Estimate  by  the  Traveler. — 
Katnre  and  Extent  of  Hostilities 887 

CHAPTER  XXVm. 

FROM   lOLE   TO   WADfEA. 

Solitude  of  Native  Dwellings. — ^Volcanic  Features. — Groves  of  the 
7%  Plant— Wild  Oats.— Plains  of  Waimea.— More  Evidences  of 
Depopulation. — ^Hawaiian  Catacombs. — ^Byron's  Soliloquy  on  a 
SkulL — ^Former  Method  of  Interment  among  the  Hawauans. — 
Abuse  of  the  Dead. — ^A  "Plague  of  Flies." — Comparison  of  Natives 
and  Foreigners. — ^Foreigners  and  Native  Wives. — ^Agriculture. — 
Sugar  Plantations. — ^A  genuine  **  Yankee,** — ^Raising  Stock  for  the 
Market 856 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

J0T7RNET  TO   THE  SX7MHIT   OF   MAT7NA  KEA. 

Cavernous  Formations. — ^Interview  with  a  genuine  "  Nimrod." — Saw- 
mills at  Hanipoi  — Singing  Birds.  — Power  of  Association.  — In- 
stances of — ^A  rough  but  generous  Welcome. — ^A  strange  Woman. 
— Ascent  of  the  Mountain. — ^Forests. — ^Wild  Cattle. — ^Fruits  and 
Flowers. — Deceptions  in  climbing  a  volcanic  Mountain. — ^Reach 
the  Summit — ^Intense  Fatigue. — ^Exquisite  Sense  of  Cold. — ^Hilla 
of  Snow. — ^A  Lunch  above  the  Clouds. — Sound. — ^Large  crateri- 
form  Lake. — ^Apparent  Formation  of  the  Mountain. — ^Extinction 
of  its  Fires. — ^Absolute  Solitude. — ^View  from  the  Summit — Solil- 
oquy of  Btbon's  "  Manfred.** — Descent  of  the  Mountain.— Proposed 
Penance . , , 866 


^y  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

JOURNEY   TO   WAI-PIO. 

Forests  of  Acacia. — Gigantic  Ferns. — Swamps. — ^An  Instance  of  na- 
tive Cruelty. — Valley  of  Wai-pio, — ^Descent — Primitive  Character 
of  the  Inhabitants. — Explorations. — Cascades. — ^ABuUock  carried 
over  the  Falls. — ^Fastidiousness  of  native  Appetite. — Population. 
— ^Agriculture. — Curious  Instance  of  Cupidity. — Real  Changes. — 
Scenes  at  an  Evening  Repast Page  879 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

FROM   WAI-PIO   TO   KA-WAI-HAE. 

Village  of  Ka-wai-hae.— ^Another  Pagan  Temple. — Cause  of  its  Erec- 
tion.— ^False  Predictions. — ^Moral  taught  by  Paganism. — ^Ravages 
of  the  Small-pox. — Solitary  Village. — Outrageous  Mode  of  Vac- 
cination.— ^Preposterous  Conduct  of  the  "  Board  of  Health." — ^In- 
dignation of  the  Foreign  Population. — ^Testimony  of  Physicians. — 
Native  Quackery. — ^Terrible  Influences  of  a  certain  Superstition. 
— ^Total  Defeat  of  a  long-cherished  Enterprise 889 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Origin  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders.— The  Theory  sustained  by  Tradi- 
tion.— ^Habits  and  Customs,  Physical  Organization  and  Language. 
— ^Their  Fast  and  Present  Condition:  Social,  Political,  and  Relig- 
ious.— Probable  Destiny  of  the  Race. — Prospective  History  of 
Christian  Institutions. — Cause  for  Congratulation. — ^One  Cause  of 
a  grand  Failure. — ^The  English  Language  the  only  best  Channel 
-  of  Civilization \ 897 

CHAPTER  XXXin. 

ANNEXATION   OP   THE   GEOUP. 

Geographical  Position  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.— Their  Value  argued 
from  their  Poation. — Climate. — Diseases. — Capacity  of  the  SoiL — 
Importance  of  the  Simdwioh  Islands  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment.— Objections  considered — ^Recent  Movements  at  the  Islands. 
— ^Remonstrance  of  the  British  and  French  Consuls. — ^Reply  of  the 
United  States  Conunissioner. — ^British  and  French  Diplomacy.— 
British  and  French  Dominion. — Faith  of  European  Nations. — 
Reasons  for  "  Annexation." — ^Its  Necessity 426 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Portrait  of  Prince  Alexander  Liholiho,  Heir-apparent  to  the 

Crown J^otUitpieee, 

Native  Hbuse  on  the  Sandwich  Islands 83 

Hawaiian  Female  Equestrian 86 

Diamond-Head  Crater,  from  East  Honolulu,  Island  of  Oahu ...     95 

Punch-Bowl  Hill,  from  the  Valley  of  Nuuanu 99 

Mode  of  carrying  Burdens IIY 

View  of  a  Chain  of  Extinct  Volcanoes  near  Eoloa,  Island  of 

Eauai 166 

Eeapaweo  Mountain 186 

Falls  of  Wailua 193 

View  of  Hanalei  Valley 200 

Loko  (Lake)  Nomilu 218 

Waimea  Village,  from  the  Fort 229 

American  Mission  Church  at  Waimea 242 

Domestic  Utensils  and  Musical  Instruments ^. . .  249 

Kative  Pipe  and  Necklace 266 

Kapa  Mallets 279 

Native  Female — ^Mode  of  Sitting 283 

Native  Man — ^Mode  of  Sitting 284 

Lahaina,  from  the  Anchorage:  Island  of  Maui 291 

Old  Hawaiian  Gods 307 

Village  of  "Wai-lu-ku:  Maui 311 

Valley  of  Wai-pio:  Island  of  Hawaii 382 


r 


SANDWICH  ISLAM  NOTES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM   SAN  FRANCISCO   TO   HONOL17LU. 

]>q>artare  from  San  Francieco. — ^A  Glance  at  its  History. — Coases 
of  the  Change. — Its  Future. — ^Tug-boat  "Resolute.** — Ship  nearly 
ashore. — ^The  Rescue. — Once  more  at  Anchor. 

It  was  a  cold,  bleak  moming — ^the  22d  of  the  last  moath 
in  1852 — ^when  the  "Sovereign  of  the  Seas"  containing 
several  passengers,  weighed  anchor  and  endeavored  to  escape 
from  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  It  was  with  a  feeling  of 
mingled  pride  and  satisfaction  that  I  paced  her  decks ;  fer 
the  queenly  vessel  was  steering  for  strange  climes,  where  the 
son  was  more  genial,  and  the  winds  less  chilly. 

On  leaving  San  Francisco,  one  is  forcibly  impressed  with 
the  prond  position  the  city  occupies.  The  history  of  its  past 
and  present  condition  is  singularly  impressive ;  and  the  im- 
mense rapidity  with  which  this  youthfrd  emporium  has  sprung 
into  existence,  constitutes  a  miracle  even  in  modem  industry 
and  progress.  To  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  regard 
it,  only  three  or  four  years  since,  as  a  small  village  with  a 
few  adobe  houses,  and  a  sparse  and  squahd  population,  it  is 
a  just  cause  of  wonder.  Every  where  the  sounds  of  the 
artisan's  hammer,  and  the  rushing  of  the  various  vehicles  of 
oomjoaeroe,  are  indicative  of  untiring  perseverance.  Even  to 
those  who  have  witnessed  the  entire  progress  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, so  rapid  has  bc^n  the  transformation,  tl^t  the  past 
seems  more  like  the  bright,  feiry-Uke  visioAs  of  an  Eastern 
tale  than  a  tangible  reality.  After  repeated  conflagrations, 
that  swept  away,  in  a  few  hours,  what,  in  older  cities  and 


18  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

states,  would  have  been  deemed  the  labor  and  accumulations 
of  many  years,  and  of  millions  in  value,  it  has  sprung  up, 
Phoenix-like,  from  its  own  ashes ;  and  every  time  it  has  been 
huried  to  the  ground,  like  the  fabled  Antsus,  it  has  gathered 
fresh  strength  and  ^veloped  new  resources. 

Not  only  in  a  physical  point  of  view  has  San  Francisco 
made  such  rapid  strides  onward  :  the  moral  progress  of  the 
city  has  kept  a  corresponding  pace.  Peace  and  order  prevail. 
The  Sabbath's  repose  is  secured  by  just  and  practicable  laws 
— ^perhaps  more  so  than  in  many  of  the  older  cities  of  the 
Union.  In  no  place  on  earth  does  Education — ^that  grand 
Palladium  of  our  Uberties — ^that  firm  basis  on  which  our  Re- 
pubHc  reposes — find  a  warmer  advocacy  or  a  better  support 
than  there.  The  heaven-kissing  spires  of  temples  erected 
to  the  worship  of  the  Most  High,  every  where  sjnringing  up, 
as  if  by  magic,  afford  sufiicient  proof  that  the  modem  order 
of  the  San  Franciscans  are  not  all  worshipers  at  the  shrine 
of  Mammon. 

It  would  be  needless  to  recapitulate  the  events  that  have 
produced  this  splendid  transformation.  The  most  striking 
feature  of  all  is  the  medium  through  which  the  change  has 
emanated.  It  is  well  understood  that  efibrts  were  made  iJnder 
the  old  Spanish  regime  to  spread  civilization  over  the  territory 
of  California,*  and  that  these  eSoTt&  were  in  progress  during 
a  period  of  more  than  two  centuries.  An  oppressive  hierarchy 
had  done  all  that  was  deemed  advisable  for  the  ben^t  of  the 
Indian  neoj^ytes ;  but  the  aboriginal  races  yet  retained  their 
nomadic  habits,  cherishing  a  deeply-rooted  contempt  for  the 
numerous  innovations  against  their  savage  policy.  If  any  of 
them  had  been  taught  to  appreciate  the  doctrines  of  tiieir  new 
teachers,  that  appreciation  was  based  strictly  on  self-interest ; 
for  they  followed  Hhexa  for  the  sake  of  temporal  gain.  If  the 
old  Spaniards  or  the  modem  Mexicans  had  discovered  the 
immense  wealth  that  has  rendered  the  territory  the  veritable 
^'El  Dorado'*  about  which  so  many  have  dreamed  and  so 
much  has  been  fabled  in  past  days,  then  some  Spanish  or 
Mexican  historian  might  have  chronicled  th^  own  deeds  on 


THE  FUTURE  OF   SAN   FRANCISCO.       jg 

that  great  theatre  of  modem  enterprise.  But  during  the  cen- 
turies of  misrule  by  an  inglorious  govermnfflat,  and  of  darkness 
amid  which  a  numerous  race  groveled,  the  great  transforming 
agency  was  unknown.  It  remained  for  War  to  pave  the  way 
to  annexation  of  the  then  almost  worthless  and  unknown 
territory ;  and  it  subsequimtly  remained  Sot  Anglo-American 
mind  and  enterprise  to  mould  the  mighty  influences  to  which 
the  discovery  of  vast  wealth  gave  Inrth.  It  would  be  super- 
fluous even  to  glance  at  the  vast  exodus  of  all  nations  of  men 
to  that  land  of  gold.  It  is  suflicient  to  say,  that  in  no  nation 
on  earth'  do  genius  and  energy  put  forth  strides  so  mighty  as 
in  California,  and  especially  in  San  Francisco ;  and  it  may  be 
affirmed,  with  safety,  that  no  community  on  earth  can  boast 
abler  men.  So  much  for  the  agency  through  which  this  great 
change  has  been  achieved,  and  for  the  benefits  that  emanate 
&om  the  change  itself 

Judging  of  the  past,  the  future  of  San  Francisco  is  seen 
with  a  sort  of  prophetic  vision.  Its  noble  bay— capable  of 
floating  the  world's  navy— is  seen  covered  with  the  war  and 
the  merchant  vessels  of  all  nations ;  the  streets,  extended 
miles  beyond  thdr  present  l^agth,  are  beheld  teeming  with  the 
almost  coimtless  thousands  of  a  busy  population.  In  a  future 
period,  and  at  no  great  distance  rftime,  such  luxury,  wealth, 
intelligence,  and  magniflcenoe  will  centre  in  San  Francisco,  as 
a  city,  as  have  never  been  surpassed  in  any  city  on  the  globe. 
At  l^t  p^od,  the  state  will  be  in  advance  of  any  state  in  the 
Union ;  for  it  wiU  be  the  great  d^t  between  the  East  and 
West,  and  will  sit  empress  over  the  North  Pacific,  sliding 
its  mighty  pulsations  back  to  the  Onesaty  whence  civilization 
originally  sprung. 

This  digression  was  passing  in  my  own  mind  while  the 
gallant  little  steam-tug  '^ResdtOe^'  was  towing  our  brave  ves- 
sel down  the  waters  of  the  bay ;  and  although  such  a  digres- 
sion has  not  the  lightest  omneetion  with  any  of  the  Poly- 
nesian Islands,  rt  is  perfectly  natural  to  a  person  who  has  spent 
any  length  of  time  in  San  Francisco,  and  is  about  leaving  it 
for  a  distant  port. 


20  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

The  "  Resolute"  had  akeady  towed  ub  to  the  north  side  <^ 
the  Bay,  and  was  on  her  way  back  to  the  city.  A  smart 
breeze,  that  induced  us  to  button  up  our  overcoats,  was  waft- 
ing along  our  gallant  ship  at  the  speed  of  ten  or  eleven  miles 
an  hour.  We  were  about  bidding  a  short  adieu  to  the  entrance 
ij£  the  Bay,  for  the  ship  was  on  her  last "  tack."  Many  were 
the  remarks  made  concerning  the  islands  to  which  we  were 
going.  A  few  of  the  passengers  had  visited  them  before. 
One  of  our  number  was  a  gentleman  who  displayed  some 
facetiousness.  He  asserted  "  that  the  people  on  the  Sandwich 
Islands  never  died :  on  the  contrary,  they  hved  to  such  an 
advanced  age,  that  they  dried  tip,  and  the  wind  blew  them 
away !" 

But  his  pleasantries  were  speedily  brought  to  a  close.  The 
"  Sovereign"  was  steering  very  near  the  base  of  Point  Boneta, 
when  suddenly  the  wind  left  her  sails,  and  she  was  swept,  by 
a  heavy  tidal  current,  to  the  middle  of  the  channel.  The 
monster  cHpper  was  too  lightly  manned ;  and  before  any  thing 
could  be  done  efficiently  to  arrest  the  danger  that  threatened 
her,  she  was  within  a  few  yards  of  the  rocks  that  lay  strewn 
directly  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Lobos.  There  was  something 
horrible  in  the  prospect  of  going  ashore  upon  that  beach,  wh^re 
several  valuable  cargoes  and  splendid  vessels  had  previously 
been  dashed  all  to  pieces.  The  "  Sovereign,"  which  a  few 
moments  before  was  worth  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  was  apparently  worthless  in  that  critical  moment. 
Nothing  but  an  immediate  plunge  of  the  anchor  saved  her, 
her  cargo,  and  her  passengers ;  and  even  then,  every  suige  of 
the  strong  waves  pressed  her  nearer  to  the  shore,  so  that  her 
rudder  thumped  the  sunken  rocks.  In  addition  to  all  this, 
there  was  a  strong  probabihty  of  a  rough  night. 

But  as  night  was  rapidly  approaching,  and  hope  expiring, 
a  favorable  breeze  sprung  up,  and  the  flood  tide  set  in  firom 
the  ocean.  Taking  the  advantage  of  so  favorable  a  state  of 
things,  the  cable  was  slipped,  and  we  lef^  the  breakers  with- 
out having  received  any  material  injury.  It  was  a  pleasant 
thing  thus  to  be  rescued  ficom  the  very  jaws  of  destruction. 


ONCE   MORE   AT   ANCHOR.  21 

especially  when  every  thing  seemed  to  have  conspired  against 
us. 

It  was  not  until  we  had  letumed  some  distance  up  the  Bay, 
and  were  once  more  at  anchor,  that  we  could  realize  the 
danger  firom  which  we  had  just  escaped.  The  sun  went  down 
to  his  repose  angry  and  red,  and  the  skies  were  gathering 
Uackness.  While  we  cheiished  an  unspeakahle  gratitude  fivr 
our  deliverance,  we  could  not  help  glancing  at  the  stormy 
heavoi ;  and  the  words  of  Moobe,  in  his  Fire  Worshipers, 
exactly  suited  us :  • 

"The  day  is  lowering — stilly  black 
Bleeps  the  grim  wave,  while  heaven's  rack, 
Itispersed  and  wild,  *twixt  earth  and  sky 
Hangs  like  a  shattered  canopy. 
There's  not  a  cloud  in  that  blue  plain 

But  tells  of  storms  to  come  or  past ; 
Here,  flying  loosely  as  the  mane 

Of  a  young  war-horse  in  the  blast ; 
There,  rolled  in  masses  dark  and  swelling. 
As  proud  to  be  the  thunder's  dwelling  I 
While  some,  already  burst  and  riven, 
Seem  melting  down  the  verge  of  heaven ; 
As  though  the  infant  storm  had  rent 

The  mighty  womb  that  gave  it  birth, 
And,  having  swept  the  firmament, 

Was  now  in  fierce  career  for  earth." 


CHAPTER  II. 

Daylight  and  Storm, — ^Weigh  Anchor. — ^First  Night  at  Sea. — The 
next  Morning. — Stormy  "PetreV* — Impressive  Moral — Dinner 
during  a  Gale. — The  Ocean  in  a  Storm. — ^A  Child  bom  at  Sea.-^ 
"New-year^s"  Day. — Sunset  in  the  Tropics. — ^A  Calm  on  the  Ocean. 
— "Land-hol" — Landmarks  for  the  Mariner. — Farewell  to  the 
"Sovereign.^* 

DxTRiNO  the  preceding  night  we  had  rode  safely  at  anchor. 
The  next  morning,  however,  dawned  on  a  most  iminviting 
scene.    It  was  blowing  a  gale ;  and  the  heavy  rains  and  mists 


22  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

BO  obscured  the  Bay,  that  we  could  see  only  a  short  distance 
from  our  anchorage.  The  winds  were  pecuUarly  chilling  and 
unpleasant,  as  they  swept  down  from  the  snow-clad  summit 
of  Monte  Kapael,  the  northern  limit  of  the  Golden  Gate. 
Most  sincerely  did  we  long  to  be  on  our  way  to  another  clime, 
where  we  might  escape  the  cold  and  relentless  frowns  of 
winter. 

About  noon  of  the  23d  that  wish  was  gratified.  The  storm- 
clouds  began  to  disperse.  The  winds  suddenly  moderated.  A 
slight  shower  of  rain  passed  over  us,  reflecting  an  iris  of  sin- 
gular beauty.  Glorious  emblem  of  hope  to  the  earth  and 
man !  It  cheered  eyery  spirit,  and  inBised  new  strength  into 
every  heart,  and  we  regarded  it  as  an  omen  of  an  auspicious 
voyage. 

By  1  P.M.  we  weighed  anchor  once  more.  The  tide  was 
running  out,  and,  taking  advantage  of  it,  we  ghded  out  of  the 
Bay.  Before  sunset  our  pilot  was  discharged,  and  we  stood 
out  to  sea.  Night  overtook  us  just  as  the  surf-beaten  shores 
of  California  sunk  behind  the  wave.  The  sea-fowls  had  re- 
tired to  their  nests  in  the  clifis,  and  the  rays  of  the  distant 
light-house  had  faded  away  in  the  dim  distance.  It  was  now, 
with  the  wide  Pacific  stretched  out  before  her,  that  our  splen- 
did vessel  displayed  her  ti:ue  character  as  a  sea-boat.  She 
seemed  to  feel  a  sort  of  consciousness  of  her  duty : 
"She  walked  the  waters  like  a  thing  of  life;" 
or  she  seemed  more  like  an  impatient  steed  struggling  to  escape 
from  her  rider.  To  her  the  foam-crested  billows  appeared  to 
be  famihar  playthings,  for  she  dashed  them  aside,  and  proudly 
defied  their  strength  and  fiiry. 

After  having  remained  for  some  time  on  shore— no  matter 
to  what  extent  a  person  has  previously  traveled  by  water — 
there  is  always  something  inexpressibly  solemn  and  spirit- 
moving  in  \hQ  first  night  at  sea.  The  land  is  gone — as  though 
it  had  sunk  beneath  the  bosom  of  the  insatiate  deep.  Dark- 
ness obscures  the  face  of  the  mighty  waters,  and  even  the  sky ; 
but  anxious  faces  ccnne  peering  tiirough  the  gloom.  The  soft 
tones  of  the  last  "farewell,"  with  its  deep  and  thrilling  im- 


THE   NEXT   MORNING.  23 

port ;  the  warm  grasp  of  the  £riendly  hand,  as  if  loth  to  part 
with  your  pwn — these;  and  many  other  things,  rush  yividly 
back  on  the  wings  of  memory,  and  you  are  constrained  to 
look  back  and  converse  mentally  with  much  that  is  past. 
Heaven  reveals  the  gems  that  bum  on  its  portals,  and  you 
seem  to  drink  in,  by  a  spiritual  communion,  the  eternity  of 
their  glory  and  their  years.  The  moon,  perhaps,  mounts  her 
chariot,  and  sheds  a  serene  light  over  the  lap  of  the  ocean. 
Then  a  dark,  fugitive  cloud  rushes  past,  as  if  to  dif^ute  her 
rightful  empire.  Suddenly  you  realize,  or  try  to  realize,  the 
&ct  that  the  vast,  and  hoary,  and  eternal  deep  is  before  you. 
You  are  buoyed  up  above  its  dark  caverns,  where  things  of 
beauty  and  shmy  numsters  take  refuge  firom  the  scrutiny  of 
man.  You  are  on  the  brink  of  the  unseen  world ;  you  are 
close  to  the  very  presence  of  the  Unsearchable  ;  you  are 
within  less  than  a  stone's  throw  of  that  goal — ^the  grave ! — 
which  has  entombed  the  long  list  of  the  defunct  of  Adam's 
progeny ;  and  there  you  jure  kept  from  a  penetration  of  all 
that  makes  mankind  true  scholars  and  philosophers  by  the 
thickness  of  a  single  plank!  Perchance  a  storm  may  rush 
forth  from  its  hiding-place  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  and 
awaken  the  deep  in  its  fearful  power.  The  Infinite  him- 
self leaves  his  foot-prints  on  the  heaving  billow,  or  he  moves 
past  on  the  wings  of  the  tempest.  It  is  then,  and  there,  that 
a  man  feels  his  own  utter  hdj^dessness.  Night  and  storm  on 
the  wide  world  of  waters  is  the  best  school  in  which  a  man 
learns  to  read  his  own  nothingness.  Your  sleep,  even  if  you 
should  escape  the  too  common  lot  of  voyagers,  sea-sickness,  is, 
in  all  probability,  any  thing  but  that  which  merits  the  name 
of  sleep.  There  is  a  sort  of  sympathy  in  your  mind  with 
winds  and  waves,  and  also  with  beloved  faces  that  come 
peering  in  upon  you.  A  great  lesson  to  the  contemplative 
mind  is  the  first  night  at  sea. 

There  is  scarcely  any  association  that  is  more  saddening 
than  the  morning  that  succeeds  the  first  night  on  the  oQean. 
On  ascending  the  deck,  add  seeing  nothing  but  sky  and  ocean, 
a  sort  of  soHtude  thrills  the  voyager's  bosom;  and  he  feels, 


24  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

for  a  time  at  least,  as  though  his  companionship  and  all  his 
interests  had  fled  hack  to  the  shores  he  has  just  left.  As  he 
gazes  across  the  deep^  as  if  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  land,  the 
soHtude  is  unhroken ;  hut  his  eye  hecomes  more  reconciled  to 
the  scene  before  him ;  his  sjnrit  drinks  in  the  imposing  gran- 
deur of  that  most  magnificent  of  all  elements — ^the  ocean. 
Our  first  morning  at  sea  was  one  that  seemed  to  wield  a  spell 
over  the  entire  being.  Not  a  cloud  obscured  the  sky.  The 
ascending  sun  shed  an  almost  supernal  glory  on  the  multitude 
of  waves  that  danced  around  the  ship,  as  though  they  were 
thrilled  with  life.  It  is  amid  such  scenes,  and  with  the  bound- 
less deep  before  him,  that  a  man  feels  as  if  he  were  impelled 
onward  by  some  mysterious  destiny.  He  is  not  certain  at  what 
shore  the  vessel  may  arrive.  Amid  the  uncertainties  of  nauti- 
cal life,  he  ma/y  steer  for  the  port  of  destination,  and  reach  it ; 
or  some  relentless  tempest*  may  wreak  its  wrath  upon  the 
strong-ribbed  craft,  and  leave  her  a  floating  wreck,  at  the 
mere  mercy  of  currents  and  winds,  to  find  her  way — ^heaven 
only  knows  where.  It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  a  man  under 
such  circumstances  feels  as  though  he  had  shaken  hands  with 
Destiny.  Nor  is  the  ''  self-exiled  Harold"  the  only  man  who 
has  said,. 

"  Once  more  upon  the  waters !  yet  once  more  I 
And  the  waves  bound  beneath  me  as  a  steed 
That  knows  his  rider.    Welcome  to  their  roar! 
Swift  be  their  guidance,  wheresoever  it  lead! 
Though  the  strained  mast  should  quiver  as  a  reed. 
And  the  rent  canvas,  fluttering,  strew  the  gale, 
Still  I  must  on;  for  I  am  as  a  reed 
Flung  from  the  rock,  on  Ocean's  foam  to  sail, 
Where'er  the  surge  may  sleep,  the  tempest's  breath  prevail" 

This  has  been  the  language  of  thousands — ^it  will  be  the  sen- 
timent of  thousands  more. 

Over  the  crests  of  the  wild  waves,  or  between  them,  in  the 
Hquid  valleys,  the^re^  was  speeding  on  her  pinions  in  search 
of  food.  I  could  not  help  feding  a  sort  of  sympathy  with  that 
bird.  The  oceau  was  that  creature's  home-— the  wide  world 
was  mine.     Death  had  laid  low  the  loving  and  the  loved ; 


THE   STORMY  PETREL-k  MORAL.  25 

and,  having  little  or  nothing  to  attach  me  to  any  particular 
spot,  I  felt  free  to  roam. 

And  yet  that  lone  hird,  skimming  the  deep  on  rapid  wing« 
suggested  a  moral  that  I  had  never  prc^rly  learned  in  the 
sanctum.  Without  any  apparently  fixed  aim,  and  wandering 
strictly  in  obedience  to  its  own  instincts,  the  end  of  its  exist- 
ence— ^the  preservation  of  its  own  life  by  the  securing  of  fixxi 
—was  fully  answered.  In  all  probability,  its  mate  may  have 
been  annihilated  by  the  hand  of  some  reckless  fisherman ;  but 
it  seemod  to  make  no  difierence.  On,  on  it  went.  It  had  been 
cast  on  the  rude  lap  of  the  ocean ;  and  yet,  before  it  broke 
Ibrth  from  its  ovarian  prison,  its  food  had  been  scattered  on  the 
wave  of  the  ocean  by  the  ever-carefiil  hand  of  a  Supreme  Prov- 
idence. To  be  found,  that  £x)d  had  to  be  sought ;  and  al- 
though it  appeared  to  wander  as  if  only  by  instinct,  its  Maker 
was  its  guide.  And  is  it  not  so  with  man  ?  Before  he  comes 
into  the  world,  good  and  evil  crowd  the  pathway  of  his  life. 
To  secure  the  highest  good,  he  needs  but  to  seek  it,  and  it  will 
be  found.  Man  may  progress  through  a  thousand  difierent 
channels  without  any  apparent  design,  but  most  assuredly  he 
will  reach  the  goal  that  has  been  marked  out  for  him ;  nor 
can  he  avoid  it.  If  the  petrd  wanders  over  the  wave,  not  for- 
tuitously, how  unspeakably  great  is  the  amount  of  good  that 
milHohs  lose  by  discarding  the  guidance  and  protection  of  the 
Universal  Father  I 

If  our  first  morning  at  sea  was  one  of  surpassing  loveliness, 
the  next  was  of  a  very  difierent  character.  Soon  after  sun- 
rise, the  skies  were  obscured  with  heavy  storm-clouds.  A 
strong  wind  was  blowing  from  the  southwest,  which  by  noon 
had  increased  to  a  gale.  At  the  regular  hour  dinner  was 
served.  And  now  came  the  trial,  so  far  as  the  inner  man  was 
ocmcemed.  Those  who  have  never  left  their  Persian  carpets, 
nor  been  served  at  table  from  any  other  than  their  own  rose- 
wood side-boards,  can  form  no  idea  of  the  ludicrous  and  em- 
barrassing scenes  that  crowd  around  a  dinner-table  during  a 
storm  at  sea.  Every  passenger  on  board  the  "  Sovereign" 
seemed  to  think  himself  a  nautical  hero ;  at  least,  he  strongly 

B 


26  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

objected  to  its  being  supposed  that,  before  dinner  was  over,  he 
would  be  compelled  to  pay  old  Neptune  a  tribute.  "We  sat 
down  to  our  repast  with  a  fixed  determination  to  do  it  justice. 
Those  occupying  the  "  weather  side"  of  the  table  had  to  lean 
back  in  order  to  prevent  themselves  firom  tumbling  over  it, 
while  those  sitting  to  "  leeward"  held  fast  to  the  table  to  aid 
them  lii  retaining  their  seats ;  for,  every  time  the  sea  struck 
the  ship,  she  would  roll  her  lee  bulwarks  neJBirly  under  water. 
During  such  a  state  of  afiairs,  one  may  think  himself  fortunate 
if  a  tumbler  of  water  does  not  come  rolling  into  his  di^  of 
soup,  or  that  he  does  not  lose  his  soup  entirely.  Another  swal- 
lows a  mouthful  of  food,  and,  feeling  very  squeamish  in  the 
gastrological  regions,  hurries  out  on  deck  to  avoid  a  humilia- 
ting display  of  his  own  weakness.  'Another  chases  his  fugi- 
tive viands  into  his  opposite  neighbor's  plate,  where  they  be- 
come so  commingled  that  a  just  and  original  division  is  im- 
possible. A  third  holds  oa  to  the  table,  as  if  fearful  of  going 
to  the  bottom.  A  fourth  keeps  his  eye  on  some  favorite  dish, 
holding  himself  in  readiness  to  arrest  its  progress  in  case  it 
should  sUde  away  firom  its  place.  A  fifth — but,  alas !  it  is 
impossible  to  review  a  list  of  some  score  or  more  of  passengers, 
ibr  I  should  be  compelled  to  include  myself  in  the  catalogue  ; 
and  the  reader's  patience  might  be  wearied  in  the  perusal,  and 
himself  cherish  a  profound  disgust,  in  the  abstract,  of  the  no- 
blest element  ever  created. 

The  merriment  that  had  its  origin  in  the  scenes  just  de- 
scribed was  soon,  terminated.  Our  repast  was  hardly  ended, 
when  "  all  hands"  were  summoned  to  shorten  what  Httle  can- 
vas was  spread ;  for  ike  gale,  that  had  been  increasing  all  the 
morning,  was  now  at  its  height.  On  going  out  upon  deck, 
the  scene  before  us  was  one  of  such  overwhelming  sublimity, 
that  language  refuses  to  do  its  office.  Even  Longinus  himself 
would  have  failed  there.  On  no  element  or  object  in  creation 
have  more  elaborate  ^descriptions  been  lavished  than  on  the 
ocean  when  in  a  storm.  Poets  have  implored  the  aid  of  every 
muse,  and  bestowed  upon  it  the  boldest  and  most  finished 
verse.     Painters,  too,  long  accustomed  to  ocean  scenery  in  all 


THE   OCEAN   IN   A  STORM.  27 

its  variety,  have  employed  all  their  talent  to  set  it  forth  aa, 
canvas.  With  a  singular  vividness,  they  have  pictured  the 
fi>am  on  the  summit  of  the  breaking  billow,  and  the  imagina- 
tifm  has  almost  caught  the  reverberations  of  its  savage  thun- 
der. But  all  falls  infinitely  below  the  living  reaUty.  The 
matchless  phenomenon,  must  be  seen  to  be  realized,  for  it  can 
be  realized  only  by  being  seen.  The  huge  waves  heaving, 
rolling,  surging,  sweeping,  like  spirits  of  vengeance  terribly 
strolling  for  ^e  mastery  over  each  other,  and  over  the  thun- 
dering brealli  of  the  storm-king,  until  they  rise  higher  and  yet 
higher,  constitute  a  reality  that  no  imagination  can  cherish, 
and  no  pen  or  pencil  portray.  The  spectator  becomes  a  mere 
child  in  his  views  and  sympathies ;  he  feels  mute  before  this 
amazing  display  of  the  Almighty's  strength.  Of  all  the  unin- 
fsgixed  men  that  have  ever  hved,  no  one  has  so  accurately  de- 
scribed the  scene  as  that  great  Anglo-Saxon  poet,  Shakspeare : 

**  For  do  but  stand  upon  the  foaming  shore, 
The  chiding  billows  seem  to  pelt  the  clouds ; 
The  wind-shaked  surge,  with  high  and  monstrous  mane^ 
Seems  to  cast  water  on  the  burning  Bear, 
And  quench  the  ^ards  of  the  ever-fixld  pole. 
'     I  never  did  like  molestation  view 

On  th'  enchaf(§d  flood." — Othello^  Act  IL,  sc  i 

The  gale  paissed  away,  however,  without  any  serious  injury. 
The  figure-head  of  our  noble  clipper  was  a  "  Neptune,"  finely 
carved.  Whether  the  fabled  god  was  enraged  at  the  invasion 
of  his  element  by  a  modem  and  inanimate  deity,  it  is  not  for 
me  to  decide ;  but  our  Neptune  was  deprived  of  one  entire 
arm  by  the  violence  of  the  storm.  Bipeds  were  not  the  only 
victims  to  sea-sickness  :  there  were  passengers  of  the  quadru- 
ped species  that  shared  these  difiiculties.  The  latter  com- 
prised a  large  grizzly  bear,  a  rainbow  bear,  a  wol£  a  kayota, 
a  wild  cat,  and  a  leopard  cat — all  destined  for  exhibition  in 
the  Crystal  Palace  at  New  York.  And  probably  the  elder  of 
the  two  Bndns  suffered  more  than  aU  the  rest  of  his  com- 
panions. 

28th.  BAiny,  squally,  and  adverse  winds  all  day.    Latitude 


28  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

32"  50' ;  longitude  135°  39'  at  noon.  As  an  instance  of  hu- 
man progress,  a  child  was  bom  to-day.  His  birth  was  prem- 
ature. His  life  was  given  him  nearly  at  the*cost  of  his  moth- 
er's. In  honor  to  our  brave  vessel,  not  less  than  the  event, 
we  named  him  the  "  Yoimg  Sovereign." 

The  close  of  '52  was  very  stormy  ;  the  opening  of  '53  was 
no  better,  excepting  that  we  ^ere  favored  with  a  fair  wind. 
A  continent  and  a  wide  expanse  of  ocean  separated  us  from 
our  best  earthly  friends ;  but  we  forgot  neither  them  nor  the 
day  itself  True,  they  were  enjoying  their  snug  parlors,  or 
they  were  making  or  receiving  "  caMs''  while  we  were  dash- 
ing on  like  a  race-horse,  before  a  wind  that  heaved  the  sea 
like  moimtains.  But,  like  all  true  adventurers,  we  resolved 
to  make  the  best  of  our  position,  and  drink  a  few  toasts  in 
commemoration  of  the  day  and  our  friends.  Preliminaries 
having  been  adjusted,  our  sentiments  were, 

A  HAPPY  NEW-YEAR  TO  THE  ABSENT  ONES  \  May  they  have 
no  cause  to  regret  the  ilight  of  time.  Although  personally 
absent,  we  are  present  with  them  in  spirit. 

Our  Country  !  May  it  ever  be  the  beacon  of  Hepubhcan 
Empire — ^the  asylum  of  the  oppressed,  the  land  of  the  free. 
May  the  tree  of  Liberty  there  flourish  until  its  branches  shall 
shelter  all  nations,  and  until  time  shall  expire. 

The  Sandwich  Islands  :  May  every  thing  that  tends  to 
embarrass  their  financial  resources,  and  contract  their  policy, 
be  speedily  and  forever  removed ;  and  may  they  yet  add  an- 
other star  in  our  flag  of  freedom. 

The  "  Sovereign  of  the  Seas,"  and  the  infant  "  Sover- 
eign :"  May  the  former  weather  the  storms  in  safety,  until 
she  shall  reach  her  port  of  destination.  May  the  latter,  who 
breathed  his  first  breath  on  the  ocean,  be  safely  guided  over 
life's  sea,  until  he  is  safe  beyond  the  region  of  storms  and 
danger.  . 

But  New- Year's  day  was  buried  in  the  flight  of  time,  and 
we  were  rapidly  approaching  the  tropics.  The  weather  was 
more  genial ;  ihe  sky  more  serene ;  the  winds  lighter,  but 
more  steady.     Much  has  been  said  about  an  ocean  sunset ; 


SUNSET  NEAR  THE  TROPICS.      29 

but,  like  a  picture  of  a  sea-storm,  every  thing  falls  far  below 
the  original.  It  was  not,  however,  until  we  neared  the  Isl- 
ands, that  we  were  favored  with  the  magnificent  picture,  or 
reality  rather.  The  horizi§  was  as  clear  as  crystal,  while  a 
firinge  of  clouds,  gorgeously  painted  by  the  sun-light,  hung 
over  it  like  a  canopy  of  fretted  gold.  As  the  God  of  day  was 
HJnking  in  the  calm  blue  wave,  a  flood  of  golden  light  streamed 
across  the  ocean ;  while,  in  the  region  of  his  descent,  the  little 
wavelets  seemed  to  kiss  the  lustre  firom  his  burning  brow. 
It  seemed  as  if  those  waves  had  flown  from  the  Empyrean 
itself;  as  if  they  were  peopled  with  beings  beautiful  and 
bright.  There  is  something  soft  and  bewitching  in  such  a 
scene  as  this.  It  no  longer  remains  a  wonder  that  so  much 
should  have  been  said  and  sung  about  the  evening  glories  of 
the  God  of  day.  When  Plato  uttered  his  great  ideal  of  the 
Unknown,  he  intimated  that  the  sun  was  but  the  shadow  of 
His  ineflable  glory.  So  millions  of  our  race,  feeling  the  bound- 
less yearnings  of  their  own  immortal  nature,  have  adc»red  and 
revered  the  ever-glorious  orb  as  the  best  material  representa- 
tive of  the  inmiaterial  God. 

The  night  that  followed  that  sunset  scene  was  one  of  cakn 
and  soothing  splendor.  The  bosom  of  the  sky  was  all  cloud- 
less, and  countless  multitudes  of  night's  sentinels  peered  fi)rth 
in  aU  their  glory.  Befere  the  hour  of  midnight  was  chronicled 
by  the  crew  on  duty,  there  was  not  a  single  ripple  on  the  sur- 
flBice  of  the  sea.  AU  was  like  a  vast  ocean  of  glass  spread  out 
before  us.  The  horizon  was  as  imperceptible  as  if  it  mingled 
in  the  vast  ocean  of  space  above  us.  It  seemed  as  though 
one  could  almost  hear  the  music  of  the  spheres  as  they  sent 
their  echoes  through  the  boundless  fields  of  ether.  Immortal 
luminaries !  What  is  the  character  of  those  beings  by  whom 
ye  are  peopled,  and  what  their  employ  ?  Does  death  ever 
thin  their  ranks,  and  sweep,  with  relentless  wrath,  youth  and 
beauty  to  the  grave  ?  Does  war  desolate  your  abodes  ?  Does 
care  or  pain  ever  mar  your  peace  and  comfort  ?  Or  are  you 
immortal  and  happy  ;  happy,  because  sinless  ?  How  many 
a  man  seeks  for  the  highest  good,  as  he  tries  to  lajr  the  hand 


30  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

of  bis  faith  on  the  throne  of  the  universe ;  and  yet,  as  he  bows 
himself  to  the  earth,  with  drops  of  a^ny  on  his  brow,  and 
with  a  keen  anxiety  to  find  what  he  seeks — a  tangible  evi- 
dence of  the  existence  d  the  vS#I>reme — how  often  has  his 
very  soul  been  shaken  with  distressing  doubts,  and  reascm 
nearly  tottered  on  her  throne  ?  But  when  he  looked  up  into 
the  serene  bosom  of  such  a  night  as  I  have  described,  and 
glanced  from  cause  to  ^ect,  his  doubts  fied  before  cqnvicticm. 

Jan.  15th.  At  daylight  this  morning  we  were  awakened 
firom  our  slumbers  by  the  cry  of  "Land-ho  /"  On  going  out 
on  deck,  the  islands  of  Maui,  Molokai,  and  Oahu  especially, 
were  distinctly  visible. 

At  noon  we  were  steering  for  the  southeast  point  of  Oahu. 
The  whole  shore  fimning  the  southeastern  extremity  of  the 
island  has  an  appearance  of  absolute  desolation.  It  retains 
the  remains  of  several  very  ancient  craters.  The  two  chief 
landmarks  are  Capes  Makapuu  and  Leahi.  But  the  latter  is 
the  most  prominent.  It  has  an  elevaticm  of  several  hundred 
feet,  and  is  seen  at  a  distance  of  several  leagues.  By  day  or 
night  it  a^rds  an  unmistakable  guide  to  the  mariner  who  may 
be  steering  his  vessel  for  the  port  of  Honolulu,  nine  miles  be- 
yond it,  in  a  norliiwestem  direction.  It  would  seem  as  if  the 
storms  c^  ages  have  swept  over  these  shattered  monuments  of 
nature. 

The  desire  to  get  on  shore  is  always  varied,  in  its  intensity, 
by  the  length  of  a  voyage.  There  may  have  been  many  pri- 
vations and  embarrassments  during  that  voyage,  and  many  a 
.  wish  may  have  been  cherished  that  the  ship  was  at  the  port 
of  her  destination ;  but  th^  moment  of  parting  fipom  her,  and 
fiom  your  fellow-passengers,  does  come.  That  parting  is  a 
miniature  of  the  world.  Every'  passenger  goes  his  own  way, 
and  pursues  his  own  business ;  suid  although  strong  firiend- 
ships  may  have  been  created  and  cherished  during  the  trip, 
who  shall  say  when  the  parties  about  to  separate  may  meet 
agaiil  ?  These  are  the  associations  that  induce  sensitive  minds 
to  leave  their  best  farewell  to  the  vessel  they  are  leaving ;  and 
thus  it  was  we  left  our  own  with  the  "  Sovereign  of  the  Seas." 


HONOLULU,  PAST   AND   PRESENT.  21 


CHAPTER  m. 

ISLAND   OF   OAHU.       HONOLULU. 

Location  of  Honolulu. — ^Honolulu,  P<ut  and  Present — ^EUrbQr. — 
Coral  Ree&. — Commerce. — Palace  of  Kakehameha  III. — ^A  Glance 
at  the  Monarch. — His  Successor  proclaun^d. — ^Royal  Soirees. — ^Ha- 
waiian Parliament 

The  word  Honolulu  is  of  Hawaiian'^  origin,  and  comes 
frwa.  hono,  the  back  of  the  neck,  and  Izduy  shelter  from,  the 
winds.  The  term  is  rather  absolute.  Whatever  its  import 
may  once  have  been,  certainly  it  can  not  now  signify  a  place 
that  is  sheltered;  for  the  town  is  ahnost  constantly  exposed 
to  the  fierce  south  winds  that  come  in  from  the  ocean,  not 
less  than  to  the  heavy  northeast  trades  that  sweep  down  the 
Nujoanu  valley.  The  location,  however,  is  exceedingly  pleas- 
ant. Its  position  is  defined  on  the  chart  of  the  group  in  Ion. 
158"  1'  W.  firom  Greenwich,  lat.  21°  18'  N.  A  part  of  the 
town  is  built  on  a  plain  of  great  beauty,  that  stretches  away 
for  several  miles  to  the  eastward.  The  plain  itsdf  afibrds 
pasture  for  hundreds  of  cattle.  It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by 
the  old  extinct  crater  of  Diamond  Head ;  on  the  north,  by 
the  highly  picturesque  valleys  of  Manoa,  Nuuanu,  Fauoa, 
Makiki,  and  Falolo;  on  the  south,  by  massive  coral  reefs 
that  extend  for  some  distance  into  the  sea.  From  Honolulu 
is  distinctly  seen  the  ridge  of  mountains  called  Konahuanui, 
that  bisects  the  island.  This  chain,  when  cloud-capped,  as  it 
firequently  is,  assumes  an  aspect  of  great  sublimity. 

Honolulu  is  the  largest  and  wealthiest  town  on  the  group : 
it  is  the  commercial  emporium,  the  seat  of  government.  Al- 
though its  existence  as  a  town  can  scarcely  date  back  to  an 
earlier  period  than  1823,  and  considering  that  its  location  is 
so  far  removed  firom  continental  energy,  it  bears  an  impress 

*  ''Hawaiian  Islands'*  is  the  official  term  for  the  Sandwich  group. 


32  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

.  of  progress  that  is  truly  astonishing  to  a  visitor.  The  physi- 
cal condition  of  Honolulu,  peust  and  present,  affords  an  ample 
comment  on  the  unity  maintained  between  cause  and  efiect ; 
and  that  cause  was  the  transforming  influence  which  a  refined 
civilization  ever  wields,  when  judiciously  appUed,  over  the 
habits  and  faculties  of  barbaric  races.  Before  the  harbor  was 
discovered,  Honolulu  was  nothing  more  than  a  small  village 
of  grass-thatched  houses;  and  the  village  of  Waikiki,  five 
miles  to  the  eastward,  was  the  place  in  which  the  monarch 
of  Oahu  resided.  For  several  years  after  vessels  had  begun 
to  touch  at  this  port,  there  was  little  improvement  visible, 
while  the  native  population  were  clad  in  scarcely  any  other 
garment  than  what  Nature  had  furnished  for  them ;  and 
when  improvement  marched  forward,  the  dwellings  and  store- 
houses of  the  principal  foreigners  were  composed  of  adobes. 
Before  1820,  one  or  two  merchants  had  stationed  themselves 
there;  but  their  influence  over  native  character  for  good 
amoimted  to  nothing.  There  was  not  a  native,  firom  the 
monarch  to  the  meanest  of  his  subjects,  and  throughout  the 
entire  archipelago,  who  owned  a  single  page  of  printed  mat- 
ter, much  less  could  he  read  or  write  his  own  name.  Every 
chronicle  was  orally  made,  aiid  it  became  a  tradition. 

But  things  have  changed  since  then ;  and  in  no  modem 
community  on  eaxth — San  Francisco  alone  excepted — ^have 
aflairs,  in  general,  experienced  a  more  decided  transformation. 
It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  Honolulu  is  an  island- 
community  ;  and  progress  on  islands  is  usually  slow  and  un- 
stable. In  1838,  the  group  had  so  far  lifted  its  head  from. the 
mists  of  barbarism  as  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  commer- 
cial nutions  of  the  earth.*    In  the  course  of  these  pages,  such 

*  In  the  year  ISSY,  the  exports  fi^m  the  Sandwich  Islands,  through 
the  Custom-house  at  Honolulu,  amounted  to  about  $197,900. 

In  1888,  the  {M*ess  at  Honolulu  issued  two  native  newspapers.  One 
was  entitled  Kimiu  Hawaii  ^Hawaiian  Teacher),  a  semi-monthly  peri- 
odical, established  in  1834.  Circula'tion,  3600  copies.  The  other  was 
termed  the  Kvmu  Kamalii  (Children's  Teacher),  a  monthly  publica- 
tion, established  in  1887.     Circulation,  4000  copies. 


r 


THE   HARBOR.  33 


comments  will  be  made  as  will  illustrate  the  c<mditian  of 
HotioIuIu  in  1853. 

The  harbor  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  is 
readily  accessible  to  vessels  drawing  not  more  than  twenty- 
fi>ur  feet  of  water.  It  afibrds  a  commodious  anchorage  for  at 
least  two  hundred  ships,  and  is  well  def^ided  against  the 
action  of  the  sea  by  a  massive  coral  reef  Instances  have 
occurred,  however,  during  the  blowing  of  the  northeast  trades, 
of  vessels  having  been  torn  from  their  anchorage,  and  drifted 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  hiurbor,  whore  they  have  be^i 
arrested  by  a  thick  bank  of  mud  lining  the  inside  of  the  reef^ 
from  which  they  have  been  easily  recovered,  withont  sustain- 
ing any  material  injury.  Vessels  have  often  been  wrecked 
on  the  reef  outside  the  harbor ;  but  when  good  pilotage  is 
secured,  their  safe  entry  to  a  good  anchorage  can  be  guaran- 
teed. The  importance  and  character  of  the  harbor  may  be 
estimated  in  view  of  the  large  number  of  vessels  that  annually 
enter  it.  In  1824,  the  whole  number  of  vessels,  from  all 
nati(ms,  that  touched  at  Honolulu,  did  not  exceed  one  hundred 
and  three.  In  1852,  the  total  number  of  vessels  that  called 
there  was  five  hundred  and  eighty-five.  This  gradual  and 
steady  increase  of  shifting  is  a  criterion  irom  which  may  be 
augured  the  future  prosperity  of  that  interesting  and  commo- 
dious port.* 

The  Hawaiian  Spectator,  a  quarterly  publication  in  the  English 
language. 

The  Sandwich  Island  Gazette  and  Journal  Of  Commerce,  a  weekly 
newspaper  in  En^ish. 

There  were  ten  other  publications  in  the  Hawaiian  language, 
amounting  in  their  aggregate  to  a  circulation  of  114,000  copies. — 
Vide  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  I,  No.  IL,  Art  IX. 

*  From  the  year  1824  to  1862  inclusive,  5016  vessels,  of  every 
tonnage  and  class,  and  from  all  nations,  have  entered  the  port  of 
Honolulu.     They  may  be  arranged  as  follows: 

Whalers 2886 

Merchantmen  . . ." 1992 

Ships  of  war 188 

Total 6016 

B2 


34  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

The  coral  ree&,  stretching  out  from  the  shore  some  distance 
into  the  ocean,  are  of  great  value.  A  very  large  portum  of 
their  surface  is  left  dj^  at  low  tide.  From  these  ree&  the 
materials  that  compose  the  hest  and  most  puhlie  bmldings  in 
thel»-wn  are  procured,  simply  by  hewing  them  out  with  axes 
while  in  a  wet  state.  It  has  been  estimated  that  these  ree& 
fixmting  the  town  contain  materials  that  would  buOd  a  city 
capable  of  containing  150,000  inhabitants.         ^ 

The  oomm^ce  of  Honolulu  embraces  a  large  variety  of 
exports  and  imports,  such  as  are  mostly  used  by  civilized 
nations.  To  the  energetic  whalemen  who  call  there — ^many 
of  them  twice  a  year — to  recruit  their  stores,  the  prosperity 
of  the  port  is  mainly  indebted,  and  on  them  the  success  of 
commercial  finances  for  the  nation  mainly  depends.  If  those 
men  were  to  withdraw  their  vessel  firom  the  islands,  it  would 
be  the  greatest  calamity  the  government  could  at  this  moment 
experience.  It  was  to  this  class  of  men  that  the  eloquent 
Burke  referred  in  his  "  Speech  on  American  Afiairs''  in  1774 : 

*^  While  we  follow  them  among  ther  tumbling  mountains 
of  ice,  and  behcdd  them  penetrating  into  the  deepest  frozen 
recesses  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  Davis's  Straits — ^while  we  are 
looking  for  them  beneath  the  arctic  circle,  we  hear  that  they 
have  pierced  into  the  opposite  region  of  polar  cold.  *  *  * 
No  sea  but  what  is  vexed  with  their  fisheries — ^no  climate 
that  is  not  witness  of  their  toils.  Neither  the  perseverance 
of  Holland,  nor  the  activity  of  France,  nor  the  dexterous  and 
firm  sagacity  of  English  enterprise,  ever  carried  this  most 
perilous  mode  of  hardy  industry  to  the  extent  to  which  it  has 
been  pursued  by  this-recent  people— a  people  who  are  still  in 
the  gristle,  and  not  hardened  into  manhood !" 

And  yet  the  men  that  navigate  this  fleet  of  v^sels  are  not 

By  a  national  division  of  airivals,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  large  minority 
of  these  vessels,  during  this  period,  were  American;  thus: 

Of  the  whalers 2494  were  American. 

Of  the  merchantmen 600     "  " 

Of  the  ships  of  war 82     «  « 

Total , 8126 


COMMERCE.  35 


properly  appreciated  by  many  officials  belonging  to  the  Ha- 
waiian government.  The  existing  marine  laws  are  oppressive- 
It  was  as  late  as  the  annual  convention  of  the  Hawaiian  Par- 
liament, in  the  spring  of  18^2,  that  a  strenuous  e^rt  was 
made  in  the  House  of  Nobles  to  annihilate  the  last  Uberties 
of  the  saibr.  To  the  honor  of  the  young  Prince  Liholiho, 
that  short-«ighted  measure  was  thrown  aside.  On  this  theme, 
the  language  of  Hon.  R.  C.  WyUie,  the  king's  Minister  of  For- 
eign Relations,  is  expUcit.  In  glancing  at  the  commerce  of 
the  islands,  and  at  their  dependence  on  whalers,  he  says : 

"  But,  even  were  the  consumption  much  less,  it  is  obvious 
l^t  the, prosperity  of  these  islands  has  depended,  and  does 
depend,  mainly  upon  the  whale  ^ps  that  annually  flock  to 
their  ports,  many  of  them  coming  twice  a  year.  Were  the 
whale  fishery  to  fall  off,  as  seems  in  some  measure  to  be  the 
case,  or  were  the  vessels  engaged  in  it  to  abandon  these  islands 
for  some  others  in  this  ocean,  or  for  ports  on  the  Main,  the 
Sandwich  Islands  would  relapse  into  thdr  primitive  insignifi- 
cance. The  government  seems  to  be  aware  of  this ;  for,  as  I 
have  shown  in  the  notes  to  my  table  of  the  25th  March,  pub- 
lished in  the  "  Friend"  of  the  1st  instant,  there  are  exceptions 
in  favor  of  whalers  both  in  the  duties  and  port-dues.  My 
enly  doubt  is  whether  these  exceptions  have  been  carried  far 
enough.  I  incline  to  the  belief  that  whale  ships  should  be 
exempted  firom  all  port-dues,  and  that  the  pohce  regulations 
toward  sailors  ought  to  be  the  most  hberal  that  the  mainte- 
nance of  pubUc  Older  will  permit."* 

This  language  was  uttered  several  years  since,  but  it  has 
been  signally  disregarded.  The  commerce  of  the  islands  might 
be  increased  to  almost  any  extent ;  but  the  same  want  of  fore- 
thought that  has  endeavored  to  originate  oppressive  laws  to- 
ward seamen  flings  a  blight  upon  the  most  important  branches 
of  native  industry.  Through  a  range  of  several  years  past  the 
imports  have  greatly  exceeded  the  exports.!  The  same  poHcy, 
or  want  of  poUcy  rather,  materially  aflected  the  finances  of  so 

*  Published  in  the  "Friend,"  Honolulu,  July,  1844. 
f  See  Appendix  No.  L 


36  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

smgll  a  nation  as  the  Sandwich  Islands*  during  the  financial 
year  ending  in  1852.  But,  despite  numerous  restrictive  sys- 
tems, it  can  not  be  denied  that  commerce  mainly  has  imparted 
to  Honolulu,  not  less  than  to  the  group  of  islands,  their  present 
prosperity ;  and  it  may  be  safely  predicted  that  the  commerce 
of  the  islands  is  yet  in  its  infancy. 

Leaving  commerce  to  itself  for  a  time,  let  us  pay  a  visit  to 
the  abode  of  the  Hawaiian  king,  Kamehameha  HI.  It  is  de- 
nominated the  "  palace."  To  a  person  who  has  ever  visited 
any  of  the  abodes  of  European  sovereigns,  such  a  term  would 
at  once  convey  an  idea  of  r^al  magnificence ;  but  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Hawaiian  monarch  produces  nothing  that  is  su- 
perfluous, or  even  splendid.  On  the  contrary,  every  thing 
about  it  is  plain,  even  to  plebeianism,  and  induces  a  visitor  to 
think  that  he  may  be  treading  the  apartments  of  a  chief  rath- 
er than  the  palace  of  a  sovereign.  The  grounds  on  which  it 
stands  cover  between  two  and  three  acres,  and  are  inclosed 
with  a  heavy  wall  of  rough  coral.  A  visitor  enters  on  the 
south  side,  between  lodges  occupied  by  sleepy  sentinels.  A 
small  but  beautiful  grove  of  trees  wave  their  stately  foUage 
on  either  side  of  the  path  leading  up  to  the  royal  apartments, 
and  their  cool  shade  reminds  one  of  the  groves  of  the  Acad- 
emy and  the  Lyceum,  where  so  many  of  the  old  masters  read, 
studied,  and  rambled.  A  few  steps  bring  you  in  front  of  the 
palace  proper.  It  has  a  very  simple,  rustic  appearance.  The 
walls  are  composed  of  coral  pirocured  from  the  reefs  along  the 
shore  of  the  harbor.  The  ground-plan  covers  an  area  of  sev- 
enty-four feet  by  forty-four.  The  building  is  a  story  and  a 
half  high.  A  noble  piazza,  eight  or  ten  feet  wide,  and  raised 
a  few  feet  above  the  ground,  entirely  surrounds  the  building. 
The  chief  apartment  is  the  one  in  which  the  king  holds  his 
levees.  In  the  centre  of  the  eastern  wall  of  the  apartment 
stood  the  chair  of  state.  Its  unpretending  aspect  led  me  to 
invest  it  rather  with  repubhcan  simplicity  than  monarchical ' 
aristocracy.  Several  well-executed  paintings  hung  on  the 
walls.  They  represented  the  then  ruling  monarch,  Kameha- 
♦  See  Appendix  No.  U. 


A   GLANCE   AT   THE   MONARCH.  37 

MEHA  III. ;  Lihdiho,  or  Kamehameha  II. ;  Kekauluhoi,  the 
late  Premier ;  and  a  full-length  portrait  of  Louis  Philippe, 
King  of  the  French.  On  a  large  centre-tahle  were  arranged 
several  diminutive  but  exceedingly  fine  pieces  of  statuary, 
presents  from  the  King  of  Denmark. 

On  the  right  of  the  tnain  building,  in  a  detached  form,  stood 
the  private  apartments  of  the  monarch  ;  on  the  left,  those  of 
his  queen.  They  were  framed  buildings,  sustained  on  base- 
ments, having  walls  of  coral,  and  looking  very  much  like  ru- 
ral cottages  erected  for  the  mere  object  of  economy. 

Such  is  the  residence  of  the  Hawaiian  monarch !  But, 
plain  as  it  is,  it  is  invested  with  a  splendor  to  which  Kame- 
hameha the  Great  was  an  utter  stranger,  for  his  palace  was 
a  house  thatched  all  round  taith  grass  f  Around  the  abode 
of  the  present  king  there  are  no  haughty  nobles  to  dart  their 
withering  glances  at  the  stranger,  no  bristling  bayonets  to  ward 
off  the  lover  of  the  curious  or  the  ancient.  Every  thing  is 
calm  and  serene.  It  is  just  such  a  place  as  European  sover- 
eigns, when  the  cares  of  empire  oppress  them,  may  wgh  after, 
and  never  obtain.  Without  doubt,  the  Sandwich  Island  king 
is  infinitely  happier  than  Nicholas  of  Russia,  surrounded  as 
he  is  by  his  mighty  armies,  his  immense  navy,  his  glittering 
sycophants,  and  his  gorgeous  capital. 

Having  hastily  sketched  the  palace  of  the  Hawaiian  king, 
let  us  glance  at  the  monarch  himself  In  his  personal  appear- 
ance he  is  tall,  robust,  and  well  formed.  He  is  rather  more 
than  forty  years  of  age,  but  begins  to  look  prematurely  old.  In 
his  more  youthful  years  he  possessed  great  strength  and  activ- 
ity, and  was  well  skilled  in  every  athletic  and  manly  exercise. 
His  appearance  is  quite  prepossessing,  for  the  very  genius  of 
good-nature  seems  to  dwell  in  his  countenance.  He  is  amia- 
ble, but,  at  the  present  time,  almost  entirely  deficient  in  those 
virtues  that  would  render  him  a  distinguished  warrior-king. 
On  meeting  him  in  the  street,  such  is  his  mien  and  dress,  that, 
were  it  not  for  the  deference  paid  to  him  by  all  classes,  a 
stranger  could  not  recognize  him  as  a  king.  He  has  no  treas- 
ury at  his  command.     No  navy  floats  in  his  harbors.     No 


38  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

powerfiil  army  awaits  his  nod.  But  what  he  lacks  in  some 
instances  he  more  than  makes  up  in  others.  His  parliament- 
ary speeches  are  the  hest  comments  on  his  manly  and  regal 
character.  An  extract  from  his  speech  before  the  Hawaiian 
Parliament  in  1850,  shows  his  paternal  relation  toward  his 
people : 

"  In  June,  1848,  in  concurrence  with  my  chiefs  and  with 
the  aid  of  my  Privy  Council,  I  made  a  division  of  lands  upon 
the  principle  of  surrendering  the  greater  portion  of  my  royal 
domain  to  my  chiefs  and  people,  with  a  reserve  of  certain 
lands  for  the  support  of  the  fbxt  and  garrison  of  my  capital, 
and  certain  other  lands  as  my  own  private  property,  in  lieu  of 
the  share  which  I,  inheriting  the  right  of  my  predecessors,  held 
in  all  the  lands  of  the  islands.  Under  that  joint  tenure,  all 
lands,  howsoever  or  to  whomsoever  donated,  were  revocable 
at  will ;  no  man's  possesions,  even  that  of  the  highest  chief, 
was  secure,  and  no  man  thought  of  improving  land  the  pos- 
session of  which  was  so  uncertain.  To  remove  this  great  bar 
to  improvement,  the  division  was  made ;  but  as  the  interest 
of  my  poorer  subjects  appeared  to  me  to  require  further  pro- 
tection, with  the  concurrence  of  my  chie&  and  the  aid  of  my 
Privy  Council  as  aforesaid,  on  the  21st  of  December,  1849,  cer- 
tain resolutions  were  passed  with  the  view  of  giving  to  the  in- 
dustrious cultivators  of  the  soil  an  allodial  title  to -the  portions 
they  occupied,  and  to  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  land,  in  fee 
simple,  by  others  inclined  to  be  industrious. 

"  No  nation  can  prosper  where  the  interests  of  religion  and 
education  are  disregarded.  What  progress  we  have  hitherto 
made  is  mainly  attributable  to  those  two  great  civilizing  in- 
fluences. You  can  nol;,  therefore,  neglect  them  without  fail- 
ing in  your  duty  to  your  God,  to  yourselves,  to  the  whole  Ha- 
waiian people,  and  to  me." 

His  sentiments  in  a  speech  before  his  Parliament  in  1851 
are  worthy  the  most  distinguished  ruler  that  has  ever  hved. 

"It  is  equally  my  wish  that,  by  careful  investigation  and 
consideration  of  facts,  you  place  yourselves  in  a  position  to  de- 
cide if  the  equality  between  the  Cathohcs  and  Protestants,  un- 


HIS   SUCCESSOR   PROCLAIMED.  39 

i 
der  the  proteotion  oi  the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  does  not 
Btill  require  something  for  its  perfect  a^^hcation. 

«  #  -  #  #  #  #  « 

"  The  markets  of  California,  Oregon,  Vancouver's  Island,  the 
possessions  of  the  Russian  American  Company,  and  of  Kamt- 
Bchatka,  afibrd  a  jNTofitable  outlet  for  more  than  my  islands  can 
produce.  It  is  desirable  to  increase  productions  to  the  great- 
est possible  extent,  and  with  that  view,  to  encourage  foreign 
capital  and  labor.  With  that  view,  you  will  consider  what 
further  l^islation  may  be  required. 

"  I  have  frequently  called  your  attention  to  the  imsatisfac- 
tory  state  of  the  prisons  throughout  my  islands.  An  imme- 
diate and  thorough  reform  is  urgently  wanted,  so  as  to  combine 
the  principle  of  reforming  criminals  with  that  of  their  secure 
detention. 

"  The  pubhc  health  is  one  of  the  objects  most  worthy  of  your 
consideration.  Cholera,  that  scourge  of  humanity,  has  only 
recently  ceased  its  ravages  in  the^  port  with  which  we  have 
most  frequent  and  tKe  speediest  communication.  The  history 
ci  that  epidemic  proves  that  it  recurs  at  intervals,  and  often 
takes  years  before  it  leaps  firom  one  place  to  another.  It  would 
be  wise  for  us  to  adopt  those  sanitary  regulations  which  uni- 
versal experience  has  recommended  before  it  appears  among 
us.  All  places  that  have  neglected  tiiem  have  suffered  for 
their  supinenesS."  • 

A  careftd  study  of  this  language  will  establish  the  convic- 
tion that  selfishness  constitutes  no  part  of  the  character  of  the 
present  king.  He  is  generous  to  a  fault,  and,  as  a  sovereign, 
is  much  beloved  by  his  people.  His  Malayan  cast  of  coimte- 
nance  excepted,  he  retains  hardly  a  vestige  of  likeness  to  his 
kingly  predecessors.  His  proneness  to  confide  in  foreigner, 
together  with  his  unbounded  hberahty,  have  made  him  a  mere 
tool  in  the  hands  of  deagning  men. 

Whatever  may  have  dictated  the  policy,  the  present  king  has 
chosen  his  successor  to  the  crown.  At  the  opening  of  the  Ha- 
waiian Legislature  on  the  9th  of  April,  1853,  among  other  top- 
ics, he  said : 


40  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

"  I  have  named  my  adopted  son  and  heir,  LmoLmo,  as  my 
successor  to  the  throne  ;  and  it  is  my  wish  that  you,  my  no- 
bles, concur  in  that  appointment,  and  in  the  public  proclama- 
tion which  the  Constitution  requires." 

The  House  of  Nobles  did  concur  in  this  nomination,  and 
Prince  Alexander  LiHOLmo  was,  by  acclamation,  proclaimed 
successor  to  the  throne.  The  prince  is  twenty-three  years  old. 
He  is  well  educated,  and  has  a  gentlemanly  address.  Some 
of  his  discussions  i^  the  House  of  Nobles— of  which  he  is  a 
member — ^have  displayed  great  strength  of  mind  and  cleameas 
of  thought.  His  physiognomy*  indicates  a  strong  indepencL- 
ence  of  character.  A  vast  majority  of  the  foreign  peculation 
look  fcNTward  with  impatience  to  the  time  when  he  may  as- 
cend the  throne ;  for  they  feel  assured  that  he  will  dissolve  the 
present  cabinet,  and  reform  abuses  that  can  never  be  reformed 
while  the  now  ruling  monarch  sways  the  sceptre.  It  is  rather 
difficult  clearly  to  decide  the  cause  or  causes  of  his  immediate 
nomination  to  the  office  of  successor — although  he  is  heir-ap- 
parent, and  the  reigning  king  is  in  his  dotage.  It  may  have 
been  done  under  the  advice  of  officials  representing  foreign  mon- 
archies, ar  of  repubhcans  (?)  from  the  United  States  of  America, 
who,  having  taken  the  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Hawaiian  Consti- 
tution, retain  their  present  influence  and  position  on  the  strength 
of  their  attachment  to  a  dusky  sovereign ;  or  it  may  have  been 
done  to  perpetuate  the  dynasty  of  Hawaiian  kings,  and  to  pre- 
serve the  independence  of  the  Hawaiian  kingdom.  The  two 
latter  designs,  however,  can  never  be  realised.  Even  if  Liho- 
Lmo  should  hve  to  wear  the  purple,  and  to  close  a  peaceful 
and  prosperous  reign,  he  will  be  the  last  of  the  Hawaiian  mon- 
archs ;  but  before  that  period  shall  be  consummated  the  native 
population  will  nearly  all  have  gone  to  the  grave,  and  the  na- 
tion itself  will  have  become  merged  into  a  strongs  and  more 
energetic  government. 

Among  other  things  that  seem  curious  to«  recent  visitor  of 
the  group,  are  the  scnries  given  by  King  Kamehameha.  They 
are  held  in  the  palace  on  various  occasions,  but  especially  on 
*  See  Frontispieee. 


ROYAL   S01RJ£eS.  4]^ 

the  last  day  of  July,  in  commemoration  of  the  restoration  of 
the  islands,  after  their  seizure  by  Lord  George  Paulet,  of 
England,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1843.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  depict  the  aspect  of  the  mixed  multitude  that  throng 
his  halls  on  these  occasions.  Foreigners  and  Hawaiians,  of 
both  sexes  and  nearly  all  ages,  arrayed  in  every  conceivable 
article  of  apparel ;  the  resident  officials,  en  mUitaire,  repie- 
senting  their  respective  nations  ;  scores  of  plebeians  who  never 
saw  a  monarch,  or  were  favored  with  his  audience,  until  they 
saw  King  Kahehameha  III. — all  these  making  their  salams 
in  the  most  profound  style  that  can  be  imagined — ^many  de- 
ddedly  genuine,  but  many  more  assumed  and  ungracious — 
present  a  scene  that  nothing  but  the  graphic  pencil  of  a  Cruik- 
SHANK  could  represent.  The  most  imcouth  of  all  are  the  sub- 
jects who  once  belonged  to  Brother  Jonathan,  and  that  enjoy- 
ed but  Hmited  advantages  at  home ;  but,  imbibing  a  sort  of 
disgust  for  plain  repubUcanism,  have  gone  there  among  high- 
sounding  titles,  to  obtain  distinctions  and  court  royal  favor. 

But  the  most  interesting  object — aside  from  the  monarch 
and  his  "  better  half" — ^that  is  met  with  at  this  evening  au- 
dience, is  the  mamo,  or  feather  war-cloak*  of  the  king.     It 

*  Before  this  cloak  came  into  possession  of  Eamehameha  L,  its  fab- 
rication had  been  going  on  through  the  reign  of  eight  preceding 
monarchs.  Its  length  is  four  feet,  and  it  has  a  spread  of  eleven  and 
a  half  feet  at  the  bottom.  Its  ground-work  is  a  coarse  netting,  and 
to  this  the  delicate  feathers  are  attached  with  a  skill  and  grace 
worthy  of  the  most  civilized  art  The  feathers  forming  the  border 
are  reverted ;  the  whole  presenting  a  bright  yellow  color,  resembling 
a  mantle  of  gold.  The  birds  from  which  these  splendid  feathers 
were  taken  had  but  two  feathers  of  the  kind,  and  they  were  located 
one  under  each  wing.  It  is  a  very  rare  species  {Melithreptes  pactf- 
tea),  peculiar  only  to  the  higher  regions  of  Hawaii,  and  is  caught 
with  great  care  and  much  toil  Five  of  these  feathers  were  valued 
at  one  dollar  and  a  hal£  It  is  computed  that  at  least  a  million  of 
dollars  have  been  expended  on  the  manufacture  of  this  gorgeous  fab- 
ric The  garment  itself  would  be  a  fitting  portion  of  the  regalia  of 
any  European  monarch.  Viewing  it  in  the  scarcity  of  the  article  of 
which  it  is  composed,  and  the  immense  amount  of  time  and  trouble 
employed  in  procuring  it,  it  would  be  impossible  for  despotism  to  fab- 
ricate a  more  magnificent  or  costly  garment  for  its  proudest  votary. 


42  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

once  belonged  to  his  father,  the  celebrated  Kamehameha  the 
Great,  and  justly  denominated  the  Conqueror,  It  is  usually 
accompanied  with  a  war-spear,  ten  feet  and  a  half  in  length, 
of  a  dark  red  wood,  flattened  to  a  point,  finely  polished,  and 
deep-stained  with  the  blood  of  many  a  Hawaiian  patriot. 
This  was  the  favorite  weapon  of  the  old  warrior-king ;  fiwr  he 
was  a  man  of  vast  strength,  and  had  a  matchless  skill  in  battle. 

The  themes  brought  before  a  Senate,  and  the  tone  of  their 
discussion,  are  a  good  index  to  the  character  of  a  nation  and 
the  condition  of  its  public  aflairs.  The  legislative  power  of 
the  Hawaiian  kingdom  is  vested  in  the  king,  the  House  of  No- 
bles, and  the  House  6f  E«presentatives.  Although  the  king 
is,  of  course,  the  head  of  the  nation  in  his  official  capacity,  yet 
he  and  the  two  Houses  have  a  negative  one  on  the  other.  ^ 

The  legislative  body  assemble  annually  in  the  first  week  of 
April. 

The  Constitution  gives  the  king  the  authority  to  convene  a 
special  Parliament,  at  such  time,  and  in  such  place,  as  he  may 
deem  necessary. 

A  nation  receives  its  dignity  from  the  character  of  its  legis- 
lative discussions ;  and  those  discussions  borrow  their  value 
or  worthlessness  in  view  of  their  aim,  and  from  the  intelligence 
and  mental  and  moral  worth  of  the  legislative  body.  Under 
this  view,  the  Hawaiian  Legislature  may  be  recognized  in 
common  with  others.  It  has  its  virtues,  but  they  are  nearly 
overwhelmed  by  the  numerous  foUies  introduced  in  resolutions 
and  discussions.  This  arises  firom  the  lamentable  incompe- 
tency of  many  of  the  members,  and  from  despotism  on  the  part 
of  a  few  others ;  in  other  words,  the  deficiency  of  strictly  po- 
Htical  and  patriotic  men  in  the  legislative  hbdy  is  not  unfre- 
quently  a  source  of  much  embarrassment  to  the  king  and  his 
native  subjects.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  I  can  not  forbear 
citing  a  message  sent  by  the  king  to  the  House  of  Hepresenta- 
tives  on  the  9th  of  May,  1853,  during  the  annual  convention 
of  the  Legislature.  It  is  an  appeal  of  such  touching  eloquence, 
and  so  plainly  illustrates  the  true  position  of  Kamehameha, 
that  I  cite  it  entire : 


HAWAIIAN   PARLIAMENT.  43 

"  I  desire  the  representatives  of  my  people  to  investigate  the 
question  whether  I  have  legally  or  equitably  lost  my  right  to 
the  special  appropriation  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  made  by  the 
Legislature  of  1850,' in  the  month  of  July,  for  a  yacht ;  if  I 
have  lost  my  right  firom  any  fault  of  mine  or  ci  others  ;  if  I 
can  be  deprived  <rf  that  right  in  accordance  with  the  principles 
under  which  the^  appropriations  whiclT  have  been  allowed  to 
other  persona  and  for  other  purposes  have  been  allowed  or  re- 
fused ;  and  if  the  decision  should  be  against  me,  whether  I  am 
entitled  to  any  indemnity.  If  so,  what  indemnity,  by  whom  it 
shall  be  paid,  and  in  what  manner  it  is  to  be  paid  ? 

"  Another  question  I  have  to  submit  to  you.  The  appropri- 
ation for  the  necessary  expenses  of  my  household  expired  on 
the  Ist  April.  Money  has  been  refiised  for  these  necessary  ex- 
•  pense»  on  the  ground  that  no  appropriation  has  as  yet  been 
mad^.  Having  the  fullest  confidence  that  you  do  not  mean 
to  separate  without  voting  me  the  means  necessary  to  my  ex- 
istence, I  leave  to  you  to  make  some  enactment  to  remedy  this 
urgent  evil.  It  imposes  a  hardship  upon  me  which  I  beUeve 
is  not  usual  in  other  governments. 

"  I  have  ordered  the  Commissioners  of  my  Privy  Purse  to 
place  before  you  every  dociunent  you  may  require  for  the  so- 
lution of  all  the  questions  directly  or  indirectly  embraced  in 
this  message,  of  which  I  recommend  to  your  loyal  patience, 
your  just  and  impartial  judgment. 

"  I  thanlc  my  gratefuljpeople  for  the  appropriation  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  in  July,  1850,  for  a  yacht,  to  be  used  at  my 
l^ieasure,  and  of  ten  thousand  dollars  granted  in  1852  for  the 
payment  of  my  debts.  I  have  ordered  an  account  to  be  ren- 
dered to  you  oi  the  way  in  which  these  aids  have  been  ap- 
plied." 

This  "  message"  speaks  vdumes.  The  story  of  "  King 
Lear,"  standing  and  asking  admittance  into  his  own  house,  so 
as  to  obtain  shelter  from  the  fury  of  the  pelting  storm,  and  to 
have  been  refused  by  his  own  daughters,  has  drawn  tears  from 
millions  of  eyes.  In  the  above  message,  however,  we  actually 
see  the  King  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  knocking  at  the  door  of 


44  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

the  treasury  oikis  awn  people  s£nd  kingdom  for  means  to  keep 
him  and  his  household  from  starvation !  We  see  him  plead- 
ing for  an  appropriation  actually  made  by  his  own  subjects, 
through  their  representatives  in  Parliament  assembled  I  .  In 
such  an  age  as  this,  we  see  a  monarcn,  reposing  on  the  strength 
of  a  ''  constitutional  monarchy/'  begging  his  daijy  bread ! 

But  the  people  share  the  embarrassments  of  their  king.  At 
the  session  of  the  Parliament  in  1853,  the  ^sUowing  petitions 
were  sent  in : 

"  That  the  marriage  of  very  yoimg  people  with  very  old  be 
prohibited. 

"  That  the  marriage  of  educated  persons  with  ignorant  be 
prohibited. 

"  That  all  persons  be  required  to  furnish  a  quarterly  account 
of  their  income  and  its  sources^  that  it  may  be  known  whether 
they  have  been  industrious."* 

Such  exactions  are  suited  more  to  the  "States  of  the 
Church,"  or  perfidious  Austria,  than  to  a  kingdom  which 
boasts  a  Constitution  that  begins  with 

"  God  hath  created  all  men  firee  and  equal,  and  endowed 
them  with 'certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life 
and  Hberty,  &c." 

Another  sample  of  Hawaiian  legislation  is  seen  in  the  in- 
equality of  taxation,  as  established  by  law  : 

Road-tax '. $3  00  per  yearf 

School-tax 2  00         " 

Poll-tax T 1  00         " 

Tax  for  each  dog 1  00 

Tax  for  each  horse  .  /. 1  00        " 

This  tax  is  levied  indiscriminately  on  all  able-bodied  men. 
Hence  the  poor  Hawaiian  who  earns  but  his  sixty  dollars  per 
year,  pays  as  much  as  the  Ministers  of  Finance  and  Public  In- 
structicm,  who  have  a  fixed  salary  of  four  thousand  dollars  a 

*  From  the  "  PolynenaiH* — the  accredited  organ  of  the  Hawaiian 
government — of  May  28th,  1858. 

f  Was  formerly  six  dollars  per  year ;  but  an  act  that  passed  the 
Legislature  on  June  16th,  1858,  reduced  it  one  hall 


THEFORT.  45 


year,  besides  other  perquisites.  And  yet,  with  this  indiscrim- 
inate taxation,  there  is  not  a  single  cent  imposed  on  real  estate. 
This  system  is  a  source  of  poverty  to  the  native  population, 
and  of  wealth  to  a  privileged  few.  Allowing  for  the  pecu- 
liar state  of  the  nation,  it  outstrips  the  ser^om  of  Russia,  and 
flings  into  the  shade  the  ignoble  instrumentaUties  that  have 
laid  Poland  prostrate.  And  were  it  not  that  the  wants  of  .the 
Hawaiian  people  are  simple  and  few,  this  system  would  term- 
inate in  bloody  or  the  race  itself  would  be  extermmated  in  the 
struggle. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HONOHJLU. 

The  Fort — ^Doings  of  the  French. — ^Mistaken  Policy  —Popery  a 
source  of  Trouble  to  the  Hawaiian  Govemment — ^Vattbl  quoted. 
— ^An  intoxicated  jailor. — ^Insane  native  Woman. 

The  fort  is  a*curious  object,  of  a  quadrangular  form.  It 
stands  close  to  the  sea-shore,  and  its  southern  base  is  laved  by 
the  water  at  high  tide  Its  location  occupies  the  very  best 
part  of  the  town  for  business  purposes,  and  it  is  altogether  a 
useless  piece  of  lumber.  Its  erection  took  place  when  the 
reign  of  Kamehambha  I.  was  drawing  to  a  close,  in  the  year 
1817.  The  immense  walls  are  of  coral,  loosely  put  up,  with- 
out cement.  One  broadside  from  a  heavy  frigate  would  blow 
the  structure  into  countless  fragments. 

Although  it  is  the  pubUc  prison  of  Honolulu,  it  is  a  mere 
ruin.  On  its  walls  are  piled  a  few  pyramids  of  rusty  and 
worthless  shot  and  shell,  over  which,  from  a  flag-pole  about 
thirty  feet  high,  proudly  waves  the  flag  of  the  Hawaiian  gov- 
ernment. In  the  spring  of  1849,  these  old  walls  mounted 
rather  a  formidable  array  of  guns  ;*  but  in  August  of  the 

•  Before  the  fort  was  dismantled,  it  mounted  seventy  guns  of  the 
following  calibre,  viz. : 


46  SANDWICH  isla;nd  notes. 

same  year,  it  was  dismantled  by  the  French,  simply  because 
the  government  would  not  submit  to  "  Ten  Demands''*  made 

1  long  brass  82  pounder. 


1 

do. 

12 

do. 

14 

iron 

18 

do. 

4 

de. 

9 

do. 

41 

do. 

6 

do. 

8 

do. 

4 

do. 

1  4  inch  mortar. 

*  DemaruU  to  which  the  government  of  the  French  Republic 
thinks  that  satisfaction  ought  to  be  made,  before  the  re-establish- 
ment of  diplomatic  relations  can  take  place  with  that  of  the  Hawaii- 
an Islands: 

**  1.  The  adoption,  complete,  entire  and  loyal,  of  the  treaty  of  the 
26th  of  March,  1846,  as  it  was  adopted  ki  the  French  text 

**  2.  The  establishment  of  a  duty  from  one  to  two  dollars  a  gallon, 
of  five  bottles,  on  spirits,  containing  less  than  fifty-five  per  cent  of 
fdcohoL 

"  8.  ^  treatment  rigorously  equal,  granted  to  the  two  worships. 
Catholic  and  Protestant 

"  The  direction  of  instruction  confided  to  two  superior  coofimittees 
formed  in  each  of  the  two  religions. 

''The  submission  of  the  Catholic  schools  to  Catholic  inspectors. 

**  The  proportional  division  between  the  two  veligions  of  the  tax 
raised  by  the  Hawaiian  government  for  the  support  of  schools. 

**4.  The  adoption  of  the  French  language  in  the  relations  between 
French  citizens  and  the  Hawaiian  administration. 

"  6.  The  withdrawal  of  the  exception  imposed  upon  French  whal- 
ers importing  wines  and  spirits,  and  the  abrogation  of  the  regulation 
which  obliges  ships  laden  with  liquors  to  pay  and  support  the  Cus- 
tom-house guard  put  on  board  to  watch  over  their  shipment  or  dis- 
charge. 

**  Large  facilities  of  deposit,  of  transit,  and  of  transhipment  grant- 
ed to  the  trade  in  spirits. 

"  6.  The  reimbursement  Of  all  the  duties  received  in  virtue  of  the 
disposition,  the  withdrawal  of  which  is  demanded  by  the  paragraph 
above  mentioned ;  or  a  proportional  indemnity  given  for  the  dam- 
age occasioned  to  French  commerce  by  the  restrictions  which  hav« 
suspended  its  relations. 

"  1,  The  reimbursement  of  the  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars  paid  by 
the  French  ship  General  Teste,  and  besides  an  indemnity  of  sixty 
dollars  for  the  time  during  which  she  was  unjustly  detained  here. 

**  8.  The  insertion  in  the  official  journal  of  the  Hawaiian  govern- 


DOINGS   OF  THE   FRENCH.  47 

by  Admiral  de  Tromelin  in  behalf  of  France.  These  demands 
afiected  to  spring  out  of  a  misunderstanding  that  had  arisen 
bdrween  the  Hawaiian  government  and  M.  Dillon,  the  French 
consul ;  but,  in  reality,  they  seem  to  have  been  the  intended 
basis  of  a  rupture  between  the  two  nations,  and  all  to  gratify 
the  ccmsummate  vanity  of  France  in  the  extension  of  her  ter- 
ritory in  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

To  il^ese  demands  by  the  admiral,  the  Hawaiian  nuHmrch 
and  his  ministers  offered  no  consent,  but  a  bold  and  courteous 
defenJse  of  th^  own  rights.  To  mature  their  comphance  with 
these  requisiticms,  they  were  oflered  three  days  for  dehbera- 
tion,  and  a  threat  was  made,  that,  if  they  did  not  yield,  "  dis- 
posable means"  would  be  employed  "  to  redress  injuries  so  pa- 
tiently endured  by  France."  The  three  days  elapsed.  The 
king's  Foreign  Minister  declared  that  these  demands  could  not 
be  acceded  to,  ^nd  that  the  king  had  ordered  that  no  resist- 
ance whatever  should  be  made  to  such  force.  The  French 
consul  followed  this  reply  by  striking  his  fiag,  and  retiring  on 
board  the  war-steamer  "  Gassendi."  A  force  of  ovier  two 
hundred  men  landed  and  took  possession  of  the  fort,  while  an- 
other force  took  possession  of  all  the  Hawaiian  vessels  in  port. 

But  these  puissant  legions  were  extremely  cautious  not  to 
touch  the  Hawaiian  flag.  They  requested  the  governor  to 
take  it  down ;  but,  of  course,  he  refused.  It  is  possible  they 
may  have  felt  creeping  around  them  the  strong  sinews  of  the 
treaty  made  in  1843  between  France  and  England  and  the 
Hawaiian  nation ;  and  this  remembrance  may  have  deterred 
them  from  perpetrating  one  of  the  most  finished  acts  of  their 

ment  of  the  punishment  inflicted  upon  the  scholars  of  the  high  school, 
whose  impious  conduct  occasioned  the  coQiplidnts  of  the  Abb6  Cou- 

"  9.  The  removal  of  the  governor,  who  caused  or  allowed  to  be 
violated  on  Hawaii  the  domicile  of  the  Abb6  Marechal,  or  the  order 
to  that  governor  to  make  reparation  to  that  missionary,  the  one  <Mr 
the  other  decision  to  be  inserted  in  the  official  journal. 

"10.  The  payment  to  a  French  citizen,  proprietor  of  the  Hotel  of 
France,  of  the  damages  committed  in  his  house  by  foreign  sailors, 
against  whom  the  Hawaiian  government  took  no  process.** 


48  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

own  folly.  The  fort  was  taken  possession  of  on  Saturday,  Au- 
gust 25th.  It  was  followed  hy  a  serene  and  lovely  Sabbath. 
The  town  itsdf  was  as  quiet  as  the  weather.  On  the  follow- 
ing Monday,  the  king's  coimnissioners  visited  the  steamer, 
but  no  reconciliation  was  effected.  Without  charging  the  Ha- 
waiians  with  a  violation  of  the  treaty  of  1846,  but  by  placing 
upon  it  an  unfair  interpretation,  the  French  admiral  ordered 
the  fort  to  be  dismantled.  At  once  a  most  wanton  destructicm 
of  govenunent  property  was  commenced.  Guns  were  spiked 
or  broken,  and  their  carriages  annihilated.  Powder  maga- 
zines were  broken  open,  and  tons  of  powder  thrown  into  the 
sea.  The  governor's  house  was  shockingly  disfigured ;  win- 
dows were  broken,  doors  mutilated,  and  a  variety  of  property 
totally  ruined.  Shades  of  Mars  and  Minerva !  And  these 
warriors  were  from  the  land  of  Charlemagne  and  Napoleon 
the  Great  !  Their  ravages  among  old  worn-out  guns  and 
native  calabashes  continued  four  days,  the  Hawaiian  flag 
floating,  day  and  night,  over  their  heads. 
'  The  invulnerable  "  army  of  reparation"  and  their  knights 
errant  embarked,  at  last,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 
But  the  admiral  and  consul  failed  to  compel  the  government 
to  lower  their  duty  on  French  brandy.  The  conquerors  put 
out  to  sea,  running  away  with  a  splendid  yacht  belonging  to 
the  Mng,  and  having  destroyed  property  to  a  large  amount.* 

*  Extract  from  the  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Fi- 
nance, appointed  under  a  Resolution  of  the  King  in  Council,  on  the 
10th  of  June,  1860,  to  prepare  and  subnut  a  Bill  of  Appropriations 
for  the  year  1861. 

"  In  the  estimate  of  ways  and  means  for  the  current  year,  no  men- 
tion has  been  made  of  the  $100,0^0  which  Mr.  Judd  was  instructed 
on  the  10th  of  September,  1849,  to  claim  of  the  French  government 
for  damages  done  here  in  August,  1849,  nor  of  the  $86,926  (adding 
interest  on  the  $22,'769  interest  due  23d  March,  1846,  up  to  23d 
March,  1860)  which,  under  certain  circumstances,  he  was  instructed, 
on  the  9th  November,  1849,  by  your  majesty's  command,  to  claim, 
for  12  per  cent  interest,  adjusted  every  year,  from  12th  July,  ^889, 
to  28d  March,  1846,  on  the  $20,000  carried  oflF  from  your  majesty's 
treasury  in  July,  1839,  nor  the  indemnity  for  the  disparagement  of 
your  majesty's  royal  authority  by  the  proceedings  of  August  last 


DOINGS   OF  THE   FRENCH.  49 

Thus  ended  another  act  of  indignity  on  the  part  of  the  French 
toward  this  weak  nation.  And  all  this  was  done  on  account 
of  a  little  duty  on  brandy  !  Verily,  the  French  have  earned 
for  themselves  a  very  unenviable  reputation  among  the  islaods 
of  the  Pacific  I 

The  French  admiral  1^  behind  him  undisputed  proofii  of 
having  fulfilled  his  threat.  When  I  visited  the  old  fort,  in 
the  early  part  of  1853,  the  guns  that  had  been  spiked  and 
shorn  of  their  trunnions  lay  strewn  over  the  interior.  But 
there  was  one  gun  on  which  they  seemed  to  have  vented  all 
their  spleen.  It  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  composition, 
of  Helvetic  manufacture,  retaining  the  date  of  its  origin,  1686, 
and  was  a  long  32  pounder.  It  looked  as  if  it  might  once 
have  sent  many  a  score  of  brave  fellows  to  their  last  reckon- 
ing. In  vain  were  the  ej3brts  of  the  French  armorer  to  break 
ofi*  its  strong  arms ;  but  he  drove  a  huge  spike  into  the  vent, 
and  tdl^iced  its  thunder-tones  forever.  That  single  gun  cost 
the  Hawaiian  government  1000  piculs  of  sandal-wood ;  which, 
at  the  time,  was  equal  to  $10,000. 

A  mistaken  poUcy  induced  the  commission  of  so  many  in- 
dignities on  the  part  of  the  French.  They  may  have  placed 
a  wnmg  interpretation  on  treaties,  and  made  a  show  of  de- 
termination to  defend  what  they  supposed  were  treaty-stipula- 

(which  ought  to  be  at  least  $50,000  more),  because,  however  clear 
your  majesty's  title  is  to  these  amounts,  of  even  a  sum  larger  than 
their  aggregate,  Mr.  Judd  left  Paris  before  he  received  a  reply  from 
tiie  French  govemm^it  in  relation  to  these  demands,  and,  for  the 
present,  it  is  wiser  not  to  count  upon  any  part  of  the  above  amounts 
in  calculating  tiie  ways  and  means  for  the  financial  year  ending  3 1st 
of  March,  1861. 

"  By  the  Report  aforesaid,  you  will  find  that  the  king  and  Board 
of  Finance  consider  that  his  miyesty  has  claims  on  the  French  gov- 
ernment to  the  amount  of  $185^986,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  money 
due  for  these  claims  will,  at  some  future  day,  be  available  to  repair 
the  damages  done  to  the  fort  and  the  governor's  house,  to  replace  the 
artillery  and  arms  destroyed,  and  pay  for  a  new  yacht,  which  is  much 
wanted  for  his  majesty's  use." — Appendix  to  the  Report  of  Hon,  R. 
C  Wyllie,  be/ore  the  Hawaiian  Legidatwre,  in  1861,  p*  22,  28. 

C 


50  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

tions  by  an  attempt  to  compel  a  weak  govermnent  to  lower 
its  duty  on  brandy  manufactured  in  France.  But  there  was 
something  else  behind  the  scenes  ihat  they  were  imwilling  to 
acknowledge  as  being  the  primary  cause  of  their  unwarrant- 
able hostilities.  That  cause  was  the  reception  given,  by  the 
king  and  chiefs,  to  the  first  party  of  Roman  Catholic  mission- 
aries that  landed  on  the  islands.  The  course  they  pursued  - 
was  contrary  to  the  reigning  powers,  and  came  under  the  range 
of  pohtical  ofienses.  The  Hawaiian  king  and  his  nobles  claim- 
ed that  they  had  a  right  to  expel  the  teachers  of  a  new  relig- 
ion ;  the  commanders  of  French  war-ships  denied  that  right. 
And  here  it  was  that  the  French  acted  on  grounds  unsupported 
by  the  laws  of  nations,  and  their  policy  was,  therefore,  erro- 
neous. 

In  threatening  the  Hawaiian  nation  with  the  wrath  of 
France,  the  admiral  forgot  the  example  of  pagan  Rome,  which 
expresdy  forbade  the  worship  of  any  God  who  had  not  been 
approved  as  such  by  the  Senate ;  and  the  exaitiple  of  England 
in  the  Act  of  Uniformity  (1  Elizabeth,  c.  2),  and  the  impris- 
onments, &c.,  under  it ;  the  Act  23  Elizabeth,  c.  1 ;  the  Act 
29  Elizabeth,  c.  6 ;  the  Act  3  James  I.,  c.  4  ;  the  Act  35 
Elizabeth,  c.  1,  and  its  penalty  of  felony,  without  benefit  of 
clergy,  if  certain  parties,  persisting  in  a  religion  forbidden  by 
law,  did  not  abjure  the  realm  and  all  the  queen's  dominions 
forever.  He  equally  forgot  the  persecution  for  nonconformity 
in  the  reign  of  James  I. ;  those  under  Charles  I.,  firom  which 
the  Puritans  were  glad  to  save  themselves  by  escaping  to 
Massachusetts  Bay;  tire  persecution  of  Episcopacy  under 
Cromwell ;  the  Conventicle  Act  (16  Charles  II.,  c.  4),  which 
subjected  all  who  presumed  to  worship  God  otherwise  than  as 
the  law  enjoined,  to  fine  and  imprisonment,  and  punished  the 
third  ofiense  with  banishment ;  the  Test  Act  of  Charles  II., 
c.  1,  with  its  declaration  against  transubstantiation ;  and  the 
Act  22  Charles  II.,  c.  i.,  with  its  powers  to  justices  of  the  peace 
to  break  down  and  take  into  custody  persons  assembled  in  con- 
venticles forbidden  by  law.  And  he  ought  to  have  remem- 
bered that  Ihe  Toleration  Act  in  England  was  only  passed  in 


POPERY  A  SOURCE  OF  TROUBLE.    5I 

the  reign  of  William  III. ;  that,  in  England,  civil  toleration 
is  an  impurdty,  and  safely  granted  hy  the  state  to  every  sect 
that  does  not  maintain  doctrines  inconsistent  with  the  puhHc 
peace,  and  that  every  man  is  answerable  to  the  laws  of  his 
country  for  propagating  opinions  and  pursuing  practices  which 
necessarily  create  civil  disturbance.  He  forgot  that  France 
had  established  religious  toleration  only  as  late  as  the  Charter 
of  9th  August,  1836  ;  and  that  the  same  thing  was  repeated 
in  the  Constitution  of  the  French  Republic  of  the  4th  Novem- 
ber, 4848.  Yet,  in  view  of  these  facts,  he  had  the  presump- 
ti(Hi  to  threat^SL  the  female  chief  ruler  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
who,  under  the  light  of  common  sense,  could  not  see  that  men 
firom  foreign  lands  had  any  right  to  come  and  establish  th^n- 
selves  on  the  islands,  with  the  view  of  teaching  a  hew  religion 
to  the  natives,  tending  to  civil  discord,  without  the  permission 
of  the  governing  powers. 

It  is  a  fact  that  no  well-informed  man  will  attempt  to  deny, 
that  firotn  first  to  last,  Popery  has  been  a  source  of  trouble  to 
the  Hawaiian  government.  In  this  connection  it  may  be 
"proper  to  cite  a  few  paragraphs  from  the  official  documents 
of  Hon.  R.  C.  Wyllie,  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations  at  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  .  Those  documents  were  unreservedly  sub- 
mitted to  the  commissioner  of  France,  to  enable  him  to  form 
a  just  and  impartial  judgment  on  all  questions  that  have  ex- 
isted, or  that  now  exist,  with  his  government. 

"  In  the  year  1805,  the  Abb6  Coudrin,  of  Poitiers,  animated 
by  a  zeal  to  promote  rehgion  in  France  and  in  foreign  coun- 
tries, established  himself,  with  a  few  fellow-laborers,  in  a  house 
in  the  street  ''Pic  Pits'*  at  Paris.  He  labored  assiduously 
in  the  formation  of  a  society  with  that  object,  which  was  ap- 
proved of  by  a  decree  of  the  holy  father  of  the  10th  Jan.,  1817, 
and  confirmed  by  a  Bull  on  \he  17th  Nov.,  of  the  same  year. 

"In  the  month  of  November,  1825,  the  sovereign  pontifij 
Leo  XII.,  specially  committed  to  the  Abb6  Coudrin  and  his 
associates  the  duty  of  carrying  the  light  of  the  faith  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  appointed  for  that  mission  Messrs. 
Abraham  Armaod,  Patrick  Short,  and  Alexis  Bachelot.    They, 


62  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

vnik  Melchior  Bonda,  Theodore  Boissier,  and  Leonard  Portal, 
as  catechists,  embarked,  on  the  20th  of  November,  1826,  in 
the  ^p  Comet,  firom  Bordeaux ;  on  the  7th  of  February,  1827, 
they  reached  Valparaiso  ;  on  the  8th  of  March,  Cluilca ;  on 
the  30th  of  March,  Callao ;  on  the  27^  of  May,  Mazatlan ; 
and  Oahu  on  the  8th  of  July,  1827. 

"  They  arrived  with  extensive  powers  from  the  Holy  See, 
M.  Bachelot,  in  the  character  of  apostolic  prefect,  and  the  two 
other  priests  in  tiiat  of  apostoUc  missionaries.  While  in  Cal- 
lao, a  Lima  newspaper,  edited  by  Frenchmen,  had  Tepresented 
them  as '  Jesuitis  in  disguise ;'  and  while  in  Mazatlan,  the  same 
character  was  given  to' them  by  M.  Jean  Angel  della  Bianca, 
and  M.  Bigourdan,  the  supercargoes  c£thB  Comet.* 

**  Nevertheless,  after  much  opposition,  they  landed,  but  were 
ordered  to  re-embark  in  the  Comet,  which  had  brought  them. 
This  order  they  eluded  by  concealing  themselves  till  that  ship 
-had  sailed.  After  she  had  gone,  they  hved  for  some  time  qui- 
etly under  th^  disguise,  seldom  showing  themselves  abroad, 
shunning  puUic  notice,  but  appl3nbig  themselves  assiduoudy 
to  the  acquisitic^  of  the  language,  without  attempting  to  make 
any  proselytes.  Up  to  December,  1828,  they  had  not  admin- 
istered baptism  to  any  adult,  but  about  that  time  their  reU- 
gious  tenets  had  become  known  to  the  natives,  and  attracted 
their  curiosity.  Li  proportion  as  this  curiosity  increased,  the 
government  became  alarmed.  The  worship  of  images  and 
rehcs,  and  the  adoration  of  the  consecrated  wafer  {Eucharist) 
were  identified  with  the  old  idolatry  abolished  by  royal  au- 
thority in  1819,  and  which,  ever  afterward,  had  been  consid- 
ered a  treasonable  ofiense,  and  was  severely  punished.  Sub- 
sequently, by  order  of  Kaahumanu,  Governor  Bold  published  a 
strict  prohibition  to  the  natives  to  attend  places  of  Catholic 
worship,  or  partake  in  its  ceremonies."! 

All  this  is  perfeptly  dear,  and  distinctly  shows  how  the 
Hawaiian  government  regarded  the  genius  of  Popery.  Li  view 
of  maintaining  their  authority  as  rulers,  th^  were  induced  to 

*  Wyllie*8  Historical Stunmary,  p.  271.  f  ^^  P-  ^*^^ 


POPERY  A  SOURCE  OF  TROUBLE.    53 

take  immediate  steps  to  remove  an  evil  which  thej  supposed 
would  resist  their  own  influence.  As  it  is  impossible  entirely 
to  avoid  reference  to  history,  and  as  I  wish  to  be  just  to  aU 
parties,  and  to  truth  itself,  I  am  compelled  to  enter  into  de- 
tails during  the  progress  of  these  pages,  and  correct  wrong  im- 
pressions. It  was  no  wonder,  with  their  peculiar  views  and 
feelings,  that  the  rulers  of  the  nation  took  measures  for  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Papal  teachers.  To  fi^rm  a  just  appreciation 
of  their  motives  and  actions,  I  will  cite  one  or  two  of  their 
orders  ^itire,  as  they  were  translated  into  English,  and  sent 
to  the  priests  in  a  legitimate  manner.  The  first  order  was 
delivered  on  the  2d  of  Apnl,  1829,  and  was  as  follows  : 

"  Where  are  you,  priests,  who  Have  come  from  France  ? 

''  This  is  our  decree  for  your  banishment.  Begone  from 
this  land.  Pwell  not  upon  these  Hawaiian  Islands,  fer  your 
doctrine  is  at  variance  with  the  religion  which  we  profess. 
And,  because  of  your  teaching  your  religion  to  the  people  of 
this  land,  some  of  us  have  turned  to  your  sentiments.  We 
are  endeavoring  to  spread  among  the  people  the  religion  which 
we  profess — ^this  religion  which  we  plainly  know  to  be  true. 
This  is  what  we  earnestly  desire. 

**  When  you  arrived  here,  we  did  not  invite  you,  but  you  came 
of  your  own  accord ;  therefore,  we  send  you  away.     B^one. 

*' We  allow  three  months  to  prepare  for  your  departiure,  and 
if  within  that  time  you  shall  not  have  gone,  your  effects  vnll 
be  confiscated,  and  you  will  go  destitute ;  and  if  you  wait 
until  the  fourth  Wnth,  and  we  see  you  delaying,  then  you 
will  be  impriscmed,  and  we  shall  do  unto  you  as  do  the  gov- 
ernments of  all  nations  to  those  who  disregard  their  commands. 
So  will  we  constantly  do  to  you. 

(Signed),         Kauikeaotjli  (the  young  king). 
Kaahumanu  (Kuhina  Nui). 
Kaikoewa. 

HoAI*ILI. 

NAraE. 

KUAKINI."* 
*  Hist  Summary,  p.  278. 


54  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

The  priests  were  waited  on  by  a  high  chief  at  the  end  of 
five  months,  who  reminded  them  of  the  order  of  the  2d  of 
April.  Sundry  attempts  by  Mr.  Hill  and  others  were  made 
to  persuade  them  to  repair  to  other  islands  in  Polynesia,  to 
which  neither  Protestants  nor  Catholics  had  ever  carried  the 
light  of  the  Gospel ;  but  tiiey  declined  to  obey  tiiese  repeat- 
ed orders,  and  stUl  continued  to  teach  their  doctrines.  Their 
final  excuse  being  that  they  could  not  go  for  want  of  a  vessel 
to  take  them  away,  the  government,  at  an  expense  of  fi)ur 
thousand  dollars,  fitted  out  the  brig  Waverley  fer  that  purpose, 
and  gave  the  £)llowing  instructions  to  the  captain : 

"  November  Sth,  1831. 
"  I,  Kauikeaouli,  king  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  Kaa- 
humanu  and  Kaukini,  governor  of  Oahu,  do  hereby  commis- 
sion William  Sunmer,  commander  of  the  brig  Waverley,  now 
lying  in  Oahu,  to  receive  on  board  two  French  gentlemen  and 
their  goods,  or  whatever  they  may  have  to  bring  on  board, 
and  to  proceed  on  to  California,  and  land  then^  saie  on  shore, 
with  every  thing  belonging  to  them,  where  they  may  subsist, 
and  then  to  return  back  to  the  Sandwich  Islands."^ 

These  instructions  were  obeyed.  The  priests  were  taken 
to  the  coast  of  California.  But  in  little  more  than  five  years 
they  caihe  back  in  another  vessel  to  the  islands.  Their  re- 
appearance speedily  called  forth  the  following  order  froia  the 
Governor  of  Oahu  : 

"Honolulu,  Oahu,  19th  April,  188Y. 
**  This  is  what  I  say  to  the  French  gentlemen.  This  is  my 
opinion  to  both  of  you,  who  were  sent  away  before  firom  these 
idands,  that  you  are  forever  forbidden  by  our  chiefs  to  come 
here.  This  is  the  reason :  I  asked  you  if  you  intended  to  live 
here ;  the  answer  you  made  was,  *  iVb .'  toe  intend  to  stop  a 
few  days,  until  we  can  obtain  a  vessel  to  carry  its  from  here,^ 
I  repHed,  When  you  get  a  vessd,  go  quicJdy,  This  is  what 
*  Hist  Summary,  p.  274. 


POPERY  A  SOURCE  OF  TROUBLE.    55 

I  say  to  both  of  you :  From  this  time,  prepaxe  yourselves  to  de- 
part in  the  same  vessel  in  which  you  arrived ;  when  the  vessel 
is  ready,  both  of  you  are  to  go  without  delay. 

(Signed),  *^  Na  Kekuanaoa."* 

This  was  followed  by  a  proclamation  by  the  king,  dated 
from  Lahaina  (Maui),  ten  days  later : 

"  Ye  strangers  from  all  foreign  lands,^who  are  in  my  do- 
minions, both  resid^its  and  those  recently  arrived,  I  make 
known  my  word  to  you  till,  so  that  you  may  understand  my 
orders. 

"  The  men  of  France  whom  Kaahumanu  banished  are 
under  the  same  unaltered  order  up  to  this  period.  The  re- 
jection of  those  men  is  perpetual,  confirmed  by  me  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  I  wiU  not  assent  to  their  remaining  in  my  domin- 
ions. 

"  These  are  my  orders  to  them,  that  they  go  back  imme- 
diately on  board  the  vessel  on  which  they  have  come,  that 
they  may  stay  on  board  her  till  that  vessel  on  which  they 
came  sails  ;  that  is  to  me  clearly  right,  but  there  abiding  here 
I  do  not  wish. 

. "  I  have  no  desire  that  the  service  of  the  missionaries  who 
fi>llow  the  Pope  should  be  performed  in  my  kingdom  at  all. 

"Wherefore  all  who  shall  be  encouraging  the  papal  mis- 
sionaries I  shall  regard  as  en^nies^  to  me,  to  my  counselors, 
to  my  chie&,  to  my  people,  and  to  my  kingdom. 

(Signed),         "  Kamehameha  III."t 

But  these  missives  were  disregarded.  The  priests  stayed ; 
and  their  stay  was  encouraged  by  the  EngUsh  and  French 
offimals,  who  aided  them  in  resisting  royal  authority.  These 
things  led  to  a  long  and  ^fficult  correspondence  between  sever- 
al foreign  officials  and  the  native  rulers ;  an^the  final  result 
was,  that  the  priests  of  Popery  stayed  at  the  islands,  and  have 
ever  since  been  protected  there  by  the  mouth  of  the  cannon. 
*  Hist  Summary,  p.  275.  f  lb. 


66  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

How  far  the  Hawaiian  goyermnent  was  justified  in  at- 
tempting to  banish  the  teachers  who  were  deemed  dangerous, 
or  whether  those  teachers  were  justifiable  in  resisting  the  law 
of  the  land,  are  questions  which  would  receive  a  great  variety 
of  reply  from  difierent  individuals.  But  on  these  points  that 
highly  respectable  authority,  Yattel,  seems  sufficient : 

"  It  is  then  certairi  that  no  one  can  interfere  in  the  will  ci 
a  nation,  in  its  religious  affairs,  without  violating  its  right  and 
doing  it  an  injury ;  much  less  is  any  one  allowed  to  employ 
force  of  arms  to  oblige  it  to  receive  a  doctrine  and  a  worship 
which  he  considers  as  ^vine.  What  right  have  men  to  pro- 
claim themselves  the  defenders  and  protectors  of  the  cause  <^ 
God  ?  He  always  knows  how,  when  he  pleases  to  lead  the 
nations  to  the  knowledge  of  himself,  by  more  certain  means 
than  those  of  violence.  Persecutions  make  no  true  converts. 
The  monstrous  maxim  of  extending  religion  by  the  sword  is  a 
subversion  of  the  law  of  nations,  and  the  most  terrible  scourge 
of  kingdoms.  Every  madman  beUeves  he  fights  the  cause  of 
God,  and  every  ambitious  man  covers  himself  with  this  pre- 
tense. While  Charlemagne  spread  fire  and  sword  through 
Saxony  to  plant  Christianity  there,  the  successors  of  Moham- 
med ravaged  Asia  and  Africa  to  establish  the  Koran. 

"  But  it  is  an  oflice  of  humanity  to  labor  by  mild  and  law- 
ful means  to  persuade  a  nation  to  receive  a  religion  that  is  be- 
lieved to  be  the  only  one  that  is  true  and  salutary.  Mission- 
aries may  be  sent  to  instruct  the  people,  and  this  care  is  alto- 
gether conformable  to  the  attention  which  every  nation  owes 
to  the  perfection  and  happiness  of  others.  But  it  must  be  ob- 
served that,  not  to  do  any  injury  to  the  rights  of  a  sovereign, 
the  missionaries  ought  to  abstain  from  pre^hing  clandestine- 
ly, or  without  his  permission,  a  new  doctrine  to  his  pec^le. 
He  may  refuse  to  allow  them  the  Hberty  of  discharging  their 
ofi^ce,  and  if  he  orders  them  to  leave  his  dominions,  they  ought 
to  obey.  They,  have  need  of  a  v^y  express  order  firom  the 
King  of  kings  for  disobeying  lawfiilly  a  sovereign  who  com- 
mands according  to  the  extent  of  his  power,  and  the  prince 
who  shall  not  be  convinced  of  this  extraordinary  order  of  the 


RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION.  57 

Deity  will  do  no  more  than  exert  bis  authority  by  punishing  a 
missionary  for  disobedience/'"^ 

Although  Popery  haa  filled  prisons  with  miserable  victims, 
shaken  the  foundations  of  the  mightiest  monarchies,  and  left 
its  bloody  footprinta  on  the  lap  of  almost  every  nation  cm  earth, 
they  have  done  what  every  separate  ecclesiastical  body  would 
do  if  the  terrible  pre-eminence  in  power  that  could  insure  suc- 
cess were  once  achieved.  Power  intoxicates,  and,  whether  it 
becomes  invested  in  the  hands  of  any  particular  body  of  men 
car  of  a  single  man,  it  is  always  dangerous.  A  full  and  free 
toleration  in  all  religions  is  the  only  thing  that  can  satisfy  the 
wants  of  man,  or  meet  him  &ce  to  £su^.  The  toleration  of 
conscience,  established  by  Kamehameha  soon  after  the  return 
of  the  Papal  teachers,  was  the  best  thing  that  could  have  been 
done  for  the  nation.  In  referring  to  this  tqpic,  the  Minister 
of  Foreign  Belations  said  : 

"  But  it  pleased  the  king,  much  to  his  glory,  by  a  decree  of 
the  17th  of  June,  1839,  to  lead  the  way  to  the  entire  and  per- 
fectly yree  toleration  which  he  consummated  in  the  Constitu- 
tion d[  October,  1 840.  That  is  the  only  system  which  accords 
with  my  conscience  (^vesting  the  question  of  all  considerations 
of  state) ;  it  is  the  wish  of  the  king  and  his  government  to  car- 
ry it  out  perfectly ;  but  what  they  abjure  is  the  admixture  of 
foreign  poHtical  intolerance  with  their  own  ftee  religioits  tol- 
eration."! 

It  was  not  my  intention  to  linger  so  long  about  this  old 
£}rt ;  but  a  desire  to  make  a  few  crooked  things  straight,  by 
putting  facts  in  their  true  light,  has  led  me  to  wade  through 
a  few  of  its  historical  reminiscences.  Before  bestowing  upon 
it  a  final  adieu,  one  or  two  items  more  must  claim  the  atten- 
tion of  myself  and  reader.  Life  is  composed  chiefly  of  incon- 
gruities, and  not  unftequently  do  the  beautiful  and  sublime 
precede  by  but  a  single  step  the  absolutely  ridiculous.  After 
indulging  so  many  reflections  on  this  Hawaiian  fortress,  a 
drunken  sailor  was  the  last  marine  animal  I  should  have  pic- 
tured to  my  own  fancy.     But  so  it  was.     The  poor  fellow  had 

*  Vattel,  lib,  ii.,  cap.  iv.,  seca  69, 60.         f  Historical  Summary. 
C2 


58  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

secured  one  too  many  of  the  "  smiles  of  Bacchus ;"  and  now 
it  was  his  turn  to  be  secured  by  some  dozen  or  twenty  ragged 
and  dirty  native  police,  who,  proud  of  their  victory  over  (me  in- 
ebriate, were  carrying  him  to  a  stone  cell,  where  it  would  be 
some  time  before  the  rosy  god  would  smile  upon  him  again. 
"  Jack'*  raved,  swore,  and  sternly  threatened  what  he  would 
do  when  he  regained  his  liberty  and  felt  like  "  himself  again." 
It  was  all  unavailing,  however ;  for  this  brave  guard  carried 
him  to  his  lodgings,  into  which  they  threw  him  like  a  log  of 
wood,  and,  turning  the  bolt  upon  him,  left  him  to  commune 
with  his  own  thoughts. 

"While  reflecting  on  the  proverbial  improvidence  of  that  class 
of  men  denominated  "  sailors,"  my  attention  was  arrested  by 
a  shriek  that  seemed  to  emanate  from  a  contiguous  cell.  On 
proceeding  thither,  I  was  immediately  convinced  of  its  cause. 
There  stood  close  before  the  iron  grating  that  held  her  captive, 
and  admitted  the  pure  light  and  atmosphere  of  heaven  into 
her  wretched  abode,  a  native  woman,  in  a  deplorable  «tate  of 
insanity.  She  was*  rather  above  the  medium  size  of  women, 
and  apparently  about  forty  years  of  age.  Her  hair,  which 
clung  aroimd  her  beautifiilly  moulded  head,  in  short,  massive 
curk,  was  as  black  and  glossy  as  a  raven's  wing..  She  was 
entirely  nude,  excepting  a  vnreath  of  sea-grass,  that  answered 
the  same  purpose  as  Eve's  fig-leaves.  Her  form,  however, 
was  perfect;  and  there  lingered  about  her  such  distinctive 
traces  of  peerless  beauty  as  would  once  have  ranked  her  with 
the  early  women  of  creation,  whose  matchless  perfection  se- 
duced the  "  sons  of  God"  from  their  allegiance.  In  her  vio- 
lent moments  she  had  dashed  her  head  against  the  walls  of 
her  prison ;  and  now  her  fine  brow  was  bruised  and  bleeding. 
There  was  no  couch,  nor  a  single  comfort  in  her  cell ;  for  the 
hard,  cold  earth  was  her  only  bed.  There  she  stood,  a  mourn- 
ful smile  playing  around  her  lips,  and  a  sort  of  half-dreamy, 
half-frantic  Ught  gleaming  in  her  large  black  eyes.  There 
she  stood,  a  pitiful  object  to  the  gaze  of  every  recreant  stranger 
that  might  feel  inclined  to  linger  before  her  iron  bulwark.  Oh 
God  !  it  was  a  distressing  scene — ^that  total  wreck  of  beautiful 


PUBLIC   BUILDINGS.  59 

humanity.  She  had  once  mingled  freely  -with^  her  race,  and 
cradled  her  infant  to  sleep  on  her  beautiful  bosoni ;  for  there 
were  evidences  that  she  had  been  a  mother.  She  had  once 
laved  her  limbs  in  the  clear  blue  waters  of  her  native  seas, 
and  threaded  the  cocoa-nut  grove  around  her  dwelling  with 
a  dignity  that  would  not  have  dishonored  Milton's  "Eve,** 
But,  poor  creature,  she  was  mad  now !  I  shall  never  forget 
her  gaze  as  I  turned  away  with  a  moistened  eye  and  sorrow- 
All  spirit,  wishing  that  the  grave,  in  m^rcy,  would  soon  close 
over  her  physical  and  intellectual  nakedness,  and  pondering 
how  much  better  was  her  condition  than  miUions  of  gifted  in- 
tellects whose  powers  are  prostituted  at  the  shrine  of  every 
s^isual  enjoyment. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HONOLULU. 

Ptiblie  Buildings. — Churches. — Schools. — ^Benevolent  Institations. — 
Cemeteries,  Foreign  and  Native. — ^A  Visit  to  the  Royal  Tomb. 

The  public  buildings  of  Honolulu  are  of  modem  date,  but 
not  numerous.  They  include  the  Government  House,  Court- 
house, Custom-house,  Government  Printing-office,  and  Market- 
house.  The  walls  of  all  these  buildings  are  composed  of  coral 
procured  from  the  ree&,  and  smoothly  hewn.  These  edifices 
are  more  useful  than  elegant ;  and  they  will  stand  long  after 
the  present  generation  shall  have  gone  to  the  grave. 

Honolulu  contains  five  regular  churches.  They  comprise 
the  First  and  Second  Native  churches ;  the  Bethel  for  sea- 
men ;  the  Foreign  church ;  and  the  edifice  used  for  Catholic 
worship.  All  these  are  well  sustained  and  niunerously  at- 
tended. 

There  is  something  so  unique  about  the  history  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  first  native  house  of  worship,  that  I  can  not  refirain 
fiom  giving  it  entire<    I  cite  firom  a  document  handed  to  me 


60  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

by  the  Minister  of  Public  Instraction,  and  compiled  from  facts 
furnished  by  his  honor,  Associate  Justice  John  Ii,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  It  may  also  be  proper 
to  state  that  said  justice  is  one  of  the  high  chiefs  of  the  nation : 
**  The  idea  of  erecting  a  permanent  and  conmiodious  house 
of  worship  for  the  First  Native  Church  in  Honolulu  originated 
with  Ejllaihoku,  the  first  chief  in  rank  next  to  Kaahumanu, 
the  regent.  This  was  about  the  year  1825.  The  regent  ac- 
quiesced, and  the  work  was  commenced.  A  few  stones  were 
cut  for  the  walls.  Nimierous  pits  of  lime  were  burned  by 
taking  the  Uve  coral  from  the  reefs  and  carvying  wood  ficom 
the  mountains..  The  work  was  found  to  be  too  heavy,  and 
progressed  slowly,  for  it  was  all  done  by  hand.  For  a  time 
the  erection  of  a  stone  building  was  abandoned,  and  a  large 
house  was  built  in  the  old  native  style,  with  round  timbers, 
and  thatched.  This  was  about  one  himdred  and  seventy-five 
feet  long,  and  between  seveuty  and  eighty  wide,  and  was  com-; 
pleted  in  the  year  1828.  Kalaimoku  having  died  in  1827, 
this  work  was  accomplished  chiefly  through  the  energetic 
measures  of  Govemor  Boki,  directed  by  Kaahumanu.  She 
died  in  the  year  1832,  but  the  idea  of  constructing  a  stone 
house  of  worship  was  not  given  up.  Kinau,  daughter  of  Kam- 
EHAMEHA  I.,  succeedcd  Kaahumanu  as  regent.  She  was  fav- 
orable toward  Christian  institutions.  About  the  year  1836, 
a  consultation  was  held  by  the  high  chiefs,  in  relation  to  car- 
rying out  the  long-contemplated  enterprise.  The  measure 
was  resolved  upon.  Ejnau  gave  it  her  full  support.  The 
king,  Kamehameha  III.,  now  in  power^  sanctioned  the  meas- 
ure, and  at  one  time  subscribed  three  thousand  dollars  toward 
it,  and  paid  the  money  down.  By  this  means,  Imnber,  glass, 
nails,  &c.,  were  ordered  from  the  United  States  by  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain, secular  agent  of  the  mission.  The  estimated  number 
of  stones  requisite  were  apportioned  out  to  the  several  chie&, 
who  called  on  their  tenants  on  their  adjacent  lands,  according 
to  the  custom  of  those  times,  to  assemble,  cut  the  stone  on  the 
reefe,  and  draw  them  to  the  spot.  In  this  way,  hundreds  of 
men  were  seen  employed  &r  days  in  succession.     Some  of  the 


ERECTION   OF  FIRST   NATIVE   CHURCH,   gl 

stones  were  drawn  by  o»  and  horse  teams,  but  they  were 
mostly  drawn  on  carts  by  hand,  some  forty  or  fifty  men  often 
drawing  one  cart.  Large  kilns  of  lime  were  prepared  and 
burned  in  the  same  way,  the  sand  being  brought  £rom  the 
beach.  In  1838  the  comer  stone  was  laid.  About  that  time 
KmAU  died ;  and  important  changes  were  made  in  the  gov- 
ernment, so  as  to  limit  the  power  of  the  chiefs  over  the  com- 
mon people.  The  work  which,  in  a  good  degree,  had  been 
carried  on  by  the  authority  of  chiefs,  was  now,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, thrown  upon  the  voluntary  labor  of  the  people  connected 
with  the  ccmgregation.  Contributions  were  called  for,  and 
they  were  cheerfully  responded  to.  A  superintendent  was 
nominated  for  the  work,  and  Kekuanaoa,  the  present  governor 
of  Oahu,  was  elected.  He  acted  with  his  usual  energy,  and 
the  walls  were  reared.  Native  masons  only  were  employed, 
but  they  refused  all  pay.  Each  gang  had  its  mason  among 
themselves,  and  they  cheerfiilly  gave  their  services.  Foreign 
carpenters  were  employed  to  frame  and  put  on  the  loof,  and 
do  the  joiner-work  about  the  building.  At  this  stage  of  the 
work,  all  the  necessary  funds  were  raised  by  voluntary  contri- 
butions, and  when  the  building  was  finished,  no  debt  rested 
upon  it.  It  was  a  little  over  five  years  firom  the  time  the  first 
stone  was  laid  until  the  house  was  completed  and  dedicated 
to  the  object  for  which  it  was  reared.  Estimating  building 
and  other  labor  at  the  rates  of  those  days,  the  entire  cost  of  the 
work  was  supposed  to  be  about  thirty  thousand  dollars." 

Such  was  the  way  in  which  men  just  recovered  from  the 
debasement  of  paganism  built  a  house  of  worship  to  the  Most 
High.  It  is  a  huge  fabric — one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long, 
by  seventy  wide,  and  thirty  in  height  to  the  eaves.  It  will 
accommodate  more  than  three  thousand  worshipers,  and  has 
enrolled  on  its  records  the  names  of  two  thousand  communi- 
cants. The  walls  are  immensely  thick  and  very  compact.  It 
seems  to  possess  sufBcient  strength  to  undergo  quite  a  siege. 
It  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  mariner  as  he  steers  his  vessel 
for  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  for  it  stands  near  the  sea-shore. 
This  fabric  will  stand  as  a  monument  of  Hawaiian  piety  and 


62  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

labor  when  their  beautiful  islands  «hall  become  the  abode  of 
another  race  of  men  from  distant  nations. 

In  addition  to  their  two  large  churches  in  town,  the  Chris- 
tianized Hawaiians  have  eight  outposts  near  Honolulu. 

In  this  connection  I  can  not  refirain  firom  making  a  few 
comments  on  the  Seamen's  Bethel.  It  is  a  neat  frame  struc- 
ture, erected  at  a  cost  of  $5000.  Its  location  is  near  the  prin- 
cipal landing-places  for  the  reception  of  discharged  cargoes. 
Attached  to  it  are  two  reading-rooms  for  masters  and  officers 
of  vessels,  and  one  for  seamen.  Another  apartment  contains 
a  seaman's  library,  and  a  depository  for  Bibles  and  tracts. 

The  sailor's  chaplaincy  in  Honolulu  is  one  of  great  value 
to  the  sailor.  In  no  port  throughout  the  vast  Pacific  Ocean 
is  there  an  opportunity  for  achieving  greater  good  than  there.* 

*  A  few  extracts  from  a  letter  dated  Honolulu,  June  12,  1844,  by 
Mr.  Damon,  the  chaplain,  to  Hon.  R.  C.  WylUe,  in  the  shape  of  a  re- 
ply to  quefitions,  will  well  illustrate  the  above  remarks: 

"  Himdreds  of  seamen  annually  visit  this  port  who  do  not  hear  my 
voice  in  the  chapeL  Some  do  not  come,  although  they  enjoy  an  op- 
portunity ;  but  others  do  not  enjoy  liberty  on  shore  during  the  hours 
of  the  holy  Sabbath,  while  many  come  and  leave  during  the  week. 

"  Hence,  as  you  are  aware,  it  is  mj  uniform  practice  to  invite  sea- 
men of  all  nations  to  call  at  my  study,  both  upon  the  Sabbath  and 
week  day.  This  invitation  I  have  endeavored  to  make  in  the  high- 
est degree  general,  most  fully  beHeving  that  I  should  *  know  nothing 
of  nation  or  sect  in  this  hallowed  cause.* 

"  During  the  year  above  mentioned  my  study  was  visited  by  more 
than  400  seamen.  The  names  of  many  I  did  not  register,  in  conse- 
quence of  haste  or  inadvertency.  Many  of  the  seamen  speaking 
some  other  than  the  English  language,  I  could  not  satisfactorily  ob- 
tain their  names.    I  find,  however,  the  following  registered : 

American  seamen 2*72 

-  English         do.     67 

French  do. 2*7 

German        do ; 9 

Swedish        do 4 

Danish  do.     8 

Portuguese  do. 7 

Total 889 


SCHOOLS.  63 


Hundreds  of  seamen  annually  visit  Honolulu.  These  men 
come  from  every  nation  in  the  world,  and  a  chaplain  can  be- 
stow upon  them  many  a  portion  of  solid  good,  when  no  other 
man  in  the  community  can  reach  them  by  any  possible  means. 
For  many  a  long  year  thepresent  chaplain  has  to^ed  onward 
and  upward  for  the  good  of  these  *'  sons  of  the  ocean  ;"  and 
the  revelations  of  the  final  day  of  accounts  will  alone  be  able 
to  tell  the  amount  of  good  accomplished  in  his  sphere. 

One  of  the  leading  influences  at  the  islands  emanates  from 
the  system  of  education  estabhshed  there.  In  no  nation  on 
earth  is  the  cause  oi  public  instruction  more  widely  diffused, 
or  more  sacredly  honored  and  guarded.  It  is  exceedingly  dif- 
ficult to  find  a  child  ten  years  of  age  who  can  not  read  his 
Bible  and  other  school-books  fluently.  Probably  every  native 
child  at  the  age  of  twelve  and  fourteen  can  read  and  write 
well,  and  is  pretty  well  versed  in  the  rudiments  of  scholastic 
science.  The  proficiency  of  many  of  the  common-school  pu- 
pils is  truly  astonishing,  and  reflects  an  enviable  reputation  on. 
tbdr  teachers,  not  less  than  upon  the  guardians  of  pubHc  in- 
struction. 

**  During  that  year  I  made  gratuitous  donations  of  Bibles  and 
Testaments  as  follows : 

To  English  seamen 9  Bibles  and    8  Testaments. 

To  American     do ^7      do.  2         do. 

To  French         do.    9      do.  10         do. 

To  German       do.    5      do.  6         do. 

To  Danish         do.    2      do.  0         do. 

To  Portuguese  do.    1      do.  0         do. 

To  Welsh  do 1      do.  0         do. 

To  Spanish        do.    7      do.  ^0         do. 

Total  . . . .  4l  21 

"  In  addition,  I  sold  several  Bibles  at  the  American  Bible  Society's 
prices.  It  is  by  the  liberal  appropriations  of  said  society  that  I  am 
enabled  to  make  a  gratuitous  offer  of  the  Word  of  Life  to  the  seamen 
of  different  nations  as  they  visit  this  port.  Quite  recently  I  have 
been  supplied  with  Bibles  and  Testaments  in  the  Swedish  and  Port- 
uguese languages,  which  have  been  frequently  called  for,  but  I  have 
been  unable  to  suj^ly  the  demand." 

Since  1844  this  field  of  usefulness  has  steadily  widened. 


64  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

The  principal  institution  on  the  group  is  the  academy  at 
Punahou  {New  Fountain).  It  is  situated  on  the  plains  about 
two  miles  east  of  Honolulu,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  highly  pic- 
turesque valley  of  Manoa ;  and  its  situation  is  as  quiet  as 
though  it  were  a  thousand  miles  from  any  pubUc  town.  The 
institution  is  of  a  collegiate  character.  The  youth  of  both 
sexes  can  obtain  as  good  an  education  there  as  in  any  similar 
institution  in  the  world.  Attached  to  the  academy  is  a  U- 
brary  containing  himdreds  of  volumes  of  excellent  reading 
matter ;  a  noble  cabinet  of  mineralogy,  conchology,  &c.,  and 
a  very  valuable  collection  of  Polynesian  curiosities.  This 
school  is  the  resort  of  children  of  many  of  the  most  respecta- 
ble foreigners  scattered  over  the  group.  No  person  can  pay 
it  a  visit  without  becoming  an  enthusiastic  advocate  ci  popu- 
lar education  for  the  young;  nor  can  he  leave  it  without 
leaving  behind  a  profound  esteem  for  its  very  gentlemanly 
and  scholarly  principal,  Mr.  Daniel  Dole.  At  an  examina- 
tion that  occurred  in  the  early  part  of  1853,  and  at  ^^rbxch  I 
was  present,  I  could  not  conceal  my  astonishment  at  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  pupils.  I  was  not  prepared  to  find  so  much  in- 
tellectual progress  in  a  school  twenty-three  hundred  miles 
west  of  the  North  American  Continent.  In  justice  to  the  in- 
stitution and  its  guardians,  I  subjoin  a  programme  of  that  ex- 
amination: 

Anthon's  Osesar. 

Common  School  Arithmetic. 

The  Lion*s  Hunt — ^translated  from  the  French. 

Sallust 

Greenleafs  Arithmetic 

Story  of  Panthea — ^from  the  Greek. 

Sophocles'  Greek  Grammar  and  Reader. 

Geography. 

Last  Battle  of  Jugurtha — ^firom  Sallust.* 

"Weld's  Latin  Grammar. 

Algebra. 

The  Recluse — an  original  story. 

Reading. 

Natural  History. 

*  A  splendid  effort^  by  a  mere  youth. 


SCHOOLS.       ^  65 


A  Voyage  along  a  part  of  Hawaii. 

Physiology  and  History. 
[Nautical  and  Original  Declamation. 

This  institution  can  not  fail  to  commend  itself  to  the  firiend- 
ship  of  the  wise  and  good.  To  perpetuate  his  institutions, 
Draco  wrote  his  laws  with  blood ;  but  they  have  all  perished 
long  ago ;  and  the  very  dust  of  the  lawgiver  has  long  since 
been  scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven.  But  the  influences 
that  have  been  and  may  be  wielded  in  this  seminary  of  learn- 
ing shall  morally  and  philosophically  actuate  the  progress  of 
a  class  of  mind  long  after  this  globe  shall  have  been  reduced 
back  to  its  primitive  elements. 

Next  in  rank  comes  the  Royal  School.  The  structure  is 
neatly  composed  of  coral.  It  stands  directly  at  the  long  pro- 
jecting base  of  Pvuhi,  or  Punch-Bowl  Hill.  As  its  name 
indicates,  it  is  under  the  auspices  of  royalty.  It  was  origi- 
nally intended  as  a  school  in  which  the  children  of  distin- 
guished Hawaiian  families  should  receive  an  English  educa- 
tion. This  design  has  been  answered.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit  there  were  about  eighty  white  pupils,  the  half  castes, 
and  six  or  eight  pure  Hawaiians.  Among  the  latter  were 
Victoria,  a  princess  of  the  blood  royal,  and  one  or  two  other 
young  girls  of  Hawaiian  distinction.  Their  text-books  are 
much  of  the  same  class  as  those  used  in  the  Punahou  academy. 
Their  intellectual  progress  was  highly  gratifying. 

Honolulu  contains  six  other  schools  in  which  English,  in  its 
various  departments,  is  taught  to  the  children  of  many  foreign- 
ers and  natives. 

Aside  from  all  these,  there  is  a  Town,  or  Charity  School,  that 
claims  a  brief  notice.  It  was  established  in  1831,  and  had  its 
origin  in  private  instruction  imparted  to  a  young  lad,  son  of  an 
English  sea-captain.  In  a  short  time  it  obtained  accessions 
fix)m  boys  who  roamed  the  streets  of  the  village,  and  in  whom 
nobody  seemed  to  take  the  least  interest.  A  good  foundation 
-was  soon  laid  for  its  future  success.  The  king  gave  a  lot  of 
land,  on  which  a  school-house  was  erected  by  subscription. 
So  influential  had  it  become  in  three  years  £rom  its  origin. 


66 


SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 


that  several  boys  were  sent  to  it  all  the  way  from  Califomia, 
and  from  the  Russian  settlements  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
America,  It  subsequently  became  the  resort  of  children  of 
royal  blood.*  This  school  has  always  wielded  a  highly  bene- 
ficial influence,  as  it  does  at  this  day. 

In  the  district  of  Honolulu,  in  1853,  there  were  eleven 
pubhc  schools,  containing  494  scholars,  imder  Protestant  in- 
struction.f     In  these,  as  in  aU  the  Protestant  schools  on  the 


*  The  following  is  a  list  of  several  of  them: 


Nsma.. 

Whea  Bora. 

Father. 

Mother. 

Adopted  by 

^Alexander  Liholiho 

Feb.  9,    1834. 

Kekuanaoa. 

Kinau. 

KamehamehalU. 

t  Moses  Kekuaiwa. . 

July  20,  1829. 

ditto. 

ditto. 

Kaikeoewa. 

Dec.  11,  1830. 

ditto. 

ditto,  [hi. 

HoapiU. 

^  Wm.  Chas.Lunalilo 

Jan.  31,  1835. 

**Kekauluo. 

Peter  Young  Kaeo.. 

March  4, 1836. 

Kaeo. 

LahUahi. 

John  Young. 

James  Kaliokalani. . 

May  29,  1835. 
Nov.  16, 1836. 

Pakea. 

Aikanaka. 

David  Kalakaua 

ditto. 

ditto. 

Haaheo  Kania. 

II  Victoria  Kamamalu 

Nov.  1,   1838. 
Dec  19,  1831. 

Kekuanaoa. 

Kinau. 

Bernice  Pauahi 

Paki. 

Konia. 

Kinau.                ' 

AbigaU  Maheha .... 

July  10,  1832. 

NamaUe. 

Liliha. 

Kekauonohi. 

fJaneLoeau 

Dec.  5,    1828. 

Kaukualii. 

EUzabethKekaniaa. 

Sept.  11, 1834. 

Laanui. 

Oana. 

[M.D. 

Emma  Rooke 

Jan.  2,    1836. 

Naea. 

Kekela. 

T.  C.  B.  Rooke, 

LydiaMakaeha.... 

Sept.  2,  1838. 

Pakea. 

Keohokalole 

Paki  &  Konia. 

Polly  Paaaina 

1833. 

Henry  Lewis. 

Kekala. 

John  li. 

*  Rankf  ^c. — Heir  apparent  to  the  crown.    (The  king  having  no  children.) 
t  Governor  presumptive  of  Kauai. 

t  Governor  presumptive  of  Maui.    (Now  convalescing  fi*om  fever.) 
4  Convalescing  firom  fever  (25th  May).        II  Heir  apparent  to  the  premiership. 
i  Half-sister  of  Abigail.  **  The  premier* 

f  Comparative  Tables,  showing  the  character  and  progress  of 
Native  Schools  on  the  Sandwich  Islands,  from  official  sonrces. 
Abstract  of  Native  Schools  established  by  the  American  Missionaries. 


School.. 

TeacheiH. 

SehoUuB. 

Redden. 

Write™. 

Arithmetic. 

Geogr»phy. 

1841 
1842 
1843 
1844 

357 
305 
202 
346 

505 
438 
206 
294 

18,034 
15,228 
8,827 
12,678 

5,514 
5,526 
3,926 
6,569 

961 
2,254 
1,339 
2,290 

3,546 

5,448 
3,560 
6,014 

789 
1,489 
1,195 
1,936 

No  return  firom  Kailua,  Kealakekua,  Kau,  and  other  schools.  Many  retonis  ^;>- 
pear  wanting  fVom  Maui,  Oahu,  and  Kauai. 

According  to  the  last  report,  there  was  in  Hawaii  165  schools ;  in  Maui,  81 ;  in 
Oahu,  62 ;  and  in  Kauai,  38. 


Yeur. 

Number 

of 
Sehooli. 

Nnmber 

of 
SehoUuB. 

Nnmber 
of  Day»» 
School. 

TotolCort. 

Arerage 
Cost  per 
Scho^ 

Average 
Coat  per 
Schofsr. 

-  Averace 

Coat  per 

Day  of 

each 

SchooL 

Average 
Nnmber 
ofDaya 
toeaeh 
SchooL 

1848 
1849 
1850 
1851 
1852 

527 
540 
543 
535 
440 

19,028 
15,620 
15,308 
15,482 
13,948 

76,663 
88,996 
83,290 
73,749 
57,212 

1        CtB. 

20,185  75 
21,989  84 
25,891  96 
25,271  08 
24,049  07 

1    Cts. 
38  30 
40  72 
47  68 
47  23 
52  38 

1  Cent.. 
1  06 

1*40  7-10 
1  69 
1  63 
1  65 

Centa. 
26  3-10 
24  4-10 
31 

34  2-10 
40  2-10 

145  8-10 
164  8-10 
153  3-10 
137  8-10 
130 

BENEVOLENT   INSTITUTIONS.  67 

group,  the  Bible — ^the  only  bulwaxk  of  fireedom,  the  only  legiti- 
mate safeguard  of  the  world' a»  progress — ^the  Bible  is  the  lead- 
ing text-book  I 

But  while  the  wheels-of  commerce  rush  proudly  forward  in 
the  capital  of  the  Hawaiian  kingdom,  and  while  educational 
interests  are  promptly  sustained,  dianterested  benevofence 
forms  no  small  item  in  the  character  of  the  population.  Mercy, 
with  her  heav^y  smile,  extends  the  hand  of  timely  aid  to  many 
a  needy  individual,  and  pours  consolation  into  many  a  sorrow- 
ful heart.  Hundreds  of  storm-stricken  and  afflicted  sailors, 
from  every  clime,  have  entfered  that  port  in  a  state  of  pecu- 
niary and  physical  need,  and  they  are  constantly  coming  in 
under  the  same  circumstances.  A  good  hospital  awaits  th^ 
reception.  Every  act  of  kindness  and  sympathy  is  there  freely 
bestowed  on  this  class  of  men.  Good  medical  aid  is  always 
obtained,  and,  like  a  modem  Samaritan,  the  benevolent  chap- 
lain is  seen  going  his  round,  with  smiles  of  cheerfulness  on  a 
face  bright  with  generous  hope,  visiting  the  sick  and  sorrow- 
ful, with  a  Bible  for  one,  a  tract  for  another,  and  words  of  pa- 
ternal advice  for  a  third.  Many  a  son  of  the  ocean,  without 
money,  home,  or  family  ties,  and  on  the  very  brink  of  the  grave, 
has  been  befriended  and  restored  there,  and  gone  away  with 
feeUngs  of  devout  gratitude  toward  his  generous  benefactors. 

But  there  is  another  institution  there  in  which  benevolence 
Uves  and  moves — ^for  benevolence  is  its  soul.  It  retains  the 
attractive  appellation  of  the  "Stranger's  Friend  Society.'* 
The  very  name  is  highly  significant  of  the  Society ;  it  has  a 
tendency  to  soothe  the  crushed  spirit  of  every  "stranger"  in 
distress.  And  in  view  of  the  many  calls  of  vessels  at  that 
port,  this  class  of  hiunanity  is  not  small.  In  true  friendship, 
even  toward  those  whom  we  love,  there  is  something  inex- 
pressibly sacred.  It  is  a  plant  of  rare  growth.  It  springs 
not  up.  Phoenix-like,  from  the  ashes  of  the  heart  in  which  it 
may  once  have  lived,  but,  flying  beyond  the  darkness  of  the 
sepulchre,  it  goes  back  to  mature  and  flourish  forever  in  that 
heaven  whence  it  sprung.  Desolate  indeed  nmkt  that  heart 
be  which  knows  no  friend !     Young  has  truly  said. 


SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


"ThefriendleM  master  of  a  world  is  poor  I" 
But  friendship  never  becomes  sq  ^vine,  it  hever  flings  around 
itself  a  halo  of  glory  so  bright,  as  when  it  kindly  takes  by  tha- 
hand  a  poor  and  afflicted  stranger.  Yet  this  is  the  employ- 
ment of  that  "  Stranger's  Friend  Society"  It  is  composed 
of  the  most  distinguished  and  philanthropic  ladies  in  Honolulu. 
They  have  their  stated  time  and  place  for  frequent  conventicms, 
when  their  own  fair  fingers  fabricate  useful  and  ornamental 
articles,  which  meet  with  a  ready  sale,  and  the  proceeds  are 
placed  in  the  general  fund  of  the  Society.  These  proceeds' 
are  judiciously  appUed  to  reUeve  whatever  needy  stranger 
may  be  landed  on  their  shores.  It  is  impossible  accurately 
to  compute  the  amoimt  of  good  they  accomplish  in  this  mode 
of  operation.  Like  the  immortal  Nile,  conveying  life  and 
comfort  to  the  thousands  on  its  banks,  ever-flowing  in  its 
onward  course,  so  these  ladies  never  tire  in  their  errands  and 
acts  of  mercy. 

The  Society  held  a  fair  in  the  Court-house  at  Honolulu  in 
1853,  on  the  evening  of  the  immortal  WAsmNGTON^s  birth- 
day. The  articles  on  which  they  had  so  industriously  toiled 
during  the  whole  of  the  previous  year  were  submitted  for  sale. 
Although  the  weather  was  exceedingly  unpropitious,  tiie  occa- 
sion was  handsomely  represented,  and  the  ladies  of  the  Society, 
as  they  richly  deserved,  realized  something  over  $1900  by  the 
sales !  There  were  articles  of  every  description,  from  a  pin- 
cushion to  a  saddle-cloth,  a  lamp-mat  to  a  carpet-rug,  and  Lili- 
putian  socks  to  a  gentleman's  dressing-gown. 

On  the  judicious  disposition  of  their  funds,  and  the  generosity 
of  the  Society,  no  better  comment  can  be  made  than  by  pre- 
senting an  extract  from  the  first  annual  report  by  their  very 
lady-like  and  accomplished  treasurer : 

"  The  amount  contributed  to  indigent  and  destitute  seamen 
amounts  to  $312  50,  overdue  half  the  whole  sum  expended, 
excepting  the  special  contributions  for  the  suflerers  of  the 
*  Independence.'* 

*  A  steamship  wrecked  on  the  island  of  Margarita,  on  her  passage 
from  San  Juan  del  Sur  to  San  Francisco,  16th  Feb.,  1858.    The  per- 


I 


CEMETERIES.  QQ 


*<  Connected  as  we  are  with  the  seafaring  community,  this 
result  was  anticipated.  The  Uberal  contributions  o[  the  mas- 
ters and  other  officers  of  vessels,  however,  eiuibles  us  to  render 
such  assistance  with  the  utmost  cheerfulness,  not  so  much  as 
a  contribution  to  charity  as  an  act  of  common  justice. 

"  The  total  number  of  persons  receiving  assistance  from  the 
Society  numbers  36,  many  of  whom«  but  for  the  aid  of  the 
charitable,  would  have  suffered  and  d^  through  complete 
destitution.  It  has  been  our  province  to  be  the  ahnoners  of 
the  boimty  so  Hberally  intrusted  to  our  care,  and  it  is  a  source 
of  congratulation  that  our  Society,  in  its  finances,  is  in  so  sound 
a  ccmdition,  and  that  its  ability  to  do  good  to  the  snaring  and 
indig^it  stiranger  is  not  impaired  for  want  of  necessary  funds. 
The  two  thousimd  dollars  loaned  on  bond  and  mcnrtgage  will 
fiimish  a  certain  income  of  two  hundred  and  forty  dollars  per 
annum,  which  may  be  estimated  at  one  third  the  amoimt 
required  to  meet  all  demands  upon  our  treasury  for  the  com- 
ing year.  Bespectfully  submitted, 

•    "H.  H.  Newcomb,  Treasurer, 

"Honolulu,  June  9,  1868." 

Next  to  the  religious  and  basevolent  associations  of  a  peo- 
ple, the  character  of  their  pubUc  burial-places  is  an  unfailing 
criterion  of  the  state  of  their  civilization.  In  fact,  it  has  always 
been  understood,  by  all  nations  and  in  all  ages,  that  it  formed 
a  part  of  their  religion  properly  to  dispose  of  their  deceased 
fiiends.  With  these  convictions,  I  have  usually  visited  the 
resting-places  of  the  dead  wherever  my  rambling  propensi- 
ties have  led  me,  and  I  have  always  observed  that  I  could 
correctly  estimate  the  characteristics  of  a  commimity  from 
the  condition  in  which  I  found  their  pubHc  places  of  inter- 
ment. The  Foreign  Cemetery  at  Honolulu  is  a  creditable 
comment  on  the  intelligent  advancement  of  the  foreign  com- 
munity during  the  last  few  years.  It  contains  about  five  acres, 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  superb  grass,  and  is  neatly  inclosed. 
The  land  was  granted  by  the  government  for  this  purpose  in 

sons  referred  to  in  the  above  report  were  taken  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  in  a  whale  ship. 


70  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

1845.  Before  this  lot  was  secured,  *^  the  burial  of  foreigners 
at  that  port,  in  a  common  immediately  contiguous  to  a  public 
highway,  and  entirely  exposed  to  the  intrusion  of  all  sorts  of 
beasts,"  is  said  to  have  been  "  revolting."  Now,  however, 
things  are  changed  for  the  better.  On  entering  the  cemetery, 
a* visitor  may  observe  a  number  of  family  tombs,  neatly  con- 
structed of  coral  and  lava  stones,  and  surrounded  by  walls  of 
the  same  materials.  •  There  are  numerous  graves  neatly  sur- 
rounded by  iron  railings,  while  others  are  marked  merely  by 
the  swelling  mound  of  grass,  over  which  the  night-winds  sigh 
£)rth  their  dirges.  There  the  dead  of  various  nations  and  of 
every  creed  repose,  side  by  side,  in  their  last  sleep;  every 
dispute  is  as  hushed  as  the  tombs  in  which  they  slumber,  and 
every  distinction  that  alternately  swayed  them  while  living  is 
•  blotted  out  forever.  Poor  humanity !  They  are  all  on  a  level 
now.  This  burial-ground  is  located  about  two  miles  up  the 
Nuuanu  Valley.  Its  position  and  general  aspect  closely  har- 
monize with  the  lo%  and  majestic  mountains  a  few  miles  in 
the  rear,  and  it  afibids  a  generous  retreat  for  virtuous  reflec- 
tion. 

But  there  is  one  monument  that  stands  distinctly  apart  firom 
all  the  others.  It  is  conspicuous,  from  its  impretending  ap- 
pearance. It  is  precious,  because  it  was  placed  there  through 
the  promptings  of  the  undying  love  of  a  virtuous  woman.  It 
is  a  cenotaph  rather  than  a  regular  monument,  and  contains 
the  following  inscription : 

" SACRED 
to  the  memory  of 

REV.   JOHN  DIELL, 

First  Chaplain  of  the  American  Seamen's  Friend  Society  at  this 

port,  and  for  nine  years  here  faithfully  devoted  to  its  service. 

In  1841, 

while  on  his  homeward  voyage  to  the  United  States,  and  in  the  full 

enjoyment  of  the  Christian  hope,  he  died,  in  the  32d 

year  of  his  age. 

Erected  by  his  Widow. 

*  And  the  tea  gave  up  the  dead  whi^  were  in  it,^ — ^Rev.  xx.,  18." 

What  a  touching  memorial  of  a  woman's  love !     What  a 


CEMETERIES.  7^ 


simply  beautiful  testimonial  to  a  faithful  teacher  of  the  Chris- 
tiaa  religion !  It  speaks  to  a  contemplative  mind  in  tones  that 
could  not  be  suggested  .by  the  most  costly  mausoleum  ever 
reared  by  the  hand  of  wealth  and  power. 

The  Nati've  Cemetery  impersonates  native  character  to  a 
great  extent ;  it  is  hardly  any  thing  but  a  scene  of  wretched- 
ness and  desolation.  It  contains  about  six  acres.  The  adobe 
wall  that  once  inclosed  it  is  now  a  wreck — in  many  places 
leveled  with  the  earth.  In  the  area  repose  the  dead  of  sev- 
eral generations  of  Hawaiian^.  In  some  places  the  mounds 
are  discernible ;  generally,  however,  they  are  leveled  down  by 
the  trampling  of  cattlef  of  every  description.  The  old  Hawaii- 
aus  usually  displayed  a  profound  regard  for  the  dead.  It  is 
difficult  to  attempt  a  definition  of  the  causes  which  have  pro- 
duced such  a  change  within  the  short  period  of  two  genera- 
tions. Nothing  can  justify  such  a  shameless  neglect  of  the 
sepulchres  of  the  departed. 

The  CcUhdic  Cemetery  is  about  one  mile  out  of  town,  on 
the  road  to  Punahou.  Like  the  native  burial-ground,  it  was 
once  inclosed  by  an  adobe  wall.  I  found  the  inclosure  nearly 
all  gone,  and  the  tombs,  that  were  composed  of  the  same  ma- 
terials, were  sharing  a  similar  fate.  Several  horses  were  tread- 
ing down  the  remaining  mounds.  A  more  desolate  spot  can 
hardly  be  found.  On  turning  away  to  leave  it,  I  saw  a  native 
patching  up  a  pig-pen  close  to  the  tomb  in  which  some  of  Iiis 
relatives  were  interred.' 

But  of  all  the  places  set  apart  for  the  reception  of  the  dead 
in  the  Hawaiian  capital,  no  one  is  so  interesting  as  the  Royal 
Tomb.  It  is  situated  immediately  contiguous  to  the  palace 
groimds.  The  tomb  is  composed  of  a  single  chamber,  eighteen 
feet  by  fourteen  in  the  interior.  Its  walls  are  of  massive  coral, 
and  about  ten  feet  high  ;  the  whole  is  inclosed  by  a  high  and 
heavy  wall  of  the  same  material.  Close  around  the  coral  in- 
closure is  a  rapidly  maturing  grove  of  noble  shade  trees,  and 
among  them  the  gentle  breezes  that  come  in  from  the  ocean 
seem  to  hymn  forth  a  requiem  for  departed  monarchs.  But 
let  us  enter  this  abode  of  defunct  royalty.     A  portly,  good- 


72  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

looking  native  produces  a  large  key  ;  he  is  keeper  of  this  sa- 
cred repository.  The  holt  oheys  his  effort,  and  the  heavy  door 
swings  hack  on  its  rusty  hinges.  A.  collection  of  emhlazoned 
coffins  at  once  meets  your  gaze.  They  are  covered  with  pur- 
ple satin,  and  silk  velvet  <^the  same  color,  and  rest  one  ahove 
another  on  neatly-made  firames  of  koa  {Acacia  falcata).  The 
grave  of  Kamehameha,  the  conqueror,  remains  a  profound  se- 
cret unto  this  day ;  hut  these  members  of  the  royal  dead  have 
been' placed  here  since  the  beginning  of  1825,  according  to  the 
mode  adopted  by  some  modem  nations.  Their  coffins  are 
most  scrupulously  arranged,  and  they  convey  an  idea  of  jhx>- 
found  regard  for  the  inviolate  sanctity  of  their  individual  re- 
pose. Of  this  congregation  of  deceased  royalty,  I  had  never 
seen  one  while  Hving ;  and  yet,  standing  as  I  did  among  th^ 
.  lifeless  dust,  an  inexpressible  sadness,  mingled  with  a  sense  of 
awe,  crept  over  me,  and  seemed  to  chain  me  to  the  spot  on 
which  I  stood.  There  they  lay,  a  few  dusky  monarchs  and 
some  of  their  descendants.  They  had  swayed  the  sceptre  of 
absolute  despotism  before  I  drew  my  first  breath,  and  some 
of  them  had  seen  human  blood  flow  from  the  mangled  and 
quivering  limbs  of  victims  laid  on  the  altars  of  their  old  gods. 
At  that  moment,  and  amid  such  hellish  orgies,  they  little 
thought  of  the  place  of  their  repose ;  they  cared  Httle  as  to  its 
locality ;  and  much  less  did  fhey  think  that  a  rambler  from  a 
distant  land  would  stand  and  reflect  upon  their  deeds  as  they 
lay  stretched  in  their  winding-sheets.  But  what  of  that  1 
All — everything!  They  were  veritable  human  beings.  They 
did  once  think  and  act ;  but  now  every  one  of  them  had  gone 
to  "  that  bourne  whence  no  traveler  returns."  Some  of  them 
had  gone  that  long  journey  in  the  blackest  gloom  of  pagan- 
ism ;  others,  under  the  light  and  influence  of  a  divine  revela- 
tion. The  first  royal  dead  interred  there  were  Liholiho,  ot 
Kabiehameha  II.,  and  his  consort,  Kamamalu.  They  both 
died  of  measles,  in  July,  1824,  during  a  visit  to  London  (En- 
gland). The  British  government  generously  sent  a  frigate, 
under  the  command  of  Lord  Byron,  relative  of  the  poet,  to 
convey  tl^dr  remains  back  to  their  native  islands.     When  they 


ROYAL   TOMB.  73 


bade  faiewell  to  the  group  as  they  started  for  Englaad,  they 
seemed  to  have  an  impiessioiL  that  they  might  never  return. 
The  young  queen,  as  she  left  the  shore,  poured  out  her  full  soul 
mto  wailing,  and  exclaimed : 

"  O  heaven,  earth,  mountains,  ocean,  guardians,  subjects, 
love  to  you  all !  O  knd,  ht  which  my  &fher  bled,  receive 
the  assurance  of  my  earnest  love  !'' 

The  young  king  was  much  a^cted  ;  but,  as  he  struggled 
against  his  feelings,  he  ordered  his  chie&  and  people  to  pay 
every  regard  to  the  instructions  of  their  Christian  teachers, 
and  use  every  exertion  toward  their  own  mental  improvement. 
The  vessel  stood  out  to  sea,  and  was  soon  lost  fix)m  the  gaze 
dike  weeping  multitude ;  for  tliey  loved  their  sovereign,  but 
they  saw  him  no  more— K)nly  as  an  encoffined  corpse !  The 
remains  of  the  royal  pair  are  deposited  in  this  tomb.  The  in- 
scription on  his  breast-plate  is  strikingly  characteristic  of  the 
filial  attachment  of  the  Hawaiian  people  : 

Nathre  language. 

Bjlmeoameha  IL 

Elli  no  nahina  o  awhai 

make  L  Pelekani  28. 

Makaiki  Kaiku 

I  Ke  maloi  mua 


o  Kemokakai  1824. 

Aloha  Ino 
no  Kofoakou  Elii 

lOJLANL 


Tranaladon. 

Kaioehamsha  n. 

King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 

Died  July  14th,  1824, 

in  the 
28th  year  of  his  age. 


May  we  remember 
cur  beloved  King 

XOLANL 


But  the  most  conspicuous  of  these  coffins  was  that  which 
contained  the  remains  of  the  great  and  good  Kaahumanu,  the 
&varite  wife  of  the  old  Conqueror.  It  was  of  immense  pro- 
pOTtkms,  fi>r  the  Begent  was  a  woman  immensely  large.  But 
her  vast  physical  bulk  wi^  a  good  emblem  of  the  imperious 
tone  of  her  character  when  a  pagan  que^i,  and  of  her  Chris- 
tian depcnrtment  when  a  follower  of  the  Nazarene.  Never 
was  there  a  greater  change  produced  in  a  human  being ;  nev- 
er was  a  deathHMiene  more  happy  than  her  own.  Although, 
in  that  final  hour,  she  was  surrounded  by  no  courtiers  whose 
drapery  dazzled  by  its  Oriental  magnificence,  her  language 

D 


74  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

and  deportment  would  have  adorned  the  bright^  page  in  the 
long  ^catalogue  of  Christian  heroes.  Precious  in  the  sight  of 
Heaven  is  the  dust  of  that  once  imperious  queen !  Before 
treading  the  precincts  of  her  remains,  I  had  seen  some  of  the 
finely-executed  monuments  of  the  distinguiidied  of  our  race ; 
but  I  never  felf  so  subdued,  so  mortal,  as  then;  I  never  .ob- 
tained a  clearer  view  of  the  end  of  all  earthly  power  and  glo- 
ry than  by  the  side  of  that  coffin.  I  thought  of  the  great 
Saladin,  who  caused  to  be  carried  before  him,  when  being 
conveyed  to  the  grave,  his  shirt  (!),  as  all  that  remained  c^ 
the  6nce  mighty  ruler.  And  I  remembered  the  inunortal  Gy- 
rus— his  wars,  palaces,  and  wealth — and  the  words  compos- 
ing the  epitaph  of  the  great  warrior  came  back  to  my  memo- 
ry as  yividly  as  if  they  had  been  vmtten  in  letters  of  fire  be- 
fore my  eyes : 

"  0  man !  whosoever  thou  art,  and  whensoever  thou  com- 
est  (for  come  I  know  thou  wilt),  I  am  Cyrus,  the  founder  of 
the  Persian  Empire.  Envy  me  not  the  Httle  earth  that  cov- 
ers my  body  I" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HONOLULU. 

Society. — ^Foreign  Officials. — Residents,  Foreign  and  Native. — ^Ha- 
waiian "Women  and  Dress. — ^False  Charges  refuted. — ^Population. — 
Police.  —  Militia. — Hawaiian  Guards.— Jlouses. — Streets. — Street 
Scenes. — ^Honolulu  at  Night — Saturday  Sports. — Sunday  in  Hon- 
olulu. 

An  attempt  to  sketch  community-life  is  a  difi&cult  and  del- 
icate task.  An  estimate  that  would  appear  strictly  impartial 
to  one  man,  might  not  appear  so  to  another.  A  community 
may  retain  every  jiational  representation,  or  it  may  hterally 
float  on  a  sea  of  wealth ;  but,  unless  there  can  be  found  in  it 
the  elements  of  a  strict  integrity  of  purpose,  nobihty  of  soul, 
and  honorable  relations  between  man  and  man,  no  society  can 


FAULTS   OF  THE   HONOLULUANS.         75 

be  said  to  exist  there.  Domestic  display,  public  promenades, 
evening  levees,  do  not  sanctify  it.  In  proportion  to  the  pecu- 
lation, however,  a  man  will  find  spirits  as  generous,  and  no- 
ble, and  numerous  in  Honolulu,  as  in  any  town  on  earth.  If 
the  Honoluluans  have  any  faults — and  what  community  has 
not  ? — ^they  are  two  of  rather  a  glaring  nature.  First,  there 
is  an  almost  universal  and  inoesifant  tendency  to  **  whisper" 
about  each  other — an  evil  that  tends  to  destroy  individual  con^ 
Mence.  Again,  there  is  almost  a  universal  aping  of  what- 
ever can  render  them  aristocratic  and  zmnatural — an  evil  that 
tends  to  bankruptcy  and  discomfort.  The  citizens  of  that 
town  may  be  a  long  time  coming  to  these  condusicms,  but  a 
i^ranger  sees  them  almost  immediately  on  his  arrival.  But 
these  traits  are  not  at  all  uncommon  to  island  communitieB, 
detached  so  widely  from  continental  society ;  nor  will  th^ 
ever  be  eradicated  in  Honolulu  until  there  is  wider  intercourse 
maintained  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  After  all,  it  is  ques- 
tionable if  these  evils  are  not  pretty  amply  redeemed  by  many 
of  the  associations  at  which  I  have  already  glanced. 

The  increasing  importance  of  Honolulu,  in  its  commercial 
capacity,  may  be  seen  from  a  list  of  consuls  fiom  foreign  na- 
tions.    They  represent  the 


United  States  (consul). 

France. 

Denmark. 

Hamburg. 


England  (consul  general). 

Peru  (consul). 

ChiU. 

Bremen. 


United  States  Commissioner. 
French  Commissioner. 

In  1851,  the  Hawaiian  king  was  well  represented  abroad, 
and  that  representation  is  a  criterion  of  the  national  position 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands.* 

Between  the  foreign  residents  and  the  natives  there  is  all 
the  difierence  imaginable.  Although  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  took  many  of  the  former  class  away,  they  are  stead- 
ily on  the  increase.    With  the  latter  it  is  directly  the  reverse. 

*  The  Table  on  the  following  page  is  from  the  Report  of  the  SlGn- 
ister  of  Foreign  Relations  for  1B51 : 


76 


SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


The  foreigners  take  a  rational  pride  in  paying  eome  deforenoe 
to  fashion,  or  they  beccvne  independent  of  the  enslaving  deity> 
and  dress  just  as  they  please.  The  natives  usually  ^low 
their  own  inclinations  in  regard  to  hahits,  or  they  tenaciously 
cling  to  the  custxnais  of  their  progenitorB.  As  a  general  thing, 
the  foreign  resid^its  are  mastos^  while  the  natives  are  the 
servants  of  the  puhhc.  This  is  a  painful  £su^  to  contemj^te. 
But  so  it  will  remain.  The  Hawaiians  feel  their  inferiority ; 
and  while  the  race  survives,  they  will  remain  inferi<»r  both 
mentally  and  physically- — the  icNrm^,  because  ages  c£  igno- 
rance are  ^Eitailed  upon  ihem ;  the  latter,  because  of  disease. 
Many  of  them  endeavor  to  imitate  foreigners  in  their  extmuil 
appearance ;  otl^rs,  despairing  of  success,  settle  into  a  sort  of 
apathy  nearly  allied  to  barbarism.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to 
create  a  train  ci  wants  in  the  mind  ci  a  Hawaiian. 

Since  my  return  from  liie  group,  I  have  many  times  been 
asked  about  the  personal  appearance  of  the  Sandwich  Island 
women.  My  uniform  reply  has  been,  and  it  now  is,  that  there 
are  eome  amoi^  them  who,  in  point  of  physiccj  p^ection, 
are  surpassed  by  ncme  throughout  the  whole  earth.  The  girls 
are  w<»nett  at  fifteen  and  sixteen.  Their  development  is  rapid 
under  the  genial  sun  of  the  tropics.  They  have  tl^  Malayaa 
physiology  and  cast  of  countenance;  with  dadc  eyes,  liiat 
seem  to  read  the  bidder's  thoughts,  and  hair  as  black  and 


"nST 


Table  of  the  King's  Foreign  Agtntt. 

"  HmU  of  AppointiBaiitr' 


17th  May,  1845, 
7th  April,  1851, 
10th  Apiil,  1860, 
10th  April,  1850, 


17th  May,  1847. 
10th  April,  1»M), 
30th  May,  1849, 
14th  NoTember,  1849, 

August,  1848. 

aoth  September,  ld46. 

Appointed  by   Coneol 
General  LiTingston, 
7th  April,  1851, 
9d  Sqitember,  1850, 


Arehibald  Barclay,  Esq. . 
Edward  Beyerbach,  Esq. 
John  Wataon  Bain,  Esq. . 
Thos.  W.  CampbeU,  Esq. 


Thomas  R.  Eldredge,  Esq, 
J.  Henry  Gossler,  fisq.. . . 

Joseph  Jardine,  Esq 

David  Jardine,  Esq 

James  J.  Jarves,  Esq 

Sehuyler  Livingston,  Esq. 

Granville  S.  Oldfidd,  Esq. 

John  F.  MnUsr,  Esq 

Alfred  A.  Reed,  Esq 


Commissioner,  Lcmdon. 
Consul  General,  Chili. 
Consol  fbr  New  Zealand. 
Consul  General  for  New  South 

Wales  and  Van  IXemen*s 

Land. 
Charge  d'Afihires  for  Pern. 
Consul  General  fbr  Hamburg. 
Consul  General  for  China. 
Consul  Ibr  H<»g  Kong. 
Consul  for  Boston. 
Consul  General  for  the  United 

States. 
Yiee-eonsul  for  Baltioiore. 

Oonsnl  for  Bvemen. 
Consul  for  Java  and  the  Dutch 
East  Indies. 


HAWAIIAN   WOMEN   AND  DRESS.  77 

gloBsy  as  the  wing  of  ^  raven.  I  have  seen  many  of  them 
on  whofise  external  beauty  Nature  seems  to  havq  lavished  all 
her  i^ill.  From  their  maturity  unto  quite  past  the  meridian 
of  life,  the  women  appear  to  think,  feel,  and  act  like  school- 
girk.  It  is  not  until  their  beautiful  tresses  become  mixed  with 
gray  that  tl^y  begin  to  feel  the  coming  on  of  life's  winter. 
Th^  it  is  that  they  grow  old  rapidly,  and  they  fade  like 
flowers  smitten  by  ^e  chilly  breath  of  the  north.  It  may 
safely  be  asserted,  that  these  women  acquire  much  d'their  phys- 
ical predion  by  frequent  aquatic  and  equestrian  exercises. 

The  m^i  present  no  accurate  criterion  on  the  subject  of 
dress ;  £ir  in  the  momii^  they  may  frequently  be  seen  sans 
every  tlnng  but  what  a  civilized  man  would  regard  as  his  only 
und^  gaxmeaiy  which,  in  this  relation,  I  may  denominate  a 
n<H[idescript;  in  the  evening  the  same  native  may  be  seen 
neatly  attiied  in  the  costume  of  a  foreigner.  A  better  and 
nMire  accurate  opinion  can  be  formed  in  relation  to  the  women. 
They  are  passionately  fond  of  dress.  Many  of  them  must  and 
will  have  it,  at  any  price — even  at  the  cost  of  their  conjugal 
fidelity.  In  the  gratification  of  their  vanity,  they  are  not  un- 
firequently  imposed  on  to  a  severe  extent ;  fi>r  when  an  article 
suits  their  fancy,  they  can  hot  be  denied  it ;  and  in  this  case 
1^  philantiirq[HC  merchant  will  commonly  tax  them  600  per 
cttit.  beyond  its  real  value.  You  may  enter  a  native  house, 
and  see  a  vivid  picture  of  all  that  can  make  the  home  of  any 
human  creature  desolate ;  and  yet,  at  the  extreme  end,  or  near 
the  centre  of  the  dcnuicile,  you  will  probably  observe  a  woman 
gayly  enveloped  in  a  loose  robe  composed  of  a  rich  satin  or  a 
viduable  silk,  while  her  favorite  seat  is  on  a  mat  or  the  hard 
cold  earth.  They  may  not  have  a  civilized  couch  to  repose 
on,  nor  a  gauze  curtain  to  save  them  from  the  ferocious  attacks 
of  gigantic  musquitoes,  but  they  luHl  have  their  silk  and  satin 
drapery.  And  you  may  dress  up  one  or  any  number  of  them 
in  the  richest  fabrics  ever  created  by  hirnian  hands,  and  there 
will  be  a  thousand  probabilities  against  one  that  an  imcouth 
mode  of  walking,  or  something  else,  will  spoil  their  appearance. 
Among  the  Hawaiian  women  there  are  few  graceful  promen- 


78  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

aders.     They  always  appear  to  most  advantage  when  on  the 
saddle. 

But  while  referring  to  native  women  and  dress,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  the  most  scrupulous  honesty  be  employed  in  making 
a  proper  discrimination.  On  this  theme  much  has  been  said 
and  written  that  will  bear  no  rigid  test.  It  has  been  remark- 
ed, by  a  recent  visitor  to  the  group,  and  especially  in  relation 
to  Honolulu :  "The  native  women  are  great  and  extravagant 
purchasers ;  some  of  them  boast  of  possessing  fifty  or  seventy- 
five  silk  and  satin  dresses ;  as  I  have  said  before,  they  have 
only  one  way  of  obtaining  mojtey— and  it  is  a  well-known 
and  monstrous  fact,  that  these  stores  are  entirely  sustained  by 
the  prostitution  of  the  Kanaka  women  !"*  Now  all  this  is 
an  unwarrantable  denunciation,  an  unsubstantiated  falsehood. 
Among  thousands  in  remote  lands,  the  Hawaiian  capital  has 
obtained  for  itself  the  imenviable  sobriqtcet  of  "  the  brothel  of 
the  Pacific."  But  it  is  not  the  shameless  hell  that  the  above 
paragraph  would  represent.  Ofiicial  documents  vividly  por- 
tray the  domestic  infidelity  of  too  many  of  the  native  women ; 
and  there  are  too  many  stores  there  that  are  more  than  par- 
tially sustained  by  the  avails  of  prostitution.  This  universal 
condemnation,  this  want  of  discrimination,  however,  is  all 
wrong.  If  Honolulu  were  the  only  place  in  the  world  where 
such  abuses  of  moral  law  exist,  then  the  advocates  of  "  Moral 
Reform"  may  thank  God  and  go  forward.  But  who  is  there 
that  does  not  know  such  is  not  the  state  of  things  in  our  poor 
world  ?  In  relation  to  the  assertion  that  the  native  women 
have  "  only  one  way  of  raising  numey'^  (.') — I  think  that  a 
candid  perusal  of  the  following  document  will  be  sufificient. 
It  was  handed  to  me  by  an  inteUigent  gentleman  who  has 
spent  many  years  in  Honolulu,  and  whose  name  can  be  fiir- 
nished  at  any  moment : 

*  "The  Sandwich  Islands,  As  they  are,  Not  as  they  should  be." 
Burgess,  Gilbert,  and  StUl.     San  Francisco,  1862,  p.  14. 

This  pamphlet  is  mainly  correct ;  the  above  paragraph  is  one  of 
the  very  exceptionable  exceptions. 


FALSE   CHARGES   REFUTED.  79 

**  Honolulu,  March  6thy  1853. 

"  Bear  Sir, — ^In  answer  to  your  question,  *IIota  do  natives 
procure  money?*  I  reply,  that  it  is  nothing  but  a  corrupt 
mind  that  can  assert  their  sources  of  revenue  to  be  corrupt 
means  only.  And  while  I  may  not  be  able  to  enumerate  all 
the  occupations  by  which  natives  obtain  the  means  of  honest 
livelihood,  the  following  come  within  my  own  knowledge. 

**  Females  are  employed  as  nurses,  house  servants,  washer- 
women, serving-women,  and  many  are  the  wives  of  foreigners 
and  natives,  and  are  more  or  less  employed  in  their  own  do- 
mestic concerns  at  home. 

''Males  are  employed  as  mechanics,  such  as  carpenters, 
masons,  blacksmiths,  tailors,  shoemakers,  printers,  book-bind- 
ers, coopers,  &c.,  &c. ;  and  as  market-men,  butchers,  and  gra- 
ziers ;  also  as  clerks,  teachers,  surveyors,  sailors,  laborers 
on  plantations,  day-laborers,  house  servants,  cooks,  stewards, 
herdsmen,  &c.,  &c.  Your  own  observation  will  suggest  that, 
in  Honolulu,  a  large  number  are  occupied  in  supplying  the 
town  with  vegetables,  milk,  fish,  eggs,  turkeys,  hogs,  ducks, 
wood,  charcoal,  grass  for  horses,  and  many  other  articles,  to 
say  nothing  o£  poi  for  native  residents  who  are  employed  as 
servants,  or  as  laborers  in  the  town  and  among  the  shipping, 
mechanics,  &c. 

"  Besides  this,  they  receive  a  large  amount  of  money  during 
the  year  for  the  letting  of  horses,  boats,  and  houses,  while  some 
of  them  own  and  sail  vessels  among  the  islands.  Others  cul- 
tivate their  little  farms,  firom  which  are  raised  nearly  all  the 
supplies  for  residents  and  shipping.  Others,  again,  are  em- 
ployed as  peddlers,  road  supervisors,  tax  collectors,  judges,  law- 
yers, school  inspectors,  constables,  land  commissioners,  jurors, 
legislators,  privy  counselors,  &c.,  &c. 

**  The  compensation  of  all  these  classes  is  ample  to  support 
themselves  and  families,  and  varies  from  25  cents  to  $3  per 
day  for  laborers  and  mechanics ;  from  $2  to  $7  per  week  for 
house  servants,  and  firom  $1  to  $3  for  women  and  domestic 
servants  and  sewing  women.  For  washing  they  sometimes 
make  firom  $5  to  $10  per  week. 


80  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

'*  Employ  these  items  as  ydrxc  own  judgment  may  suggest, 
and  permit  me  to  remain,  with  every  esteem,  truly  yours, 


In  the  course  of  these  pages  I  diall  say  something  more 
ahout  native  male  and  female  character  and  occupation. 

The  populatipn  is  composed  of  persons  firom  n^urly  all  na- 
tions. A  census  of  the  foreign  residents  was  rec^itly  tak^i* 
hy  the  marshal  of  the  kingdom,  included  within  the  following 
limits :  from  Kalihi  to  Waikiki,  along  the  coast,  and  in  the 
rear  as  far  as  the  Fcdi.  These  hounds  embrace  the  city  of 
Honolulu  and  its  suburbs,  and  give  the  entire  foreign  popula- 
tion. 

Males  over  twenty-one  years  of  ffge 380 

"     tinder        "  «  129 

Females  over  twenty-one  years  Qf  age 144 

**       tmder  twelve  *' '. . . .  118 

m 

Colored  poptdation 21 ' 

Chinamen  in  business  . . ' 87 

Coolies,  laborers^  and  servants 84 

Total 868 

It  appears  by  the  above  that  there  are  twice  as  many  males 
as  females  among  the  foreign  population,  a  disproportion  occa- 
sioned by  large  numbers  of  young  men  who  leave  ships  and 
remain  here,  or  who  come  to  the  islands  to  seek  their  fortunes, 
as  clerks,  mechanics,  kc. 

The  foreign  population  has  diminished  within  two  years  by 
the  drain  to  California  and  the  Australian  colonies.  The  na- 
tive population  embraced  within  the  same  limits  is  estimated 
at  about  eight  thousand  souls. 

The  foreign  pc»:tion  of  the  community  comprises  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  following  nations  :  United  States  of  America, 
Great  Britain,  Chum,  Polynesia,  Western  Islands,  France,  Port- 
ugal, Germany,  Sweden,  St.  Helena,  Calcutta,  Singapore,  Ma- 
*  Published  in  the  "Polifnenan,**  October  80,  1852. 


THE  HAWAIIAN  GUARD.  81 

nilla,  G-aam,  and  the  West  Indies.  During  the  nine  months 
ending  18^2,  seventy-four  persons  from  the  ahove  naticms  took 
ihe  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king  and  the  Constitution. 

The  police  force  is  prescrihed  by  law.  For  the  island  of 
Oahu,  it  is  fixed  at  two  hundred.  There  are  four  hundred  and 
fflxty  scattered  over  the  other  islands  of  the  group.  The  prin- 
cipal mimber  of  those  retained  cm  Oahu  axe  centered  in  Hono- 
lulu. With  few  exceptions,  they  axe  all  native  subjects,  and  no 
community  on  earth  can  boast  a  more  finished  set  of  knaves. 

There  is  a  body  of  militia  on  the  isknd  numbering  in  all 
two  hundred  men,  fifom  fifty  to  two  hundred  of  whom  are  re^ 
served  to  man  the  fort  at  the  capital,  as  emergencies  may  re^ 
quire.  Ima^e,  for  the  miost  part,  a  few  lazy,  shoeless,  and 
stockingless  fellows,  with  hardly  spirit  and  skill  enough  to 
'*  shoul(kr  arms,"  detached  here  and  there  over  the  group,  and 
an  idea  may  be  partially  formed  of  Hawaiian  soldiers.  These 
miseraUe  men  receive  the  dignified  appellation  of  "arm/y/" 
Prince  Alexander  LraoLmo  is  their  Heutenant-general.  King 
Kamrhaitrha  III.  is  their  commander-in-chief.  So  says  article 
tw^ityHseven  of  the  Constitution  of  1852.  He  also,  has  com- 
mand of  the  "  ncmf — ^the  first  portion,  of  which  is  not  yet 
built ;  for  not  a  single  wax  vessel  of  any  size  or  description 
rides  the  waves  of  the  Hawaiian  seas.  Imagine  about  seven 
hundred  erf  said  soldiers,  with  "  eighty-seven  pieces  of  artillery 
now  on  the  islands/ -  and  worthless,  with  an  unborn  iLavy,  and 
an  *'  Annual  Report"  upcm  them  and  their  merits,  and  the 
fiiice  becomes  complete  at  once. 

The  only  military  force  on  the  group  in  which  any  reliance 
may  be  reposed  is  the  First  Hawaiian  Guard.  It  is  composed  of 
both  infantry  and  cavalry.  Its  members.are  foreigners  and  the 
sons  of  foreigners.  They  are  sdf-constituted  citizen  companies. 
This  recent  element  of  strength  had  its  origin  in  the  serious 
sailor  riot  of  I^ovember,  1852.  With  the  permission  of  the 
government,  they  organized  themselves  for  the  mutual  defense 
of  life  and  property.  Every  man  finds  his  own  horse,  accoutre- 
ments, and  ammunition.     They  are  all  residents  of  Honolulu. 

The  fereigners  own  some  very  respectable  residences,  many 
D2 


SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


of  which  aie  composed  of  stone  or  coral,  and  some  are  hand- 
somely framed  and  finished  of  wood.  They  are  neat,  but  not 
at  all  gorgeous.  In  such  a  place  as  Honolulu,  magniiicence 
is  out  of  the  question.  The  chief  object  is  comfort.  They  are 
usually  well  ventilated ;  but  they  contain  no  fire-places ;  for 
such  is  the  geniality  of  the  climate,*  that  none  are  needed.  It 
Iias'many  times  been  mahciously  Teported  that  the  houses  of 
the  missionaries  are  'luxurious,"  and  "filled  with  native 
slaves.'*  To  maintain  my  original  intention — truth  in  all  my 
narrations-^I  am  constrained  to  say  these  charges  are  untrue ; 
for  their  dwellings  are  plain  and  modest,  especially  in  their  in- 
terior.    But  of  these  topics  I  shall  say  more  subsequently. 

Between  the  residences  of  fi)reigners  and  natives  the  widest 
conceivable  difierence  exists.  The  dwellings  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  chiefs  afibrd  no  criterion  of  those  occupied  by  the 
common  natives.  The  latter  can  be  understood  only  by  actual 
inspecticm.  When  standing  at  a  distance,  and  watching  the 
cocoa-nut  foliage  wave  its  lovely  forms  over  a  native  hut,  there 
is  something  about  it  that  is  exceedingly  romantic.  On  ad- 
vancing and  entering  it,  however,  the  romance  gives  place  to 
a  sad  reality. 

"  The  houses  of  the  common  people  are  defective  in  almost 
every  thing  which  constitutes  civilization.  These  are  thatch- 
ed buildings,  with  the  posts  set  in  the  ground,  on  which  rafters 
are  placed.  They  axe  higher  than  formerly,  and  have  a  prop- 
er door,  instead  of  a  hole  into  which  the  occupant  ccmld  only 
crawl.  Among  the  common  people  of  the  better  sort  there 
are  many  comfortable  houses,  tolerably  well  furnished.  They 
Kave,  b^des,  many  respectable  adobe  buildings.  But  there 
has  been  less  improvement  in  the  building  of  houses  than  in 
almost  any  other  kind  of  advancement  toward  civilization. 
This  has  be^i  owing  hitherto  to  the  uncertain  tenure  of  a 
home,  and  the  consequent  want  of  local  attachments.*  *t 

*  See  Appendix  Nd.  IH 

t  "Answers  to  Questions  proposed  by  his  Ezeellency  R.  C.  "Wyl- 
lie,  his  Hawaiian  Majesty's  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations,  and  ad- 
dressed to  all  the  missionaries  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  ** — ^P.  21. 


r 


HOUSES  — STREETS. 


83 


NATIVE   HOUSE. 


Into  these  abodes  it  is  nothing  unusual  to  see  four  or  five 
families  crowd  themselves.  In  man]^in8tances,  a  few  cala- 
ba^ed,  and  a  mat  or  two  to  sleep  on,  constitute  their  domestic 
iumiture.  There  is  seldom  any  partition.  In  such  cases,  ev- 
ery thing  is  indiscriminate.  This  stem  retention  of  ancestral 
architecture  holds  back  with  a  strong  hand  their  progressive 
civilization,  and  deprives  them  of  much  comfort. 

The  town  can  boast  of  few  well-laid-out  streets.  The  only 
good  one  is  that  running  up  from  the  Custom-house  into  the 
Nuuanu  Valley.  All  of  them  are  more  or  less  disfigured  by 
the  fragments  of  adobe  walls  built  several  years  since,  and 
which  give  to  every  object  rather  an  ancient  appearance. 
There  are  numerous  lanes  and  alleys,  that  are  so  lumbered  up, 
especially  at  night,  by  persons  that  present  themselves 


84  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

"  In  such  a  questionable  shape/* 
that  the  pedestrian  stands  a  noble  chance  to  break  his  precipi- 
tate neck  by  stumbling  over  them.  The  natives  toill  love  I 
and,  as  a  genesal  thing,  with  them  passion  is  stronger  than  the 
restraints  imposed  by  civil  and  moral  law.  Beneath  the  over- 
hanging foliage  in  those  narrow  streets,  Nature  has  celebrated 
the  nuptials  of  many  a  youthful  pair  of  Hawaiians,  the  mocni 
and  the  stars  alone  being  witnesses  to  the  ceremony. 

But  if  those  narrow  streets  retain  an  aspect  of  antiquity^ 
many  of  the  day-scenes  which  occur  in  them  are  extremely 
novel  to  a  visitor.  In  violation  of  law,  some  careless  native, 
sans  lower  garments  of  every  description,  and  with  some  half> 
worn-out  sailor's  jacket  buttoned  close  up  to  his  chin,  may 
come  riding  past  as  though  he  had  stolen  the  Pegasus  of  N^ 
tune  and  Medusa,  and  was  trying  to  escape  pursuit.  Yonder 
may  be  a  couple  of  natives,  who  are  employed  as  ponies  or 
horses,  drawing  after  them  a  sort  of  a  box  resting  on  four 
wheels,  and  dignified  by  the  term  *^  carriage."  The  precious 
cargo  of  that  singular  vehicle  is  almost  certain  to  be  a  foreign 
lady !  In  turning  a  comer,  you  may  suddenly  come  in  con- 
tact with  a  group  of  knavish  pohce,  bearing  off,  as  a  trophy  of 
victory,  a  single  intoxicated  sailor  to  snug  lodgings  in  the  fort ; 
or  you  may  possibly  stumble  against  a  crowd  of  girls  and  wom- 
en clad  in  silks  and  satins,  their  heads  fancifully  adorned  with 
wild  flowers,  and  theifteyes  silently  watching  poor  "  Jack**  as 
he  is  borne  away  from  their  afiectionate  arms ;  for  he  may 
have  spent  his  last  dollar  with  scmie  of  their  number.  A  lit- 
tle farther  on,  some  Irural  lover,  having  jui^  come  in  fiK>m  the 
country  with  something  for  the  maricet,  may  have  met*  his 
inamorata  ;  down  goes  his  load,  while  into  it  is  inserted  the 
snout  of  some  rambhng  pig ;  but  he  has  thrown  his  arms  - 
around  the  waist  and  neck  of  his  beloved,  and  is  tasting  the 
sweets  of  her  pouting  lips,  forgetting  that  any  other  eyes  are 
upon  him.  Pages  might  easily  be  filled  with  a  description  of 
the  every-day  scenes  in  the  streets  of  Honolulu,  but  ocnnmon 
humanity  must  throw  a  vail  over  them.  It  was  to  this  very 
theme  that  Chief-justice  Lee  pointed  when  he  said,  '*  But  the 


HONOLULU  AT  NIGHT.  85 

mofastet  evil  of  the  land — the  one  which  goes  to  the  vitals  of 
tlnsmatioii — is  licentiousness.  This  suhject  is  not  a  pleasing 
one ;  hat  when  we  are  daOy  called  upon  to  witness  the  mast 
disgtisting  scenes  in  our  puMc  streets — ccnnmon  prostitution 
stalking  ahroad  at  nocoi-day — and  the  nation  speedily  wasting 
away  under  our  very  eyes  with  its  consuming  fires,  it  is  crim- 
inal to  keep  silence  I"* 

Than  Honolulu,  no  town  is  blessed  with  a  more  perfect 
quiet  at  night.  This  may  be  owing  mainly  to  the  &ct  that 
the  P^ial  Code  makes  ample  provision  for  the  unlucky  wight 
who  forgets  to  place  a  strong  guard  over  his  words  and  actions. 
**A11  loud  noise  by  night  is  taboo.  Whoever,  after  sunset, 
shall,  by  hallooing,  singing  in  the  streets,  or  in  any  other  way, 
make  any  disturbing  or  disorderly  noise,  in  apy  village,  town, 
or  part  of  the  kingdom,  without  justifiable  cause  for  so  doing, 
shall  be  liable  to  summary  arrest  and  imprisonment  by  any 
constable  or  police  officer,  and,  upon  conviction,  be  pimished 
by  a  fine  not  exceeding  ten  dollars." — {Penal  Code,  chap,  xli., 
sec.  !.)•  Between  the  hours  of  nine  and  ten,  this  quiet  begins. 
The  town  at  night,  and  the  town  by  day,  appear  like  two 
difierent  places.  Except  the  voice  of  a  gentle  song,  and  the 
notes  of  delicious  music  flowing  from  the  latticed  window  of 
some  lady's  apartment,  or  the  imique  strains  of  a  native  wail- 
ing for  the  dead,  every  sound  is  hushed.  Were  it  not  that  the 
pedestrian  meets  a  straggling  poUce  in  search  of  his  prey,  he 
could  hardly  divest  himself  of  the  conviction  that  he  is  wan- 
dering among  the  ruins  of  some  buried  city.  In  another  hour 
the  voice  of  song  itself  ceases.  Silence  seems  to  have  reared 
its  throne  on  the  brow  of  night,  demanding  an  implicit  obedi- 
etLce  to  its  sway.  It  is  as  if  the  very  wheels  of  time  stood ; 
as  if  Nature  herself  were  reposing  on  the  bosom  of  Morpheus. 
Woe  to  him  who  may  chance  to  be  found  giving  expression 
to  his  hilarity  by  way  of  song  or  even  gesticulation,  when  all 
virtuous  families  are  supposed  to  have  retired  for  the  night ! 

*  Pirst  Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Ck>urt, 
to  the  Nobles  and  Representatives  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  in  Legis- 
lative Council  assembled:  1868. 


SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


No  excuse  for  such  deportment  is  admissible;  and  nothing 
less  than  a  night's  lodgings  in  the  fort,  and  a  "  fine"  next 
morning,  can  expiate  his  transgression  against  law  and  order. 
With  the  native  population,  nearly  over  the  entire  group, 
Saturday  is  considered  a  sort  of  hoUday.  On  the  plantations 
it  is  pay-day  for  the  workmen ;  in  the  country  it  is  a  sort  of 
market-day  among  those  who  fail  to  attend  the  town  markets 
during  the  week,  or  who  may  have  none  to  attend ;  it  is  the 
grand  gala  day  of  the  natives  of  Honolulu  and  its  vicinity. 
Scores,  and  sometimes  hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children 
meet  on  the  plain  on  the  east  of  the  town,  to  test  their  horses' 
skill  and  their  own,  and  to  display  their  gaudy  drapery,  and, 
sometimes,  the  want  of  it.  .  On  that  particular  day,  if  the  law 
against  "fast-riding"  is  not  suspended ^o  tem.^  certainly  it 
is  not  enforced.  These  sports  were  originally  adopted  by  the 
natives  several  years  ago,  aiwl  they  are  a  capital  substitute 


FKMALS   BQVB8TSIAN. 


SATURDAY  SPORTS.  g? 

£>r  many  of  their  old  pagan  games.  They  usually  commence 
at  4  P.M.,  when  the  heat  of  the  day  is  past.  It  is  a  scene  of 
profound  interest  to  strangers ;  and  were  it  not  that  the  ani- 
mals are  too  hardly  rode,  it  would  sustain  much  that  would 
be  enjoyed.  The  riders  are  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  and 
of  every  variety  of  costume  and  of  physical  proportion,  mounted 
on  every  variety  of  steed.  The  women  and  girls  are  decidedly 
the  best  riders.  With  them,  not  as  with  the  ladies  of  our  At- 
lantic cities,  side-saddles  are  out  of  the  question.  In  their 
loose,  flowing  drapery,  hair  streaming  in  the  wind,  their  beau- 
tifully erect  position,  and  their  horses  careering  along  hke  the 
march  of  the  whirlwind,  they  look  majestically  dangerous,  and 
yet  they  are  never  thrown  from  the  saddle.  There  is  many 
a  lady  in  civilized  nations  who  would  envy  the  equestrian 
skill  of  these  Hawaiian  women.  There  is  many  a  finished 
artist  that  would  be  glad  to  have  one  of  them  as  a  subject  fbi 
his  pencil.  It  may  be  owing  to  this  mode  of  exercise  that 
they,  in  part,  acquire  such  an  exquisite  development  of  form. 
I  wish  I  could  fully  portray  these  Saturday  afternoon  sports. 
Yonder,  on  the  plain,  some  forty  or  fifty  women  are  spewing 
almost  with  the  rapidity  of  light  toward  some  well-selected 
goal.  Every  nerve  and  muscle  of  both  horses  and  riders  is 
stretched  to  the  utmost  tension — ^the  former  firom  sheer  instinct 
to  gain  the  victory,  the  latter  firom  a  spirit  of  almost  match- 
less daring,  mirthfulness,  and  excitement.  Now  comes  along 
a  party  of  men  and  boys,  many  of  them  clinging,  with  their 
naked  limbs,  hke  leeches  to  the  flanks  of  their  foaming  steeds, 
while  their  restless  hands  and  arms  are  describing  all  sorts  of 
circles  in  the  air,  as  if  under  pain  of  dismemberment,  but,  in 
reality,  to  cheer  along  their  animals  to  a  swifter  speed.  Clouds 
of  choking  dust  follow  their  wake.  Here  and  there  may  be 
a  mounted  foreign<er,  quietly  looking  on,  or  sharing  in  their 
mirth  and  sports.  But  yonder  is  a  scene  that  defies  all  attempts 
at  description.  A  few  horses  and  donkeys,  not  under  imme- 
diate use,  but  which,  a  few  minutes  since,  were  quietly  feed- 
ing on  the  ever-Uving  pasture,  have  caught  the  spirit  of  that 
fiery  locomotion  by  which  their  compeers  are  impelled  over 


SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


the  plain.  Unable  any  longer  to  control  their  nature,  away 
they  speed,  in  the  utmost  confusion,  as  though  their  powers 
of  a  life-endurance  were  all  concentrated  in  this  single  mom^it. 
Now  they  have  mingled  with  the  mounted  animals,  sharing 
their  feam,  and  madly  plunging  through  the  clouds  of  dust, 
and  endangering  the  life  and  limbs  of  any  pedestrian  who 
&ils  to  get  out  of  the  way  in  time.  Chi,  on  they  speed,  like 
fiery  Arabians  over  their  native  siinds,  all  and  each  one  strug- 
gling for  the  mastery  in  the  well-contest^  race  for  glory.  It 
is  well  there  are  no  toll-gates  to  oppos^  their  progress,  that 
their  hair  naturally  grows  fiaist  on  their  ifeads,  that  they  cany 
with  them  na  superfluous  garments,  or,  like  the  celebrated 
Gilpin,  they  might  be  the  victims  of  very  serious  inconvenience. 

Before  taking  my  leave  of  Honolulu  and  its  scenes,  I  feel 
constrain^  to  attempt  a  description  of  one  of  its  Sabbaths, 
as  I  have  seen  it.  The  singular  beauty  of  the  weather  that 
usually  ushers  in  the  sacred  day  leaves  a  lasting  impress  on 
the  reflecting  mind.  The  god  of  day  ascends  his  chariot  in 
the  majesty  of  a  cloudless  sky.  Mountains,  hills,  valleys, 
plams,  woodlands,  ocean-— every  thing  seems  to  borrow  a 
tinge  of  his  golden  glory.  Scarcely  a  zeph3nr*s  breath  &ns 
the  £}Uage,  bespangled  with  the  tears  of  the  night  that  has 
just  fled  away  forever.  At  9  A.M.  the  heart-felt  silence  is 
awakened  by  the  familiar  tones  of  the  church-going  bell.  No 
unpleasant  sounds  are  heard,  no  rush  or  confusion  disturbs 
the  streets.  Honolulu  recognizes  the  quietest  Sabbath  on  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth !  and  this  repose  is  secured  by  the 
enforcement  of  a  just  and  righteous  law.* 

Let  us  enter  the  First  Native  Church,  of  which  mention 
has  been  already  made.     There  are  nearly^  three  thousand 

*  "Tlie  Lord*8  day  is  taboo:  all  worldly  business,  amusements, 
and  recreation  are  forbidden  on  that  day;  and  whoever  shall  keep 
open  bis  shop,  store,  warehouse,  or  woik-shop,  or  shall  do  any  man- 
ner of  labor,  business,  or  work,  except  only  works  of  necessity  and 
charity,  or  be  present  at  any  dancing,  public  amusement,  show,  or 
entertainment,  or  taking  part  in  any  game,  sport,  or  play  on  the 
Lord's  day,  shall  be  punish^ed  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  ten  dollars."—- 
Penal  Code,  chap,  xxzvi,  sect  2. 


SUNDAY  IN   HONOLULU. 


natiYes  waiting  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  their  religions  teacher. 
A  hymn  is  smig.  The  divine  henedietion  is  sou^t.  A  pre- 
cept of  Holy  Writ  is  expounded.  What  a  profomid  decorum 
reigns  among  that  well-dressed  audience !  With  what  marked 
^respect  they  retire,  after  dismissal,  to  thdr  homes !  A  visitor 
may  be  an  entire  stranger  to  the  language  of  those  services, 
but  if  he  has  a  sensitive  soul  in  him,  if  he  is  not  lost  to  every 
thing  virtuous  and  sacred,  he  umstfed  the  £>rce  of  that  un- 
pretending worship.  He  may  be  no  denominalionalist ;  he 
may  make  no  pubhc  profession  of  the  sentiments  of  his  own 
heart';  but  there  is  something  about  the  appearance  and  wor- 
ship of  a  Hawaiian  congregation  that  awakens  within  him 
emoticms  no  language  can  define,  no  change  of  time  or  events 
eradicate.  When  I*glanced  over  that  audience,  and  thought 
of  what  Hawaiian  character  was  exactly  thirty-three  years 
ago{f);  when  I  remembered  that  from  this  very  church  many 
a  redeemed  man  and  woman  had  gone  up  on  high ;  when  I 
thought  how,  in  the  hour  and  strife  of  death,  many  of 'them 
hiid  been  sustained  by  the  all-consoling  presence  of  the  Naza- 
BENE,  and  that  they  now  met  Him,  face  to  fiice,  with  no  cloud 
to  obstruct,  no  infirmities  to  afflict  them  any  more  forever — 
when  I  thought  of  these  things,  for  once  I  obtained  a  clear 
view  of  that  gieat  central  truth  of  all  enlightaied  tenets, 
"God  is  love  !"  and  I  was  compelled  to  leave  that  Hawaiian 
assembly,  and  give  a  full  scope  to  my  feelings ;  for  they  were 
emotions  I  shall  never  forget,  and  can  not  describe. 

The  Foreign  Ohurch  and  the  Mariner's  Bethel  are  now 
open.  Let  us  visit  them.  They  are  well  filled  with  their 
respective  audiences,  including  a  number  of  the  "sons  of  the 
ocean."  A  sof^  preliminary  is  sung  by  the  choir,  and  the 
worriiip  ccnnmences.  Hear  those  benedictions  soHcited  by  the 
respective  pastors !  Listen  to  those  hymns  of  thanksgiving ! 
Attend  to  those  discussions  of  everiasting  truth  !  It  is  here 
that  a  visitor  feels  a  step  nearer  to  that  heaven  for  which 
every  spirit,  in  spite  of  itself)  ardently  yearns. 

Soch  is  the  Sabbath  under  the  auspices  of  a  Hawaiian 
king !  such  the  devotions  of  the  sacied  day !     Verily,  those 


90  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

institutions  are  not  far  from'right  which  recognize  the  Father 
of  the  universe,  and  whose  supporters  bend  the  reverential 
knee  at  His  feet.  How  ennohhng,  how  suhUmely  great  and 
glorious  are  the  silent  and  bloodless  victories  won  by  Chris- 
tianity! 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ENVmOI^S    OF    HONOLULU. 

Nunann  Valley. — ^The  Pali  of  Nuuanu. — ^Former  Battle-ground. — 
Ride  to  Diamond  Head; — ^Village  of  "Waikiki. — Remains  of  a  Pa- 
gan Temple. — ^Reflections  on  Paganism. — Le<iki,  or  Diamond  Head. 
— ^View  from  the  Summit — The  Plains  below. — ^Punch-howl  Hill 
and  its  Fortifications. — ^Panoramic  View  of  Honolulu. — Aliorpaor 
kai,  or  Salt  Lake. — Curious  Theory  relating  to  it — ^Testimony  of 
Commodore  Wilkes^  U.  S.  N. 

The  environs  of  Honolulu  are  exceedingly  picturesque,  and 
among  them  the  valley  of  Nuuanu  ranks  first.  It  is  located 
immediately  at  the  back  of  the  town,  from  which  place  it  has 
a  gradual  ascent  until  it  reaches  the  famous  Pali  of  the  same 
name.  The  valley  seems  to  have  been  formed  by  an  abrupt 
break  in  the  great  central  volcanio  ridge  of  the  island.  Its 
formation  is  of  a  mixed  character  :  its  lower  part  is  open ;  its 
upper  is  inclosed  between  two  heavy  ridges,  descending  from 
the  siunmit  of  Waolani  on  the  west,  and  Konahteanui  on 
the  east.  The  upper  part  of  it  forms  an  inunense  level  pla- 
teau of  a  circular  form,  opening  toward  Honclvlu  on  one  side 
and  the  Fali  on  the  other.  This  circus  is  bounded  on  all 
sides,  except  where  open,  by  tremendous  precipices.  The 
scenery  is  enchanting.  Here  and  there  a  native  house  is  seoa 
peeping  from  between  the  trees.  The  alternating  light  and 
shade  produced  by  the  swiftly-flying  clouds,  as  they  are  scat- 
tered or  grow  more  dense— now  rubbing  the  summits  of  the 
lofty  mountains,  and  now  sweeping  over  the  foHage  through 
which  the  road  leads — and  the  fertilizing  showers,  reflecting 
every  variety  and  dimension  of  the  iiis,  render  it  a  sort  of  a 


THE   PALI  OF  NUUANU.  91 

fiury  land.  These  showers  give  birth  to  the  fine  streams  that 
wend  their  way  down  the  valley,  watering  hundreds  of  taro 
patches,  until  they  reach  Honohdu,  On  approaching  the 
Pcdiy  the  mountains  rise  still  higher,  and  vegetation  assumes 
a  richer  aspect,  clothing  their  summits  with  an  unfading  green. 
Some  of  these  mountain  tops  are  crystal-form.  Down  their 
precipitous  sides  cascades  are  seen  falling  hundreds  of  feet, 
cleaving  their  way  between  the  stunted  foHage,  and  looking 
like  huge  icicles,  or  veins  of  polished  silver.  On  the  sides  of 
these  rugged  masses,  sandal  wood  {Santaltmi  frey  dnetia- 
rwm)  was  once  abundant,  and  sought  for  as  an  article  of  trade 
by  vessels  from  the  Orient.  "When,  in  past  ages,  these  mighty 
masses  of  rock  were  reared  on  high,  they  were  naked  and  sol- 
itary, presenting  no  feature  of  beauty  to  the  eye  of  the  first 
tenants  of  the  valley ;  but  now  they  teem  with  the  life  of  veg- 
etation and  of  feathered  tribes,  and  the  visitor  never  wearies 
in  gazing  upon  their  magnificence. 

But  we  have  passed  the  singing  brooks,  the  embowered  fo- 
liage, the  briUiant  cascades,  and  we  are  now  on  the  Very  brink 
of  a  naked  and  rugged  precipice,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  per- 
pendicular line,  and  eleven  hundred  feet  high.  This  is  the 
Pali*  oi  NutianUy  distinguished  alike  for  its  savage  grandeur 
and  its  classic  memorials.  A  narrow  gorge  is  before  you,  the 
sides  of  which  are  formed  by  the  mountains  on  either  hand, 
nearly  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  your  head.  Through  this 
dreary  gcnrge  the  trade-winds  blow  with  almost  a  whirlwind 
violence.  It  is  as  though  the  fabled  Boreas  had  concentrated 
all  his  powers  against  this  single  spot,  Unless  a  close  vigi- 
lance is  maintained,  the  traveler*s  hat  is  whirled  into  the  up- 
per regions,  and  the  traveler  himself  may  be  swept  from  his 
position.  To  escape  this  inconvenience  as  soon  as  possible,  it 
is  necessary  to  turn  the  gorge  by  proceeding  a  few  yards  to  the 
right. 

Advance  to  the  brink !  But  take  care  !  The  visitor  draws 
in  a  long  breath ;  for  the  momentary  bursting  forth  of  the 
scene  beyond  sends  a  ^flirill  through  his  brain,  and  makes  him 
*  The  Hawaiian  word  for  precipice. 


93  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

feel  dizzy.  One  false  step,  and  he  may  be  lost  forever.  Be- 
low his  feet  are  scattered  a  few  native  dwellings,  that  dwindle 
away  almost  to  the  size  of  ant-hills,  while  the  animals  and 
men  are  scarcely  perceptible.  Beyond  these,  the  plains,  cov- 
ered with  verdure,  stretch  out  for  miles.  Further  than  all 
rolls  the  ever-swelling,  azure  ocean,  luiing  the  idiore  and  the 
rocks  with  foam  as  white  as  the  snows  of  winter. 

If  a  visitor  would  obtain  an  accurate  view  of  this  tremen* 
dous  precipice,  he  must  descend  to  the  plain  below,  and  wend 
his  way  <;lose  up  to  the  foot  of  the  Fali,  The  descait  is  la- 
borious, but  safe,  and  is  ejected  by  a  circuitous  path  leading 
down  the  right  of  the  clifi*.  From  the  ^t  of  the  desc^it  the 
view  is  exceedingly  imposing.  The  summits  of  the  mount-^ 
ains  on  either  side  pierce  the  clouds.  The  firont  of  the  preei* 
pice  itself  is  hoary  with  the  lapse  of  unehronioled  centuries. 
Here  and  there  it  is  rent  in  narrow  fissures,  the  edges  of  which 
retain  sembl^ces  of  calcination,  from  the  mildest  to  ihQ  most 
intense.  While  looking  upward,  the  mighty  mass  seems  as 
if  it  were  coming  down  on  the  head  of  the  awed  visitor. 

Be&re  the  picture  becomes  complete,  it  is  necessary  to  reas- 
cend  the  precipice. ,  It  is  then  that  its  terrible  grandeur  is 
felt.  With 'its  penqpective  scenery  there  is  a  strange  commin- 
^ing  of  the  solitary,  savage,  and  sublime.  It  is  horrible  to 
reflect  that  over  this  abyss  a  vanquished  army  was  once  driv- 
en. Yet  so  it  was.  In  the  summer  of  1794,  Kalandtopule, 
a  rival  ef  Kamehameha,  determined  to  overthrow  the  increas- 
ing power  of  the  Conqueror.  KAMEfiAMEHA  was  then*  at  Ha^ 
waii,  but  was'  apprised  of  the  fle^  that  had  been  manned 
and  sent  out  by  the  insurgent  monarch.  The  naval  expedi- 
tion proved  a  failure,  and  the  king  came  down  to  Oahu.  The 
two  armies  met  in  the  valley  of  Nuuo^im*  The  insurgents 
were  compelled  to  flee  before  the  victorious  party.  As  they 
approached  the  Pali,  KALANiKUPtTLE  and  a  few  of  his  fdlow- 
ers  escaped  to  the  mountains,  but  were  subsequently  tak^i 
and  put  to  death.  The  rest  of  the  anny — three  thousand  in 
number — ^were  driven  over  the  frightful  abyss,  inhere  father, 
brother,  friend,  foe,  and  their  implements  of  war,  shared  a  gen- 


VILLAGE   OF   WAIKIKL 


eral  wreck.  And  yet,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  sun  shone 
as  glorioudy  over  the  hrow  of  this  old  precipice  as  though  it 
had  never  re-echoed  the  war-cry,  or  heen  haptized  hy  Pagan 
hkx)d  shed  in  hattle. 

The  most  conspicuous  object  in  the  vicinity  of  Honolulu  is 
the  old  coast-crater,  called  Leahi,  or  Diamond  Head.  It  is 
nearly  six  miles  east  of  the  town,  and  stands  close  to  the  sea- 
shore. It  is  approached  either  by  sea  or  land,  but  the  land 
route  is  the  most  pleasant  and  agreeable.  The  road  leads  very 
near  the  shore,  winding  through  numerous  fish-ponds  and  taro 
patches,  formed  by  hands  that  have  long  since  crumbled  away 
to  dust.  Within  a  mile  of  the  crater's  base  is  the  old  village 
of  WaikiM.  It  stands  in  the  centre  of  a  handsome  cocoa-nut 
grove,  among  whose  feathery  foHage  the  soft  winds  firom  the 
ocean  produce  a  gentle,  murmuring  music.  There  is  a  fine  ' 
bay  before  the  village,  in  whose  waters  the  vessels  of  Van- 
couver and  other  distinguished  navigators  have  anchored. 

Waikiki  was  once  the  abode  of  that  Hectoe  of  the  Hawaii- 
ans,  Kamehameha  the  Great.  The  old  stone  house  in  which 
the  great  warrior  once  lived  still  stands,  but  it  is  falling  into 
a  rapid  decay.  I  could  not  help  lingering  for  a  time  to  notice 
the  objects  scattered  around.  There  were  no  busy  artisans 
wielding  their  implements  of  labor ;  no  civilized  vehicles  bear^ 
ing  their  loads  of  commerce,  or  any  living^  occupant.  But  be- 
neath rthe  cool  shade  c^some  evergreens,  or  in  some  thatched 
house,  reposed  several  canoes.  Every  thing  was  as  quiet  as 
though  it  were  the  only  village  on  earth,  and  its  tenants  the 
only  denizens.  A  few  natives  were  enjoying  a  promiscuous 
batli  in  a  crystal  stream  that  came  directly  from  the  mount- 
ains, and  rolled,  like  another  Pactolus,  to  meet  the  embrace  of 
the  ocean.  Some  were  steering  thehr  frail  canoes  seaward. 
Others,  clad  simply  in  Nature's  robes,  were  wading  out  on  the 
reefs  in  search  of  fish.  Here  in  this  quiet  hamlet,  once  un- 
known to  all  the  world,  Kamehameha  I.,  surrounded  by  his 
chieftains,  held  his  councils  for  the  safety  and  consolidation  of 
his  kingdom.  But  the  " mene''  so  mysteriously  inscribed  on 
the  palace  walls  c^  a  Babybnian  monarch,  has  been  written 


94  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

on  those  councils ;  and  the  old  king  and  his  warriors  have 
faded  away.  Mutation  is  legihly  written  on  the  face  of  all 
that  is  terrestrial ;  and  the  savage  ruler,  not  less  than  the  civ- 
ilized, must  how  to  Death's  all-powerful  summons. 

Just  heyond  Waikiki  stand  the  remains  of  an  ancient  heiati, 
or  pagan  temple.  It  is  a  huge  structure,  nearly  quadrangular, 
and  is  composed  merely  of  a  heavy  wall  of  loose  lava  stones, 
resemhling  the  sort  of  inclosure  commonly  called  a  "  cattle- 
pen."  The  temples  dedicated  to  the  Hawaiian  gods  were  al- 
ways roofless.  The  altars  were  rudely  reared  in  the  same 
way,  and  composed  of  the  same  materials  as  thQ  walls  of  the 
main  inclosure.  This  heiau  was  placed  at  the  very  foot  of 
Diamond  crater,  and  can  he  seen  at  some  distance  from  the 
sea.  Its  dimensions  externally  are  130  hy  70  feet.  The  walls 
I  found  to  he  fix)m  six  to  eight  feet  high,  eight  feet  thick  at 
the  hase,  and  four  at  the  top.  On  climhing  the  hroken  wall 
near  the  ocean,  and  hy  carefully  looking  over  the  interior,  I 
discovered  the  remains  of  three  altars  located  at  the  western 
extremity,  and  closely  resemhling  paralldograms.  I  Bearched 
for  the  remains  of  human  victims  once  immolated  on  these 
altars,  hut  found  none ;  for  they  had  returned  to  their  primi- 
tive dust,  or  heen  carried  away  hy  curious  visitors.  But  my 
fancy  conjured  up  the  deeds  of  some  of  the  high-priests  of  pa- 
ganism. It  seemed  as  tjiough  I  could  see  one  of  these  de- 
ceived and  deceiving  torturers  hefore  me,  with  his  demoniacal 
visage,  his  arm  hared,  his  uplifted  hand  grasping  the  instru- 
ment of  death,  and  the  human  victim  lying  on  the  hloody  al- 
tar. I  seemed  to  hehold  the  vast  audience  awaiting,  with  a 
death-hke  silence,  the  fatal  hlow,  and  to  hear  the  agonizing 
groans  of  the  expiring  victim.  And  when  I  xememhered  that 
once  these  very  tragedies  were  enacted,  and  on  these  ruined 
altars  too,  my  heart  sickened,  and  I  spnmg  out  of  the  inclo- 
sure. 

To  a  traveler  visiting  the  Hawaiian  group  at  this  day,  it 
seems  almost  impossihle  that  such  scenes  could  have  heen  en- 
acted at  any  period  in  the  past.  Such  relations  appear  to  re- 
tain the  character  more  of  the  old  shadowy  myths  of  the  peo- 


PUBLIC  UBRARlf 

4cTnR   LENOX  AND 


REFLECTIONS  ON   PAGANISM.  97 

pie,  than  positive  realities  that  existed  from  time  immemorial 
until  the  &11  of  idolatry  in  1819.  But  those  relations  are 
facts.  There  are  a  &w  persons  now  living  who  once  wit- 
nessed many  of  those  hellish  oigies,  and  whose  own  family 
firiends  were  viclams.  The  hierarchy  of  the  group,  like  every 
hierarchy  that  now  exists,  was  exceedingly  f^reseive.  It  is 
impossible  to  conceive  how  any  nation  of  men  could  have  been 
brought  under  a  rule  so  crushing  and  absolute.  But  of  all 
despotisms,  none  are  so  absolute  or. unjust  as  those  which  de- 
prive men  of  the  firee  and  legitimate  exercise  of  their  own  con- 
sciences. Such  was  the  condition  of  the  common  people  on 
those  islands,  between  thirty  and  £)rty  years  ago.  It  was  des- 
potism systematized  and  extended  to  every  man,  woman,  and 
t^hild,  that  did  not  belong  to  the  priests  and  king.  The  people 
had  to  build  the  temples ;  go  to  the  mountains,  and  cut  down 
and  carve  wood  into  idols,;  and,  of  their  poverty,  bring  the 
ofierings,  of  whatever  character,  to  the  altars  of  the  gods.  The 
nature  c^  those  ceremonies  was  such,  that  it  was  impossible 
Idiat  some  person  or  persons  should  not  violate  them,  and,  in 
that  case,  death  was  the  penalty.  There  were  omens  of  such 
a  character  Ihat  they  could  easily  be  oonstrued  to  signify  that 
any  numbeir  c^men  were  required  as  o&nngs  to  the  gods,  and 
the  requisition  was  always  granted.  In  this  way  countless 
miultitudes  have  perished,  fiunily  ties  been  severed,  and  their 
wretched  abodes  rendered  more  desola.te  than  ever.  Who 
shall  enumerate  the  evils  sustained,  the  agonies  endured,  the 
moments  of  despair  struggled  against  by  men  in  every  age^  and 
under  every  species  of  oppression,  where  every  just  and  noble 
c(»isideration  haA  be^i  trampled  in  the  dust  by  the  heel  of 
temporal  or  spiritual  pow^ ! 

Having  iBached  Diamond  Head,  the  visitor  ma^  ascend  its 
summit  without  much  difficulty.  The  ascent  is  most  eaaly 
accomplished  on  the  northeast  side.  To  a  man  who  can 
boast  of  pretty  strong  limbs,  the  task  is  trifling.  On  reaching 
the  brink,  the  eye  rests  on  a  mere  pit,  or  cavity,  two  hundred 
feet  deep,  and  two  thirds  of  a  mile  in  diameter.  The  highest 
point  of  this  old  crater  is  on  the  southwest  side,  where  it  is 


98  SAND'VjflCH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  -Nearly  all  round  the 
lim  of  the  crater,  but  especially  on  the  southiyest,  large  cal- 
careous incrustations  abound.  The  bottom  of  the  crater  was 
covered  with  a  fine  pasture,  on  which  a  herd  of  cattle  and 
horses  was  feeding,  and  in  the  centre  was  a  shallow  lake  of 
clear  fresh  ws^ier.  The  outside  of  the  hill  is  deeply  marked 
by  the  course  of  ancient  lava  streams.  Immense  masses  of 
lava  aire  found  at  its  seaward  base,  heavily  mingled  with  beds 
of  coral.  It  is  very  evident  that  this  crater  has  been  much 
higher  than  it  is  now,  and  that  it  has  become  much  wasted 
in  expending  its  fires. 

Although  this  quiescent  crater  is  not  very  lofty,  the  view 
finom  its  summit  is  fine,  and  well  repays  the  curiosity  of  any 
enthusiastic  adventurer.  On  the  east,  and  skirting  the  sea- 
shore, are  seen  the  remains  of  two  other  craters,  long  since 
extinct,  and  highly  picturesque.  Honolulu,  the  harbor  and 
shipping,  the  distant  range  of  the  Kaala  Mountains,  and  the 
contiguous  village  of  WuiJdki,  fiU  up  the  view  on  the  west. 
The  rugged  chain  of  mountains  skirting  the  eastern  limit  of 
the  Pal%  and  immense  table-lands  or  slopes,  formed  by  an- 
cient rivers  of  lava,  and  now  covered  with  good  pasture,  em- 
brace the  scenery  on  the  north.  Stretchiiig  away  to  the  south, 
the  ocean  heaves  its  placid  bosom,  so  strangely  beautiful  that 
it  would  seem  impossible  for  the  noble  element  ever  to  be- 
come-so treacherous..  Whoevet  has  seen  this  old  landmark 
can  never  forget  it.  Many  a  storm  has  swept  over  it.  But 
there  it  stands !  a  guide  to  the  mariner,  and  a  monument  of 
Nature's  wrath  and  power. 

Descending  the  crater  on  the  north  side,  and  following  a 
narrow  and  very  rugged  path,  I  was  soon  led  on  the  plains 
below.  Had  it  not  been  owing  to  the  deep  grass,  the  scene 
would  have  been  one  of  the  most  perfect  desolation.  Im- 
mense stones  of  lava  of  every  shape,  and  many  of  them  sev- 
eral tons  in  weight,  lay  in  confusion  over  this  j^ain,  and  were 
interspersed  with  indi^  and  other  plants.  Over  some  of  those 
huge  masses  of  volcanic  rock  the  delicate  convolvulus  {Con." 
vdvtdus  tricolor)  lyas  creeping.     Here  and  there  was  a  gi- 


PUNCH-BOWL  HILL.   • 


99 


gantic  specimen  of  the  prickly-peaf  {Cacttisficus  Indicus) 
struggling  against  the  surrounding  desolation.  Upon  this 
plain  it  would  almost  seem  as  if  the  neighboring  crater  had 
«q>ended  all  its  force.  One  is  forcibly'  reminded  of  the  pas- 
sage which  so  plainly  foretold  the  utter  desolation  of  Idumea : 
**  I  will  stretch  out  upon  it  the  line  of  concision  and  the  stones 
of  emptiness  I"  ' 

The  path  leading  directly  over  the  plain  conducted  me  at 
length  to  the  foot  of  Ptcahiy  or  Puntfh-Bowl  Hill.  Like 
Leahit  or  Diamond  Hill,  it  has  long  been  quiescent,  but  it  re- 
tains a  more  youthful  appearance  than  the  latter,  and  looks 


PUMCH-BOWL  HILL. 


B607  90 


100         saKdwigh  island  notes. 

as  though  it  may  burst  forth  again  williout  a  single  moment's 
warning  to  the  quiet  town  below.  As  the  highest  point  is 
but  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  the  ascent  is  comparative- 
ly easy.  .  Many  of  the,  pupils  in  the  royal  school,  located  at 
its  base,  climb  it  for  recreation  during  a  recess  of  their  studies. 
What  may  be  called  its  summit  is  a  huge  concave,  nearly 
half  a  mile  wide,  and  covered  with  a  luxurious  pasture.  This 
concavity  originates  the  English  name  of  the  old  crater.  K 
a  supply  of  water  could  be  obtained  regularly  to  irrigate  the 
soil — ^which  is  decomposed  lava — ^the  summit  would  make  a 
snug  little  farm.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  niunbers  of  fine 
cattle  were  quietly  browsing  on  the  pasture,  and  large  flocks 
of  wild  and  tame  goats  were  feeding  on  the  most  precipitous 
sides  of  the  hill.  While  sitting  on  a  gun,  taking  notes  of  the 
objects  around  me,  a  flock  of  the  latter  class  of  animals  ap- 
proached me,  bleating,  and  seemed  to  diide  me  for  disturbing 
the  repose  of  their  elevated  retreats.  On  attempting  to  get 
near  them,  they  scampered  away  over  the  grassy  depression^ 
of  the  crater. 

The  physical  character  of  this  hill  closely  resembles  that  of 
LeahL  That  portion  of  the  summit  which  overlooks  the  val- 
ley of  Nufuanu  is  mainly  a  huge  mass  of  calcareous  lava,  and 
constitutes  a  good  building  material,  much  of  which  has  been 
already  dislodged  ]fer  that  purpose.  The  seaward  dde  of  the 
hill  is  deeply  marked  by  channels  down  which  the  fiery  streams 
of  devastation  once  roUed  in  fearfiil  volume. 

The  hiU  itself  occupies  a  commanding  position.  On  the 
heights  nearest  Honolulu  are  the  remains  of  a  fortress  that  was 
once  deemed  impregnable.  In  all,  it  mounts  eleven  guns, 
pointmg  diQerent  ways,  at  irregular  distances  from  each  other, 
along  the  nearly  perpendicular  edge  of  the  hill.  Of  these  guns, 
five  ajfe  long  iron  thirty-two-poundets,  three  are  long  iron 
twelves,  and  three  short  nines.  Every  one  of  these  imple- 
ments of  defense  were  drawn  up  by  native  hands  during  a 
despotic  rule.  They  rest  on  carriages  in  a  state  of  rapid  de- 
cay. Some  of  the  larger  retain  the  initials  of  the  last  King 
George  of  England ;  also  the  Crow's  Foot  (A),  or  govemmentsd 


PANORAMIC  VIEW  OF  HONOLULU.      JQl 

mark,  and  a  crown.  T^hey  aie  used  more  £x  finng  salutes  on 
the  birth-day  of  the  present  king  than  £»r  any  other  purpose. 
The  flag-staff  is  nearly  demolished,  and  its  present  appearance 
is  hi^y  indicative  of  the  ftate  of  the  circumscribed  kingdom 
whose  ensign  once  waved  at  its  top.  I  saw  two  or  three 
wretched  hovels  in  a  wrecked  condition ;  yet  they  had  once 
been  the  homes  of  a  few  miserable  soldiers  Retained  there  to 
watch  the  garrison.  These  hovels,  the  ruined  flag-pole,  and 
a  thin  shdl  of  a  powder  magazine-— ^^6£?  and  plastered  on 
the  outside  f — completed  the  f(»:tress  that  was  (»riginally  in- 
tended to  protect  the  tow;n,  the  harbor,  and  its  shippng.  Now 
the  only  tenants  of  the  lofty  battlements  are  the  goats  in 
seaxch  of  their  subsist^ice.  The  hill  itself)  though  precipi- 
tous, is  assailable  in  several  parts,  find,  unless  made  bomb- 
proof) by  shells  in  all.  Though  capable  of  being  strongly  £)r- 
tified^  to  render  it  tenable  it  would  require  a  very  large  garri- 
son. But  the  present  condition  of  the  finances,  and  the  imbe- 
cility with  which  the  financial  department  has  hitherto,  been 
managed,  are  a  sufl^cient  guarantee. that,  for  some  time  at 
least,  things  will  remain  as  they  are,  or  will  become  more 


From  the  top  of  Punch-bowl  a  fine  panoramic  view  is  ob- 
tained of  Honolulu,  thM:  quietly  reposes  at  its  base.  A  stran- 
ger can  hardly  reconcile  this  seeming  indiflerence  to  a  contig- 
uous object,  whose  deep  womb  was  anciently  torn  by  rivers  and 
cataracts  of  vengefiil  fire ;  for  the  citizens  of  Honolulu  treat  it 
as  though  it  were  a  fable ;  and  yet  there  is  no  guarantee  that 
PeCe*  may  not  pay  them  another  of  her  terrible  visits.  But 
the  people  either  think  or  care  nothing  for  this ;  nor  need  they. 
The  relative  position  of  the  town  to  this  extinct  crater  is  that 
of  Pompeii  to  Yesuvius,  Hundreds  of  ^ro  patches  meet  the 
gaze.'  The  town,  with  its  public  buildings,  churches,  private 
dwdlings,  and  narrow  streets ;  and  the  harbor,  with  its  ship- 
ping at  anchor,  and  numbers  of  boats  and  canoes  gUding  over 
its  surface,  are  brought,  as  itwere,  into  a  focus.  Natives  may 
be  seen  bathing  in  the  streams,  or  washerwomen  may  be  dis- 
.   *  TM^lui^godd^fl^of  yoloanoes. 


102  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

covered  at  their  toil  by  the  margin  of  the  same  streams  ;  luld 
it  is  aTnusing  and  instrucliye  to  watch  the  motions  of  those 
that  occupy  the  streets,  on  horse  or  afoot,  wending  their  way 
as  business  or  pleasure  may  dictate.  The  best  time,  however, 
to  obtain  a  good  view  of  such  a  scene  is  at  the  hour  of  ieaily 
evening  twilight. 

Four  miles  west  of  Honolulu,  and  very  near  the  sea-shore, 
is  the  celebrated  salt-lake  called  by  the  natives  Alia-paakai, 
It  is  about  one  third  of  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  is  of  a  crateri- 
form  character,  rather  inclined  to  oval.  The  biUs  that  sur- 
round it  are  rather  more  than  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  their 
sides  appear  to  be  more  or  less  impregnated  with  saline  sub^ 
staQces.  The  bottom  of  the  lake  is  composed  of  an  exceed- 
ingly adhesive  mud  of  a  Mue-black  color,  having  the  chief 
properties  of  an  unctuous  clay.  The  whole  region  of  the  lake 
is  strictly  volcanic,  and,  although  contiguous  to  the  oceai^  is 
entirely  different  from  the  formative  character  of  all  the  coast 
craters  on  thedsland. 

Until  very  recently,  a  self-formed  salt  was  found  there  in 
great  abundance.  It  was  considered  an  excellent  salt  for 
putting  up  provisions  for  the  market  and  shipping.  It  was 
also  used  as  a  table-salt  over  the  larger  portion  of  the  group, 
and  commanded  a  high  price.  Formerly  it  belonged  to  the 
king,  and  its  yield  afforded  him  a  good  revenue.  Vessels 
came  annually  from  the  Russian  settlements  on  the  North- 
west coast,  and  from  other  parts^  of  the  Continent,  to  obtain 
suppHes.  The  trade,  however,  ha&  fallen  off.  Although  the 
salt  has  almost  wholly  disappeared,  it  is  stiU  found  in  small 
quantities  in  the  lake,  in  a  crystallized  state. 

Extensive  salt-works  are  now  carried  on  at  Ptdoa,  a  few 
miles  westward  of  the  lake,  by  an  enterprising  citizen  of  Hono- 
lulu.    The  process  is  by  evaporation. 

Marvelous  things  have  been  related  of  this  salt-lake.  They 
may  hafe  had  their  origin  in  some  superstitious  legends  of  the 
natives,  but  they  have  been  gravely  treated  by  history,  and  at 
this  day  are  firmly  beUeved  by  many  citizens  of  Honolulu. 
The  lake  itself  is  said  to  be  elevated  "  a  few  feet  above  the 


TESTIMONY  OF  COMMODORE  WILKES.   IQQ 

level  of  the  sea,"  and  that  "near  the  centre  a  hole  exists, 
five  to  six  fathoms  in  circumference,  whidi,  as  no  bottom 
has  been  fbmid  to  it,  is  supposed  to  connect  with  the  ocean. 
Through  this  the  lake  is  slightly  afiected  by  the  tides."*" 

Supposing  such  a  statement  to  be  correct,  and,  from  its 
direct  opposition  to  all  precedents  in  natural  philosophy,  look- 
ing upon  it  as  pointing  to  an  extraordinary  natural  phenome- 
non, I  felt  exceedingly  desirous  of  seeing  it  for  myself.  My 
first  journey  was  performed  merely  to  survey  the  physical 
confi>rmation  of  the  region  immediately  contiguous.  On  the 
second  time  of  my  going  there,  however,  I  was  better  prepared 
to  conduct  my  researches.  As  my  plan  of  operations  was 
closely  consonant  with  that  of  Cobimodore  Wilkes,  U.  S.  N., 
who  commanded  the  XT.  S.  Exploring  Expedition  to  the  Ha- 
waiian and  other  islands  in  Polynesia,  and  who  conducted  an 
examination  of  this  lake  in  November,  1840, 1  can  best  present 
my  conclusions  by  citing  his  own  language  on  this  subject : 

"  The  salt-lake,  so  much  spoken  of,  was  visited  many  times. 
It  has  excited  a  good  deal  of  curiosity,  being  supposed  to  be 
fiithomless,  and  to  ebb  and  flow  with  the  tide. 

"  I  landed  near  the  foot  of  the  hills  which  inclose  the  salt- 
lake,  and  leveled  from  low  water  mark  upward,  over  the  hill, 
and  down  to  the  lake.  The  result  gave  one  hundred  and  five 
feet  rising,  and  one  hundred  and  three  feet  fidling,  which  proves 
it  to  be  on  the  same  level  as  half  tide.  Some  natives  carried 
over  a  canoe  to  the  lake,  in  which  1  embarked,  weU  provided 
with  long  sounding-liftes,  to  ascertain  its  reputed  depth.  Aft- 
er much  search,  no  fathomless  hole  was  to  be  fi>und,  and  no 
greater  depth  than  eighteen  inches!  To  find  out  if  it  ebbed 
and  flowed  was  the  next  step.  For  this  purpose,  sticks  were 
jdaced  oa  the  shore,  which  is  so  shelving  that  a  smiall  perpen- 
dicular rise  and  fall  would  be  quite  evident.  A  httle  rise  above 
the  tide-sticks  took  place,  but  nothing  beyond  what  would  be 
occasioned  by  the  wind,  which  had  sprung  up,  blowing  the 
water  to  the  lee  side. 

*  '' Jarves's  History  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Honolulu,  1847." 
Third  edit  p.  11. 


104  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

****** 
•*  The  lake,  after  the  discovery  rdative  to  its  being  but  knee- 
deep,  ^^1U}  the  subject  of  mach.  discussion  at  Honolulu.  It  was 
visited  on  several  occasions  afterward,  to  ascertain  if  it  had  an 
ebb  and  flow,  and  simultaneous  observations  were  made  at  the 
shore  and  in  the  lake,  but  all  the  trials  confirmed  the  first 
observations."* 


CHAPTER  VUI. 

JOURNEY   TO   KUALOA. 

Phdiw  of  Eaneohe. — Konahiumm  Moontuiia^-Geologieal  Festiire& 
— ^Probable  Formatioii. — Site  of  an  old  Pagan  Game. — ^A  Legend. — 
Missionary  Station  at  Kaneohe. — Christianized  Nativea — ^'^  Month- 
ly Concert" — ^Residence  of  the  Missionary,  and  Style  of  Liring. — 
Road  along  the  Sea-shore. — ^White  Man  turned  SaTage.-^ingnlar 
Coral-reefs.— Fiflh-pendfl.'— Women  as  Laborers. — ^Driving  Hogs  to 
Market — Simj^ity  of  Native  Manners,  and  Domeslie  Life. — A 
solitary  Grave. — A  Hawaiian  Patriarch.— Thoughts  on  early 
Races. — A  Native  Judge. — Taro  Plantations. — Taro  as  an  article 
of  Food. — ^How  converted  into  Poi. — ^Eualoa. — Sunset — ^Night. 

From  Honolulu  to  Knaloa,  the  most  direct  route  is  over  the 
Paliy  firom  whose  rugged  brow  it  is  distinctly  seen  in  the  dii^ 
tance.  -From  the  precipice,  the  j^ains  beiow  present  the  feat- 
ures of  a  fine  landscape.  They  are  marked  by  heavy  undula- 
ticms,  and  rent  in  many  places  by  shallow  ravines.  Hundreds 
of  cattle  may  be  seen  feeding  on  the  ridi  pasture  with  vidiich 
these  plains  are  covered,  adding  to  the  landscape  an  exquisite 
finish.  To  render  this  location  a  second  Eden,  the  lig^t  kind 
of  men  and  sufiicient  capital  are  needed. 

That  lidge  of  mountains  termed  Kcmahuanui  maybe  class- 
ed among  the  most  sublime  mountain  scenery  in  the  world. 
There  are  chains  of  hills  more  lofty  and  extensive,  but  proba- 

*  "United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  during  the  years  1888, 
1839, 1840, 1841,  and  1842.  By  C^abues  ^ilkis,  U.  &  N.  Lea  and 
Blanchard,  Philadelphia,  1845.**    VoL  iv.,  p.  82,  88. 


GEOLOOICAL  FEATURES.  105 

bly  none  more  curiously  £»med  or  strikingly  beautiful  .  Their 
sides  toward  ^e  plains  are  composed  of  contiimous  precipices, 
in  some  places  retreating  so  as  to  form  gigantic  amphitheatres. 
In  some  places  their  sides  are  strongly  marked  by  heavy  ribs 
of  rock  rising  from  liie  plain  and  reaching  the  highest  peaks 
of  the  chain,  and  looking  like  huge  buttresses  placed  there  by 
the  hand  of  Nature.  The  general  directi(»i  of  this  chain  is 
north,  thirty-five  degrees  west ;  the  average,  height  is  one  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  At  intervals  they  approach  within  two  miles  of  the  sea ; 
again  they  retreat  a  long  distance  toward  the  centre  of  the 
island.  On  the  front  of  %ome  of  these  gigantic  paliSy  glittering 
cascades  come  tumbling  down  in  playful  gambols,  having  their 
source  in  the  immediate  region  of  the  clouds*  and  occasionally 
lost  in  the  overhanging  foliage.  Wherevpr  the  traveler  turns 
his  footsteps  or  directs  his  gaze,  he  is  sure  to  find  scnnething 
that  will  amply  reward  his  researches  and  excite  emotions  of 
sublimity. 

The  geological  features  of  this  range  of  mountains,  are  re- 
j^ete  with  a  sohd  interest.  They  are  composed  of  basaltic, 
cellular,  and  tufaceous  lavas.  The  basaltic^  in  many  places, 
is  porous  and  scoriform,  and  sometimes  the  substrata  are  as 
compact  as  any  of  the  basaltic  formations  close  to  the  eblnng 
and  ^wing  of  the  tide ;  or  entirely  tiae  reverse  may  be  seen, 
where  scoriffi  almost  as  cdlular  as  pumice  form  the  stratum 
beneath  ccnnpact  beds  of  porphyry,  having  a  dark  blue  basis 
composed  of  crystals  of  glassy  feldspar  and,  oHvine. 

The  ceUtdar  formation  is  a  sort  of  mixed  pumice  and  slag. 
In  every  one  of  the  ceUular  varieties  the  cavities  are  empty ; 
in  others  they  are  filled  with  ohvine  crystals  partially  decom- 
posed. This  lava  is  frequently  mingled  with  white  feldspar 
of  a  dull  lustre,  that  imparta  to  the  isaaX  of  the  rocks  a  spot- 
ted i^ppearance.  The  more  common  color  of  these  lavas  is  an 
ashy  gray ;  but  it  not  unfirequently  assumes  a  reddicdi  tint,  a 
brownish  red,  and  sometimes  a  cochineal-red  color. 

Then  comes  the  tufaceous  lava,  of  a  more  interesting  char- 
acter than  all  the  others.  .  This  species  varies  much  in  con- 

£  2 


106  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

___^ IB 

sistency,  but  it  is  usually  loose  and  friable.  It  is  piobably 
owing  to  this  geognostic  structure  that  the  c^ebrated  Pali  of 
Nuuanu  has  derived  its  formation,  under  the  almost  incessant 
action  of  the  northeast  trade-winds  and  frequent  heavy  rains, 
and  it  is  this  kind  of  lava  that  forms  so  prominent  a  part  in 
the  j^ysiognomy  of  the  diain.  The  bases  of  some  of  these 
tufas  is  earth,  or  compact  mud,  of  nearly  every  variety  of  col- 
or, but  mostly  of  a  light  orange  red. 

An  exploration  of  these  rocks  is  difficult  and  imcertain. 
The  laws  which  would  test  the  age  of  continental  rocks  would 
here  be  worse  than  useless,  as  they  would  tend  only  to  the 
most  profound  perplexity.  In  one  IcMsation,  the  huge  mass  of 
mountain  approaches  the  scoriform ;  in  another,  scoriform  and 
the  more  compact  specimens  are  placed  immediately  contigu- 
ous one  toJthe  other.  The  law  that  would  determine  the  age^ 
of  these  mountains  simply  by  their  degree  of  compactness  rests 
on  a  very  feeble  foundation,  and  constitutes  cme  df  those  am- 
iHguities  that  somuetimes  cfUng  to  the  favorite  and  most  i)opu- 
lar  questions  of  every  age  in  the  history  of  science. 

That  the  Konahuanui  chain  has  been  anciently  originated 
by  volcanic  agency,  is  evident  from  the  Yei^  shghtest  investi- 
gation of  their  physical  character.  The  chain  itself  has  been 
a  series  of  craters ;  and  their  present  appearance,  although  of 
long  standing,  has  been  efiected  by  mighty  earthquakes  that 
shook  the  island  to  its  centre,  rending  the  mountains  asunder, 
and  leveling  the  seaward  side  of  these  old  craters  down  to 
the  plains  below.  This  theory  best  explains  the  cause  of 
those  heavy  undulations  of  which  the  plains  are  mostly  formed. 
Before  reaching  the  mission  station  at  Kaneohe,  the  road  leads 
through  a  narrow  but  fertile  ravine,  tenanted  by  a  few  na- 
tives. In  leaving  the  ravine,  a  low  round  hill,  to  the  right 
of  the  path,  is  rather  conspicuous  from  a  long,  narrow  depi'es- 
sion  or  channel  on  its  side.  It  was  an  indication  that  one  of 
the  favorite  games  of  the  old  Hawaiians  had  been  played  there. 
This  game  was  called  the  hdkta,^  and  was  one  of  their  favor- 
ite games  at  chance.  Both  chiefs  and  common  people  ficeely 
*  Sliding  down  hilL 


A  LEGEND.  IO7 


mingled  in  it.  No  particular  spot  monopolized  it.  The  game 
itseU*  may  very  properly  be  designated,  in  modem  phraseology, 
the  sUding-down-hiU  game,  for  it  had  a  close  affinity  to  the 
spcftts  indulged  in  by  the  8cho<d-b(^8  of  the  northern  towns 
and  cities  in  the  United  States,  when  the  streets  are  firozen, 
and  they  glide  down  them  on  their  sleds.  The  smooth  sward 
-  of  any  suitable  decUvity  was  made  to  answer,  in  some  degree, 
the  advantages  of  ice  and  snow.  A  trench  was  dug  firom  the 
top  of  the  hill  to  the  bottom,  and  carried  out  some  distance 
over  the  adjoining  plain.  This  was  made  quite  smooth,  and 
^read  over  with  grass  to  aid  in  the  velocity  of  the  descending 
sled.  It  is  said  that  the  shders  would  frequently  get  carried 
nearly  a  mile  along  the  tr&ach. 

This  amusement  was  attended  with  a  great  hazard  of  life, 
and  great  skill  and  courage  were  required  properly  to  fit  a  man 
for  such  an  enterpriise.  Many  of  these  slopes  were  on  an  angle 
of  forty-five  degrees ;  and  woe  to  the  man  who  rolled  firom  his 
filed,  or  whose  sled  got  out  of  the  trench !  Death  was  the 
penalty,  or  the  unlucky  sHder  was  maimed  for  Ufe.  If  the 
players  escaped  unhurt,  many  of  them  l6st  their  all  in  betting. 
On  their  skill  in  the  sport,  it  was  nothing  unusual  for  tiiem 
to  stake  their  property  to  the  very  last  article — ^their  clothes, 
fi)od,  crops,  lands,  wives,  daught^,  husbands,  and  even  the 
very  bones  of  their  arms  and  legs,  to  be  converted,  after  death, 
into  fish-hooks  and  arrow-heads. 

Many  were  the  legends  treasured  up  by  the  natives  relative 
to  some  of  the  results  of  this  game.  As  an  instance  of  their 
mental  character  and  superstitious  fear,  I  cite  one  as  recorded 
by  Ellis : 

"  In  the  reign  of  KEALUKUKtr,  an  ancient  king  of  Hawaii, 
Kahavali,  chief  of  Pima,  and  one  of  his  punahde  (favorite 
cc»npanii»is),  went  out  one  day  to  amuse  themselves  at  the 
hokia,  on. the  sloping  side  of  a  hill,  which  is  still  called  *Ka 
holtui  ana  O  Kahavali*  (the  sliding-place  of  Kahavali). 
Vast  nimibers  of  people  collected  at  the  hill  to  witness  the 
sport,  and  a  company  of  musicians  and  dancers  repaired  to 
the  spot  to  add  to  the  amusement  of  the  spectators. 


108  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

"  The  "buskined  youths  had  began  their  dance,  and,  amid  the 
sound  of  ^  drums  and  the  scuigB  g[  the  nusucians,  the  halua 
eommenoed  between  Kahavali  and  his  fiivorite.  Pde^  the 
goddess  di  the  volcano,  came  down  from  Kilauea  to  witxieiB 
the  sport.  She  stood  im  the  top  of  a  hill,  in  the  fexm  of  a 
woman,  and  challenged  Kahavau  to -slide  widi  h^.  He 
aceepted  the  o^r,  and  they  set  off  together  down  the  h31. 
Pde,  less  acquainted  with  the  art  ni  balancing  on  the  nar- 
row sledge  than  her  rival,  wafi  beaten,  and  Kahavali  wbs 
aj^lauded  by  the  spectators  as  he  walked  back  up  the  stdes 
of  the  hill.  Before  they  started  again^  P^  asked  him  to 
give  h^  his  papa.^  Suj^posing  fiom  her  i^^pearance  th«t 
she  was  only  a  common  woman,  he  said,  *AqL^  (no);  ave 
you  my  wife,  that  you  should  obtain  my  sledge  ?'  and,  as  if 
impatient  at  being  delayed,  he  adjusted  his  jto^,  ran  a  few 
yards  to  take  a  spring,  and  then^  with  all  his  might,  threw 
hims^  upcHi  it,  and  shot  down  the  hill.  Pe2e,  incensed  at 
his  answer,  stamped  on  the  ground,  and  an  earthquake  fel- 
bwed  which  rent  the  hill  asunder,  ^e  called,  and  £re,  and 
liquid  lava  arose,  and,  assuming  her  natural  feim,  with  these 
irresistible  ministers  id  vengeance  .she  followed  him  down  tl^ 
Mil*  When  Kahavali  reached  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  he  saw 
JPd€t  acc(»npanied  by  thunder  and  Itghtningr  earthquake  and 

*  The  papa,  or  sled,  was  composed  of  two  narrow  runners,  from 
seven  to  twelve,  and  sometimes  eighteen  feet  long,  two  or  three 
inches  deep,  highly  polished,  and,  at  the  foremost  end,  tapering  off 
firora  the  under  ude  to  a  point  at  the  npp^  edge.  :  These  two  ma- 
nera  w^re  Aecuced  together  by  a  number  c^  short  pieees  laid  lu»i- 
zontally  across.  To  the  upper  edge  of  these  short  pieces  two  long 
sticks  were  fastened,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  cross-pieces, 
and  about  five  or  six  inches  apart.  Sometimes  a  narrow  piece  of 
mat  was  fastened  over  the  whole  upper  surface,  except  three  or  four 
feet  at  the  foremost  end.  At  the  foremost  part  there  was  a  space  of 
about  two  inches  between  the  runners,  but  l^y  gradually  wide];ied 
toward  the  hinder  part,  where  they  were  distant  from  each  other 
about  five  inches.  The  person  about  to  slide  grasped  the  small  side- 
stick  firmly  with  his  right  hand,  ran  a  few  yards  to  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  where,  with  ill  his  strength,  he  threw  himself  forward,  fell  fliitt 
upon  his  sled,  and  shot  down  the  trench. 


A   L^EGEND,  X09 


bmaii^  lava,  closely^ puiguing  him.  He  took  up. his  Inroad 
^pear,  which  he  had  stuck  in  the  groundat  the  beginning  of  the 
game,  and,  accompanied  l^  his  friend,  fied  lor  hi*  life.  The 
musicians,  dancers,  and  crowds  of  spectaton  were  instantly 
buried  beneath  the  fiery  tOTie&t,  which,  bearing  on  its  fore- 
most wave  the  enraged  goddess,  omtinued  to  pursue  Kaha- 
YALi  ai^  his  fiiend.  They  ran  till  they  came  to  an  eminence 
called  Buuke^..  There  KAOAVi^i  threw  off  his  tuilat  (doak 
t»f  netted  ti  leavieB)^  and  proceeded  toward  his  house,  which 
stood  near  the  shore.  He  met  his  iavorite  hog  Akipuaa, 
sainted  him  by  touching  noses,  and  said,  *  Aloha  ifw  oe;  eia 
Uu»€H  paha  oe  e  make  cd;  keai  mainei  P^^e^Gompassion 
great  to  you ;  close  here,  p^haps,  is  your  death;  Fele  comes 
devouring!)'  Leaving  him,  1^  met  his  wile,  Kanakawahine. 
He  sahited  her.  The  burning  torrent  approached,  and  she 
said,  VStay  with  me  here,  and  let  us  die  together i  He  re- 
plied, 'No;  I  go,  I  go.-  He  then  saluted  1^  two  children, 
Paupoulu  and  Ka<die,  and  said,  "^  Ke  tie  nei  om  ia  ci/ua — ^I 
grieve  iox  you  two !)'  The  lav:a  xolled  near,  and  he  ran  till 
a  deep  chasm  arrested  his  progress.  He  laid  down  his  spear, 
and  on  it  walked  over  in  sstfety.  His  friend  called  out  for  his 
help.  He  held  out  his  li^pear  over  the  chasm ;  his  companion 
took  hold  of  it,  and  he  drew  hun  securely  over.  By  this  time, 
Pele  was  coming  dovm  the  chasm  vrith  accelerated  motion. 
He  ran  till,  he  reached  the  place  where  one  of  his  sisters  was 
sitting.  He  had  only  time  to  say,  'Koae,  aloha  oe.'— {Alas 
fbr  you!)'  and  then  ran  on  to  ^e  sea-idiore.  His  younger 
brother  had  just  landed  &om  his  fishing  canoe,  and  had  run 
up  to  his  house  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  his  £unily,  when 
Kahavali  arrived.  He«and  his  firiend  leaped  into  it,  and  with 
his  broad  spear  paddled  out  to  sea.  Pe2e,  perceiving  he  had 
esci^ped,  ran  to  the  shore,  and  hurled,  with  piodigious  force, 
huge  stones  and  fi;agments  of  rocks  after  him,  which  fell 
thickly  around,  but  did  not  strike  his  canoe.  When  they  had 
paddl^  a  short  distance  from  the  shore,  the  kumuhaki  (east 
wind)  sprung  up.  He  fixed  his  broad  spear  upright  in  the 
canoe,  which,  answering  the  double  puirpose  of  mast  and  sail, 


no  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

he  soon  reached  the  island  of  Maui.  There  they  tested  one 
night,  and  proceeded  to  Lanai.  On  the  following  day  he 
removed  to  Molokai,  and  firom  thence  to  Oahu,  the  abode  of 
his  father  and  sister,  to  whom  he  related  his  disastrous  perils, 
and  with  whom  he  took  up  his  permanent  abode.  "^ 

Kaneohe  (from  "towc,"  male,  and  "o^,"  bamboo)  is  a 
small  and  scattered  village,  and  ccmtains  a  branch  of  the 
American  Protestant  Mission.  It  is  about  three  miles  from 
the  loot  of  the  JPcdiy  and  command  a  fine  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding plains  and  adjacent  mountains.  The  mission  in 
this  place  was  established  in  1834.  The  chapel  is  a  v^ 
neat  structure,  95  by  50  feet.  The  walls  ale  jsohdly  built  of 
black  lava,  united  with  cement  made  out  of  the  c<»:al  pro- 
cured firom  the  reefs  on  the  neighboring  shore,  and  burned 
into  lime.  Nearly  all  of  this  fabric  is  native  workmanship, 
and  it  would  be  a  credit  to  good  mechanics  in  many  older 
countries.  The  Hawaiians  soon  become  adepts  in  the  mie- 
chanic  arts;  and  it  may  be  owing  to  the  fact  Uiat  their  facul- 
ties are  more  imitative  than  creative,  for  they  will  copy  almost 
any  thing  they  see  the  white  man  do. 

The  impressions  produced  on  my  own  mind,  while  staying 
at  Kaneohe,  were  highly  favorable  to  the  Christianity  profess- 
ed by  the  natives.  External  action  is  not  always  a  criterioai 
of  internal  character.  The  act  may  "jpe  balanced  in  the  scales 
of  reason  and  justice,  while  the  motive  which  prompted  it 
may  remain  as  unfathomable,  to  the  eye  of  a  mcnrtal,  as  eter^ 
nity  itself  It  was  not  for  me,  there^re,  to  decide  that  the 
motives  of  the  Christianized  natives  at  Kaneohe  were  or  were 
not  rightly  founded.  But  their  deportment  was  unexception- 
able ;  their  close  attention  to  the  teachings  of  the  missionary 
highly  commendable ;  and  it  appeared  yet  more  so  when  I 
remembered  that,  not  many  years  ago,  these  very  plains,  oc- 
cupied by  the  fathers  of  the  present  generation,  re-echoed  the 
shouts  of  warriors  mingling  in  barbaric  warfare.  The  punc- 
tuality with  which  these  people  att^id  to  their  Christian  dit- 
ties is  remarkable.  On  the  Sabbath,  at  sunrise,  they  always 
*  "Ellis's  Tour  round  Hawaii  in  1828,"  p.  ICS-l*?!. 


CHRISTIANIZED  NATIVES.  m 

meet  for  prayer  and  mutaal  instruction.  Nor  does  this  eariy 
hour  of  devotion  ajQbrd  them  any  design  to  stay  away  from  the 
more  public  and  subsequent  duties  of  the  day.  Hundreds  of 
well-dressed  natives — ^men,  women,  and  children — ^many  of 
whom  come  six  or  seven  miles,  may  be  seen  thronging  the 
chapel  to  listen  to  their  teadier. 

When  we  speak  of  Christianized  natives,  or  of  Hawaii  be- 
ing a  Christian  nation,  it  must  be  regarded  in  the  same  light 
as  though  we  were  speaking  of  the  United  States  as  being  a 
Christian  nation,  and  in  no  other  sense  of  the  expression.  In 
the  former  nation,  as  in  the  latter,  there  is  much  nominal 
Christianity,  much  to  condemn,  much  to  approve ;  ioi  human- 
ity, from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  is  a  singular  combination  of 
good  and  evil.  There  is  not  a  more  difficult  task  to  which  a 
I^iilanthropist  can  apply  himself,  than  to  instil  pure  morals 
into  the  heart  of  a  South  Sea  Islander.  The  chief  cause  £ot 
wonder,  then,  is  not  that  the  Hawaiians  are  not  all  Christians 
£rom  a  thorough  transformation  of  character,  but  that  so  many 
Christians  are  feund  amoi^  them.  There  is  that  in  native 
character  which  can  rarely,  if  ever,  be  entirely  effaced :  it  is 
the  deadly  upas  of  corrupt  morals,  inherited,  through  their 
forefathers,  from  many  generations  past.  To  purge  away  this 
natural  and  deeply-rooted  corruption,  and  implant  within  them 
a  sensitive  conscience-^  conscience  aHve  to  the  discharge  of 
every  moral  obligation — ^is  as  difficult  as  an  attempt  to  blot 
out  the  spots  of  the  leopard,  or  to  wash  the  dusky  hue  from 
offthfi  s^  of  the  Ethiopian.  But  this  change  of  character 
?uis  been  efected,  and  it  will  be  effected  again.  The  remark 
may  be  repeated,  that,  among  the  Hawaiians,  the  greatest 
wonder  is  that  so  many  of  them  are  Christians.  It  is  a  well- 
understood  truth,  that 

-   **A  thousand  years  scarce  serve  to  form  a  state : 
An  hour  may  lay  it  in  the  dust" 

Engla|id  has  been  more  than  thirteen  hundred  years  in  attain- 
ing her  pres^it  eminence  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
C^turies  had  swept  over  the  "  Seven-hilled  City"  befi)re  the 
gbry  of  the  Augustan  age  shed  its  rays  cm  Rome.     History 


112  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

tells  us  of  states  and  natbns  thai  struggled,  fat  hundreds  oi* 
years,  amid  a  sort  of  semiKsirilizatiosi,  and  ihen  went  out  like 
the  d^ing  flame  of  a  midnight  taper.  When  it  is  lemembo- 
ed  that  tkirty-five  years  (!)  have  not  yet  fled  since  effiurts 
were  commesieed  to  civilize  and  Christianize  the  Hawaiians, 
who,  for  centuries  past,  had,  as  a  race,  been  buned  in  the 
blackest  midnight  of  debadement  that  has  ever  afiikted  a  por- 
tion of  our  race,  may  it  be  expected  that  so  shtxrt  a  period  is 
adequate  to  efiace  the  last  vestiges  of  mental  and  iooral  dis- 
ease ?  No,  verily !  And  that  man,  or  class  of  men,  who  can 
mistake  a  pcmit  so  -v^tal  as  this,  have  not  learned  the  alphabet 
of  human  nature.  ^ 

I  have  already,  spoken  of  native  Christians  at.  Kaneohel 
That  is  a. quaint  old  saying  which  assures  us  we  may  judge 
of  a  tree  by  the  fruit  it  Reduces.  On  the  same  philosophical 
principle  we  may  form  our  opinions  of  men.  It  wIbus.  on  this 
ground  that  I  formed  an  estimate  of  native  character  at  this 
mission  station.  At  sunrise — ^in  fieust,  from  early  morning,  twi- 
light, the  members  of  that  Church  ccmveaied  on  the  Monday 
in  their  chapel.  It  was  their  '*  monthly  concert  for  Mis»ons." 
There  is  something  in  the  prayer  of  a  Hawaiian  Christian 
that  finds  its  way  -into  the  heart  of  a  listener.  The  solemn 
tones  of  the  invocation,  "  E  Iehovah  !"  (0  Jehovah !)  spoken 
only  as  a  Hawaiian  can  i^ak  it  wh^n  he  addresses  his  Grod, 
and  equalling,  if  not  surpassing,  the  "  Allah  achbas  !"  of  the 
Mussulman,  is  exceedingly  impressive.  I  could  hardly  real- 
ize the  fact  that  there  was  a  time  vfhssi  the  Cluistiaiis  (^  &]> 
ofl*  lands  were  praying  for  this  peqple,  and  sending  the  men 
and.  means  to  evangelize  them,  and  that  now  this  branch  of 
the  Hawaiian  mission  was  doing  a  ttinilar  thiog  for  other  isl- 
ands in  the  Pacific.     But  so  it  was. 

In  justice  to  my  theme,  I  am  constrained  to  say  I  was  as- 
tonished at  the  unpret^iding  dwelling  of  the  missionary,  and 
his  unostentatious  mode  of  living.  On  my  way  to  the,  group, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  previous  report,  I  was  ex- 
pecting to  find  the  missionaries  living  in  the  most  '*  luxurious 
houses,''  that  were  **  filled  with  native  slaves,"  where  one 


WHITE  MAN  TURNED  SAVAGE.  II3 

might "  witneds  the  idle  luxury  of  their  lires.  * '  On  my  amyal 
at  the  islands,  I  £>und  that  tiiese  charges  vere  only  phantoms 
of  Uie  imaginaticm.  The  dweliiiig  of  the  missionary  at  Kar 
neohe— 'Rev.  B.  W.  Parker — ^was  as  plain  as  any  &nn-bottte 
in  ^ew  England,  hoth  in  its  internal  and  external  ocmdition. 
The  servant  he  employed  he  fed  and  paid  monthly  wages  to ; 
and,  at  that,  he  was  a  memher  of  his  own  Church !  His  &re 
was  plain,  hut  neat  and  suhstantial ;  and,  to  procure  mneh 
of  it,  he  had  to  toil  with  his  own  hands  in  cultivating  the  soil. 
And  this  was  honoraHe ;  for  that  splendid  scholar  and  gen- 
tlemanly ChristiiBn,  the  Apostle  Paul,  frequently  seorved  at  the 
occupation  of  maJdng  tents.  1  found  Mr.  Parker  cme  ci  those 
men  whom  a  person  can  not  help  esteeming  uid  loving — a 
plain,  honest,  afiahle,  Christian  gentleman.  And  when  I  left 
him,  I  could  not  help  secretly  wishing  him,  and  aU  his,  a  sin- 
cere **  God-speed !" 

At  a  short  distance  heyond  Kanebhe,  the  path  leads  along 
the  sea-shore.  The  whc^e  scene  is  highly  picturesque.  The 
heach  is  composed  of  a  very  fine  coral  sand  of  a  dazzling 
whiteness,  interspersed  with  long  veiiis  of  hasaltic  rock  in  low 
2ind  smooth  heds;  On  the  land  side,  and  near  the  smrge,  stand 
a  few  native  dwellings,  over  which  the  cocoa-nut  tree  suspends 
its  &ntastic  and  heautiM  fehage ;  seaward  the  feam^^stested 
breakers  come  rolling  m  with  the  speed  of  the  swiftest  race- 
hoise,  and  a  voice  of  thunder,  as  th^  Ineak  on  the  beach  close 
to  the  feet  of  the  traveler. 

While  journeying  along  tibds  shore  I  met  a  singular  looking 
object.  His  face  was  bronzed  by  a  tropical  sun,  his  eyes  w^:e 
Mood-shotten,  and  a  short  wooleii  tdiirt  was  his  only  garment. 
His  haggard  face,  his  matted  hair  and  beard,  his  rapid  steps,* 
almost  induced  me  to  beheve  he  had  just  escaped  £rom  a  re- 
treat for  the  insane.  He  was  once  a  white  man ;  but  a  four 
years*  intercourse  with  the  most  debased  and  wretched  of  the 
natives  had  turned  him  into  a  complete  savage.  He  could 
hardly  read,  much  less  write  his  own  name.  The  porar 
wretch  Vas  a  hbel  oh  the  enlightened  state  of  Connecticut, 
&r  from  that  part  of  the  United  States  he  originally  came. 


114  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

He  lefiised  to  tell  his  name.  At  this,  however,  I  was  not  sur- 
prised. His  downcast  eyes  indicated  a  sense  of  shame  of  his 
abject  condition.  His  personal  mien  and  appearance  estab- 
li^ed  more  firmly  than  ever,  in  my  own  mind,  the  theory  that 
the  white  man,  severed  from  the  civilizing  influences  cf  so- 
ciety, is  capable  of  becoming  a  more  debased  wretch  than  the 
savages  or  aborigines  among  wh(Hn  he  Hves.  Such  a  scene 
is  calculated  to  draw  tears  firom  the  eyes  of  angels,  and  to  fill 
the  bosom'  of  any  living  man  with  sorrow  for  the  brutal  con- 
dition of  many  of  his  species.  I  have  witnessed  many  sudi 
scenes  on  the  Sandwich  Islands ;  and  they  are  numerous  on 
the  islands  scattered  over  the  wide  Pacific  Ocean. 

This  portion  of  the  shore  abounds  with  a  large  number  ci 
singular  coral  reefs.  They  are  of  a  drcular  form,  "and  vary 
firom  a  few  rods  to  a  mile  in  diameter.  They  are  usually  el- 
evated to  within  a  few  inches  of  medium  tide,  at  which  time 
the  natives  reach  them  in  canoes,  and  wade  over  them  to  pro- 
cure shell-fish.  Although  these  circular  reefs  are  located  near 
the  shore,  and  are  raised  near  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  they 
retreat  so  precipitately  that  their  bases  can  hardly  be  fathomed ; 
and  there  is  sufiicient  depth  of  water  around  them  for  any 
purposes. 

Beyond  these  reefs  there  are  numerous  fish-ponds.  Their 
dimensions  range  firom  one  to  a  hundred  acres.  Their  rela- 
tive size  is  indicative  of  the  wealth  and  power  of  their  re- 
spective owners.  The  smaller  ponds  belong  to  the  poorer  of 
the  native  subjects ;  the  larger  are  owned  by  th^  king  and  his 
principal  chiefs.  They  are  formed  simply  by  extending  a  wall 
of  coral  over  a  portion  of  the  reefs  lining  the  shore.  The  huge 
'walls  inclosing  the  largest  are  of  ancient  date,  and  were  raised 
when  feudal  chieftains  could  command  the  bodies,  souls,  and 
lives  of  the  common  people ;  but  now,  portions  of  them  were 
beaten  down  by  the  ever-rolling  tides.  Many  of  these  pcmds 
are  located  at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  and  supplied  by 
fresh  water  from  the  neighboring  mountains.  Over  all  the 
shores  of  the  group  these  fish-ponds  abound;  Next  to  their 
ta7t>  plantations,  they  are  pnzed  by  the  natives,  for  their  con- 


FISH-PONDS— WOMEN  AS   LABORERS.  HQ 

tents  are  highly  valued  as  an  mdispensable  article  of  food,  and 
sacredly  guarded ;  but,  after  all  their  precautions,  some  thiev- 
ish native  -will  sometimes  come  along  in  the  night  and  extract 
a  few  of  their  finny  tenants  for  his  own  immediate  use.  Al- 
most invariably,  however,  he  gets  detected.  With  most  of 
die  Hawaiians,  as  with  the  old  Spartans,  tiie  crime  consists 
in  detecti<Hi,  not  in  the  theft.  These  fish-ponds  are  not  un- 
firequently  a  source  of  much  gratificati(m  to  tiie  fotigued  and 
hungry  traveler.  On  entering  a  native  house  just  at  sunset, 
and  after  a  day's  hard  riding,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a  good- 
natured  old  dame  to  step  up  to  him,  pass  her  hand.across  his 
chest,  and  ask  him,  with  a  maternal  sohcitude,  *'  iffie  isftdl  /** 
On  receiving  a  negative  reply,  out  runs  a  young  girl,  or  one 
of  her  sons,  and  launches  a  small  canoe  on  the  waters  of  the 
pond.  It  is  easy  to  guess  the  nature  of  their  errand.  In  an 
incredibly  short  time,  having  been  baked  amid  ample  folds  of 
the  dark  green  ti  \ea£{I>ra€€Bna  terrninaUs)^  a  huge  calabash 
of  fi^,  accompanied  with  boiled  taro  and  poi,  as  the  taste  of 
the  traveler  may  be  suited,  is  spread  before  him.  Some  twen- 
ty pair  of  black  eyes  may  be  glancing  at  him,  but  it  only  re- 
mains for  him  to  lay  aside  his  fastidiousness  and  satisfy  the 
demands  of  the  inner  man.  No  class  o^  people  on  earth  can 
be  more  generous  to  the  foreigner  than  the  very  poorest  of  the 
Hawaiians.  He  may  partake  of  their  best  fare — such  as  it  is 
— and  they  will  make  no  demand  upon  his  purse.  But  this 
does  not  intimate  that  they  are  ungrateful  for  a***  considera- 
tion." 

While  pursuing  my  way  toward  Kualoa,  a  rather  novel 
scene  presented  itself  Five  or  six  wom^i,  up  to  their  waists 
in  mud  and  water,  and  nearly  nude,  were  cleaning  put  an  old 
taro  patch,  with  the  intention  of  converting  it  into  a  fish-pofid. 
The  Hawaiian  women  are  ahnost  amphibious.  Almost  in- 
credible statements  may  be  made  of  their  wonderful  aquatic 
exercises.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  a  foreigner — an  Amer- 
ican especially — ^to  see  a  woman  almost  buried  in  mud  like  an 
eel,  to  herself  it  is  nothing,  for  she  is  fond  of  dabbling  in  wa- 
ter.    And  although  these  women  looked  as  if  they  might 


116  SANDWICH  ISLAND  Nt)TES. 

have  been  bom  the  tswrnts  of  this  very  dough,  or  just  risen 
up  from  the  Arcadian  Stjx,  they  were  merely  forming  a  fish- 
pond £ot  the  reception  of  a  few  c^  the  finny  tribe  that  thdr 
brothers,  husbands,  or  fathers  were  then  catching  oh  the  reefiu 

If  the  Hawaiians  ean  be  strictly,  turned  a  labonng  people, 
it  is  certain  that  the  women  do  their  part.  But,  whatever 
may  be  said  of  them  as  a  people,  it  is  also  certain  that  they 
do  not  eompel  their  women  to  Aibserve  the  same  seifdom  that 
brutalizes  many  of  .the  women  of  th6  eommon  Arabs,  the  Cai- 
fires,  and  even  the  North  American  Indians.. 

Although  the  duties  of  the  Sandwidi  Island  womai  m&y 
not  be  very -arduous,  they  aremuch  varied.  .  One  of  their  most 
tedious  and  favorite  duties  is  sometimes  to  drive  stock  to  maik- 
et.  During  these  engagements  some  o£  the  most  ludicrous 
scenes  occur.  On  ascending  an  eminmipe  just  beyond  the  fish- 
ponds, I  noticed  a  grcmp  of  native  women  squatting  down  un- 
der the  shade  of  a  widerspreading  and  beautiful  Pandanus-tree 
(  Tectorius  eb  pdordtissmmsy  On  coming  np  with  them,  I 
found  them  surrounding  an  enormous  hog.  The  day  was  un- 
usually warm,  and  the  beast  lay  panting  a«  if  he  were  about 
to  breathe  his  last.  To  his  welfare  this  female  group  bestow- 
ed the  most  assiduous  attentions.  Their  dress  was  scant ;  but 
several  of  them  had  evidently  taken  oiS*  thdbr  only  garments, 
soaked  them  in  virater  from  their  calabasha,.and  ^readthem 
over  his  swinish  majesty  fixr  the  express  purpose  of  keeping 
him  cool,  while  a  few  others  were  employed  in  fartning  him. 
The  usual  method  of  conveying  pigs  to  market  is  to  tie  the 
four  feet  together  and  run  a  pcde  through  them,  each  end  be- 
ing supported  on  the  shoulders  of  two  natives,  who  trot  off  at 
no  very  despicable  speeds  But  this  brute  would  probably  have 
weighed  nearly  five  hundred  pounds.  The  silly  iai&ction  these 
women  displayed  toward  their  favorite  convinced  me  that  they 
cherished  not  the  least  Tespect  for  the  prohibitory  laws  of  tl^ 
Jewish  Scriptures,  much  less  those  of  the  Koran ;  and  yet  th^ 
were  trying  to  drive  him  to  market  for  tale.  An  old  adage 
tells  us  that  "  a  good  man  is  mercifiil  to  his  beast.'-  But  it 
may  not  be  argued  that  mercy  to  a  brute  is  alvirays  indicative 


DRIVING   HOGS   TO   MAfiKET. 


117 


of  "goodness."  SiKsh  was  the  constmction  I  placed  on  this 
old  passaged  in  its  application  to  these  women.  They  were 
simply  taking  their  pet  to  market.  Already  had  he  heen  driv- 
el several  miles.  His  guardians  would  have  to  condn^  him 
over  1^  brow  of  the  fearful  Pali,  and  then  they  would  he  six 
miles  distant  from  Honolulu.  It  would  occupy  at  least  thirty- 
six  hours  to  accomplish  this  purpose ;  hut  it  would  he  achieved ; 
fi)rthe  Sandwich  Islanders — the  women  especially — ^have  a 
large  share  of  patience  where  little  exertion  is  required.  They 
would  watch  his  movranents  by  day,  and  sleep  by  his  side  at 
night.  They  had  fixed  his  price  in  the  market,  and  they  wish- 
ed to  get  him  there  in  a  condition  as  good  as  possible.  To  a 
person  who  has  never  witnessed  life  in  the  South  Sea  Islands, 
much  that  might  be  written  on  the  habits  of  the  girls  and 
-women  wduld  be  deemed  as  merely  fabulous.  Such  a  conclu- 
sion GSL  the  part  of  a  reader  is  no  cause  for  wonder.     A  whole 


MODE  OP  CARBT1NO  BURDENS. 


118  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

volume  might  be  filled  with  illu8trati(9is  of  the  fondnees  of 
Hawaiian  women  for  pigs  and  dogs,  but  it  is  better  that  they 
should  drop  in  as  if  casually  introduced.  Whatever  may 
have  been  a  person's  doubts  on  this  subject,  they  become  dis- 
persed £>rever  when  he  arrives  at  the  group  of  islands,  and 
sees  the  women  and  girls  carrying  dogs  and  small  pigs  in 
their  bosoms.  ,  ^ 

I  shall  say  more  on  this  tope  on  a  future  page.  I  left  that 
company  of  women,  doubting,  in  my  own  mind,  whether  any 
philosopher  of  the  order  of  Stoics  could  have  maintained  hb 
gravity  in  the  presence  of  such  a  scene. 

This  topic  leads  me  to  notice  the  simplicity  of  native  man- 
ners and  their  domestic  life.  Several  illustrations  of  these 
themes  were  presented  to  me  on  my  way  to  Kualoa,  but  they 
were  insignificant  in  comparison  to  those  I  subsequently  met 
in  the  progress  of  my  tour  over  the  group.  While  pursuing 
my  way  along  this  shore,  I  was  t)ccasionally  overtaken,  or  met, 
by  some  native,  smiling  aU  over  his  face,  and  accosting  me  by 
their  national  word  of  greeting — ^**  Aloha .'"  (love,  or  saluta- 
tion to  you).  Sometimes  they  will  accompany  you  side  by 
side  for  miles,  and,  excepting  this  single  word  of  greeting  you 
on  meeting  and  parting,  not  a  pliable  will  escape  their  lips. 
Others,  again,  are  a£  clamorous  as  a  company  of  Arabs  asking 
fi)r  '*  bakshish"  Whether  the  Hawaiian  o^rs  a  real  greeting 
or  not,  nothing  can  harrow  up  his  feelings  more  than  the  trav- 
^er's  refusal  or  omission  to  return  the  compliment  by  saying 
''Aloha  /"  Very  probably,  at  the  moment  of  parting,  thmr 
taciturnity  may  fly  away,  or  the  current  of  their  clamor  be- 
come changed,  and  ihea  their  sole  talk  is  about  the  "  hadS** 
(foreigner).  Every  feature,  the  color  of  his  hair,  beard,  and 
eyes ;  every  article,  of  dress  he  has  on ;  his  proficiency  as  a 
horseman — every  thing  becomes  the  theme  of  their  ridicule  or 
praise ;  and  they  will  remember  that  foreigner  again  after  the 
lapse  of  years. 

In  their  style  of  Hving  they  are  just  as  simple.  They  know 
little  or  nothing  about  artificial  wants.  With  th^ir  ponds  well 
stocked  with  fish,  their  beds  of  taro  flourishing  close  to  their 


A   SOLITARY  GRAVE.  HQ 

dooiB,  their  stock,  lequiring  little  or  no  care,  increaging  around 
them,  they  appear  to  be  the  happiest  beings  on  earth. 

To  a  certain  extent  they  are  an  agricnltural  people.  Such 
they  were  observied  to  be  when  first  discovered,  and  such  they 
have  been  from  their  earliest  history.  In  this  respect  they 
difier  from  the  aborigines  of  the  continents  of  North  and  South 
America,  and  yet,  in  some  relations,  they  seem  to  have  descend- 
ed from  the  same  primitive  Oriental  stock.  Until  the  down- 
fall of  idolatry,  the  Hawaiians  maintained  a  system  of  pagan 
worship  the  most  cruel,  bloody,  and  debasing  ever  known, 
while  the  latter  are  more  of  a  nomadic  race,  retaining  an 
immaterial  worship.  Both  races  are,  or  have  been,  powerful 
and  warlike,  and  both  are  passing  rapidly  away. 

By  this  time. the  road  had  Mt  the  shore,  and  resumed  its 
course  over  the  plains.  While  trying  to  select  a  good  crossing 
place  over  a  narrow  ravine,  my  horse's  hoofs  casually  stumbled 
against  a  low  mound.  I  immediately  perceived  it  to  be  a 
fimeral  mound,  probably  of  some  native.  The  top  of  the 
grave  was  rudely  protected  by  a  covering  of  coral  rocks;  that 
looked  as  though  they  might  have  been  there  during  several 
generations.  By  whose  hands  it  had  been  dug,  or  by  whom 
it  was  tenanted,  I  did  not,  could  not  ascertain.  There  it  stood, 
near  the  sea-shore,  all  silent  and  solitary.  Not  a  single  wilt 
flower  grew  by  ita  side  to  gather  a  few  of  the  tears  of  night, 
not  a  blade  of  g^rass  flourished  around  it.  There  was  no  indi- 
cation that  human  footsteps  came  or  went  on  any  errand  of 
touching  memorial.  In  all  probability,  the  only  requiem  ever 
wafted  over  that  grave  was  sung  by  the  foaming  surf  that  in- 
cessantly thundered  on  the  contiguous  shore.  No  man  knows 
where  he  shall  rest  his  bones ;  I  knew  not  where  I  might  leave 
my  own.  I  turned  away  from  that  grave  with  a  subdued 
spirit,  hoping  that  peace  might  forever  reign  over  the  ashes 
of  the  profeund  sleeper^ 

At  a  short  distance  beyond  this  funeral  mound  sat  a  group 
of  which  any  painter  might  justly  have  been  proud.  It  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  a  party  of  native  girls.  Their  hair  and  necks 
were  ornamented  with  the  gay  flowers  of  their  native  ohdo 


X20  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

{Ghudtheria  pendtdiflorum),  as  beautifully  interwoven  a»  if 
done  by  faiiy  fingers.  They  i^ppeared  a«  unsophisticated  and 
happy  as  if  they  were  strangers  to  ev«ry  sorrow — more  like 
the  descendants  of  the  *' children  of  the  sun,"  who  dwelt  am^ 
the  glories  of  an  unfading  Peruvian  summer,  than  the  o&hoots 
of  a  degraded  race.  From  such  beings  as  these,  so  beautifol, 
bright,  and  hi^py,  the  old  poets  surely  fabled^their  genii  and 
naiad  queens ! 

The  chief  figure  in  the  group  was  an  old  man,  who  seemed 
to  be  the  centre  of  their  joys.  His  appearance  was  decidedly 
patriaxdial.  A  long  white  beard  flowed  gracefiilly  down  upon 
his  chest.  A  few  white  locks  were  sprinkled  around  his  tern* 
pies.  When  he  smiled,  his  eyes  sparkled  with  unaflected  de- 
light, and  his  parted  lips  revealed  a  complete  set  of  the  finest 
teeth  I  have  ever  seen.  Nearly  a  hundited  summers  had  shone 
upon  him,  and  his  simplicity  of  aj^peaxance  was  increased  by 
a  long  wreath  of  wild  flowers  ^^ch  one  of  those  bewitc^ung 
girls  had  placed  on  his  neck.  He  was  reciting  to  his  little 
audience  some  of  the  tales  of  his  youthful  days.  Truly  tkey 
must  have  been  of  a  thrilling  nature,  £)r  he  had  lived  during 
the  sanguinary  struggles  that  achieved  the  consolidation  of  the 
entire  group  under  the  sway  of  old  Kamehamkha  I. ;  he  had 
Vitnessed  the  annihilation  of  several  pagan  temples,  and  the 
destruction  of  ''forty  thousand  idols/"  This  little  group 
seemed  as  bright  as  the  sun  in  whose  rays  they  were  bashing ; 
nor  was  it  any  wonder  that  those  young  girls  should  crowd 
around  the  venerable  old  man,  as  he  told  them  of  past  g^ier- 
ations. 

This  picture  was  primitive  in  all  its  associations.  It  eoKt- 
veyed  to  my  own  mind  a  vivid  idea  of  the  early  races  of  the 
great  fiunily  of  man.  I  could  not  but  believe  that  mankind 
were  fiur  happier  then  than  now,  and  J  almost  wished  for  a 
return  of  the  patriarchal  age.  The  patriarchs  dwelt  in  t^its ; 
but  they  were  ancestors  to  the  greatest  nations  of  ancient  days ; 
and  they  could  step  to  the  thresholds  of  their  plain'and  honest 
abodes,  and  look  up  to  their  fiiture  homes — the  stars,  and  in 
their  light  and  glory  they  could  read  the  first  truth  in  Nature 


A   NATIVE   JUDGE.  Jgl 

and  ReYela4do]i,  the  great  central  trath  to  which  every  reason- 
able man  cling& — "There  is  one  God!"  In  this  positifm 
they  were  infinitely  happier  than  the  proudest  member  of  the 
Icmg  dynasty  of  the  ancient  Pharaohs. 

Of  all  the  characters  on  the  group,  no  one  is  more  interest- 
ing than  that  of  a  native  judge.  A  singular  specimen  of  this 
gemts  homo  I  found  residing  within  the  precincts  of  Kualoa. 
His  house  was  constructed  on  the  native  plan,  but  his  domes- 
tic comforts  were  rather  superior.  He  was  a  judge  (!),  and 
that  made  the  difierence.  He  resided  in  the  centre  of  a  vil- 
lage containing  six  or  seven  other  dwellings.  His  legal  pro- 
fession constituted  him  a  sort  of  lord  over  his  surrounding 
brethren,  for  they  all  looked  up  to  him  with  feelings  some- 
whaX  akin  to  reverence.  He  had  no  rosewood  book-cases,  well 
filled  with  elegantly  bound  and  ponderous  volumes ;  but  a  sin- 
gle shelf  contained  his  papers,  and  some  half  dozen  books,  fix>m 
which  he  had  drawn  his  legal  inspirations.  His  house  con- 
tained a  few  articles  for  domestic  use  that  would  not  have  dis- 
graced the  residence  of  many  a  thoroughly  civilized  man.  Ev- 
ery thing  was  arranged  with  scrupulous  care  as  to  the  best 
side  being  placed  toward  the  gaze  of  the  visitor,  and  all  was 
proverbially  neat  and  clean.  He  had  so  adjusted  the  insignia 
of  his  ofiiceT  that  his  own  countrymen  might  at  once  be  im- 
pressed with  the- majesty  that  civil  law  extends  to  its  faithfiil 
discif^. 

The  judge  himself  was  a  fine-looking  fellow,  about  six  feet 
high,  well  proportioned,  and  with  a  hand  that  might  weU  have 
belonged  to  a  high-bom  patrician  woman.  His  entire  physi- 
ognomy was  that  of  a  lawyer. 

It  happened  that  two  natives  were  present  seeking  the  ad- 
justment of  some  private  difficulty.  The  question  having 
been  proposed,  a  solemn  sUence  pervaded  the  entire  dwelling. 
His  honor  sat  perfectly  still,  and  an  awful  solemnity  shrouded 
his  countenance ;  while  hi^  **  better  half"  sat  down  on  the 
mat-covered  floor,  looking  him  directly  in  the  face  all  the  time. 
The  gaze  of  the  two  men  was  not  less  intense.  After  some 
minutes'  deliberation^  this  painM  silence  was  broken ;  the 

F 


122  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

defendant  was  fined  several  doUais,  while  the  plaintifiT  seemed 
to  think  himself  a  lucky  fellow,  and  went  away  with  a  lighter 
heart  and  more  pleasant  countenance.  The  Uttle  court  Yfa» 
dismissed,  and  his  honor  deposited  his  fees  in  a  de^  recess  in 
his  nondesCTipts,  evidently  satisfied  with  himself  and  his  own 
profession. 

I  have  aheady  referred  to  tara  plantatiims.  The  pro£rand 
interest  with  which  they  are  r^axded  hy  the  Hawaiians  inr 
duces  me  to  give  them  a  hrief  notice.  Those  that  were  flour- 
ishing around  the  dwelling  of  that  native  were  among  the 
fin^  I  saw  on  ike  group.  But  I  would  here  he  understood 
BJB  giving  a  general  description  of  the  article  in  its  nature  and 
general  cultivation. 

The  taro  {kalo  m  Hawaiian)  is  a  spedes  of  arum  {Antm 
esculentum).  Like  the  Arum  triph/yUim^y  it  grows  in  damp 
or  wet  situations  only.  It  is  propagated  in  water  hy  planting 
tops  fixttn  the  suckers  of  one  year's  growth  that  have  sprouted 
lorom  the  sides  of  the  original  plant.  The  heds  are  excavated 
two  or  three  feet  deep  in  the  earth,  leveled,  and  heaten  with 
cocoa-nut  stems,  while  wet,  to  produce  capacity  to  hold  water. 
Upland  kalo  is  usually  much  smaller  than  timt  which  gmws 
in  the  rich  hottoms.  There  is  a  red  and  a  white  species,  he- 
sides  several  varieties  of  each.  Some  of  these  plantations  vary 
in  size  from  a  forty-feet  square  to  two  or  three  acres.  Like 
many  of  the  fish-ponds,  the  size  indicates  the  wealth  and  rank 
of  the  owner.  Forty  square  feet  of  land  planted  with  kcUo 
wOl  afibrd  subsistence  for  one  person  during  a  whole  year.  A 
^uare  mile  of  land  planted  with  the  same  vegetable  will  feed 
fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  fiftyK)ne  persons  for  the  same 
length  of  time.* 

As  an  article  of  food,  kalo  is  invaluable.  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
Hawaiian  staff  of  4ife.  It  is  the  bread  of  the  islanders.  A 
good  Providence  has  caused  it  to  be  indigenous.  "While  raw, 
it  is  exceedingly  styptic  and  acrimonious,  producing  a  bummg 

*  The  above  estimate  is  made  by  allowing  paths,  three  feet  wide, 
between  each  piece  of  ground  of  forty  square  feet.  The  great  ease 
by  which  th«  natives  ssstain  themselves  is  thus  «xjdain«d. 


KUALOA.  123 

sensattoa  on  the  tongue.  In  this  state  it  is  fireqnently  taken 
as  a  medicine;  These  properties  aie  destroyed,  however,  bj; 
subjecting  it  to  heat;  B(»^,  baking,  or  roasting  leaves  the 
root  a  light  fannaoeons  substaace,  not  much  unlike  the  best 
potato.  In  this  last  state,  it  is  extensively  used  by  the  foreign 
population  as  an  article  of  food  for  their  daily  table. 

But  the  nKMSt  precious  diet  of  the  Hawaiians  is  the  kah, 
when  converted  into^.  It  is  prepared  for  this  purpose  by 
thoroughly  cooking  it,  and  then  pounding  it  to  a  pulp  in  a 
trough  made  out  of  hard  wood.  The  pounding*mallet  is  a 
piece  of  lava,  having  a  shape  much  like  a  chemist's  pestle. 
During  the  process  of  pounding,  water  is  frequently  added. 
When  it  assumes  the  appearance  of  a  thick  paste,  it  is  finiidied| 
and  then  it  receives  the  euphonious  appellation  of  poi.  As 
food,  it  is  simple  and  nutritious,  and  eaten  with  one  or  two 
fingers,  according  to  its  consistency.  It  is  always  proferred  by 
the  people  after  the  fermentative  process  has  commenced. 
This  article  of  food  imparts  bulk  rather  than  strength  and  so- 
lidity to  the  constitution.  And  this  fact  wiU  roadily  account 
iai  ib&  in^nense  corpidency  of  some  of  the  old  Hawaiian 
quells,  a  feature  which,  in  those  days,  was  deemed  ihe  ne 
ptus  ultra  of  female  beauty.  Foi  is  the  national  dish.  A 
native  may  be  fed  at  the  very  best  civilized  tables ;  but  if  he 
is  not  supplied  with  his  favorite  dish,  he  will  go  away  dissat- 
isfied. And  when  elevated  to  the  highest  possible  grade  of 
<»Ti]ization,  he  readily  mingles  with  his  countrymen  in  any 
little  party  whero  this  article  of  diet  is  certain  to  be  found. 

After  a  fatiguing:  ride,  I  reached  Kualoa  (firom  kua,  the  back, 
and  loa,  long).  The  name  seems  to  be  derived  from  the  pe- 
cuhsr  ridge  of  mountains  forming  the  sButhem  boundary  of 
the  KooLauloa  district.  It  is  a  highly  interesting  location,  the 
home  of  several  native  families.  In  firont  rolls  the  wide  Pa- 
cific. Hie  scenery  on  the  east  and  west  is  bounded  by  the 
chain  of  mountains  above  referred  to,  and  which  are  huge 
masses  of  volcanic  rook  that  have  grown  gray  during  the  on- 
ward flight  of  unchronicled  generations.  Once  they  echoed 
bade  the  war-songs  of  victmous  chieftains  returning  ftom  the 


124  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

field  of  battle,  where  they  plucked  glory  from  the  standards 
of  their  foes.  But  now  the  race  of  warriors  has  gone,  and  a 
few  wild  goats  take  refuge  in  the  sides  of  these  giant  land- 
marks. The  plains  of  Kualoa  contain  about  twelve  thousand 
acres,  over  whose  surface  may  be  traced  tangible  evidences  of 
a  large  population  long  since  extinct. 

Nothing  can  surpass  this  spot  when  the  sun  sets  below  the 
mountains,  and  reflects  their  massive  shadows  far  out  on  the 
plain.  Twilight  reigns  bdow,  while  aU  above  seems  bathed 
in  the  glory  of  the  descending  orb.  And  when  night  throws 
its  veil  over  nature,  and  every  sound  is  hushed,  the  very  silence 
becomes  oppressive,  and  the  mountains  stand  like  giant  sen- 
tinels to  protect  the  contiguous  plains  from  aU  eviL 


CHAPTER  IX. 

JOURNEY  TO  WAIALUA. 

Koad  to  EuHL — ^Repairing  Roads. — Pcuihao  Labor.— Natives  as  La- 
borers.—A  Trial  of  Patience. — ^Balaam  and  his  Ass. — ^The  Proph- 
ets Conolosion. — ^Philosophy  of  Batience. — ^A  Trial  of  Speed. — 
Ewa. — Church  and  Station. — ^A  Patriarchal  Missionary. — Eccle- 
siastical Discipline. — Singular  Case  of  Divorce. — A  Night  at  Ewa, 

The  road  leading  firom  Honolulu  to  Ewa  contains  but  little 
of  the  picturesque.  As  far  out  as  the  Salt  Lake,  it  is  exceed- 
ingly rugged,  and  presents  a  scene  of  savage  nakedness.  It 
ranges  along  the  foot  of  the  huge  slopes  stretching  fsxan  the 
summits  of  the  Konahuanui  Mountains. 

At  the  time  I  passed  over  it,  this  road  was  undergoing  re- 
pairs, but  certainly  not  before  they  w^re  needed.  This  was 
done  by  an  express  order  from  government.  The  work  was 
done  by  persons  who  preferred  rather  to  work  out  their  road- 
tax  than  liquidate  it  by  paying  cash.  Every  native  is  com- 
pelled to  work  six  days  in  the  year  on  the  public  roads  in  his 
own  district,  or  it  may  be  commuted  by  paying  three  dollars. 
Until  recently,  women,  who  had  trampled  on  the  law  of  virtue, 


r 


PAAHAO  LABOR.  135 

wete  compelled  to  work  out  a  certain  term  of  imprisonment 
to  hard  labor  on  the  public  roads  of  the  islands ;  in  other 
wordb,  they  had  to  repair  the  high-ways,  because  they  had 
failed  to  repair  their  own.  The  traveler  rides  over  many  a 
thoroughfare  that  has  been  constructed,  firom  first  to  last,  by 
this  sort  of  labor. 

The  system  of  road-making  is  very  di^rent  from  what  it 
was  once.  Then,  as  now,  that  sort  of  labor  was  denominated 
ptmhao.  In  former  days  it  was  a  portion  of  a  system  whose 
every  feature  and  aim  were  unqualified  despotism*  From 
the  highest  chief  down  to  the  lowest  subject,  it  was  a  gradar 
tion  of  usurped  power,  each  subordinate  being  oppressed  by 
his  superior.  This  state  of  afiairs  is  well  illustrated  by  the 
laws  which  w^e  appended  to  the  first  Constitution,  publish- 
ed in  1842  by  Kamehameha  III.  .  They  may  be  regarded  as 
a  hterary  curiosity,  and  that  is  the  principal  inducement  to  a 
few  brief  citations : 

"  Formerly,  besides  the  regular  government  tax,  there  was 
another  tax  laid  by,the  local  governors,  another  by  the  high- 
er landlords,  and  another  still  by  their  subordinates. 

'*  If  the  landlords  became  dissatisfied,  they  at  once  dispos- 
sessed their  tenants,  even  without  cause,  and  th^i  gave  their 
land  to  whoever  asked  for  it. 

"  Formerly,  a  prohibition  rested  even  on  the  ocean,  so  that 
men  must  not  take  fish  firom  it. 

"  If  the  king  wished  for  the  property  of  any  man,  he  took 
it  without  reward ;  even  seized  it  by  force,  or  took  a  portion 
only,  just  in  accordance  with  his  choice,  and  no  man  could  re- 
fuse him.  The  same  was  true  of  their  chieis,  and  even  the 
landlords  treated  their  tenants  thus. 

.  ''  The  chief  could  call  the  people  from  one  of  the  islands  to 
the  other  to  perform' labor. 

"  If  the  people  did  not  go  to  the  work  of  the  king  when  re- 
quired, the  punishment  was  that  their  houses  were  set  on  fire 
And  consumed.''i — Laws  of  Ka/mehameha  III,,  chap.  liv. 

This  labor-tax  was  the  greatest  of  all  scourges  to  the  com- 
jnon  people.    The  uncertain  tenure  of  their  possessions  broke 


12g  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

down  '^ir  puUio  spiiit,  and  introduced  evik  that  tended  to  a 
depopulation  of  the  race. 

Bad  as  was  the  condition  of  the  road  over  which  I  was 
traveling,  I  could  hut  condude  that  the  labor  bestowed  upon 
it  would  raider  it*  little  or  no  better.  About  fi%  natives 
were  employed  in  doing  repairs,  or  rather  in  trying  to  do 
them.  Where  the  road-supervisor  was,  I  knew  not ;  hut  cer- 
tainly he  was  much  needed.  Clodied  as  I  was  in  a  regular 
&ndwich  Island  suit — and  that  is  just  such  a  suit  as  a.  man 
chooses  to  wear-^-and  approaching  the  group  of  idlers,  it  seems  • 
I  must  have  been  locked  upon  as  their  foreman,  hx  every 
man  sdzed  his  tools  and  commenced  his  work  in  good  earnest. 
They  were  soon  undecmved,  however ;  fixr^.on  coming  dose  xqp 
with  them,  they  all  laughed  at  thdr  panic,  throw  down  their 
tools,  and  recommenced  their  jokes  on  each  other.  As  a  gen^ 
end  thing)  there  is  no  cl^u»  of  men  so  difficult  to  employ  as 
Hawaiians.  A  mere  tithe  of  what  was  formerly  extorted 
from  them  by  the  hand  oi  a  relentless  despotism^  can  not  now 
be  obtained  firom  them  by  kindness  and  a  good  remuneratioa. 
No  beast  of  prey  watches  his  vic^m  with  a  dioser  scrutiny 
than  the  KanaJut  watches  his  employer.  In  his  presence  he 
makes  every  efibrt  to  i^^pear  active  and  useM ;  but  tiie  very 
moment  he  disappears,  it  is  the  signal  Hat  a  general  cessation 
of  work,  and  one  keeps  a  **  look-out,''  while  the  group  indulge 
in  every  variety  of  gossip.  On  the  reajqpeaxance  of  their  mas^ 
ter,  the  sentinel  gives  the  alarm,  and  every  man  is  found  to 
be  at  work  as  thou^  he  meant  never  again  to  lay  down  his 
im^dements.  The  employer  may  have  watched  them  through 
a  clump  of  foliage,  or  fixun  the  window  i£  his  house,  and,  oa 
coming  back,  tell  them  of  thdr  remiamess ;  but  they  will 
swear  him  out  of  the  use  of  his  eyes,  and  insist  upon  it  that 
he  was  altogether  mistaken. 

But  tiiere  was  a  special  cause  why  these  road-repairers 
recognized  me  as  not  bdng  their  supervisor,  and  that  cause 
was  the  personal  appearance  and  conduct  of  my  horse.  The 
characteristics  which  oomposed  his  animal  nature  I  am  per- 
fectly at  a  loss  to  describe ;  but  I  did  fed  that,  in  making 


A  TRIAL  OF   PATIENCE.  J_27 

him,  NatUDe  had  made  a  mistake.  I  found  much  difficulty 
in.  getting  him  out  of  the  town.  Of  this  his  owner  had  advised 
xoe ;  also,  that  he  would  do  very  well  when  £Eurly  on  the  road. 
The  first  of  the  predictions  was  verified  to  the  leUer ;  the  latter 
it  was  impossihle,  as  yet,  to  realize.  I  wsus  unahle  to  decide 
whether  or  not  the  beast  knew  he  had  left  the  town  two  miles 
behind ;  but  I  was  conscious  that,  so  far,  I  had  been  compelled 
to  work  my  passage.  And  when  he  arrived  at  that  part  of  the 
road  where  repairs  were  going  on,  he  positively  revised  to  go 
another  step.  The  laborers  indulged  in  a  good  deal  of  mirth 
at  my  expense.  But  when  the  horse  came  to  a  dead  halt,  I 
-was  compelled  to  dismount,  much  to  my  own  chagrin  and  the 
bcosterous  mirth  of  the  natives. 

I  had  already  applied  both  whip  and  spur,  until  my  limbs 
were  fatigued.  The  day  was  very  warm,  and  the  perspiraticm 
actually  streamed  down  into  my  boots.  To  have  that  horse 
stand  and  look  me  in  the  fac&  with  a  dogged  independence, 
Bud  to  see  those  natives  fairly  roUing  vtdth  laughter  on  the 
xugged  road,  was  more  than,  my  endurance  could  subserve. 
Feeling  like  losing  some  conunand  over  my  temper,  I  exam- 
ined the  girth  and  appendages,  and  once  more  mounted.  With 
aU  the  strength  of  an  excited  arm,  I  applied  my  heavy  riding- 
whip  to  my  steed ;  and  in  return,  with  all  the  independence 
of  his  nature,  he  madly  and  rapidly  plunged  and  reared  for  the 
purpose  of  throwing  me  off.  It  was  in  vain ;  the  ugliness  of 
his  temper  only  drew  down  upon  him  a  heavier  whipping. 

It  was  a  great  relief  to  get  away  from  those  grimacing 
natives.  My  beast  made  a  start  at  last.  For  the  next  two 
or  three  miles,  and  imtil  after  I  had  passed  Aliorpaakcdj  he 
would  trot,  walk,  or  come  to  a  stand,  just  as  it  suited  him ; 
and  when  I  arrived^  at  an  elevation,  of  the  road,  he  stood  as 
still  as  a  sculptured  war-steed. 

To  be  firank  with  the  reader,  I  am  constrained  to  admit 
that  at  that  moment  I  felt  placed  in  a  very  unenviable  posi- 
tion. I  lost  all  patience.  My  spur  had  broken  down,  and  my 
arm  was  tired  from  using  Ihe  whip. 

Before  this  ejqperiment  in  horsemanship,  I  had  often  cea- 


128  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

sured  the  prophet  Balaam  for  his  abuse  of  his  ass.  I  had 
many  a  time  pictured  to  myself  the  bearded  prophet  moimted 
on  his  beast,  journeying  to  meet  the  king  and  the  princess  of 
Moab.  I  could  see  the  old  man  urging  along  his  steed,  and 
the  refractory  steed  endeavoring  to  urge  its  way  back  again, 
and,  in  its  efibrts,  crush  its  master's  foot  against  the  wall  of 
the  vineyard. 

Under  such  circumstances,  Balaam  lost  his  temper.  It  was 
no  wonder.  And  he  wished  for  a  sword,  that  he  might  slay 
his  beast. 

Situated  as  I  then  was,  I  could  freely  forgive  the  incensed 
seer.  At  that  moment  I  perfectly  understood  his  case,  and  I 
exclaimed  to  myself.  Henceforth  and  forever  I  can  pity  his 
misfortunes  and  forgive  his  weakness.  If  the  prophet  had 
possessed  a  sword»  he  would  have  left  his  beast  breathless  on 
the  spot ;  and  had  I  been  in  possession  of  a  pistol  at  that 
moment,  my  sorry  brute  would  never  have  baffled  the  efibrts 
of  another  rider.  The  prophet  was  pardonable,  and  so  was 
the  ass ;  for  the  beast  could  see  what  his  master  could  not — 
a  supernatural  phenomenon.  With  my  steed,  however,  it  was 
not  so ;  for  I  was  well  assured  that  the  spirit  of  no  Hawaiian 
warrior  could  come  back  to  dispute  my  right  of  way  to 
Waialua. 

For  the  second  time  I  dismounted,  and  commenced  a  spec- 
ulation on  patience.  It  occurred  to  me  that  the  old  adage,, 
"  Patience  is  a  virtue,"  was  undisputably  true ;  but,  at  the 
same  time,  I  was  compelled  to  di^r  firom  some  philosophers 
on  what  patience  actually  signified,  and  the  conclusion  I  came 
to  was  simply  this :  that  a  man  who  never  loses  his  patience 
has  none  to  lose,  and  that  its  occasional  test  is  a  satisfactory 
evidence  of  its  existence. 

But  Fortune — ^if  the  goddess  yet  lives — had  not  quite  aban- 
doned me ;  for,  while  philosophizing  on  patience,  I  casually 
turned  to  survey  a  part  of  the  road  I  had  traveled  over,  and 
two  native  horsemen  came  galloping  along.  Under  the  im- 
pression that  my  horse  would  travel  in  company  with  their 
own,  I  once  more  mounted  him.     It  turned  out  to  be  a  wise 


EWA— CHURCH   AND   STATION.  129 

precaution ;  for  scarcely  had  I  placed  myself  on  the  saddle, 
when  the  horsemen  came  up,  and  my  own.  steed  started  ofi*at 
a  sweeping  gallop,  imparting  a  spirit  of  emulation  to  theirs. 
Away  sped  myself  asid  the  two  Kanakas,  as  if  impelled  along 
by  a  final  race  for  glory.  Reining  them  in  was  out  of  the 
question  now.  As  we  sped  along  I  lost  all  thoughts  of  Ba- 
laam, far  no  less  a  hero  than  John  Gilpin  was  the  only  man 
on  whom  my  thoughts  rested.  He  came  very  near  running  a 
break-neck  race,  and  a  similar  doom  looked  me  .in  the  face. 
The  two  natives  glanced  at  me  with  profound  astonishment. 
In  vain  they  thed  to  arrest  the  mad  career  of  their  animals. 
On  we  sped,  over  hills,  and  plains,  and  through  valleys.  No 
wooer  of  the  muse  ever  fled  more  swiftly  on  the  wings  of  Pe- 
gasus Ihan  we  sped  over  that  road.  It  v^^  a  mercy  the  road 
was  clear ;  £)r,  had  there  been  any  serious  obstructions  in  the 
way,  either  our  animals'  limbs,  or  our  own  necks,  must  have 
forfeited  their  safety  as  an  atonement  for  this  unavoidable  reck- 
lessness. On  the  whole,  it  was  a  curious  j)erformance,  but 
very  &r  .firom  being  agreeable.  And  so  we  rode  until  we 
nearly  reached  £  wa,  twelve  miles  west  of  Honolulu.  At  that 
point  the  natives  left  me.  Once  more  alone,  my  Bucephalus 
recommenced  his  tricks ;  and  it  was  not  until  two  hours  more 
had  elapsed,  and  after  sundry  coaxings  and  floggings,  that  he 
conveyed  me  entirely  to  Ewa. 

Long  before  I  reached  this  station,  I  could  trace  its  site  by 
means  of  a  white  flag  that  was  floating  over  the  native  church. 
In  the  distance,  it  seemed  to  retain  an  aspect  of  marked  deso- 
lation^ and  yet  that  white  flag  bespoke  a  cordial  welcome,  for 
it  indicated  the  existence  of  civilized  life.  I  was  not  mistaken 
in  my  surmises.  On  arriving  at  Ewa,  and  closely  inspecting 
the  face  of  nature,  I  found  much  to  admire  and  love.  The 
village  was  small,  and  strictly  Hawaiian  in  its  character  and 
ILppearance,  but  meriting  no  particular  description.  It  had 
its  district  school,  under  the  supervision  of  a  native  instructor, 
and  the  pupils  were  numerous  and  attentive. 

But  the  home  of  the  missionary  was  a  delightful  spot.  Its 
external  features  seemed  to  smile  back  the  ever-glorious  sun- 

F2 


130  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

- t        I 

light  that  came  streaming  ficmi  the  placid  bosom  of  the  sky^. 
Fruits  aad  flowers  thrived  beautifully,  such  as  the  pomegran- 
ate {Pumica  grcmattmiy  Linn.),  tamarind  (  Tamcmndus  Inr 
dica),  pine-apple  {Bromdia  ancunas,  Linn.),  plantain  {Mtcsa 
Paradisiaca,  Linn.),  and  the  bread-firuit^tree  {Artoca/rpus  ifir 
cisa) ;  the  bloody  geranium  {Gerarmmb  sangumeum) ;  a 
ma^^iificent  specimen  of  the  centmy  plant,  or  American  aloe 
{Agave  Americana)^  and  many  other  flowers  peculiar  to  the 
tropics.  The  very  atmosphere  was  balmy  with  the  odors  ci 
fruits  and  flowers. 

If  the  external  aspect  of  that  dwelling  was  enchanting,  its 
internal  arrangements  wielded  a  magical  influence  cv^  the 
spirit  of  a  visitor.  Every  thing  was  the  very  pattern  of  neat- 
ness and  order.  I  was  not  long  in  concludii^  that  the  female 
proprietor  of  that'  abode  never  troubled  her  head  about  the 
proceedings  of  "  Women's  Rights  Conventions ;"  and  that  she 
honored  her  God,  herself,  and  her  husband  by  staying  at  hcone 
and  minding  her  oum  business. 

Li  that  dwelling  there  was  every  thing  that  was  needful  to 
refresh  a  tired  traveler.  The  room  into  which  I  was  intro- 
duced, where  I  might  refresh  myself,  had  often  been  occupied 
by  an  interesting  and  only  daughter*-a.t  least  I  was  so  in- 
formed— ^who  was  now  on  a  visit  to  a*  neighboring  island. 
But,  if  she  was  physically  absent,  there  was  something  about 
that  room  that  caused  me  to  fed  the  spirituality  of  her  prea* 
cnce.  I  had  never  seen  her,  but  I  touched  every  thing  which 
I  supposed  she  had :  used  her  hair-brush ;  looked  in  the  mir- 
ror before  which  her  yduthftd  form  had  many  a  time  stood  to 
arrange  her  toilet ;  turned  over  some  of  the  pages  of  her  books 
and  music,  &c.,  &c.  I  must  confess  I  knew  not  at  the  time, 
nor  do  I  now  understand,  why  such  a  singular  propensity 
came  over  me ;  but  I  do  know,  that  if  the  eye  of  the  £ur 
daughter  could  have  pierced  those  walls  and  sh^  its  fire  upon 
my  own  vision,  I  should  instinctively  have  shrunk  frx>m  any 
such  proceedings.  There  was  a  sanctity  about  that  room  that 
I  shall  never  fail  to  realize ;  it  was  the  sanc^tMTt  sanctoru/m 
where  a  virtuous  woman  had  thousands  of  times  reposed  in 
the  aims  of  sleep. 


A   {PATRIARCHAL   MISSIONARY.  131 

But  a  bnef  truce  to  the  ideal.  I  had  refreshed  myself  and 
Mt  it  proper  to  go  and  make  my  best  salam  to  the  missumary, 
who  had  just  been  summaoned  &ota  a  rather  remote  portion 
of  his  premises— -for  he  carried  on  a  small  &im.  I  did  make 
my  best  bow,  and  gave  him  the  best  squeeze  of  the  hand 
with  the  best  grace  I  was  master  of.  He  was  the  most  patri- 
archal old  gentlema^i  I  have  ever  met,  and  he  richly  merited 
my  best  regards,  my  most  sincere  deference.  There  was  some- 
thing about  him  so  paternal,  so  honest,  cordial,  and  good,  that 
I  could  not  fail  to  respect  him.  And  then  the  generous  and 
disinterested  welcome  he  gave  me  to  all  his  hospitalities !  I 
could  have  rode  sixty  miles  at  the  break-neck  gaUop  I  had 
just  terminated,  on  a  horse  ten  times  as  comical  and  refrac- 
tory, and  over  a  road  ten  times  as  uncouth,  to  have  met  such 
a  welcome  at  the  end  of  my  jou^ey  as  that  missionary  gave 
me.  Rev.  Artemas  Bishop—for  this  is  the  name  of  the  mis- 
atmary — ^has  long  since  ceased  to  draw  his  support  from  the 
American  Board  of  Missions.  There  are  many  persons  who 
care  to  make  no  discrimination  in  frtcts  which  vitally  afiect 
the  history  of  Christianity  in  the  Sandwich  archipelago.  It 
is  for  this  very  reason  that  I  enter  into  details  more  than  I 
otherwise  should.  I  have  made  my  ovfm  observations,  and 
arrived  at  my  own  conclusions,  and,  in  stem  justice  to  truth, 
fearless  of  the  results,  I  shaU  speak  of  things  as  I  found  them 
in  1853.*  There  are  thousands  who  will  care  nothing  about 
the  method  by  which  such  men  as  Mr.  Bishop  are  supported 
in  their  clerical  duties,  much  less  will  they  care  for  the  rela- 
tive amount  expended  on  their  support.  There  are  miany 
who  are  rather  too  fond  of  dealing  in  wholesale  invective 
against  the  entire  missionary  body,  and  who  denominate  mis- 
sionary enterprise  a  ** farce/" 

I  shall  show  to  what  extent  this  remark  may  be  justified, 
and  to  what  extent  it  is  untrue.  In  the  course  of  these  x>age8, 
I  shall  give  every  man  of  whom  I  speak  his  righteous  deserts, 
irrespective  of  parties  or  pArty  influence. 

But  to  return  to  the  missionary  at  Ewa.  He  is  one  of  the 
first  band  that  came  to  the  islands,  in  the  shape  of  an  enforce- 


232  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

ment,  on  April  27th,  1823.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been 
employed  in  elevating  Hawaiian  character.  Many  of  the 
people  of  Ewa  have  been  bom,  have  flourished,  and  passed 
away  to  another  world  since  he  has  occupied  this  station. 
He  has  been  their  spiritual  guide  in  life,  their  consoler  in  sor- 
row, their  attendant  in  the  hour  of  death.  If  I  were  requested 
to  give  an  epitcnne  of  his  character,  I  should  employ  the  lan- 
guage of  CowPER : 

"Simple,  grave,  sincere; 
In  doctrine  iincormpt;  in  language  plain. 
And  plain  in  manner ;  decent,  solemn,  chaste^ 
And  natural  in  gesture ;  much  impressed 
Himself,  as  conscious  of  his  awful  charge. 
And  anxious  mainly  that  the  flock  he  feeds 
May  feel  it  too ;  affectionate  in  look. 
And  tender  in  address,  as  well  becomes 
A  messenger  of  grace  to  guilty  men." 

Such  is  the  picture  of  at  least  one  missionary  at  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.  Much  more  could  be  said  in  detail  of  his  char- 
acter, but  I  have  said  enough.  I  will  merely  add  that,  partly 
by  his  own  exertions,  and  partly  £:om  native  aid,  he  obtains 
his  support.  The  external  beauties  of  his  dwelling,  its  inter- 
nal comforts,  and  even  the  very  house  itself-— all  are  the  results 
mainly  of  his  own  economy  and  industry.  And  where  is  there 
a  heart  so  infinitely  small  and  callous  as  to  envy  such  a  man 
his  personal  com£)rt,  or  cast  aspersions  on  his  personal  char- 
acter! 

Like  many  of  his  coadjutors,  the  missionary  at  Ewa  fi^e- 
quently  mourns  the  instabihty  of  native  Christian  character. 
Under  such  circumstances,  it  becomes  necessary  to  employ 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  and  their  expulsion  from  the  Ohtirch 
not  unfrequently  follows.  But  it  becomes  a  serious  question 
if  expulsion  is  not  of  too  frequent  occurrence  in  the  Hawaiian 
churches,  that  of  Ewa  not  excepted.  Morally  and  philosoph- 
ically reasoned,  that  which  may  be  regarded  as  a  sufficient 
cause  for  the  expulsion  of  an  intelligent  member  of  a  Chris- 
tian communion  in  the  United  States,  may  with  propriety  be 
pardoned  in  a  Church  member  on  the  Sandwich  group.    It  is 


ECCLESIASTICAL  DISCIPLINE.         I33 

the  most  difficult  task  on  earth  to  implant  a  sensitive  con- 
science in  the  bosom  of  a  Sandwich  Islander.  Even  in  ad- 
vanced age,  or  at  the  meridian  of  life,  native  character  is  ex- 
tremely childish.  This  is  peculiarly  the  case  with  men  and 
women  who  have  experienced  what  may  be  termed  a  moral 
change  of  character.  In  their  religious  career  they  closely 
resemble  children  who  are  learning  to  walk — they  can  not 
stand  alone.  They  are  Uable  to  fall  at  any  moment.  To  a 
person  who  knows  any  thing  of  the  intensity  of  passion  form- 
ing a  leading  element  in  Hawaiian  character,  this  state  of 
things  will  afibrd  no  cause  for  surprise.  A  single  glance  at 
the  past  moral  history  of  the  nation  will  fuUy  estabhsh  the 
cause  of  these  palpable  efiects,  and  afibrd  solid  grounds  for 
the  excuse  of  many  a  violation  of  ecclesiastical  law.  A  mem- 
ber who  has  been  cut  off  from  all  Christian  communion  deems 
himself  a  lost  man,  or  herself  a  lost  woman.  There  is  no  crime 
they  can  not  then  perpetrate,  no  vice  into  which  they  can  not 
and  do  not  readily  plunge.  I  am  well  aware  that  there  are 
some  exceptions  even  to  these  remarks,  but  they  are  very  few. 
Many  a  man  has  been  expelled  from  the  bosom  of  his  church, 
when  a  slight  remonstrance  would  have  saved  him  from  final 
shipwreck ;  and  so  it  has  been  in  relation  to  many  a  woman. 
It  can  not  be  denied  that  there  are  those  in  the  Hawaiian 
churches — ^Ewa  included — who,  at  the  day  of  final  judgment, 
will  shine  resplendent  as  the  sun  in  the  glory  of  redeemed 
spirits ;  but,  as  a  general  thing,  an  over-estimate  exists  as  to 
the  number  of  converts.  Yet,  in  spite  of  all  this,  some  con- 
versation I  had  with  this  patriarch,  as  well  as  numerous  inci- 
dents which  subsequently  came  imder  my  own  observation, 
induced  me  to  beheve  that  expulsions  were  altogether  too 
numerous,  and  were  induced  by  causes  altogether  too  trifling. 
"With  myself  it  has  not  unfrequently  been  a  serious  question, 
if,  in  thes6  rapid  expulsions,  many  of  the  missionaries  have 
not  been  productive  of  a  greater  amount  of  moral  evil  than 
otherwise  would  have  occurred.  This  was  my  conviction 
when  on  the  islands,  and  it  remains  unchanged  now  that  I 
am  thousands  of  miles  away  from  them, 


134  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

In  illustratioa  of  what  I  have  advanced,  many  incidents 
may  he  cited.  There  is  one,  however,  that  was  related  to  me 
by  the  missionary  at  Ewa,  which  may  suffice. 

It  casually  happened  that  a  native  store  was  opened  for  a 
few  minutes  on  a  certain  Sunday  at  Ewa.  A  native  woman 
passing  by  saw  something  which  took  her  fancy,  and  imme- 
diately went  in  and  purchased  it.  On  going  home,  the  hus- 
band, who  was  a  conscientious  Christian,  began  to  reaison  the 
case  with  her,  assuring  her  she  had  violated  the  law  of  the 
Sabbath,  as  it  was  established  both  by  Grod  and  man.  All 
this  was  true.  The  woman  felt  it  to  be  so ;  but  she  became 
mortally  <^nded  at  her  Uege  lord,  and  positively  refiised  to 
accompany  him  again  to  the  place  of  Protestant  worship.  She 
was  true  to  her  word.  The  next  Sunday  witnessed  her  at- 
tendance at  the  Catholic  chapel.  Her  expulsion  firam  the 
Protestant  communion  followed  as  a  matt»  of  course.  Her 
next  step  was  to  apply  to  the  CathoUc  priest  for  a  divorce  fiK)m 
her  husband,  and  the  request  was  granted ;  but  it  was  direct- 
ly  in  defiance  of  civil  law,  and  ought  not  to  have  be^i  toW- 
ated.  It  was  looked  upon,  however,  by  both  the  priest  and 
his  proUgSy  ag  being  at  once  decisive  and  just ;  and  while  she 
was  welcomed  into  the  bosran  of  a  CathoUc  communion,  her 
former  husband  was  left  to  mourn  over  a  most  unfair  and  un- 
lucky state  of  second  bachelc»rship.  His  case  was  rendered 
more  desolate  frcon  the  fact  that  she  could  again  repose  in  the 
lap  of  conjugal  bhss,  while  he  could  consummate  no  such 
formal  association.  On  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  '*  Church 
of  his  Holiness  (?)  the  Pope"  is  a  "  city  of  refiige"  to  every 
class  of  character. 

Under  the  very  hospitable  roof  of  Mr.  Bishop  I  spent  one 
night.  Although  somewhat  fatigued  from  the  efiects  of  my 
recent  steeple-chase,  it  was  a  long  time  before 

**  Tired  Nature's  swe^  restorer,  bakny  sleep/' 
condescended  to  creep  over  my  senses.     I  can  now  recall  sev- 
eral reasons  for  this  state  of  things,  although  I  need  mention 
only  two.     First,  every  thing  was  so  very  still.     I  had  already 
passed  across  the  great  Sahara,  where  the  silenoci  so  oppress- 


A  NIGHT  AT  EWA.  I35 

ive,  was  broken  only  by  the  occasional  prayer  or  song  of  the 
Bedouin,  or  the  solemn  wail  of  the  swiftly^-Ajring  sirocco ;  but 
amii  that  silence  I  had  spent  many  a  wake^  night  So  at 
Staaj  the  silence  that  surrounded  the  dwelling  of  the  mission- 
ary was  awful  and  sepulchral — it  was,  in  short,  oppressive ; 
and  &r  a  long  time  I  could  not  sleep.  But  the  second  cause 
of  my  wakefulness,  although  by  no  means  surprising,  was  by 
fax  the  most  emphatic.  The  drapery  of  that  bed  was  as  pure 
as  purity  itself,  and  as  white  as  the  whitest  snow.  Beneath 
it  had  reposed  the  young  lady  of  whom  ample  mention  has  al- 
ready been  made.  K  a  curious  reader  is  anxious  to  know  my 
thoughts  on  this  subject,  I  would  kindly  refer  him  to  ** Rev- 
eries of  a  Bachdor,'*  by  "  Ike  Marvel."  All  I  can  say  is, 
that,  on  waking  up  at  a  late  hour  next  morning,  I  found  my- 
self in  the  predicament  of  Fielding's  "  Tom  Janes'*  when  pur- 
suing his  "  Sophia!* — ^I  was  hugging  one  of  the  pillows ! 


CHAPTER  X. 

JOURNEY   TO   WAIALUA. 

Departure  firom  Ewa, — Old  Battle-ground. — Lands  of  the  Princees 
Victoria.— The  Feudal  System. — ^Reform  of  the  Landed  System. — 
Fee-simple  Titles. — Necessity  of  a  judicious  Taxation. — Off  the 
Road. — ^Extraordinary  Feats  in  Horsemanship. — ^Arrival  at  "Waia- 
lua. — ^Mission  Station. — Scenery. — ^How  Missionaries  extend  a  Wel- 
come.— Ride  to  Mokuleia.-^The  Dairy  Business* — Singular  Freak 
in  a  Native's  Ck>stume. — ^Improvement  among  Natives. — ^Native 
Church. — ^Popery  and  Mormonism. — Spurious  Baptisms. — ^Native 
Cunning. — A  novel  "  Farewell  1" 

Next  morning  I  started  again  for  Waialua.  Before  com- 
mencing my  journey,  however,  I  had  taken  every  precaution 
that  was  necessary  to  procure  a  hotter  horse,  for  I  had  per- 
mitted my  former  one  to  remain  in  the  elysium  of  a  fine  pas- 
ture, solemnly  resolving  I  would  never  ride  him  again — a  vow 
which  I  was  compelled,  more  fiK>m  the  force  of  circumstances 


136  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

than  any  thing  else,  most  rehgiously  to  ohserve.  My  worthy 
host  cheerfully  proffered  me  the  use  of  his  own  animal,  which, 
he  assured  me,  was  "  very  slow,"  but,  at  the  same  time,  "yery 
safe ;"  and  I,  of  course,  as  cheerfully  accepted  him. 

Wishing  my  generous  entertainer  a  heartfelt  *^  good-morn- 
ing," I  pursued  my  way  alone  for  Waialua,  not  doubting  my 
own  most  complete  success  in  finding  the  way  thither.  Cross- 
ing a  brook  which  supphed  the  village  of  £wa  with  dehcious 
water,  and  pursuing  my  way  through  a  small  but  exceedingly 
romantic  dell,  I  emerged  upon  the  open  |dains.  It  was- on  the 
boimdary  line  of  an  old  battle-groimd.  Just  before  the  group 
was  brought  under  the  sovereignty  of  Kamehameha  I.,  the 
kings  of  Kauai  and  Oahu  engaged  in  a  bloody  conflict  on  this 
spot.  Here  the  terrific  war-hoop  was  sounded.  This  very 
soil  drank  in  the  gore  of  expiring  and  wounded  warriors.  Be- 
neath this  sod  slumbered  many  a  brave  follower  of  the  hostile 
monarchs,  whose  only  object  was  personal  glory.  The  selec- 
tion of  such  a  spot  as  this  for  the  purposes  of  battle  convinced 
me  that  the  wars  of  the  old  Hawaiians  were  based  on  tactics 
extremely  formidable  and  sanguinary.  Here,  at  least,  it  was 
so.  Not  a  single  shrub  afibrded  shelter  to  the  weaker  party. 
It  was  close,  open-field  fighting. 

,  Extending  for  miles  beyond  £wa  are  to  be  seen  the  lands 
of  the  Princess  Victoria — a  young  native  girl  whom  I  saw  in 
the  royal  school  at  Honolulu.  The  soil  is  composed  mainly 
of  a  decomposed  red  tufaceous  lava.  In  its  present  condition, 
it  produces  nothing  but  a  coarse  pasture  for  cattle.  If  brought 
imder  the  action  of  scientific  agriculture,  it  would  become 
exceedingly  fertile.  These  lands  of  the  young  princess  are 
bounded  by  a  deep  ravine,  over  which  the  traveler  passes  half 
way  between  Ewa  and  Waialua.  Beyond  that  boundary,  the 
lands  are  owned  principally  by  chiefs,  who  .will  neither  seU 
nor  lease  any  portion  of  them,  nor  do  they  bring  them  under 
any  degree  of  cultivation. 

Besides  owning  several  square  miles  of  this  territory,  Vic- 
toria retains  large  possessions  on  all  the  islands  of  the  group. 
One  or  two  clerks  are  constantly  employed  to  take  care  of  the 


THE  FEUDAL  SYSTEM.  I37 

books  which  relate  to  these  possessions.  Whoever  the  Gordian 
knot  of  marriage  may  tie  to  this  princess,  will  probably  come 
in  for  a  large  share  of  her  territorial  wealth ;  but  so  much  can 
not  be  said  in  relation  to  her  personal  or  physical  riches.  By 
most  of  the  foreign  residents  in  Honolulu,  it  is  firmly  beUeved 
that  she  is  as  wise,  in  many  respects,  as  her  own  mother  was 
when  living.  "Why  not  ?  Every  grade  of  royalty  is  but  a 
grade  of  perishable  and  erring  humanity. 

The  great  mass  of  lands  on  the  group  were  recently  held 
very  much  on  the  old  feudal  tenure,  but  the  system  has  been 
vastly  modified  within  a  few  years  past.  The  feudalism  of 
the  Middle  Ages  was  not  more  absolute  or  sanguinary  than  the 
Hawaiian  system  was  only  thirty  years  ago.  Its  genius  was 
to  support  the  power  of  the  ruling  monarch,  or  the  high  chie& 
who  derived  their  power  by  birthright,  but  more  immediately 
£pom  the  monarch  himself.  It  was  natural  to  suppose  that, 
to  retain  their  lands,  tenants  would  support  the  interests  of 
their  sovereign,  for  these  gifts  emanated  firom  royal  clemency. 
The  vanquished  in  battle  were  the  victims  of  the  most  mer- 
ciless treatment.  Their^possessions  were  wrested  from  them 
by  the  victors  ;  a  hopeless  poverty  looked  them  sternly  in  the 
fece ;  and,  even  if  their  life  was  spared,  so  extreme  were  their 
sufienngs,  that  death  itself  was  a  boon  which  many  coveted, 
and  some  secured. 

This  imcertain  tenure  continued  until  1 846.*     At  that  date 

*  Quest  69.  To  whom  the  ownership  or  lordship  of  the  land  belongs, 

Ans.  To  the  chiefs,  Makawao  alone  being  sold.  [Green.]  (East 
MauL) 

Mostly  I  believe  to  the  king.  Several  large  tracts  to  different 
chiefs.    '[HrroHcocK.]     (Molokai.) 

These  lands,  as  I  understand  the  subject^  belong  to  the  heirs  of 
Kamehameha  L  Generally,  several  individuals  seem  to  have  some 
rights  to  the  same  land.  I  can  not  point  to  a  single  piece  of  land  in 
the  district  owned  exclusively  by  one  individuaL  [Pabkeb.]  (Ka- 
neohe,  Oahu.) 

The  land  of  these  two  districts  are  all  owned  by  non-resident 
chiefe  and  people  of  the  king.     [Bishop.]     (Ewa,  Oahu.) 

I  do  not  think  that  the  people  generally  have  had  till  recently 
any  idea  that  they  had  a  right  in  the  soil,  or,  at  least,  such  a  right 


138  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

popular  discussions,  and  appeals  to  goyenuu«[Ltal  authorities^ 
paved  the  way  to  a  hetter  condition  of  aflfairs.  In  c(HmeGti<»| 
with  a  number  of  communications  on  the  subject  of  landed 
property,  addressed  to  Hon.  R.  C.  Wyliie,  there  was  one  firom 
the  pai  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  L.  D.  Maigret,  dated 
Honolulu,  27th  of  April,  1847.  The  language  of  the  truly 
philanthropic  bishop  on  this  theme  is  worthy  of  a  record  in 
golden  characters.  Among  other  practical  pnnciples  which 
he  lays  down,  he  remarks  : 

"  To  grant  lands  to  the  natives,  and  secure  to  them,  forev- 
er, the  enjoyment  and  prosperity  of  said  lands.  The  Hawaii^ 
an  government  will  lose  nothing  by  being  generous.  "What- 
ever a  sovereign  gives  to  his  subjects  is  more  his  own  than  if 
he  took  it  away  from  them.  The  islands,  it  is  said,  have  neaiv 
ly  eight  thousand  square  miles,  and  one  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants. Dividing  those  eight  thousand  square  miles  among 
one  himdred  thousand  inhabitants,  it  is  found  that  every  native 
would  have  upward  of  forty-eight  acres  of  land.  Supposing 
the  government  to  keep  to  itself  nine  tenths,  out  of  the  re- 
maining^ tenth  there  would  stiU  be  upward  of  three  acres 

as  they  could  not  be  made  to  yield  at  any  time  by  the  command  of 
a  high  chie£  And  for  this  reason  no  natives,  except  in  the  large 
villages,  have  ever  attempted  to  build  them  permanent  houses.  The 
removals  of  the  people  from  one  island  to  another  made  them  feel 
like  tenants  at  will,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  I  think  that 
most  of  the  people  have  regarded  themsel^^es  as  such  (the  law  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding),  in  most  cases  where  the  missionary  has 
not  succeeded  in  raising  in  the  minds  of  the  most  enlightened  a  dif- 
ferent sentiment.     [Emebson.]    (Waialua,  Oahu.) 

To  Victoria,  the  daughter  of  Eekuanaoa,  and  to  the  latter  as  her 
guardian.     [Gulick.]    (Waialua,  Oahu.) 

Every  land  has  been  regarded  as  having  some  owner,  and  many 
lands  have  six  or  eight  owners  at  the  same  time.  For  instance, 
Waialua,  containing  perhaps  one  or  two  thousand  acres  in  all,  has 
seven  lords,  one  above  the  other,  and  all  of  them  are  over  the  people, 
and  claim  services  from  them  occasionally,  if  they  happen  to  want 
it.  [Emebson.]  (Waialua,  Oahu.)  See  *' Answers  to  Questions," 
p.  44,  45. 


REFORM  OF  THE  LANDED  SYSTEM.   13g 

£>r  every  inhabitant.  In  ikuB  view,  the  sovereign  of  these  isl- 
ands is  more  able  to  make  his  people  happy  than  most  sover- 
eigns, and  therefore  he  ought  to  consider  himsdf  happy,  for 
tile  happiness  of  a  sovereign  does  not  consist  in  the  power  to 
make  his  people  hai^y,  but  in  his  really  making  them  happy. 
Let  him,  then,  distribute  lands  to  his  subjects,  as  did,  in  old 
times,  the  diief  and  legislator  (^the  Hebrews,  and  he  will  soon 
flee  disappear  a  multitude  of  evils  which  consume  and  deci- 
mate the  population  of  the  islands.  The  natives  then  will 
have  something  to  eat,  and  wherewith  to  clothe  themselves ; 
they  will  labor  with  gladness,  because  they  will  be  interested 
in  their  labor,  and  the  fruit  of  their  labor  will  be  insured  to 
them ;  parents,  in  friture,  will  be  able  to  raise  their  famiUes ; 
the  multiplication  of  marriages  will  be  ^loouraged ;  we  will 
no  longer  see  the  plurality  of  adoptive  fisUhers  so  hurtful  to  fil- 
ial love  and  the  correction  of  children  ;  the  natives  will  be- 
erane  attached  to  a  spot  erf  ground  which  they  well  know  be- 
longs to  them ;  they  will  then  construct  habitations  more  solid, 
more  durable,  more  spacious,  rnxxe  healthy,  and  fitter  for  the 
preservation  of  good  morals  ;  we  will  no  longer  see  so  many 
vagabonds,  who  hve  only  at  the  expense  of  others,  and  who 
unceremoniously  enter  the  first  housQ  they  come  to ;  the  na- 
tives will  no  longer  he  down  on  the  wet  and  muddy  ground ; 
in  their  houses  there  will  no  longer  be  the  disgusting  inter- 
mixture, whence  <mginate  so  many  diseases  and  so  much 
corruption ;  the  peoj^e  will  bless  the  sovereign  who  gov- 
erns them  ;  they  will  grant  him  all  their  afiection  and  their 
confidence,  and  they  will  respect  more  than  ever  his  author- 
ity."* 

The  first  step  toward  the  annihilation  of  the  (Ad  feudalism 
was  to  establish  a  Land  OonvnisMon,  befdre  which  every  native 
subject  might  present  his  claim  to  the  estate  on  which  he 
Uved,  or  had  been  owned  or  tenanted  by  his  fathers.  Very 
soon  thousands  of  claims  were  presented.  Their  settlement 
was  found  to  be  a  most  laborious  and  tedious  work,  as  mtoy 
of  the  claims  were  disputed  by  several  parties  at  once,  and  the 
•  «  Answers  to  QuestionB,''  p.  56,  57. 


140  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

testimony  in  such  cases  was  necessarily  recorded  both  in  the 
EngUsh  and  the  Hawaiian  languages. 

But  there  were  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  q)eedy  settle- 
ment. The  old  chiefs  were  slow  to  change  the  customs  of 
their  fathers,  and,  like  other  men  in  power,  their  ambition 
was  wide  in  its  grsisp.  The  king  himself  pleaded  the  natural 
rights  of  his  subjects.  The  contest  was  long,  but  the  victory 
w^as  achieved.  A  pointed  reference  was  made  to  this  decision 
by  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  in  his  Annual  B^port  of  1850, 
before  the  Hawaiian  Legislature : 

''  It  has  been  the  anxious  wish  of  the  king  and  his  council 
to  encourage  agriculture  and  other  branches  of  industry,  and 
attend  to  the  promotion  of  happiness  among  the  people.  It  was 
with  this  view  that  certain  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  king 
and  council  on  the  21st  of  December,  1849,  granting  fee-simple 
titles  to  the  common  people  for  the  lands  they  have  occupied. 

"These  resolutions  are  herewith  submitted  for  the  consid- 
eration of  the  Legislature.  It  is  believed,  if  any  thing  will 
arouse  the  people  of  Hawaii  to  industry  and  self-respect,  it  is 
this  crowning  act  of  his  Majesty's  reign.  If  this  fail,  there 
is  no  hope.  J£  the  possession  of  a  home — ^the  home,  too,  in 
many  cases,  where  theyr  fathers  lived,  and  where  their  ashes 
sleep — ^the  desire  to  provide  for  children — ^the  prospect  of 
wealth  and  comfort— the  excitement  of  advancing  civiUzation 
around  them,  propelled  by  the  wakeful  minds,  strong  arms, 
and  increasing  wealth  of  l^e  white  man,  wiH  not  start  our 
people  from  their  si^ineness  and  set  them  to  cultivate  their 
lands,  nothing  will  do  it,  and  our  people  must  give  place  to 
those  who  will  make  that  use  of  the  soil  which  the  almighty 
Maker  of  the  world  intended  should  be  made." 

These  fee-simple  titles  have  already  been  of  incalculable 
benefit  to  the  people.  The]^  furnish  another  cause  for  their 
attachment  to  their  ever-generous  monarch.  There  were  cir- 
cumstances which  justified  a  reference,  by  himself,  to  this 
theme,  in  his  opening  speech  before  the  Parliament  of  April, 
1853.  In  that  single  sentence  there  is  something  at  once 
eloquent  and  unique : 


r 


FEE-SIMPLE   TITLES. 


141 


*'  Upon  your  loyalty  and  patriotism  I  rely  for  the  support 
of  my  rights,  and  ^^r  the  preservation  of  the  Hberties  which 
are  guaranteed  to  my  people.  For  their  welfare  I  freely  gave 
up,  in  the  division  of  lands,  much  of  my  territorial  rights,  to 
the  injury  of  my  private  revenues.  I  confide  in  the  repre- 
sentatives of  my  people,  who  are  thereby  benefited,  to  fiunish 
at  all  times,  what  means  may  be  wanting  for  the  due  support 
of  my  crown,  in  just  proportion  to  the  revenues  of  my  king- 
dom;* 

A  few  of  the  pubUc  lands  have  been  sold,  and  their  pro- 
ceeds have  benefited  the  government  revenues.* 

But  one  of  the  most  beneficial  systems  that  could  be  adopt- 
ed by  the  government  would  be  a  judicious  tax  on  real  es- 
tate. It  would  have  a  tendency  to  crush  some  of  the  land- 
speculations  of  many  foreigners,  who  would  be  induced  either 
to  forsake  their  schemes  of  monopoly,  or,  to  meet  the  expenses 
incurred  by  a  tax,  cultivate  the  soil,  and  thus  find  employ- 
ment for  hundreds  of  native  subjects.  It  would  reduce  the 
&bulou8  value  of  real  estate  throughout  the  islands,  but  espe- 
cially in  towns  and  villages.  It  would  increase  activity,  hap- 
piness, and  enterprise  among  the  lower  orders  of  the  people, 
and  be  a  source  of  gain  to  the  national  finances.  The  empty 
boast  that  it  is  the  only  nation  on  earth  where  the  soil  is  not 
taxed,  is  countervailed  by  the  slavery  of  indolence  which  non- 
taxation  imposes  oa  thousands  of  the  people. 

Having  left  Ihe  battle-ground,  and  indulged  a  few  specula- 
tions relative  to  the  topics  I  have  just  glanced  at,  I  found  that 
I  had  forsaken  the  regular  path.  In  a  general  sense  it  mat- 
tered but  Uttle,  for  the  plains  over  wliich  I  was  traveling 

*  The  following  Table  is  firom  the  Report  of  the  Minister  of  the 
Interior  for  1850 : 


PTOTioW 

to  Jan.  1, 
1847, 
In  1847, 
In  1848, 
In  1849, 
In  1850, 
Total, 

No. 

Aeiw. 

Path. 

Price. 

Oabv. 

Haoi. 

Hawaii. 

Kauai. 

Aei«f. 

Path. 

ACTM. 

Path. 

Aerw. 

Path'. 

Aerea. 

Path. 

6 
62 
40 
80 
50 

850 
2,297 
1,091 
14,845 
8,207 

648 
115 
805 
475 
151 

$    Cts. 
576  00 
4,800  42 
2,406  74 
30,468  82 
12,834  73 

850 

168 

499 

1,999 

2,841 

648 
457 
373 
501 

377 

1,366 

213 

10,318 

4,320 

1,183 
431 
231 
621 

762 
169 
653 
545 

895 
605 
348 
363 

209 

1,875 
500 

605 
605 

247 

27,292 

984 

51,086  71 

6,357 

1,146 

16,219 

47 

2.130 

1,001 

2,585 

_ 

142  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

were  hemmed  .in  by  two  chainB  of  Ipfty  momitains.  In  a  par^ 
ticular  sense,  koweyer,  it  was  of  material  importance ;  iot^ 
although  I  could  not  easily  lose  myself,  I  might  get  entangled 
in  some  ravine,  and  be  compelled  to  retrace  my  course.  A 
drizzling  rain  began  to  fall ;  but  it  was  only  the  precursor  of 
the  heavy  rain-storm  ahead.  I  was  nine  miles  firom  Ewa, 
and  a  long  distance  from  any  house  in  which  I  could  take 
refuge  from  the  storm.  I  was  now  in  a  deep  ravine,  through 
which  a  heavy  mountain  torrent  was  sweeping.  .  There  was 
no  alternative  but  to  go  forward.  Plimging  into  the  stream, 
my  be^t  was  borne  rapidly  down  to  a  fording-place  nearly 
half  a  mile  below,  where  he  managed  to  pck  his  way  to  the 
opposite  shore.  After  a  weary  search,  I  at  l^igth  discovered 
an  egress  on  the  Waialua  side  of  the  ravine,  and  addressed 
m3^1f  to  ascend  the  rugged  steep.  After  repeated  efibrts,  the 
ascent  was  achieved ;  but  the  horse  stood  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  panting  and  covered  with  foam,  and  manifesting  an  un- 
willingness to  proceed  any  further. 

Peering  through  the  gathering  mists,  and  leaving  the  ravine 
on  my  right,  I  congratulated  myself  on  finding  the  regular 
road.  But  my  position  was  any  thing  but  agreeable.  En- 
tirely alone,  with  a  tired  horse,  the  rain-storm  sweeping  toward 
me  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  and  ignorant  of  the  path,  what» 
I  adced  myself,  would  happen  next  ?  If  the  road  would  re- 
lieve me  of  all  further  embarrassm^ts,  I  was  in  that.  But  I 
was  doomed  to  re-enact,  to  a  serious  extent,  the  scenes  of  the 
previous  day ;  and  yet  I  forbear  all  I  can  of  their  description. 
The  rain  increased  now  to  a  fury,  outstripping  a^y  thing  of 
the  kind  I  had  ever  seen,  either  among  the  Andes,  or  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  To  increase  my  dijSiculties,  my  horse 
faced  about — as  most  horses  would  have  done— vdth  the  evi- 
dent intention  of  returning  to  Ewa,  while  I  was  equally  de- 
termined he  should  not.  My  only  alternative  was  to  dismount^ 
and  hold  him  where  he  stood.  Shade  of  Mohammed !  how 
it  rained.  It  seemed  to  fall  firom  the  clouds  in  sheets.  And 
there  I  stood,  trying  to  urge  that  horse  along,  and  wishing  that 
he  would  expire,  or  that  the  earth  would  open  and  receive 


EXTRAORDINARY   HORSEMANSHIP.    I43 

him,  80  that  I  might  make  scmie  sort  of  a  motion  through  the 
chilling  lain  that  was. streaming  down  into  my  boots.  Now 
it  was  that  I  fully  appreciated  the  commendation  bestowed  on 
him  by  his  venerable  master^ — "very  dow T  but  ''very 
safe  /"  The  reader  may  probably  think  my  good  wishes  finr 
that  "safe*'  steed  very  emphatic;  but  I  sincerely  hope  he 
may  never  be  placed  in  a  situation  which  can  call  forth  such 
reflections.  It  has  been  my  good  or  bad  luck  to  ride  on  nearly 
every  species  of  the  quadruped  family,  but  that  horse  was  the 
piince  of  nondescripts.  K  the  reader  can  picture  to  his  own 
mind  the  immortal  "  Don  Qmxote,*'  mounted  on  his  no  less 
dktinguished  "  Rozinante/'  as  he  went  to  wage  wax  against 
the  firiarean  arms  of  the  wind-mill ;  or  the  undoubted  "  Sir 
Poughty  Hudibras/'  mounted  on  a  steed  which  had  recently 
Jeft  his  tail  cm  a  hook  in  the  stable  wall,  as  Butler  describes 
him ;  or  if  he  can  imagine  the  embarrassments  that  befell  the 
ppus  and  prudent  "  Vicar  of  Wakefield,"  when  he  stood  in 
the  fiiir  trying  to  dispose  of  his  faithful  old  horse  "  Blackberry,'' 
then,  and  only  then,  can  he  foizn  an  idea  of  my  own  appear- 
ance with  that  horse  and  in  that  storm.  To  say  I  was  pa- 
tient under  such  circumstances  would  be  to  depart  from  the 
truth.  No  man  could  have  kept  cod,  unless  his  soul  had  been 
suddenly  metamorphosed  into  an  icicle-— a  transformation  not 
much  to  be  desired.  I  would  have  preferred  to  be  tied,  like 
*'  Mazei^>a,"  to  a  wild  horse  that  would  haste  away  with  a 
lightning  speed,  until  towns  and  cities,  day  and  night,  and 
almost  every  thing  human,  had  been  left  far  behind. 

But  there  ijs  an  end  to  all  things ;  and  there  was  a  termin- 
ation to  that  rain,  not  less  than  my  use  of  that  beast.  The 
storm  sw^t  past.  The  skies,  which  a  short  time  before 
aeemed  wedded  to  the  gloom  of  night,  were  again  lightened  up 
by  the  gdden  sun-rays.  At  this  moment  the  scene  was  ex- 
ceedingly grand  and  imposing.  On  the  right  of  the  elevated 
plains  ranged  the  Konahuanui  Moimtains ;  on  the  left,  those 
of  Kaala.  Before  me,  and  in  the  rear,  was  a  fine  view  of  the 
Pacific  laving  the  shores  of  the  island. 

From  this  elevation,  Waialua  waa  visible  at  a  distance  {£ 


144  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTE^. 

nearly  eight  miles,  at  which  place  I  arrived  after  a  fatiguing 
ride  of  six  hours,  hut  a  good  hoise  would  have  carried  me 
there  in  two. 

The  Mission  station  at  Waialua  is  one  of  delightful  repose. 
Many  of  its  heautiful  features  owed  their  existence  to  the  su- 
pervision and  industry  of  the  then  resident  missionary,  Mr. 
Emerson,  whose  place  among  the  native  population  is  that  of 
a  father  in  the  midst  of  his  children. 

The  climate  at  this  station  is  much  cooler,  more  pleasant, 
and  freer  from  dust  than  at  Honolulu.  This  may  he  attrih- 
uted  to  its  heing  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  which 
is  exposed  more  immediately  to  the  action  of  the  northeaist 
trade- winds  that  come  sweeping  in  from  the  ocean.  The  sum- 
mer heat  is  indicated  by  the  thermometer  at  75**  to  80* ;  the 
winter  temperature  usually  at  60*.  When  I  visited  Waialua, 
it  was  in  the  middle  of  Fehruary.  There  were  several  acres 
of  Indian  com  growing  at  a  height  of  four  or  five  feet.  And 
while  many  of  my  friends  in  the  north  of  the  United  States 
were  heavily  booted,  and  incased  in  overcoats  buttoned  close 
up  to  the  chin,  I  was  enjoying  the  luxury  of  a  pubhc  bath  in 
the  beautiful  stream  that  flows  through  the  village. 

Waialua  (meeting  of  the  two  waters)  is  situated  at  the  base 
of  the  Konahuanui  range,  on  its  western  slope.  From  the 
centre  of  the  village  the  scenery  is  exceedingly  fine.  The 
rugged  slopes  of  the  Kaala  range  rise  at  a  short  distance ;  and 
down  their  sides,  during  the  rainy  season,  numerous  cascades 
may  be  seen  leaping  down  one  after  another,  in  swift  succes- 
sion,  like  sheets  of  polished  silver.  The  district  is  watered  by 
five  streams  that  have  their  source  in  the  neighboring  mount- 
ains, and  flow  down  the  romantic  valleys.  The  view  seaward 
surpasses  any  thing  else  in  this  region.  The  surf  comes  roll- 
ing in  from  the  ocean  with  the  speed  of  the  swiftest  courser, 
leaving  its  white  foam  on  the  beach,  and  sending  its  solemn 
murmurs  far  over  the  adjoining  plains.  Sometimes,  during  a 
heavy  northwest  gale,  it  rises  to  a  height  of  thirty  to  forty  feet 
in  nearly  a  perpendicular  crest.  At  such  periods,  it  presents 
a  scene  of  such  terrific  sublimity  as  no  language  can  describe. 


MISSIONARIES' WELCOME.  I45 

Occasionally  it  has  nished  up  the  heach,  sweeping  away  neigh- 
boring dwellings,  and  causing  a  large  amount  of  ruin. 

I  wish  I  could  fully  portray  the  generous,  unostentatious 
welcome  extended  by  most  of  the  Sandwich  Island  mission- 
aries to  the  traveler.  That  they  have  their  faults  I  will  not 
deny  ;  but  they  have  their  virtues.  They  are  men  only,  sub- 
jected to  the  same  frailties,  passions,  impulses,  that  are  inher- 
ent, to  the  great  progeny  of  Adam.  But  there  is  something 
about  their  welcome  to  the  respectable  stranger  that  makes 
him  forget  his  toils,  and  elevates  them  in  his  own  estimation. 
I  had  not  been  in  Waialua  more  than  two  hours  before  I  re- 
ceived a  courteous  invitation  firom.  a  superannuated  missionary 
residing  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  I  had  never  seen  him, 
and  was  personally  a  stranger  to  himself  and  family.  Most 
sincerely  do  I  wish  that  thousands  of  fastidious  devotees  to  that 
d^ty,  Ceremony,  so  blindly  worshiped  in  all  public  conunu- 
nities,  could  have  witnessed  the  unpretending  courtesies  which 
that  good  man  bestowed  on  me.  It  was  so  in  regard  to  Mr. 
Emerson,  at  whose  residence  I  first  called.  These  men  had 
spent  half  of  their  lives  on  the  group,  among  the  semi-civilized 
natives ;  and  yet  they  had  not  lost  a  particle  of  that  polish  and 
dignity,  that  ease  and  complacency,  which  make  a  man  feel 
quite  at  home,  and  stamp  the  character  of  his  entertainer  with 
^e  permanent  solidity  of  one  of  Nature's  noblemen.  A  man 
may  have  all  the  pohsh  which  philosophy,  rhetoric,  and  moral 
science  can  bestow  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  most  profoimd 
student,  yet,  if  he  be  destitute  o£  that  moral  honesty  and  cour- 
tesy which  good  old  dame  Nature  bestows  on  her  &,vorite  chil- 
dreai,  there  will  be  something  lacking.  What  do  Persian  car- 
pets, and  Turkish  ottomans,  and  embroidered  damasks  amount 
to,  if  you  have  the  slightest  idea  that  you  are  not  a  truly  wel- 
come guest  ?     Of  what  avail  would  be  all  the  gorgeous  wealth 

"  Of  Ormufl  and  of  Ind," 
unless  its  distribution  be  sanctified  by  a  generous  spirit,  which 
teaches  you  to  enjoy  rather  than  admire  ?     I  ask  no  better 
welcome,  no  truer  generosity,  than  have  many  a  time  been 
bestowed  on  me  by  those  Saoidwich  Island  missionaries. 

Q 


146  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES: 

A  few  days  afiter  my  airival  at  Waialua,  I  was  invited  by 
Mr.  EmeiBon  to  acocnnpany  him  to  his  dairy  at  Mokuleia.  It 
is  a  small  settlement,  or  scattered  village  rather,  about  six 
miles  directly  west  oi  his  readence.  On  om*  journey  there,  I 
had  a  good  c^portunity  of  seeing  the  rich  |dains  stretdiing&x 
miles  in  that  directicm.  The  soil  can  be  weU  cultivated  with- 
out the  means  of  irrigation.  Those  plains  contain  more  than 
twenly  square  miles  that  are  capable  of  producii^  cott«i» 
sugar-cane,  com,  indigo,  &oc,,  to  abn@et  any  extent,  and  yet 
they  are  permitted  to  remain  almost  a. total  waste. 

On  arriving  at  Mokuleia,  I  perceived  that  Mr.  Emerson 
had  a  small  farm  under  cultivation.  Com  was  fi<mrishing 
admirably.  It  had  a  touch  of  Yankeeism  about  it  that  iiiade 
me  feel  quite  at  home.  But  the  principal  object  of  attracticnL 
tl^re  was  a  dairy.  It  was  in  its  infancy,  but  promised  an 
extensive  suoeess  at  no  distant  day.  At  that  period  it  was 
yielding  one  hundred  pounds  per  ^month  of  the  fmest  butt^, 
which  commanded  a  ready  sale  in  Honolulu  at  fifty  cents  per 
poimd.  In  view  of  the  capabilities  of  the  soil,  it  is  surprking 
that  so  little  has  yet  been  achieved  in  agricultioral  pursuits. 
The  dairy  business  might  become  an  extensive  and  lucrative 
em{^y.  Pasture  is  abundant  and  perennial.  Cattle  eamly 
and  rapidly  multiply.  Streams  of  the  purest  water  abound 
in  every  location  where  pasture  can  be  obtained.  With  the 
right  kind  of  men — thorough  go-ahead  Yankees,  and  a  Httle 
capital,  together  with  the  right  kind  of  governmental  proteo- 
tion,  the  agricultural  portions  oi  the  group  could  be  rendered 
a  terrestrial  paradise. 

On  returning  to  Waialua,  we  met  with  a  most  amusing 
specimen  of  native  eccentricity  in  dress.  On  a  riMng  part  of 
the  plain,  and  in  front  of  his  humble  abode,  stood  an  old  man, 
watching  our  approach  apparently  with  the  most  profound 
interest.  His  personal  figure  was  enough  to  produce  a  smile 
upon  the  countenance  of  the  most  stoical  moralist.  He  had 
unfortunately  lost  one  eye,  but  the  sense  of  sight  appeared  to 
centre,  with  a  two-fold  capacity,  in  the  other.  His  hair,  white 
with  age,  stood  stiaight  up  on  his  head.    His  entize  suit  twn- 


IMPROVEMENT  AMONG  NATIVES.        ^47 

fiisted  of  a  short  blue  woolea  shirt,  and  a  tattered  cotton  vest, 
probably  once  the  property  of  a  foreign  school-boy.  The  vest 
was  by  no  means  too  loiig,  and,  although  very  tight,  was  but- 
tcmed  up  with  the  most  scmipulous  care.  He  seemed  to  be 
totally  ignorant  of  every  other  necessary  appendage,  such  as 
unmentionaUeB,  &k;^  kc.  Be  these  things  as  they  might,  he 
was  as  careless  and  merry  as  a  mere  youth.  With  his  one 
eye  he  watched  us  until  he  saw  we  were  immediately  oppo- 
site him,  when  he  saluted  us  with  an  exceedingly  good-natured 
"aloha/*'  and  drew  a  long  breath,  as  though  he  had  ridded 
Jiimself  of  a  serious  responsibility.  He  maintained  his  posi- 
tion, and  kept  that  <me  eye  upcm  us  until  we  were  about  to 
disappear. 

But  it  may  not  be  supposed  that  this  old  Hawaiian  was  a 
correct  specimen  of  the  present  generation  of  his  coimtrymen. 
True,  volumes  might  be  filled  merely  with  the  descriptions 
of  the  personal  appearance  of  the  natives  every  where  on  the 
group.  But  in  no  part  of  the  group  have  the  natives  made 
more  progress  in  civilization  than  at  Waialua^  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  ago,  there  were  but  two  persons  ii^  the  whole 
district  who  appeared  in  church  clad  merely  in  shirt  or  pan- 
taloons. At  that  period  all  the  women  were  dressed  simply  in 
ka^,  or  native  cloth.  The  people  were  generally  indolent, 
cherishing  a  profound  dislike  to  an  innovation  of  the  customs 
of  their  Others.  Now,  however,  they  axe  well  clothed  with 
imported  cloths,  silks,  &c.,  and  are  paying  considerable  atten-^ 
tion  to  various  kinds  of  industry.  > 

One  of  the  strongest  evidences  of  advancement  is  the  native 
house  of  worship.  It  is  a  noble  structure,  composed  of  black 
lava,  and  cornered  with  a  substantial  sand-stone.  The  walls 
axe  weU  plastered  on  the  inside^  A  short  time  prior  to  my 
visit,  a  idungle  roof  was  put  on  it,  at  a  cost  of  $1800.  The 
interior  is  neatly  arranged.  On  the  front  of  every  slip  ia 
marked,  in  bold  characters,  the  name  of  the  principal  oeon* 
pant.  In  nearly  every  slip,  and  quietly  reposmg  on  the  8ea;\;, 
or  in  some  prominent  position,  I  noticed  a  singular  appen^^la^ 
— a  small  calabash,  or  gourd  {CticmbUa  lagmMria\  '  J|dc][\, 


148  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

was  sacredly  retained  as  a  receptacle  for  the  superfluous  saliva 
of  the  worshipers ;  in  plain  English,  they  were  Sandwich  Isl- 
and spittoons  !  But  these  are  nothing  when  a  j^rson  becomes 
accustomed  to  them.  On  the  whole,  the  fabric  is  remarkably 
neat  and  commodious.  It  was  all  done  by  natives,  under  the 
supervision  of  a  foreign  mechanic.  Its  capacity  is  1200  per- 
sons. I  was  informed  that  it  was  th«  third  building  the  con- 
gregation have  erected  in  "Waialua. 

At  this  part  of  the  island.  Popery  and  Mormonism  have 
reared  their  standards  and  obtained  their  proselytes.  These 
two  systems  are  bitterly  opposed  one  to  the  other,  and  both 
to  Protestantism.  Between  them  all  there  \Sf  a  triple  warfare. 
The  followers  of  the  Pope  regard  the  "  Latter-day  Saints"  as 
being  entirely  without  the  pale  of  salvation,  and  unceremo- 
niously consign  them  to  the  hottest  apartments  in  a  worse  re- 
gion than  Purgatory.  On  the  contrary,  the  followers  of  "  Joe 
Smith'*  claim  a  plenary  inspiration  from  God  himself,  and  as- 
sert their  authority  and  prerogative  to  reform  Cathohcs  and 
Plrotestants  equally  alike.  In  support  of  these  designs,  they 
impose  upon  the  too  credulous  natives  by  profesang  to  work 
miracles,  and  to  have  the  "  gift  of  tongues."  In  short,  they 
do  every  thing  but  metamorphose  stones  into  food,  raise  the 
dead  from  their  graves,  and  sundry  other  things  which  come 
under  the  category  of  the  supernatural. 

Contrary  to  the  best  estabhshed  ecclesiastical  regulations, 
these  disciples  of  the  slaughtered  Prophet  require  no  evidence 
of  a  moral  change  prior  to  the  reception  of  proselytes  into  their 
communion.  This  modem  laxity  of  saint^hip  has  been  pro- 
ductive of  a  few  rich  scenes  at  Waialua.  The  natives  are  al- 
most amphibious.  To  them  it  is  no  "  cross"  to  submit  to  a 
pubUc  immersion.  One  day  a  few  young  men  went  to  thdff 
new  teachers  to  be  baptized  by  them.  The  rite  was  imme- 
diately administered.  A  short  time  after,  when  they  would 
point  to  these  hopeful  converts  as  an  evidence  of  success,  they 
had  thrown  ofi*  all  their  baptismal  vows,  and  come  to  the  om- 
inous conclusion  that  all  was  a  mere  farce. 

But  this  was  only  one  out  of  the  many  instances  ^  cun- 


NOVEL  "FAKEWELL!-  149 

ning*  BO  well  understood  by  Hawaiians  generally.  So  skilled 
are  they  in  the  art  of  deception,  that  they  can  hardly  be  &,th- 
cooed  by  those  who  have  lived  among  them  for  years.  When 
they  do  not  wish  to  be  imderstood  by  foreigners  who  can  use 
their  language,  they  will  conduct  a  sort  of  monosyllabic  chant, 
pronouncing,  in  a  disconnected  form,  the  names  of  persons, 
things,  virtues,  vices,  hopes,  wishes,  &c.,  &k;.  Sometimes  they 
will  hold  a  significant  conversation  with  their  fingers.  At 
other  times  the  same  purposes  are  efi»cted  by  whistling.  It 
is  difficult  to  decide  whether  these  practices  have  in  view  the 
retention  of  some  old  Pagan  custom,  or  the  avoidance  of  a  de- 
tection in  the  conception  and  commission  of  crime,  the  perpe- 
tration of  which  would  be  recognized  by  the  penal  laws  of  the 
nation. 

I  was  present  during  both  sessions  of  the  congregation  fonor 
ing  the  Protestant  Church  on  the  Sunday  I  remained  at  Wai- 
jilua,  and  my  presence  among  them  naturally  excited  their 
curiosity.  Their  gentlemanly  teacher  showed  me  a  seat  near 
his  pulpit ;  consequently,  more  eyes  were  fixed  on  me  than  on 
himself.  The  aiitemoon  services  had  come  to  a  close.  The 
lingering  audience  asked  me,  through  Mr.  Emerson,  the  mis- 
oonary,  if  they  could  be  pepmtted  to  step  up  and  wish  me 
farewell,  for  they  might  never  see  me  again.  I  answered  in 
the  affirmative.  With  few  exceptions,  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  came  up  to  where  I  stood,  and,  grasping  me  warm- 
ly by  the  hand,  wished  me  a  hearty  "  aloha .'"  (lov^,  or  salu- 
tation). This  ceremony,  so  novel  and  simple,  consumed  a 
considerable  time.  Although  I  had  done  nothing  to  merit 
this  display  of  good  feeling,  it  was  perfectly  in  unison  with 
what  they  had  told  their  pastor :  *^  Let  us  say  cdoha  to  the 
haole  (&reigner),  &r  we  have  a  great  love  for  him." 


150  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ISLAND     OF     KAUAL 
FBOX  HONOLULU  TO  SOLOA. 

iloggmg  Scenes  at  Sea. — ^Eanai  at  Baylight— Aspect  of  the  Shoreei 
— Location  of  the  Island. — Its  physical  Character. — Eoloa  and 
Harbor. — Remarkable  Cayes. — Singular  Phenomenon. — ^Revoltin^ 
offer  by  a  Parent 

Kauai  is  the  northwestemmost  island  of  any  importance  in 
the  gnmp,  ani  it  is  cut  off  fiom  Oahu  by  the  usually  stonny 
Straits  of  leiewaho.  In  former  years  the  passage  was  efiected 
in  small  canoes ;  and  many  are  the  singular  and  daring  ad- 
ventures spoken  of  in  relation  to  the  Hawaiian  kings,  princes, 
and  warriors  of  past  generations. 

The  modem  mode  of  transit  is  by  native  schooners.  Occa- 
sionally a  whale  ship  bound  to  the  Arctic  Ocean  calls  at  Ko- 
loa,  on  this  island,  for  supj^es ;  and  he  is  a  lucky  fellow  who 
can  procure  this  mode  of  inter-idand  navigation,  for  he  stands 
a  good  chance  to  escape  the  horrors  of  those  native  vessels. 

On  my  passage  down  to  Kauai,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to 
be  conveyed  there  on  board  the  "  Helen  Augusta,"  a  first-class 
whal^  bound  to  the  Polar  Seas.  She  had  been  to  one  of  the 
windward  isla:ads  of  the  group  on  business,  and  merely  touch- 
ed at  Honolulu  for  the  captain,  whom  I  accompanied  on  board. 
The  topsails  were  squared,  and  as  we  stood  out  a  little  sea- 
ward, I  soon  became  aware  that  among  the  crew  there  were 
two  refiractory  sailors,  who  were  trj^ng  to  incite  a  spirit  of  dis- 
content. Before  leaving  for  the  windward  portsj  they  had  re- 
ceived a  bonus  of  their  wages — ^for  they  had  been  shipped  in 
Honolulu — and  their  discontent  was  nothing  less  than  a  wish 
to  get  back  to  the  town.  They  were  desirous  to  go  and  spend 
the  balance  of  their  money  with  some  of  the  girls  on  ebefte^ 


r 


FLOGGING  SCENES  AT   SEA.  151 

and,  in  the  hope  of  achieving  their  purposes,  had  lefiised  duty, 
and  lavished  every  sort  of  ahuse  upon  the  officers  of  the  ship. 
The  captain,  however,  was  made  of  sterner  materials  than  they 
BujqpoBed.  As  soon  as  the  ship  was  steering  her  course  £as 
Kauai,  he  changed  a  portion  of  his  dress,  loaded  a  revolver, 
and  came  out  on  deck. 

''  Come  &£t  here,  all  hands  !*'  shouted  the  captain. 

The  crew  came  aft,  as  requested. 

«  Those  of  you  who  are  inclined  to  do  your  duty  will  step 
over  to  the  starhoard  side  of  the  ship  I"  added  the  captain. 
'  The  whole  crew,  the  two  men  above  refemd  to  excepted, 
w^ot  over. 

"  So  there  are  but  two  of  you  who  are  dissatisfied  with  my 
ship  and  myself,  and  I  will  give  you  twenty  minutes  to  decide 
whether  or  not  you  will  return  to  your  duty,"  said  the  captain. 

But  there  the  two  men  stood,  or  leaning,  rather,  against  the 
bulwai^,  loddng  defiance  at  th^  commander. 

"  Your  time  is  nearly  up,"  he  said,  as  he  passed  the  kshes 
of  a  "  cat"  through  his  hands.  "  I  am  sorry  to  be  compelled 
to  act  sternly  with  you ;  but  I  shall  go  my  voyage,  and  main- 
tain my  authority  as  captain  o£  my  own  ship." 

The  two  men  remained  immovable ;  but  they  merely  looked 
up  to  the  captain's  face,  and  told  him  to  go  to — ^that  is,  to  the  - 
place  where  the  Koran  consigns  all  the  infidels  on  earth  with* 
out  the  least  distinction.     But  the  captain  yet  bore  with  them. 

The  fatal  moment  came  at  last.  The  ringleadCT  was 
stripped  to  his  naked  back,  and  tied  up  in  the  rigging.  De- 
liberately but  heavily  the  "  instrument  of  tOTture"  fell  in  reg' 
ular  succession.  Every  stroke  left  a  bloody  aeam  on  the  back 
of  the  sailor.  He  fainted,  calling  for  water ;  but  he  had  re- 
ceived a  '*  dozffli"  lashes. 

The  other  ddinqu«it  was  tied  up  in  like  manner.  He 
pleaded  for  mercy,  but  it-  was  too  late. 

**  Your  repentance  must  be  based  on  something  more  than 
a  mere  promise,"  repKed  the  captain.  "  I  have  a  very  ugly 
temper  when  it  is  fairly  roused.  It  grieves  me  to  punish  you, 
but  I  shall  do  my  duty  at  whatever  risk." 


X52  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

He  did  his  duty.  The  man  was  flogged  and  cut  down  from 
the  rigging,  and  his  lacerated  back  was  caxeMLy  dressed  by 
the  captain's  own  hand.  The  crew  was  once  more  convened, 
and  they  were  forbidden,  during  the  entire  voyage,  to  refer  to 
the  subject  in  the  hearing  of  the  offenders.  The  men  went  to 
their  duty.  The  captain  retired  to  his  cabin,  where  he  wept 
like  a  cldld,  and  haxdly  a  mouthful  of  food  crossed  his  lips  that 
day. 

It  wa£  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  this  hellish  and  de- 
basing mode  of  punishment,  and  may  it  be  the  last.  My  very 
soul  sickened  during  its  administration,  and  yet  I  was  conv* 
pelled  to  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that,  in  this  instance  at  least, 
the  master  of  that  ship  had  done  nothing  more  than  his  duty 
in  maiutAJning  his  authority  and  the  peace  of  the  crew. 

During  the  remainder  of  that  day,  and  through  the  follow- 
ing night,  we  ran  down  to  Kauai  under  "  dose-reefed  topsaih^." 
At  daylight  next  morning  we  were  within  three  leagues  of  the 
southeast  shore  of  the  island.  It  was  a  scene  of  awful  sub- 
limity and  savage  grandeur.  The  light  fleecy  clouds,  so  coedt 
mon  at  dawn  in  the  tropics,  were  gently  reposing  on  the  sum- 
mits of  the  lofty  mountains,  beautiftdly  and  strangely  contrast- 
ing with  the  dark  foliage  which  was  qprinkled  over  their  bold 
and  hoary  sides,  while  the  sun,  just  springing  up,  as  it  were, 
out  of  the  ocean,  shed  a  flood  of  nature's  poetry  over  the  en- 
tire scene. 

The  shores  of  the  island  are  bold  and  impressive  in  their 
appearance ;  basaltic  in  their  nature,  in  some  places  forming 
a  wall  from  the  sea,  and  in  others,  piles  of  rugged  rocks  as 
black  as  night,  they  seem  to  stand  as  if  to  oppose  the  progress 
of  the  surf  that  breaks  over  or  against  them.  There  are  wild 
receptacles  resembling  the  work  of  art,  but,  in  reality,  worn 
into  the  solid  rocks  by  the  action  of  storms  during  many  a 
century  past.  And  amid  the  savage  grandeur,  some  isolated 
moimd  of  sand  may  rear  its  clear  fair  brow  to  the  gaze  of  the 
coaster.  Of  the  shore,  as  a  vessel  approaches  Koloa,  it  may 
truly  be  said : 


ITS  PHYSICAL  CHARACTER.  I53 

''It  was  a  wild  and  breaker-beaten  coast, 

With  cliffs  above,  and  a  broad  sandy  shore, 

Guarded  by  shoals  and  rocks  as  by  a  host^ 

With  here  and  there  a  creek,  whose  aspect  wore 

A  better  welcome  to  the  tempest-toss'd; 

And  rarely  ceased  the  haughty  billow's  roar. 

Save  on  the  dead  long  summer  days,  whiclf  make 

The  outstretch'd  ocean  glitter  like  a  lake." 

A  vessel  would  have  no  chance  if  cast  away  there. 

The  location  of  the  island  can  not  be  surpassed.  Its  most 
northern  point  lies  in  22"*  17'  north  latitude ;  its  southern,  in 
2V  56'.  Its  longitude  is  embraced  between  159*  41',  and 
IGO"*  8'  west  Its  romantic  retreats,  and  the  refreshing  breezes 
which  always  sweep  over  it,  render  it  a  delightftd  place  of  re- 
sort in  the  hot  summer  months.  The  thermometer  usua% 
ranges  from  60**  to  80°.  No  chilling  winds  contract  the  foH- 
age  or  wither  the  flowers ;  no  sirocco  sends  its  terrible  breath 
over  plains  or  moimtains,  to  induce  fretfiilness  or  enervation 
on  the  part  of  man.  The  mountains  are  more  or  less  exposed 
to  the  genial  showers  of  an  eternal  April,  the  plains  and  val- 
leys to  the  smile  of  an  unfading  summer.  It  is  such  a ''  bright 
little  isle,''  as  the  distinguished  poet  Moore  sighed  for, 

''Where  a  leaf  never  dies  in  the  still  blooming  bowers. 
And  the  bee  .banquets  on  through  a  whole  year  of  flowers.'' 

It  is  a  land  associated  with  a  long  race  of  kings,  chie&,  and 
warriors ;  with  battles,  victories,  tradition,  and  song.  Its 
scenes  can  not  fail  to  be  deeply  impressed  in  the  memory  of 
a  traveler,  even  after  he  has  left  it  for  years. 

Kauai  is  the  oldest  island  of  the  group :  its  soil  is  deeper,  and 
there  is  more  arable  land.  This  theory  of  age  is  amply  sus- 
tained by  geological  facts,  not  less  than  by  native  tradition. 
It  is  said  that  Fde  recognized  this  island  as  the  first  theatre 
on  which  she  commenced  her  fiery  devastations ;  and  that, 
having  spread  desolation  every  where  in  her  path,  she  consec- 
utively visited  every  other  island  of  the  group,  until  she  ar- 
rived at  Hawaii,  where  she  has  ever  since  Hved. 

So  much  for  the  mythological  legends  of  the  old  Hawaiians. 
But  whatever  apparent  prodigies  these  mythical  relations  may 

a2 


154  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

seem  to  recognize,  certain  it  is  that,  in  a  geological  point  of 
view,  volcanic  action  did  commence  here.  The  entire  island 
Beems  to  have  been  formed  by  the  successive  eruptions  of 
Mauna  Waialeale — ^the  great  central  peak — ^when  in  a  state 
of  activity.  The  numerous  extinct  craters  in  the  district  of 
Koloa  and  elSewhere  were  nothing  less  than  the  vent-holes 
through  which  immense  currents  of  gaseous  matter  escaped, 
thereby  preventing  the  island  from  being  blown  into  countlesg 
fragments.  So  many  a^s  have  eli^psed  since  the  red  rain  of 
these  volcanic  fifes,  that  the  small  craters  have  sunk  to  mere 
mounds,  some  of  which  are  scarcely  distinguishable.  And 
where  these  tangible  hills  disgorged  themselves,  a  deep  rich 
soil  has  formed  in  many  places,  and  vegetation  has  widely 
^>read. 

As  the  traveler  pursues  his  way  to  Hawaii,  and  examines 
rocks,  plains,  and  valleys,  he  will  easily  perceive  a  gradual 
approach  to  a  greater  youthfulness  of  formation. 

Aside  from  the  mirmtice  of  geological  science,  the  phjrsical 
conformation  of  Kauai  is  grand  and  imposing.  Two  or  three 
chains  of  mountains,  irregularly  formed,  bisect  the  island. 
Above  them  all,  like  an  Atlas,  Waialeale  rises  to  an  elevation 
of  four  thousand  feet,  and  is  cloud-capped  during  a  great  part 
of  the  year.  It  would  almost  seem  to  be  the  abode  of  some 
discarded  Hawaiian  deity,  who  had  retired  there  to  retain,  if 
possible,  his  immortality ;  throwiifig  around  its  awful  sunmiit 
-clouds,  shadows,  darkness,  and  mystery,  and  forbidding  the 
approach  of  mortals.  From  this  clouded  summit  stretch  lofty 
and  rugged  table-lands  as  far  as  the  west  and  northwest  sides 
of  the  island,  where  they  terminate  in  tremendous  precipoes, 
from  one  to  four  thousand  feet  high,  pierced  by  immense  cav- 
erns, into  which  roll  the  foaming  waves  of  the  Pacific.  From 
the  summit  of  Waialeale,  frequent  and  fertihzing  showers  are 
wafted  over  uplands,  lowlands,  plains,  and  vaUe]^.  Emphat- 
ically it  may  be  said  that  these  diowers  are  the  very  life- 
blood  of  the  soil.  All  around  the  island,  streams — some  of 
which  are  noble  rivers — may  be  seen  rushing  to  the  eaAxtdjce 
of  the  treacherous  and  insatiate  deep. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8T0R,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


KOLOA  AND   HARBOR.  I57 

My  first  landing-place  on  Kauai  was  Koloa,  the  most  rug* 
ged  district  on  the  island.  It  is  twelve  miles  long  by  five 
broad,  and  has  a  gradual  rise  as  the  interior  is  approached. 
Not  much  of  the  soil  is  under  cultivation,  nor  can  it  be,  for 
the  whole  district  is  more  or  less  covered  with  the  heavy  vol- 
canic stones  once  thrown  out  from  the  numerous  volcanoes. 
It  is  said  to  derive  its  name  firom  ko,  cane,  and  ha,  great  or 
long,  referring  to  the  large  cane  cultivated  in  that  region. 
Since  whalers  have  been  in  the  habit  of  calling  there  to  re- 
cruit for  the  Polar  Seas,  a  strong  spirit  of  competition  has  been 
induced  among  the  natives.  Koloa  is  seen  to  most  advantage 
at  a  distance  of  two  miles  out  at  sea.  The  native  houses 
scattered  widely  over  the  gradually  ascending  plains,  the  sug- 
ax-house  on  the  Koloa  sugar-plantation,  the  Mission  Church 
and  school-house,  and  the  lofty  hills  that  bound  the  horizon, 
form  a  pleasant  picture. 

The  harbor  is  merely  an  open  roadstead.  Excepting  the 
times,  however,  when  heavy  winds  blow  from  the  south — 
and  they  occur  usually  in  the  winter  season — ^vessels  can  pro- 
cure a  reHable  anchorage. 

When  a  stranger  first  lands  on  the  beach,  he  can  not  fail 
to  become  amused  at  the  varied  scenes  which  spring  up,  as 
if  by  magic,  before  him.  Here  are  calabashes  of  poi,  raw 
fish,  bunches  of  bananas,  and  bundles  of  sugar-cane,  that  are 
o^red  for  sale  to  the  foreigner,  forgetting  that  he  may  never 
have  eaten  raw  fish,  much  less  have  tasted  poi,  in  his  life. 
His  ears  are  greeted  with  detached  sentences,  composed  of 
Hawaiian  and  English  nearly  as  unintelligible  ;  while  his  eye 
rests  on  groups  of  natives  of  every  age,  scattered  round  in 
nearly  every  conceivable  position,  and  habited  in  almost  every 
kind  of  semi-civilized  costume.  Further  on  is  a  crowd  of 
sharpers— -natives,  of  course,  who  have  learned  the  art  of  ex- 
torting money — ^who  are  very  desirous  of  hiring  their  miser- 
able horses  to  a  foreigner  for  $1  to  $1  50  per  mile,  and  some 
foreigners  are  foolish  enough  to  pay  the  sum  demanded  by 
them. 

A  large  extent  of  the  lower  part  of  ELoloa  is  cavernous.    To 


158  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

these  vast  chambers  access  may  be  obtained  by  descending 
through  narrow  apertures  formed  in  the  roofs.  Doubtless  they 
were  formed  whrai  the  neighboring  volcanoes  were  active,  and 
the  torr«its  of  lava  came  rolling  down  into  the.  sea.  The  upper 
portion  erf  the  immense  beds  were  cooled  by  an  exposure  to 
the  atmosphere,  while  the  molten  rivers  pursued  their  sinewy 
path  until  they  either  found  a  natural  outlet,  or  were  lost  amid 
the  surrounding  dikes.  Where  many  of  these  rivers  of  lava 
have  rolled,  they  have  left  cavernous  formations  behind  them. 

But  the  most  interesting  of  these  ca,ve»  is  tl^  one  termed 
by  the  natives  Nihdiua.  It  may  be  found  a  short  distance 
to  the  left  of  the  road,  about  two  thirds  of  a  mile  below  the 
mission  station.  The  entrance  is  formed  by  a  natural  onfioe 
in  the  roof,  caused  probably  by  a  dec<Hnpositi(m  of  the  crust  of 
lava.  Some  rude  steps  have  been  formed  out  of  blocks  of  lava 
rock,  loosely  piled  together,  and  designed  to  aid  in  the  descent. 
On  a  close  examination,  I  found  it  to  be  four  hmidred  yards  in 
length,  and  its  widest  part  nearly  a  hundred  feet.  The  rorf 
presented  a  continuity  of  TOugh  knots  of  lava,  looking  as  if  they 
were  just  cooling  from  a  state  of  fusion,  and  of  varied  shape 
and  altitude.  Throughout  the  whole  length  of  the  cave— 
which  was  tortuous — the  floor  had  a  gradual  declination,  and 
was  covered  with  a  thick  unctuous  sUme  that  had  been  form- 
ed by  percolation  through  the  roof.  Toward  the  lower  end  a 
visitor  is  compelled  to  crawl  along  on  his  hands  and  feet,  tak- 
ing care  to  secure  his  lamp  ftom  extinctkn ;  and  when  he 
reaches  the  extremity,  he  sees  a  perpendicular  opening — brc^en 
through  by  the  fiedling  in  of  portions  of  the  massive  roof — 
through  which  he  can  emerge  into  the  gold^a  sunlight. 

The  most  airy  and  visible  part  of  this  subt^ranean  cave  is 
directly  under  the  ^itrance,  where  the  great  masses  of  rock 
seem  as  though  about  to  fall  on  a  visitor's  hjead.  Away  from 
the  entrance,  the  gloom  is  ''  darkness  visible,"  hardly  possible 
to  penetrate  by  the  light  of  a  flaming  torch. 

This  cave  has  been  applied  to  a  variety  of  purposes.  It 
has  been  used  as  a  hiding-place  in  time  of  war.  When  a  re- 
cent epidemic  swept  over  the  group,  it  was  used  as  a  ho^ital 


SINGULAR  PHENOMENON.  ^59 

Ibr  the  sick  and  dying.  Its  last  living  occupant  was  an  insane 
woman,  whom  her  unfeeling  children  had  abandoned  to  abeo 
hite  want  and  solitude. 

But  its  most  special  use  was  set  apart  £cfr  warriors,  who,  in 
past  generations,  came  here  to  revel  with  their  paramours. 
The  Tartarean  gloom  was  slightly  relieved  by  torches  ingeni- 
ously formed  of  strings  of  the  candle-nut  {Aleurites  triloba). 
Beneath  this  rugged  roof,  and  amid  this  darknefis — their  faces 
strangely  reflecting  the  feeble  t(»rdi-light — and  divested  of 
every  partide  of  apparel,  they  promiscuously  united  in  dancing 
the  kula  htda*  To  a  reader  of  the  "  AunaJs  of  Tacitus''  it 
may  be  unnecessary  to  say  more  than  that  they  enacted  wtnrse 
series  than  disgraced  the  celebration  of  Nero's  nuptials  with 
his  freedman.  Wives  were  exchanged,  and  so  were  concu- 
bines ;  fathers  despoiled  their  own  daughters,  and  brothers 
deemed  it  no  crime  to  perpetrate  incest.  For  the  first  time  in 
my  life,  I  wished  that  rocks  had  tongues ;  for  I  ardently  longed 
to  hear  the  startling  revelations  which,  under  such  circum- 
stances, they  could  have  made  of  scenes  that  had  been  enacted 
in  that  subterranean  retreat. 

At  a  distance  of  nearly,  two  miles  immediately  southwest  of 
Koloa,  there  is  a  curious  phenom^ion,  called  by  the  natives 
j)uhi  (to  blow  (X  puff),  by  foreigners  the  Spouting  Horn,  firom 
its  striking  resemblance  to  the  spouting  of  a  whale.  The  phe- 
nomenon is  caused  by  the  waves  of  the  sea  rushing  into  an 
ocean-worn  cavern  of  basaltic  rocks.  As  the  sea  rolls  in,  the 
atmosphere  is  driven  back  to  the  extremity  of  the  cave,  T^ere, 
incapable  of  further  compression,  a  powerM  reaction  takes 
place.  The  water  is  then  driven  back  toward  the  entrance ; 
but,  in  its  course,  a  large  portion  of  it  is  forced  through  an 
opening  in  the  roof,  and  rises  in  a  fountain  to  the  height  of  a 
number  of  feet.  Sometimes,  when  a  heavy  south  wind  comes 
in  fix>m  the  ocean,  the  water  is  forced  into  the  cave  with  a 
tremendous  velocity,  and  the  fountain  assumes  the  form  of  a 
beautiful  wheat-sheaf  nearly  a  himdred  feet  high.  At  such 
times,  the  visitor  is  more  than  repaid  for  his  trouble  in  going 
*  The  lioentioiis  danoe. 


160  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

to  see  it.     There  are  several  such  phenomena  around  the 
shores  of  the  archipelago. 

The  path  leading  to  this  Spouting  Horn,  although  short,  is 
very  rugged  and  fatiguing.  Near  the  site  of  the  phenomenon 
is  a  smaU  but  scattered  village,  and,  as  the  day  was  very  warm 
and  dry,  I  concluded  to  go  into  a  house,  to  smoke  a  cigar  and 
procure  a  draught  of  water.  My  intention  was  carried  out. 
The  water  was  cheerfully  given  me,  and  a  light  to  my  cigar 
was  procured.  Feeling  a  httle  tired  firom  the  efiects  of  climb- 
ing basaltic  rocks,  I  took  the  liberty  to  stretch  myself  on  a 
mat,  smoking  and  resting  at  the  same  time.  Very  soon  the 
crowd  of  natives,  whom  curiosity  had  attracted  to  the  spot 
when  I  first  entered  the  hut,  had  quietly  dispersed ;  and  as  I 
felt  hke  indulging  in  a  short  siesta,  I  commenced  smoking  a 
second  cigar.  Few  moments,  however,  had  now  elapsed,  when 
in  came  two  young  girls,  both  of  whom  were  the  daughters 
of  my  dusky  host.  On  perceiving  a  stranger  there,  they  at 
once  commenced  a  mirthful  conversation,  that  raised  me  up 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  favored  me  with  an  opportunity  of 
surveying  their  personal  appearance.  The  youngest  was  a 
mere  child ;  the  oldest  of  the  two  was  about  sixteen,  and  ma- 
tured. I  shall  never  forget  the  exquisite  beauty  of  that  girl's 
development.  Had  it  not  been  for  her  drapery — an  only  gar- 
ment, which  I  regarded  as  an  absolute  neglig^ — she  certain- 
ly would  have  been  no  unfitting  companion  of  Hebe  when  she 
handed  round  the  nectar  at  the  banquets  of  the  gods.  I  in- 
stinctively stopped  smoking — and  .so  would  you  have  done, 
reader !  under  the  same  circumstances — and  sat  gazing  at 
that  witching  girl,  with  my  hand  supporting  my  chin,  and 
my  elbow  resting  on  my  knee.  I  humbly  acknowledge  my 
weakness ;  I  own  I  felt  speU-bound  beneath  the  mischievous 
smile  that  played  on  her  mouth.     And  then 

"  her  eyes 

Were  black  as  death,  their  lashes  the  same  hue, 
Of  downcast  length,  in  whose  silk  shadow  lies 

Deepest  attraction ;  for  when  to  the  view 

Forth  from  its  raven  fringe  the  fall  glance  flies^ 

Ne'er  with  such  force  the  swiftest  arrow  flew; 


REVOLTING   OFFER   BY  A  PARENT.     Jgl 

'Tis  as  the  snake  late  coil'd,  who  pours  his  length. 
And  hurls  at  once  his  venom  and  his  strength." 

I  am  not  conscious  of  my  own  appearance  at  the  moment 
I  describe,  but  the  &ther  of  the  girl  idcls  ;  and,  resolving  to 
take  advantage  of  what  he  deemed  a  very  £sivorable  opportu- 
nity, he  crept  up  to  me  and  said,  in  unmistakable  language, 
"MaJcvmaki  ka  wahine  o  ke  Kanaka  ?''  pointing,  at  the 
same  time,  to  Ihe  girl,  who,  he  said,  was  his  daughter.  I  un- 
derstood him  to  assure  me  that  I  could  appropriate  his  daugh- 
ter's honor,  if  I  chose  to  do  so,  by  paying  him  an  amount 
equal  to  what  he  held  in  his  hand — a  single  piece  of  silver ! 
Whatever  my  own  thoughts  may  have  been  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  such  a  revolting  offer,  they  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  ofier  itself.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  my  indignation  became 
my  guardian,  and,  without  any  further  ceremony,  I  doubled 
my  fist,  gave  the  avaricious  parent  a  blow  in  the  face,  and 
walked  off  about  my  business,  leaving  a  sincere  "  aloha** 
(love,  or  salutation)  with  his  straugely-beautiM  daughter. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Female  Penitentiary.  — Character  of  the  Prisoners.  — The  Jailer. — 
Statistics  of  Crime. — ^Wrong  Legislationw — An  instance  of  Fanati- 
cism.— Curious  Method  to  obtain  Money. — Sugar  Plantations. — 
Indigo. — ^Former  attempts  to  cultivate  Silk. — Sunday  at  Koloa. — 
A  Native  Preacher. — Specimens  of  Hawaiian  Eloquence. — ^Liber- 
ality of  Native  Christians. 

KoLOA  is  disgraced  by  a  Penitentiary,  which  has  been  erect- 
ed solely  for  the  captivity  of  those  luckless  members  of  the  sex 
who  have  taken  a  Uttle  too  much  liberty  with  the  Moral  Law. 
The  building  is  nearly  a  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty  wide. 
The  walls  are  composed  of  lava  laid  up  in  cement^  and  possess 
too  much  strength  for  the  easy  escape  of  the  basely-insulted 
captives.  The  whole  is  divided  into  three  apartments,  con- 
taining what  are  intended  as  beds  for  prisoners,  but  which,  in 
reality,  are  not  fit  resting-places  for  weaiy  dogs. 


16^  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

I  found  in  it  three  prisoners,  who  appeared  to  be  deserving 
of  a  better  place  pf  abode.  They  were  doing  work  for  the 
benefit  of  {he  goTemment»  and  probably  to  keep  out  of  what 
might  be  deemed  further  mischief.  Their  employment  was 
to  manufacture  a  small  rope  out  of  the  fibres  of  the  native 
rush,  atatcd  {Scirpus  lacustris).  It  was  all  dcme  by  hand, 
and,  wh^i  finished,  exceedingly  neat  The  priscmets  were 
young  women  whose  figures  indicated  any  thing  but  moT$X  guilt 
This  impression  was  confirmed  by  on  incident  that  occurred 
while  I  was  on  the  spot.  One  of  the  females  had  a  very  pre* 
possessing  mien.  As  I  stood  looking  at  her,  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  mine,  but  th^  instantly  fell,  and  the  poor  creature  cov- 
ered her  ikce  with  her  faded  and  tattered  garment,  and  burrt 
into  tears.  What  was  the  cause  of  her  sudden  agony  I  could 
not  debide.  Her  companions  also  appeared  much  embarrassed 
at  my  presence,  and  I  felt  that,  if  guilty  of  the  sin  charged 
against  them,  they  had  not  grown  callous,  and'ihat  they  were 
in  the  wrong  school  £)r  the  improvement  of  their  mcn-als.  Of 
their  true  character,  and  the  cause  of  their  incarceration,  I 
formed  my  own  conclusions,  and  I  shall  express  them  in  the 
course  of  this  chapter. 

But  the  most  loathsome  and  disgusting  object  in  the  whole 
area  of  that  prison  was  the  jailer  himself.  If  ever  there  was 
what  is  vulgarly  termed  "  a  hard  c^,"  it  was  that  very  man. 
I  ransacked  Anthonys  "Classical  Dictionary" — so  fiur  as  I 
could  recall  its  contents  by  memory — ^for  sonae  suitable  object 
with  which  I  could  compare  this  nameless  wretch,  but  I  had 
to  retum  to  my  first  impression,  and  that  was,  that  he  would 
make  a  fitting  associate  for  the  Hadean  Cerberus.  There  was 
something  about  him  that  I  can  not  describe  ;  but  there  Was 
nothing  in  him  that  Orpheus  could  have  luUed  to  deep  wiA 
his  lyre,  for  his  stormy  passions  looked  out  of  his  eyes  hke  an 
Argus,  ^vuig  him  more  the  aspect  of  a  d^oaon  than  a  man. 
Such  was  the  keeper  of  three  young  women  who  had  been 
brought  to  this  hell  of  debauchery,  doubtless  by  a  false  accu* 
sation !  I  longed  to  silence  his  pulse  and  his  passions  by  a 
pistol-shot. 


STATISTICS   OF  CRIME.  163 

I  am  well  aware  that  there  are  those  who  will  accuse  me 
of  making  rash  assertions ;  but  on  this  point,  as  on  others,  I 
can  meet  my  accusers  on  stem  ground.  The  prisons  on  the 
islands — that  at  Koloa  not  excepted — are  the  worst  schools  oi 
vioethat  can  be  found  on  the  group.  A  Kanaka  can  and  will 
ffwear  any  thing  to  gain  his  purpose.  It  is  nothing  uncommon 
§x  a  police,  or  any  petty  officer  of  the  kingdom,  to  make  ad- 
vanoes  to  any  girl  or  wcnnan  to  whom  he  takes  a  notion.  It 
Bcmietimes  happens  that  the  female  has  the  moral  honesty  to 
refuse  such  overtures.  The  guilty  wretch  will  go  and  swear 
^— and  he  has  those  who  wiU  readily  bear  "  false  witness'' — 
that  he  caught  such  a  woman  in  a  guilty  act,  and  she  is  forth- 
with consigned  to  prison,  frequently  without  a  trial,  where  she 
▼ery  soon  learns  how  to  violate  that  law  which  is  the  only 
bafids  of  virtueus  society.  This  was  the  way  in  which  those 
female  prisoners  were  introduced  to  the  F^tentiary  at 
Koloa. 

I  wish  to  be  very  explicit  on  this  theme.  In  1846,  when 
the  Hon.  R^  G.  Wtllie  addressed  a  bng  series  of  miscella- 
neous  questions  to  the  missionaries  on  the  group,  he  requested 
to  know  what  were  the  prevailing  vices,  with  their  causes, 
and  suggestions  fi>r  their  removal  (Q^uestion  63).  It  was  said, 
in  reply  to  one  cause  of  vice,  "  So  loose  is  the  prison  discipline, 
that  it  has  often  been  a  matter  of  question  witii  me  whether 
it  does  not  effect  more  harm  than  good.  Some  species  of  pun- 
iidmient,  that  would  be  keenly  felt  and  long  remembered,  and 
yet  not  injure  life  and  health,  would  be  preferable  to  the  pres- 
ent mode."* 

In  his  Annual  Beport  fer  18^3,  Ghiefjustioe  Lee  sajrs : 

"  I  should  not  feel  that  I  had  done  mf  whole  duty  did  I 
fiul  to  call  to  the  mind  of  the  Legislature  the  notcmous  defects 
in  our  prison  discipline.  The  law  of  1851,  providing  a  new 
system,  has  remained  a  dead  letter.  ******  Most 
of  our  ofienses  are  punidied  by  imprisonment ;  but,  unless  we 
have  suitable  prisons  and  better  discipline,  it  will  be  of  little 
avail  to  s^itenoe  prisoners.  Our  present  jails,  with  one  or 
*  <"  AoBwera  to  QaestioiiB,''  p.  88. 


154  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

two  excepticms,  are  little  better  than  peBt-houses  and  schools 
of  vice."* 

If  prostitution  were  a  modem  feature  in  Hawaiian  female 
character — ^but  it  is  not — ^fines  and  iniprisonment  are  not  the 
legitimate  means  of  removing  so  baneM  an  influence  from 
the  lap  of  society.  Such  strictures  exist  in  no  other  nation. 
The  immorality,  however,  is  coeval  with  society.  By  the 
most  enlightened  legislators  it  has  ever  been  deemed  a  '*  neces- 
sary evil."  I  wish  not  to  be  understood  as  advocating  a  vio- 
lation of  the  seventh  precept  of  the  Decalogue  in  any  way 
whatever,  but  as  being  opposed  to  the  despotism  of  imprison- 
ing oflenders  in  the  Hawaiian  mode  of  impnsonment.  In 
this  position  I  stand  not  alone.  In  a  speech  before  the  House 
of  Lords  on  the  15th  of  June,  1843,  the  Bishop  of  Exeter  said, 
in  plain  language, 

"  That  he  did  not  consider  prostitution  as  a  matter  for  legis- 
lative punishment.  The  punishment  of  prostitution  he  helcl 
to  be  a  thing  impossible.  And  why  was  it  impos^ble  ?  He 
h&d  no  notion  that  the  wisdom  of  man  could  devise  a  punish- 
ment that  should  inflict  so  much  of  suflering  and  of  degrada- 
tion as  prostitution  itself.  He  held  prostitution  itself  to  be  a 
punishment — an  awM  punishment,  which  the  God  of  mercy 
had  devised  in  order  to  ternfy  innocent  females  from  &Iling 
into  those  tremendous  evils  which  he  had  appc»nted  as  the 
punishment  of  the  violation  of  chastity.  To  attempt  to  pun- 
ish prostitution  would,  in  his  mind,  be  as  wild  a  scheme  as 
if  the  guilty  city  of  the  plague  had  issued  a  law  against  the 
violent  storm  of  brimstone  and  hail  that  destifoyed  it,  or  as  if 
the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  had  prq[)ared  to  pass  a  law 
against  the  destrojang  angel !" 

The  distingui^ed  prelate  uttered  these  words  on  the  second 
reading  of  a  "  Bill  for  the  Suppression  of  Brothels."  In  doing 
so,  he  took  nothing  more  than  a  natural  and  historical  view 
of  human  nature.  On  this  theme  he  is  ably  supported  by 
Hon.  "William  L.  Lee,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Sandwich  Islands : 

*  "Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Courts* 
p.  116. 


STATISTICS   OF  CRIME.  165 

"  One  thing  is  clear,  namely,  that  the  present  system  of  fines 
does  not  much  diminish  the  evil,  and  some  other  means  should 
be  tried.  I  have  no  faith  in  heavier  penalties  as  means  of 
repressing  this  hydra-headed  sin,  for  pubhc  opnion  will  not 
fostain  them ;  and  where  laws  enacted  for  the  preservation  of 
good  morals  go  far  in  advance  of  the  general  voice  of  the  na- 
tion, they  fail  to  ccmmiand  respect,  and  defeat  their  own  ob- 
ject."* 

If  the  apphcation  of  penal  laws  secured  an  obedience  to  the 
lequiffltions  of  moral  law,  there  would  be  more  plausibihty  in 
tboT  enforcement.  But  they  do  not.  There  are  those  in  the 
principal  towns,  and  even  in  the  remote  country  districts,  who 
earn  their  own  subsistence  by  procuring  vicious  gratifications 
£>r  others.  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  the  ruling  powers  are 
none  too  virtuous.  Many  of  the  police,  who  are  employed, 
to  a  certain  extent,  as  guardians  of  the  pubUc  morals,  are  the 
most  debased  wretches  on  the  group.  They  have  set  many  a 
trap,  not  only  for  verdant  foreigners,  but  for  their  own  coun- 
trymen ;  and,  when  the  bait  has  been  taken,  they  were  the 
first  to  poimce  on  the  unsuspecting  victims,  so  that,  as  a  re- 
ward for  their  vigilance,  they  might  share  the  fine  for  the 
crime,  amounting  to  $30,  specified  by  law.f 

I  have  already  said  that  fines  and  imprisonments  do  not 
stem  the  tide  of  this  great  national  evil.  It  can  not  be  denied 
that  rehgious,  not  less  than  civil  law,  is  in  advance  of  the 
pubhc  morals.  Where  there  is  no  moral  sentiment,  fines  and 
imprisonments  only  pave  the  way  to  a  farther  commission  of 
crime.  A  glance  at  statistical  testimony  will  be  satisfactory 
on  this  subject. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  1839,  the  statistics  of  crime  for 
the  previous  year  were  published  in  the  Kumiu  Hawaii  (Ha- 
waiian Teacher).  The  cases  of  adultery  over  the  group  num- 
bered 246.t 

"  In  the  year  1846,  164  cases  of  adultery  were  brought 

*  Annual  Report  of  Chief  Justice,  p.  111. 

f  Penal  Code  of  1850,  cap.  xiii.,  sect  4,  p.  24. 

X  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  ii,  p.  284. 


166  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

before  the  courts  in  Honolulu ;  and  it  has  o^n  been  said  that 
a  large  portion  of  the  money  taken  in  the  shops  (^  this  to^na 
^-say  three  fourths — ^is  the  wages  of  licentiousness."* 

In  ihe  year  18^2,  the  number  of  such  cases  for  the  entire 
island  of  Oahu  was  180,  and  the  number  of  cases  of  fornica- 
tion was  235.t 

This  does  not  look  much  like  a  decrease  in  crime,  nor  does 
it  speak  much  for  the  defense  of  an  arlntrary  enactment  of  law. 
Because  the  island  of  Kauai  has  two  penitentiaries,  and  the 
island  itself  is  rather  remotely  located  in  the  group,  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  people  are  more  moral.  But  a  companson  of 
the  foUowing  table  will  show  which  crimes  prepcmderate : 

CMMtried.  Caa^Mktm.  Aeqnittab. 

Fomicatioii  and  adultery 76  65  '20 

Illicit  cohabitation 6  0  6 

Seduction 1  0  1 

Larceny 26  18  8 

Violating  the  Sabbath 5  2  8 

Drinking  awa. 18  6  7 

MaliciouB  injury 1  0  1 

Assault  and  battery 14  11  8 

Demolishing  house 8  8  0 

Riot '. 8  2  1 

Slander 10  6  6 

All  other  offenses 9  6  4 

Total 166         lOY  59 

The  sexes  of  the  persc^is  convicted,  as  near  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, are, 

Males 72 

Females : 86 

Total lO^t 

A  question  may  now  arise.  Is  Hiere  not  a  cause  for  such  an 
extensive  violation  of  moral  law  ?  There  is,  and  that  cause 
originates  chiefly  in  the  character  of  Hawaiian  legislation.  On 
this  theme  the  deUberations  of  the  legislative  body  are  abso- 

*  Answers  to  Questions,  p.  82. 

t  Report  of  Chief  Justice,  p.  106,  106w 

X  Report  of  Chief  Justice,  p.  108.    See  Appendix  lY. 


WRONG  LEGISLATION.  167 

lately  wrong.  Wlio  does  sot  know  that  a  prohiUtory  law 
only  t^ids  to  inoiease  the  desire  for  the  forbidden  object  ?  The 
fatal  curiosity  of  Eve  has  entailed  infinite  evils  upon  her  prog- 
eny. So  it  has  been  in  every  age  of  the  world's  history,  and 
amid  every  genera1i(»i  of  our  race.  Where  public  s^atioien^ 
does  not  recognize  all  moral  evU  as  wrong,  and  that»  too»  on  a 
conscientious  ba^is,  p^ial  enactments  can  not  enforce  the  rec- 
eption, nor  can  they  eradicate  the  love  of  evil. 

But,  aude  from  this,  the  state  of  the  laws  is  so  chaotic,  that 
their  just  and  righteous  administration  is  next  to  impossible. 
In  his  closii^  remarks,  the  x^hief  justice  says  : 

"  Anotiier  evil  to  whidi  I  invite  your  attention  is  the  mul- 
lipUcation  of  laws  on  the  same  subject,  without  any  express 
repeal  of  formex  statutes.  There  has  been  such  an  enacting, 
amending,  and  accumulating  of  laws  for  the  last  ten  years,  re- 
lating to  the  same  matters,  that  our  legislation  in  some  of  its 
branches  has  become  a  perfect  patdi-work,  which  conAises 
the  people,  the  magistrates,  and  I  trust  I  shall  not  be  thought 
guilty  of  disrespect  when  I  add,  the  representatives  themselves. 
It  is  of  httle  use  to  say  to  a  district  justice  that  such  and  such 
a  law  is  repealed  by  implication ;  for  his  e<hication  has  been 
under  the  ancient  statutes,  and  he  recognizes  no  repeal  that  is 
not  plainly  expressed  in  words.  The  necessity  of  an  express 
repeal  of  such  statutes  as  are  really  not  in  force,  or  about  the 
.  force  of  which  doubts  are  entertained,  has  been  made  mamfest 
in  the  case  (^divorces  above  mentioned.  More  glaring  instan- 
ces of  the  same  kind  might  be  mentioned,  but  such  an  enu- 
meration would  be  only  wasting  your  time,  as  they  can  not 
have  fisdled  to  come  within  your  own  knowledge.  The  ig- 
norance of  many  natives  of  their  rights — their  coninision  on 
such  occasions — ^the  want  of  meaim  and  inends,  in  many  in- 
stances, to  assist  in  taking  an  appeal,  would  oflen  lead  them 
to  submit  to  an  unjust  sentence,  and  thus  defeat  the  great  end 
in  view — a  fair  and  impartial  trial"* 

But,  supposing  the  laws  were  clearly  defined,  another  im- 
mense difiiculty  presents  itself  The  way  in  which  the  laws 
*  Report  of  Chief  Justice,  p.  118, 114 


168  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

aie  admimsteied  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  virtue—female 
especially— «an  not  properly  be  promoted.  On  a  ruinous  sys- 
tem of  favoritism,  many  a  man  is  placed  in  the  chair  <^  legal 
justice  to  commence  the  practice  of  law,  very  much  as  a  med- 
ical student  would  commence  the  study  of  dissection  and  anat- 
omy.    Such  a  course  paves  the  way  to  countless  evils. 

**  It  can  not  be  denied  that  some  of  our  magistrates  are  ig- 
norant of  the  laws,  unable  to  give  them  a  fair  construction, 
hasty,  partial,  ready  to  prejudge  a  case  before  they  have  heard 
half  of  the  testimony,  and,  in  conclusicm,  to  sentence  without 
mercy.  As  a  general  rule,  our  district  justices,  even  in  cases 
where  the  fines  to  be  imposed  are  at  their  discretion,  not  ex- 
ceeding a  certain  limit,  are  sure  to  carry  the  law  to  the  ex- 
treme, and  inflict  upon  o^nders  its  severest  penalty.  This, 
too,  is  done  where  they  have  no  self-interest  to  bias  their  judg- 
ment, no  revenge  to  gratify,  and  apparently  without  a  reason, 
unless  it  be  to  swell  the  revenue  of  the  government."* 

It  does  swell  the  revenue  of  the  government,  too.  In  1 852, 
the  amount  raised  by  the  government  on  adultery  and  forni- 
cation alone  over  the  entire  group  was  $18,870.  This  sum 
would  nearly  cover  the  entire  salary  fer  the  Ministerial  De- 
partment. But  what  a  sum !  It  was  the  price  of  adultery, 
and,  therefore,  like  the  silver  which  Judas  received  for  betray- 
ing the  Nazarene,  it  was  the  price  of  blood  I 

But  neither  fines  nor  imprisonments  are  equal  to  the  pun- 
ishment which  was  advocated  by  a  professedly  enlightened 
Protestant  teacher  as  late  as  1847.  The  '*Sandtaich  Island 
News'*  of  March  10th,  1847,  contains  an  instance  of  fanati- 
cism which  stands  unequal  in  the  history  of  the  last  two  thou- 
sand years.  I  cite  it  verbatim  et  literatim : 
.  "  A  correspondent  of  the  Eleicy  a  newspaper  published  m 
the  native  language,  imder  the  direction  of  the  American  Mis- 
sion, complains  of  the  amount  of  prostitution  in  Lahaina  and 
Honolulu,  and  sends  an  urgent  appeal  to  the  editor,  Mr.  R. 
Armstrong,  in  these  words  :  *  Gb  you  to  the  chiefs.  I  make 
known  to  you,  as  you  ask  where  are  the  chiefe,  that  the  Privy 
*  Beport  of  Chief  Justice,  p.  109,  lia 


AN   INSTANCE  OF  FANATICISM.         169 

Cotmcil  are  the  chiefe  at  the  present  time.  You,  together  with 
them,  devise  some  loeasures  for  suppressmg  this  o&iise.  You 
say  to  the  Privy  Council,  make  a  new  law.' 

"  The  editor,  in  reply  to  this  appeal,  suggests  the  Allowing 
£»r  a  law  to  he  rigidly  enforced : 

<* '  FcMT  the  first  offense  ofmce  kolohe/^  all  the  property  of 
the  ofiender  shidl  he  confiscated  to  the  government  and  he  or 
she  be  flogged  with  a  rope,  and  confined  £»  a  time  in  irons ! 

'<  *  Far  the  second  oEeaage,  the  oflender  shall  be  taken  to  the 
ocean,  and  held  imder  water  till  as  nearly  dead  as  possible ; 
then  allowed  to  recover  breath,  and  again  submerged  in  the 
same  manner ;  this  operation  to  be  repeated  five  times,  if  en- 
durable, and  the  ccmvict  then  banished  to  another  land ! ! 

" '  For  the  third  oBlense,  the  o^ider  shall  be  hanged  until 
dead,  acccxrding  to  the  word  of  God.* — ^Leviticie,  xx.,  10. 

'*  The  above  having  been  made  the  subject  of  official  ani- 
madverskvn,  and  of  ccmununication  to  his  government  on  the 
part  of  the  consul  of  Frimoe,  has  been  handed  to  us  for  in- 
sertion^ We  do  not  like,  however,  to  insert  it  without  some 
oomm^it.'' 

The  editor  of  the  "News,*^  after  quoting  at  length  the  case 
of  the  Jewish  womian,t  goes  on  to  say : 

"  The  attempts  which  have  been  made  for  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  to  legislate  Ghiistianity  into  the  faith  and  practice 
of  the  Hawaiian  race,  arei  sufficient  to  show,  we  i^ould  think, 
Hiat  heatiien  tribes  are  not  to  be  evangelized  so.  To  pxiteot 
religion  aiid  its  intelligent  observances — ^to  assure  morality 
through  all  the  social  and  dcnoeetic  relations  of  society,  is  \m- 
doubtedly  one  of  the  highest  obligations  of  a  good  government. 
But  to  compel  men  to  be  religious  or  virtuous  by  statute  laws, 
whose  sanctions  axe  addressed  exclusively  to  their  fears,  is 
metaphysically  absurd  and  practically  impossible.  The  at- 
tempts to  extinguish,  by  the  terrors  of  the  law,  however  ter- 
rific, or  greatly  to  restrain,  by  such  measures,  the  animal  pas- 
sions of  beings  situated  as  the  Hawaiians  are,  and  hopelessly 
must  be,  under  the  present  system  of  civil  and  religious  treat- 

*  Adultery.  t  ^^  J^^»  ^^»  ^^^ 

H 


170  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ment,  would  be  as  useless  as  to  attempt  to  send  the  stars  to  a 
grammar-school,  or  to  teach  the  planets  didactic  theology.*' 

This  language,  however  severe  its  tone  and  aim  may  be, 
was  spoken,  or  written  rather,  in  1847.  But  it  is  fully  reit- 
erated by  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Hawaiian  kingdom  in  1853  : 

"  In  my  opinion,  licentiousness  is  so  deeply  planted  in  the 
heart  of  this  nation-^the  cancer  is  so  firmly  imbedded  in,  and 
has  spread  its  roots  so  entirely  throughout  the  body  politic, 
that  no  skill  of  the  legislator  can  cure  it,  and  it  must  eventu- 
ally destroy  the  nation."* 

This  state  of  things  is  amply  sustained  by  the  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction,  who,  in  1847,  disgraced  his  calling  by  de- 
vising the  fanatical  law  just  referred  to  above  : 

"  The  sources  of  the  pubUc  immorality  above  mentioned 
are  stated  to  be  the  want  of  suitable  prisons  for  criminals,  the 
native  htdas,  the  pubUc  dance-halls  in  Honolulu — declared  by 
the  Marshal  and  Prefect  of  Pohce  to  be  the  *  principal  source, 
in  fact,  the  primary  cause,  of  the  vast  amoimt  of  fomicatioiL 
and  adultery  that  have  disgraced  this  city  this  last  season ;' 
indolent  habits,  intoxicating  drinks  (beheved  to  be  the  real 
cause  of  the  riot  in  November  last),  the  love  of  filthy  lucre, 
illegal  divorce,  improper  marriages,  ignorance,  and  depraved 
appetites,  "t 

Sickening  to  the  very  soul  is  the  contemplation,  not  only  of 
the  evil  itself,  but  the  pseudo-philanthopic  e^rts  made  to 
eradicate  it.  Not  less  painfiil  is  it  to  reflect  on  the  &ct,  that 
the  above  despotic  law  was  publicly  advocated  by  a  disciple 
of  Him  who  said  to  the  guilty  Jewess,  ^'Neither  do  I  condemn 
thee;  go,  and  sin  no  more/" — (John,  viii.,  11.)  So  mudi, 
however,  for  the  tender  mercies  of  ecclesiastical  legislation, 
advocated  by  at  least  one  prominent  individual.  But  such 
will  be  the  state  of  afiairs  so  long  as  this  evil  is  a  source  of  rev- 
enue to  the  Hawaiian  government  not  less  than  to  individuals. 

But  we  will  leave  these  dreary  scenes,  and  proceed  on  our 
way. 

*  Report  of  Ohief  Justice,  p.  112. 

t  Report  of  Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  1858,  p.  66. 


CXmiOUS   METHOD  TO   OBTAIN   MONEY.  171 

A  few  days  subsequent  to  my  arrival  at  Koloa,  a  rather 
novel  scene  occurred  between  a  Hawaiian  sailor  and  two  na- 
tives who  lived  on  shore.  While  the  whale  ship  "  Helen  Au- 
gusta" was  taking  in  supplies  for  her  cruise  among  the  Arctic 
seas,  the  sailor  was  tempted  to  run  away  firom  the  ship.  The 
two  landsmen,  who  induced  him  to  abscond,  had  employed  ev- 
ery illustration  to  portray  the  horrors  of  a  seafaring  life,  and 
the  bliss  of  living  on  shore.  More  than  that,  they  assured 
him,  in  the  cant  phrase  of  the  Hawaiian  vice-procurer,  that 
they  had  '*  a  fine  sister''  on  shore,  in  whose  smiles  he  could 
find  the  very  sum  of  all  earthly  happiness.  The  bait  was 
adroitly  held  out,  and  grasped  with  avidity,  and  the  **  tar" 
was  carefully  stowed  away.  No  sooner  was  he  safely  secured 
in  his  hiding-place,  than  away  went  his  two  tempters  to  the 
captain  of  the  vessel,  and  told  him  that  one  of  his  crew  had 
run  away,  and  that,  for  ten  doUars,  they  would  recover  him. 
Out  went  the  specified  sum,  and  away  went  the  two  natives 
to  fulfill  their  errand. 

Silently  and  impatiently  had  the  sailor  waited  for  the  ar- 
rival of  the  promised  "  sister.''  But  what  was  his  astonish- 
ment, instead  of  meeting  the  soft  embrace  of  that  fair  daugh- 
ter of  Eve,  to  hear  the  voice  of  his  captain  summoning  him 
to  his  duty !  Further  concealment  was  impossible ;  and  burn- 
ing with  disappointment,  and  smarting  imder  a  desire  for  re- 
venge, the  unlucky  tar  came  forth  firom  his  lair,  the  ignoble 
dupe  of  two  of  his  own  countrymen.  At  length,  becoming 
fully  aware  of  their  shameless  perfidy,  he  developed  the  na- 
ture and  aim  of  their  plot,  and  they  were  compelled  to  refund 
their  nice  little  earnings,  much  to  their  real  mortification  and 


That  was  a  vivid  picture  of  human  cupidity  that  the  im- 
mortal Shakspeaee  drew  ofihe  Venetian  "lago:*' 

**Put  money  in  thy  purse;  follo-w  these  "wars;  defeat  thy  favor 
with  an  usurped  beard ;  I  say,  put  money  in  thy  purse.  It  can  not 
be  that  Desdemona  should  long  continue  her  love  to  the  Moor — ^put 
money  in  thy  purse — ^nor  he  his  to  her ;  it  was  a  violent  commence- 
ment^ and  thou  shalt  see  an  answerable  sequestration,  pat  but  men- 


172  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ey  in  thy  purse.    These  Moors  are  changeable  in  their  wilk ;  fill  thy 
purse  with  money." — Othello,  Act  L,  sc.  iii 

This  advice,  however,  was  not  confined  merely  to  one  Ve- 
netian citizen.  It  is  Hawaiian.  It  is  world-wide !  But  the 
avidity  with  which  the  modem  Kanaka  grasps  at  the  precious 
metal,  sweeps  away  nearly  every  vestige  of  his  primitive  diar- 
acter. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  objects  at  Koloa  is  the  sugars 
plantation  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Wood.  It  is  termed  the  Ko- 
loa Estate,  and  contains  two  thousand  acres  of  excell^it  land. 
The  Tahitian  cane  is  the  kind  which  is  cultivated,  and  it 
thrives  splendidly.  The  proprietor  was  realizing  at  least  one 
ton  per  acre  of  capital  sugar.  His  present  machinery  was  im- 
p^ect,  and  an  immense  per  centage  was  lost  by  evaporation 
during  the  grinding  of  the  cane.  On  the  importation  of  new 
machinery,  he  would  realize  two  tons,  or  four  thousand  pounds 
of  sugar  per  acre.  The  same  amount  can  be  raised  on  any 
part  of  the  group  where  cane  can  be  successfully  cultivated. 
Its  growth  is  checked  by  no  chilling  £ix>sts. 

The  labor  is  performed  by  Coolies,  imported  from  China, 
and  by  native  men  and  women,  at  a  daily  xemuneration  of 
twenty-five  cents — a  sum  amply  sufficient  to  satisfy  all  their 
needs !  But  Cooly  labor  is  the  most  to  be  depended  upon. 
If  these  men  were  permitted  to  marry  the  native  wom^i,  they 
would  become  yet  more  trusty. 

Cane  can  be  raised  at  twenty  dollars  per  acre,  including 
every  item  of  expense. 

By  a  brief  statistical  comparison,  it  will  be  seen  that  in  this 
item  of  industry,  if  properly  encouraged,  the  Sandwich  Island 
government  would  derive  a  vast  advantage.  Instead  of  the 
treasury  realizing  between  $200,000  and  $300,000  per  an- 
num, as  it  now  does,  a  vast  increase  might  be  the  result.  It 
has  been  accurately  computed  that  100,000  acres  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  or  25,000  in  each  o£  the  four  principal  islands, 
would,  if  well  cultivated  to  cane,  produce  3000  pounds  a  year 
per  a^re  :  this  product  alone,  at  5  cents  per  pound,  would  be 
$15,000,000. 


SUGAR  PLANTATIONS.  I73 

A  oentaiy  ago  the  JesaitB  brought  a  few  bundles  of  sugar- 
caae  firom  Hispaniola,  and  planted  them  in  the  Second  Muni- 
cipality in  New  Orleans.  In  1759  the  first  sugar-mill  was 
erected.  In  1850-51  the  crop  exceeded  200,000  hogsheads, 
worth  ten  millions  of  dollars.  The  capital  now  employed  in 
this  branch  of  industry  exceeds  $75,000,000. 

'*  It  has  been  graierally  supposed  that  the  lands  of  the  trop- 
ics would  produce  twice  as  much  sugar  per  acre  as  those  of 
the  best  sugar  lands  of  the  United  States.  But  on  this  point 
it  is  shown  that  though,  according  to  Humboldt,  *  a  hectare 
(about  2^  acres)  of  the  best  land  in  Mexico  will  produce  no 
less  than  5600  pounds  of  raw  sugar,*  and  that  this  is  double 
the  amount  produced  from  the  same  quantity  of  land  in  Cuba, 
yet  Mr.  James  Wafibrd,  of  St.  Mary's,  Louisiana,  made  the 
past  season,  on  forty  acres  of  land  in  that  parish,  190  hogs- 
heads of  sugar,  of  1000  pounds  each,  or  11,675  pounds  per 
hectare — beating  the  best  land  of  Cuba  or  Mexico  more  than 
two  to  one.  Many  planters  in  the  vicinity  of  Franklin,  Loui- 
siana, have  just  made  upward  of  3  hogsheads  of  sugar,  of 
1000  pounds  each,  per  acre,  or  7500  to  the  hectare,  exceed- 
ing Humboldt's  highest  figures  by  a  thousand  pounds  per  hec- 
tare. W.  W.  Wilkins,  Esq.,  of  the  parish  of  St.  James,  made, 
the  past  season,  48  hogsheads  of  sugar  on  twelve  acres  of 
ground.  Harpour,  of  Pointe  Coupee,  made  on  some  of  his 
land  this  eeason  10,000  pounds  per  hectare,  nearly  doubling 
Mexico/'* 

A  very  little  calculation  will  show  that  good  cane-land  on 
the  Sandwich  group  will  produce  10,000  pounds  per  hectare, 
and  that  labor  can  be  performed  at  a  much  less  cost  than  in 
Cuba  or  Louisiana.  So  that  Louisiana  has  very  Uttle  superi- 
ority to  boast  over  the  tropics. 

Aside  fin>m  what  is  consumed  in  the  home  markets,  Oregon 
and  California  have  been  the  main  outlets  for  the  Sandwich 
Island  sugar.  But  they  have  received  it  at  a  duty  of  30  per 
cent.,  while  American  sugar  has  been  admitted  duty  free. 
As  may  be  readily  supposed,  this  heavy  duty  is  a  serious  ob- 
*  Db  Bow's  Beview,  March,  1868. 


174  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

stade  in  the  way  of  the  planters  oa  the  group ;  nor  can  it 
be  removed  until  the  group  becomes  annexed  to  the  United 
States. 

The  Koloa  estate,  however,  is  based  on  the  ruined  specula- 
tions  of  other  men,  as  are  several  of  the  estates  on  di^r^it 
parts  of  tiie  archipelago.  In  1836,  some  capitalists  from  Oahu 
procured  a  large  lease  of  land  here  for  a  term  of  fif^  years, 
at  an  annual  expense  of  three  hundred  dollars ;  but,  from  the 
petty  jealousies  of  chiefs,  the  difficulty  of  procuring  relial^ 
labor,  and  the  absurd  policy  of  the  government,  they  exp^- 
enced  a  total  failure.  If  those  islands  should  ever  become  an- 
nexed— and  the  step  is  inevitable ! — ^the  old  proprietors  will 
not  fail  to  realize  that  indemnity  from  our  govermnait  which 
the  Hawaiian,  through  preposterous  counselors,  failed  to  ex- 
tend. 

In  this  region,  as  in  many  other  portions  of  the  group,  in- 
digo is  making  fearful  ravages.  Under  the  impression  that  it 
might  become  of  much  value  as  an  article  of  trade,  it  was 
introduced  by  A.  M.  Serriere,  of  Batavia,  in  1832.  Since 
that  period  many  persons  have  endeavored  to  cultivate  it  for 
the  same  purpose.  But  the  mania  has  long  since  subsided, 
and  the  plant  been  lefl  to  take  care  of  itself.  Hundreds  of 
acres  are  covered  with  its  dense  growth,  and  it  continues  to 
overrun  some  of  the  most  valuable  lands  on  the  islands.  So 
obnoxious  has  it  become,*  that  I  have  many  a  time  heard  ag- 
riculturists wish  that  its  introducer  were  compelled  to  uproot 
every  plant  by  his  teeth.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why 
indigo,  properly  cultivated,  should  not  become  a  very  lucrative 
branch  of  exportation. 

On  the  northern  portion  of  the  lands  now  forming  the  Ko- 
loa estate,  efforts  were  once  made  to  cultivate  silk.  Close  at- 
tention was  paid  to  the  culture  of  the  native  or  black  mul- 
berry {Marus  nigra).  Succeeding  well  in  this  effort,  the  pro- 
prietors imported  several  thousand  of  the  Canton  mulberry 
{Marus  mtUticatdis),  in  which  they  were  successful.  Sub- 
sequently they  procured  large  numbers  of  the  Chinese  silk- 
worm.    At  a  still  later  date,  a  variety  of  worms  and  trees 


NATIVE   PREACHER.  I75 

weie  introduced  from  the  United  States.  When  eggs  were 
produced,  every  means  suggestive  of  success  were  tried  to  pre- 
serve them,  but  in  vain.  To  a  heavy  drought  may  be  added 
the  ignorance  of  the  proprietors  in  managing  their  afiairs, 
and  the  mistaken  policy  of  government,  as  the  chief  causes  of 
their  failure ;  and,  after  expending  a  snug  fortune,  they  wise- 
ly retired  to  some  other  business.  Silk,  however,  not  less 
than  indigo  and  sugar,  could  be  cultivated  with  remarkable 


I  spent  one  Sunday  at  the  native  church  at  Koloa.  The 
building  was  well  filled  by  a  unique  congregation.  It  was 
•impossible  to  suppress  a  smile  at  the  ludicrous  scenes  which 
were  enacted  in  that  congregation.  Children  were  twisting 
and  knotting  each  other's  hair.  A  few  lovers  were  cozily  con- 
versing with  their  inamoratas,  or  stealing  a  private  kiss.  The 
older  members  of  the  audience,  however,  were  as  serious  as 
mcmuments  in  a  grave-yard ;  and  some  of  them  had  been  old 
warriors  at  the  consolidation  of  the  government  by  Kameha- 
MEHA  I. 

At  length  the  native  preacher,  Kahookui,  ascended  the  pul- 
pit. All  was  decent  and  orderly  throughout  the  service.  He 
took  for  his  text,  Luke,  vi.,  47,  48  :  "Whosoever  cometh  to 
me,"  &CC.  He  was  a  very  eloquent  man.  Every  eye  was 
fixed  upon  his  own,  which  was  lightened  up  with  the  fire  of 
excitement.  I  regret  I  can  not  give  an  epitome  of  his  dis- 
course ;  but  I  oiKr  a  few  miscellaneous  specimens  of  native 
eloquence. 

Like  all  nations  of  men  of  primitive  character,  the  Hawaii- 
ans  have  had  their  national  orators  who  possessed  eloquence 
pecuHarly  their  own.  Nature  taught  them,  as  she  did  the 
warlike  chieftains  of  the  Celtic  tribes,  and  the  mighty  spirits 
that  led  the  tribes  of  the  Indian  race  to  battle  in  past  genera- 
tions. The  eloquence  of  the  Hawaiians  owed  its  origin  to  no 
school  other  than  what  Nature  had  founded ;  it  subserved  no 
rules  other  than  the  deepest  sympathies  acted  upon,  or  the 
strongest  passions  awakened  to  deeds  of  love  and  vengeance. 
That  eloquence  which  knows  no  law  but  the  strongest  im- 


Iffg  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

polseB  awakened  by  peculiar  emergendes,  is,  thereCbre,  difficult 
of  definitioii,  and  can  be  better  Mi  or  read  than  deembed. 
The  old  Sandwich  Island  kings  favorably  regarded  their  na- 
tional orators,  w^e  they,  in  letnm,  claimed  the  protection 
and  &v<(»r  of  their  sovereigns.  Usually,  howev^,  those  oratotrs 
were  the  highest  duefs.  They  m^t  in  all  the  councils  of  war, 
and  there  their  tremendous  eloquence,  more  than  logical  dis- 
ouflsicMis,  wielded  an  irresistible  influence  over  the  passions  and 
sympathies  of  banded  warriors. 

like  our  most  distinguished  Indian  chiefe,  their  style  was 
the  multtim  in  parvo*  Sometimes  it  was  poetry  of  the  Inv- 
est order :  again,  it  impersonated  the  second  or  third  party,  by 
displaying  the  joys,  swrows,  car  dang»»  of  one  or  the  other. 
Not  imfirequently  did  their  orations  begin  with  a  sort  of  invo- 
cation to  some  celestial  or  terrestrial  object,  animate  or  inan- 
imate, after  the  style  of  many  of  the  sacred  Hebrew  poets. 
Not  a  single  superfluous  word  was  ever  uttered,  and  the  word 
that  would  best  express  the  ihoi^ht  was  always  employed. 
A  remarkable,  though  peculiar  instance  is  seen  in  some  of  the 
last  words  of  Kamehambha  the  Gbeat.  The  old  king  was  con- 
fined to  his  rude  couch  by  a  mortal  sickness,  and  was  desirous 
of  propitiating  the  &vor  of  the  gods.  Under  these  impressions, 
he  said  to  his  son  LmoLmo,  "  Gro  thou  and  make  supplication 
to  thy  Grod ;  I  ana  not  able  to  go,  and  will  offer  my  prayers  at 
home!" 

But  an  instance  of  Hawaiian  eloquence,  at  once  pathetic 
and  sublime,  is  seen  in  the  parting  language  of  the  Glueen  of 
LmoLiHo,  as  they  were  just  about  to  embark  for  Bngland. 
It  has  been  already  cited  in  these  pages,  but  will  not  be  de- 
teriorated by  a  repetition.  The  youthful  queen  was  nearly 
overwhelmed  with  emotion  as  she  left  the  shores  to  tread 
them--as  it  afterward  proved — no  more  forever;  and  she 
broke  forth  into  wailing  characteristic  of  the  people:  "0 
heav^is,  earth,  mountains,  ocean,  guardians,  subjects,  love  to 
you  all !  O  land,  for  which  my  &ther  bled,  receive  the  as- 
surance of  my  earnest  love !" 

I  may  be  permitted  to  oSei  two  qpeoimeas  more.    They  are 


HAWAIIAN   ELOQUENCE.  J77 

the  substance  of  two  addresses  delivered  by  two  young  Hawaii- 
an clergymen,  in  the  King's  Chapel  in  Honolulu,  on  the  12th 
of  June,  1853,  just  before  embarking  on  a  missionary  enter- 
prise to  the  Marquesas  Islands.  At  a  mere  glance  it  will  be 
seen  that  their  scope  is  strictly  religious,  but  that  tone  only 
imparts  to  them  a  higher  finish. 

Farewell  Add/ress  of  Kekda. 

"  I  am  happy  to  meet  you  on  this  occasion.  We  remember 
our  old  state ;  darkness  and  sin  covered  us.  We  were  poor, 
wicked,  and  degraded.  This  was  the  condition  of  our  an- 
cestors, and  from  them  I  sprang.  But  all  is  now  changed. 
Teachers  have  come  among  us.  The  Lord  has  been  gracious 
to  tis,  and  we  are  blessed.  In  1852,  we  sent  out  a  mission  to 
Micronesia,  and  now,  in  1853,  we  have  a  Macedonian  ci^ 
from  Fatuhiwa.  To  this  call  we  cheerfully  respond.  It  is  as 
the  voice  of  God.  I  can  not  resist  it.  The  Maxquesans  are 
in  darkness.  They  need  our  help.  We  do  not  go  to  seek  our 
own  things.  Love  to  Christ  and  love  to  the  benighted  con- 
strain us.  It  is  hard  to  leave  parents,  and  kindred,  and  firiends. 
We  love  them,  and  they  love  us.  It  is  hard  to  leave  my  church 
and  people.  They  cling  to  me,  and  my  heart  clings  to  them. 
But  we  will  go.  Our  bodies  will  be  separated,  but  our  hearts 
will  be  imited.  You  will  go  with  us,  and  we  will  all  go  to- 
gether. And  God  will  be  with  us  and  with  you.  He  is 
there.     He  is  here.     He  is  every  where. 

"  Dear  Christian  friends,  pray  for  us,  and  we  will  pray  for 
you.  Remember  us.  We  will  not  forget  you.  We  ask  your 
love,  your  sympathy,  and  your  intercession.  Farewell;  the 
Lord  bless  you  all." 

This  is  highly  expressive.  But,  good  as  it  is,  it  is  far  sur- 
passed by  the  following,  as  a  translation  of  the 

Address  of  Kauwealohcu 
"  Mt  Christian  Feiends, — You  have  aU  heard  of  Makou- 
nui,  the  Fatuhiwan  chief.     You  know  his  errand  to  our  isl- 

H2 


178  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ands.  He  is  in  pursuit  of  teachers.  His  land  is  a  land  of 
night,  of  darkness — a  land  of  sin  and  death.  He  comes  to  im- 
plore our  aid  ;  he  asks  for  teachers  to  go  and  instruct  and  en- 
lighten his  people. 

"  And  we  consent  to  the  call.  We  rejoice  to  go.  But  we 
do  not  go  to  seek  wealth,  or  honor,  or  glory,  or  pleasure.  We 
go  not  to  seek  our  own  things ;  we  go  to  lahor,  to  serve,  to 
teach  the  truth  ;  to  do  good  to  the  needy. 

"  I  am  a  particle  of  the  dust  of  Kamehameha  EI.  I  am 
weak,  and  ignorant,  and  helpless  in  myself.  In  God  is  my 
trust.  If  He  helps  me,  I  will  rejoice.  If  He  helps  you,  we 
will  all  rejoice. 

"  I  go  from  love  to  Christ.  I  love  the  truth ;  I  love  my 
missionary  friends ;  I  love  you  all.  You  are  my  parents. 
You  have  taught  me  the  good  and  the  true.  My  love  to  you 
shall  never  fail. 

"  This  is  my  land,  my  home.  I  leave  it  for  a  land  of  mis- 
ery and  want.  You  foreigners  are  strangers  here,  this  is  not 
your  land !  But  you  will  remiain  here  and  work  for  the  Lord. 
You  will  pray  for  us  ;  you  will  work  for  us.  Little  children, 
serve  the  Lord.  live  in  love.  We  are  all  Httle  children. 
Let  us  obey  our  Father  in  heaven. 

"  We  go  to  Fatuhiwa  to  dig  treasure;  not  gold,  not  silver — 
these  are  poor.  We  go  to  dig  for  truth,  for  hidden  pearls,  for 
heavenly  treasure.  We  go  to  remove  the  rubbish,  the  earthi- 
ness  of  sinners ;  to  seek  souls ;  to  find  immortal  treasures  for 
Christ.     We  go  to  dig,  to  toiZ,  to  work. 

"  I  go  to  pay  a  debt  I  owe  for  my  education.  I  give  fn/y- 
sdfioi  the  debt — ^it  is  all  I  can  do.     Will  you  cancel  it  ? 

"  Farewell !  our  hearts  are  imited  ;  let  us  work  together, 
pray  together,  and  rejoice  together." 

Most  of  the  members  of  the  Koloa  Church  are  poor.  If  all 
their  real  property  were  put  together — that  of  two  or  three 
persons  excepted — it  would  not  exceed  two  thousand  dollars 
in  value.  Their  regular  contributions  to  religious  and  benev- 
olent institutions  are  enough  to  excite  the  surprise  and  even 


THE  "GAP."  179 


incredulity  of  many  a  laige  and  wealthy  chuicli  in  a  civilized 
land.'*''  As  a  chinch  they  are  independent  of  the  pecuniary 
aid  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  and  even  send  pecuniary  assistance 
to  other  distant  fields  of  missionary  enterprise. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

FROM  KOLOA  TO  LIHUE. 

Uplands  and  Lowlands.  — The  **  Gap." — A  Legend. — Scenery. — ^Li- 
hue. — Sugar  Plantations. — ^Labor. — ^Na-wili-wili  Harbor  and  Riv- 
er.— ^Pleasure  Party. — ^The  "  Stars  and  Stripes." — Significant  De- 
portment of  the  Natives. — ^Remarkable  Rock  and  Cave. — ^Valley 
of  Cascades. — ^Moonlight — ^Lonar  Rainbowa 

The  journey  firom  Koloa  to  Lihue  is  among  some  of  the 
most  picturesque  objects  on  the  group.  A  gradual  ascent  is 
visible  until  the  face  of  the  country  assumes  a  broad  upland, 
slightly  undulated.  These  uplands  are  grand  in  their  phys- 
ical character ;  borrowing,  as  they  do,  much  of  their  noble  as- 
pect from  the  contiguous  mountains,  whose  Atlantean  shoulders 
seem  to  pierce  the  skies,  a  traveler  can  not  fail  to  be  repaid 
fi)r  his  visit.  These  elevated  plains,  containing  many  thou- 
sand acres  of  the  richest  soil,  extend  through  a  natural  open- 
ing in  the  mountains,  which  is  denominated  the  **  Gap."  This 
break  in  the  chain  is  three  miles  wide,  and  forms  a  natural 
course  for  the  northeast  trades,  which  sometimes  come  sweep- 
ing down  with  great  violence. 

At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  "  Gap,"  the  uplands  term- 

*  The  following  items  I  have  copied  from  the  Chnrch  Records 
for  1852: 

TowArd  the  support  of  the  resident  missionary. . .  $260  00 

For  the  native  preacher 80  00 

For  the  new  church  at  Waimea 60  00 

For  the  Mission  House  at  Liane 182  00 

For  the  Micronesian  Mission 86  00 

For  Impairing  the  Mission  House  at  Koloa 25  00 

Total $578  00 


ISO  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

inate  and  the  lowlands  commence.  The  scnl  of  these  depress- 
ed plains  is  exceedingly  fertile.  In  all  probability,  it  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  &rm  in  the  Western  States,  or  by  the  best 
ranches  in  Oali&mia.  Yet,  for  all  this,  square  miles  oi  terri- 
tory, over  which  the  plowshare  has  never  passed,  are  lying 
waste,  and  afibrd  nothing  but  pasture  for  cattle. 

The  descent  fix>m  the  upper  to  the  lower  plains  is  down  an 
abrupt  slope  nearly  two  hundred  feet.  It  is  associated  with 
a  bloody  deed.  Tradition  relates  that  in  the  days  of  despotism^ 
whan  chiefs  controlled  the  services  and  even  the  lives  of  the 
C(^mnon  people,  a  chief  commanded  one  of  his  retainers  to 
carry  him  on  his  shoulders  up  this  hill,  with  the  threat,  how- 
ever, that  if  he  failed  to  carry  him  up  without  resting,  he  would 
run  him  through  with  his  spear.  The  chief  was  a  very  large 
man,  and  the  day  was  excessivdy  warm.  The  retainer  ex- 
erted every  nerve,  the  perspiration  streamed  from  every  pore, 
and,  at  last,  blood  followed  sweat.  Before  he  reached  the  top 
of  the  ascent  he  fell  exhausted.  The  tyrant  was  true  to  his 
word ;  maddened  by  disappointment,  he  graq^  his  huge  wax* 
epear  and  dispatched  his  helpless  victim.  At  this  day,  and 
especially  in  the  darkness  of  night,  it  is  regarded  by  the  na- 
tives with  a  superstitious  horror. 

On  the  right  of  the  path  leading  over  these  lowlai^,  the 
scenery  is  magnificent.  In  the  chain  of  mountains  separating 
Eoloa  from  Lihue,  there  is  a  lofry  bluff  which  rears  its  giant 
forehead  far  above  its  surrounding  brethren ;  and  from  this 
circumstance,  and  the  undoubted  antiquity  of  its  existence,  it 
has  received  the  highly  expressive  title  of  "  Hoary  Head."  A 
little  in  advance  of  this  savage  summit  there  stands  a  small 
pillar  of  basaltic  rock,  which  is  called  "  Sentinel  Peak."  It 
looks  as  if  it  had  been  placed  there  by  himian  hands ;  but  it 
is  strictly  one  of  Nature's  freaks.  During  the  days  of  idolatry, 
it  was  supposed  to  be  the  abode  of  the  spirit  of  a  departed 
king,  and  was  worshiped  with  superstitious  veneration.  One 
of  the  most  finished  landscapes  in  nature  may  be  found  stretch-  * 
ing  out  from  this  very  spot. 

The  diitrict  of  Lihue  is  delightfol  and  invigorating.     The 


SUGAR   PLANTATION  — LABOR.  181 

soil  is  rich,  capable  of  producing  every  tropical  vegetable,  as 
well  as  several  specimens  of  foreign  grain.  The  temperature 
is  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  Koloa,  being  a  httle  cooler  and 
more  bracing.  Vegetation  is  perennial,  for  the  frequent  and 
genial  showers  enrich  nature  with  the  baptism  of  an  eternal 
April.  The  foHage  is  fanned  by  the  incessant  breath  of  the 
warm  tirade- winds. 

The  principal  village  is  Na-wiU-wili.  In  the  distiict  there 
is  a  male  penitentiary. 

The  sugar  plantati(m,  known  as  the  Lihue  Estate,  can  not 
fiul  to  attract  the  notice  of  a  traveler.  It  is  the  property  of 
Messrs.  Pierce  and  Company,  of  Boston.  At  the  residence  of 
J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  Esq.,  one  of  the  very  gentlemanly  proprie- 
tors, which  stands  on  the  estate,  I  spent  several  days,  and  he 
very  pohtely  showed  me  over  the  satire  premises.  The  en- 
tire estate  covers  three  tl^ousand  acres,  part  of  which  was  held 
on  lease.  There  were  two  hundred  acres  of  cane,  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  besides  a  large  crop  which  was  being  ex- 
pressed into  sugar.  The  cane  assumes  a  large  growth.  I 
measured  one  piece,  and  found  it  to  be  fourteen  feet  in  length, 
and  nine  inches  in  girth  round  the  lower  joints. 

Hitherto  this  estate  has  been  conducted  at  an  ^lormous  out- 
lay of  money  and  labor.  Several  miles  of  road,  leading  to  the 
dii^r^it  parts  of  the  estate,  had  to  be  made.  The  machinery 
in  the  grinding-house  is  of  a  superior  character,  and  was  im- 
ported &om  the  United  States.  Mr.  Marshall  stated  that,  when 
it  was  being  conveyed  on  a  raft  from  the  ship  to  the  shore,  sev- 
eral portions  of  it  fell  overboard,  but  they  were  recovered  by 
some  natives  who  possessed  great  skill  in  diving. 

The  cost  of  raising  cane  is  about  the  same  as  at  Koloa,  and 
labor  is  secured  from  Coolies  and  Hawaiians  at  twenty-five 
cents  per  day. 

Wi^in  a  half  hour's  ride  of  the  Lihue  Estate,  and  immedi- 
ately on  the  south,  are  the  harbor  and  river  of  Na-wiU*wili. 
The  harbor  is  bounded  by  rocky  heights  on  two  sides.  It  is 
small,  and  has  a  fine  sandy  bottom,  with  water  enough  for 
vessels  of  a  small  tonnage.     The  ftnohqiraf  e  is  deemed  safe" 


182  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

except  when  the  sea  is  driven  in  by  the  heavy  northeast  trades. 
At  such  times,  getting  out  is  difficult  and  dangerous,  but  an. 
attempt  to  escape  is  the  only  alternative  left  to  the  mariner. 

Into  this  highly  romantic  Httle  harbor  the  Na-wili-wiU  Riv- 
er empties.  A  bar  of  quicksand,  just  covered  by  the  water  at 
low  tide,  stretches  across  its  mouth  and  precludes  even  schoon- 
er navigation.  The  river,  so  far  as  the  purposes  of  commerce 
are  concerned,  is  more  beautiful  than  useful.  But  the  majes- 
tic scenes  which  stud  its  banks  can  not  fiedl  to  leave  a  lasting 
impression  on  the  mind  of  a  lover  of  Nature.  In  ascending  it, 
the  picturesque  plains  of  the  Lihue  district  rise  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  stream,  a  range  of  lofty  mountains,  stretching 
away  to  "  Hoary  Head"  and  "  Sentinel  Peak,"  form  the  limit 
on  the  left. 

In  company  with  several  pleasure-loving  American  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  I  ascended  this  lovely  stream  in  a  commodious 
boat.  The  "  stars  and  stripes" — ^magic  emblems  of  fireedom 
— ^floated  in  the  breeze  over  our  heads.  I  shall  never  forget 
my  emotions  as  I  looked  up  at  that  aegis  which  WAsmNCTON 
had  flung  over  our  Republic  after  several  years  of  struggles 
for  national  Uberty.  I  could  not  help  glancing  at  the  ifdghty 
destinies  of  civilization.  It  led  me  back,  through  a  historical 
vista,  to  Asia,  the  birth-place  of  empire  and  of  man ;  the  cradle 
of  the  arts  and  sciences  ;  the  theatre  of  great  conflicts,  reverses, 
and  successes  ;  the  stage  upon  which  great  nations  had  arisen, 
flourished,  and  crumbled  back  to  the  dust  from  whence  they 
sprung.  I  could  see  Empire  snatching  its  fallen  sceptre  finom. 
the  ruins  of  prostrate  nations,  and  alternately  swaying  it  in 
Eastern,  Western,  and  Central  Europe.  I  was  insensibly  led 
back  to  the  battle-flelds  of  PharsaHa  and  Marathon,  where  gi- 
gantic intellects  guided  the  sword  that  swept  away  thousands 
into  obhvion ;  where  splendid  destinies  were  nobly  struggled 
for,  and  lost  forever.  I  could  trace  those  struggles  and  victo- 
ries, that  alternating  hope  and  despair,  of  the  genius  of  Liberty, 
as  it  wept  over  its  bleeding  votaries,  until,  tired  of  the  ghastly 
smile  and  putrid  corpse  of  monarchical  protection,  it  spread  its 
wings,  forsook  old  tyrants,  and  sped  to  the  lap  of  the  New 


DEPORTMENT  OF  NATIVES.  183 

World — ^the  newly-discovered  Oontinent  of  North  America. 
It  is  on  our  own  soil,  and  amid  our  own  people,  that  that 
most  sublime  of  all  human  problems  has  been  satisfactorily 
solved — SELF-GOVERNMENT,  by  a  people  having  broken  the  last 
link  of  the  chain  which  bound  them  to  the  proud  chariot  of  a 
perfidious  ruler ;  by  a  people  who  enjoy  the  eternal,  the  God- 
given  prerogatives  of  individual  fireedom,  protection,  and  right. 
Over  this  great  family  of  nations,  Liberty  had  spread  her  pin- 
ions for  their  defense,  and  to  raise  them  to  the  sublime  posi- 
tion of  a  vast  social,  moral,  intellectual,  political,  and  religious 
firatemity.  That  unity  had  flung  its  glory  from  the  eastern  to . 
the  western  shores  of  a  great  continent,  forming  a  young  em- 
pire  in  the  long  obscure  territory  of  Oalifomia.  And  here,  on 
a  Sandwich  Island  river,  were  a  few  American  citizens  ghd- 
ing  along  beneath  the  ever-glorious  beacon  of  true  empire— 
the  "  stars  and  stripes !" 

"We  had  proceeded  about  two  miles  up  the  river,  when  we 
noticed  a  group  of  natives  collected  on  the  right  bank.  Doubt- 
less our  appearance  was  novel  enough  to  them,  for  they  stood 
looking  at  us  with  mingled  pleasure  and  amazement.  But  a 
short  time  elapsed,  however,  before  their  monotony  was  dis- 
pelled. "We  gave  a  triple  "  three  cheers"  to  our  flag  and  the 
occasion,  which  seemed  to  have  a' magical  e^ct  on  the  na- 
tives ;  for  they  unwittingly  and  earnestly  gave  us  a  sort  of 
semi-civilized  response.  Some  of  them  laughed  heartily  at 
their  own  performances,  and  others  probably  at  our  own. 
There  were  two  natives,  a  man  and  woman,  who  appeared 
extremely  desirous  of  manifesting  their  profound  enthusiasm 
in  what  seemed  so  deeply  to  interest  our  company.  They  ^s- 
tinguished  themselves  by  taking  ofi*  the  only  garments  they 
wore,  which  they  raised  aloft  on  a  long  stick,  and  then  gave 
us  a  passing  recognition. 

At  a  short  distance  beyond  this  group,  we  landed  at  the  foot 
of  a  spur  that  led  up  to  an  enormous  mass  of  trap  rock,  called 
by  the  natives  Keapaweo  Mountain.  It  has  a  curious  cathe- 
dral-like firont,  of  perpendicular  formation,  and  as  smooth  as 
if  it  had  been  chiseled  out  by  art.     Its  fiN>nt  was  pierced  by  a 


X84  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

cave,  an  examination  of  which  was  a  sufficient  spur  to  otir 
ambition.  Three  of  us  started  to  make  the  ascent.  We  were 
followed  by  two  other  gentlemen,  who  soon  concluded  to  aban- 
don the  enterprise.  The  spur  was  v^  difficult  to  climb. 
We  had  not  dimbed  more  ^an  a  fourth  of  the  ascent,  when 
we  were  glad  to  divest  ourselves  of  coats,  vests,  hats,  and  cra- 
vats. Here  we  ettayed  to  rest  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  re- 
sumed our  task.  At  length  the  ascent  became  a  complete 
toil ;  it  was  an  alternate  climbing  and  sUpping.  Our  path 
was  directly  up  the  steep  firont  of  abrupt  precipices,  from  which 
projected  a  stunted  and  sinewy  foliage.  To  look  up  was 
dreadM ;  to  glance  downward  was  equally  bad.  To  return 
was  absolutely  impossible,  and  yet  the  risk  of  a  headlong 
plunge  induced  us  to  proceed.  Exhausted  by  toil,  and  nearly 
melted  firom  the  efiects  of  heat,  we  at  last  reached  the  cave. 

From  this  point  we  turned  to  look  back.  The  scene  was 
one  of  overwhehning  magnificence.  In  the  distance,  the  boat, 
its  contents,  and  the  flag,  had  almost  dwindled  away  to  a 
mere  speck.  We  were  elevated  at  least  fimrteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  river,  and  were  seen  by  our  party  in  the  bo^t  only 
by  b^ng  exposed  in  our  shirt  sleeves. 

The  cave  was  a  perfect  niche,  one  hundred  feet  high,  forty 
wide,  and  retreated  about  sixty  feet  firom  the  entrance.  Its 
entire  interior  had  a  steppy  formation.  The  floor  was  cover- 
ed with  a  rich  volcanic  soil.  We  were  probably  the  first 
white  men  that  had  ever  set  foot  in  this  lofty  cavity,  but  not 
the  first  human  beings  who  had  ever  been  there.  It  was  cmce 
the  abode  of  a  sorcerer,  whose  nightly  descents  to  the  banks 
of  the  beautifiil  stream  were  always  accompanied  wi^  pres- 
ents firom  the  superstitious  persons  that  followed  in  his  rear. 
He  was  called  the  **  Man  of  the  Bx)ck,''  and  many  were  the 
deeds  of  darkness  and  death  which  his  evil  genius  prompted. 

Before  leaving  this  home  of  the  old  sorcery,  we  gave  three 
cheers,  as  indicative  of  our  success,  which  were  respcmded  to 
by  our  party  on  the  river ;  and  the  sounds  of  their  response 
came  echoing  up  the  mighty  clifls  like  the  notes  of  distant 
music.     The  descent  was  more  rapid,  but  not  less  difficult 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8T0R,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


MOONLIGHT.  187 


than- the  ascent.  Clutching  at  the  stunted  foliage,  to  aid  us 
as  we  glided  doTvn,  mostly  in  a  sitting  posture,  we  soon  found 
ourselves  once  more  by  the  side  of  the  river. 

At  the  head  of  navigation — only  four  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  stream — ^we  landed,  and  sat  down  beneath  the  cool  fo- 
liage in  a  romantic  dell.  After  a  brief  rest  on  the  part  of  the 
ladies,  we  pursued  our  way  up  the  dell.  On  turning  an  ab- 
rupt projection,  nearly  at  its  source,  a  magnificent  view  opened 
before  us.  Several  cascades  were  leaping,  one  after  the  other, 
into  a  deep  basaltic  basin,  placed  there  by  the  hand  of  Nature 
for  their  reception.  The  rugged  walls  that  inclosed  the  stream 
were  also  of  a  basaltic  character.  Such  a  spot  as  this  would 
be  the  home  for  a  poet,  an  artist,  or  a  man  of  a  snug  inde- 
pendency. Pouring  out  a  hbation  in  firont  of  the  lowest  foil 
of  water,  we  gave  the  place  the  title  of  "  Valley  of  Cascades,*' 
and  took  our  leave. 

In  no  part  of  the  world  is  the  moonlight  more  splendid 
thail  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Before  our  party  had  returned 
to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Marshall,  at  Lihue,  the  moon  had 
reached  an  altitude  of  several  degrees.  The  orb  of  night  was 
at  the  full.  The  god  of  day  had  gone  to  his  evening  rest. 
The  hour  was  as  calm  as  a  deserted  city.  It  was  such  an 
hour  as  has  many  a  time  recorded  vows,  plighted  in  the  gush- 
ings  forth  of  a  love  which  could  not  be  changed  by  time,  cir- 
cumstance, sorrow,  or  death ;  an  hour  when  the  full  soul  un- 
bosoms itself  for  the  purpose  of  holding  self-conver8e--when 
a  silvery  light  sheds  a  pale  and  hallowed  beauty  over  the  foce 
of  slumbering  Nature,  filling  each*glen  with  fantastic  imagery, 
and  covering  the  placid  streams  with  the  memorials  of  the 
loving  and  the  loved. 

As  we  rode  along  under  such  moonlight  as  this,  I  could 
not  forbear  a'  mental  recitation  of  the  language  of  Ossian : 
"  Daughter  of  Heaven,  foir  art  thou !  the  silence  of  thy  face  is 
pleasant !  Thou  comest  forth  in  loveliness.  The  stars  at- 
tend thy  blue  course  in  the  east.  The  clouds  rejoice  in  thy 
presence,  0  moon !  They  brighten  their  dark  brown  sides. 
"Who  is  like  thee  in  heaven,  light  of  the  silent  night  ?     The 


188  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

stars  are  ashamed  in  thy  presence.  They  turn  away  their 
sparkhng  eyes.  "Whither  dost  thou  retire  from  thy  course 
when  the  darkness  of  thy  countenance  grows  ?  Hast  thou 
thy  hall,  like  Ossian  ?  B wellest  thou  in  the  shadow  of  grief  ? 
Have  thy  sisters  fidlen  from  heaven  ?  Are  Ihey  who  rejoice 
with  thee  at  night  no  more  ?" 

K  Italy  can  boast  her  sunny  skic^  just  befinre  the  approach 
of  the  evening  twilight,  when  the  eye  rests  on  a  thousand  tints 
of  splendor,  the  Sandwich  Islands  can  boast  a  flood  of  moon- 
light at  once  glorious  and  matchless.  In  looking  up  into  the 
dear  face  of  the  queen  of  night,  a  Christian  philosopher  seems 
to  hold  converse  with  many  who  have  long  since  left  the 
earth,  and  now  people  the  mansions  of  immortality,  and  his 
own  spirit  would  &in  speed  away  thither  to  their  sinless  em- 
brace. 

Shortly  after  reaching  Lihue,  I  tried  an  experimenl^in  read- 
ing by  the  light  of  the  mom.  I  found  it  perfectly  eaey,  and 
read  several  pages  of  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost.'' 

Before  the  hour  of  rest  that  night,  I  witnessed  the  rare  phe- 
nomenon of  a  lunar  rainbow.  A  shower  of  rain  feU  on  the 
ocean  immediately  in  front  of  the  estate,  and  the  beautifrd 
iris,  caused  by  it,  stretched  from  one  side  of  the  horizon  to  the 
other.  These  lunax  rainbows  may  be  attributed  mainly  to 
two  causes,  the  great  brilliancy  of  the  moon  in  this  region, 
and  the  highly  rarefied  state  of  the  atmosj^re. 


i 


WAILUA  VILLAGE.  189 

"^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FROM   LIHUE   TO   HANALEI. 

Wailaa  Village. — ^Wailua  River. — Objects  of  SuperBtition. — Strange 
Legends. — ^Falls  of  Wailua. — Estate  of  Kumalu. — ^Reminiscences 
of  a  Family. — ^The  Dairy  Business. — ^What  sort  of  Talent  is  needed. 
— ^Policy  of  Government. — ^Road  to  HanaleL — Settlement  of  Cali- 
fomians. — ^Traveling  on  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

The  first  village  of  any  importance  ailer  leaving  Lihue  is 
Wailua  (two  waters).  I  was  informed  it  was  the  property 
of  Kapulb — better  Imown  by  her  baptismal  name  Deborah 
— an  ex-queen,  and  formerly  the  consort  of  Kaumualh,  the 
last  king  of  this  island,  who  died  at  Honolulu  in  1824. 

Wailua  is  a  small  and  scattered  village,  located  on  either 
side  of  tlie  river  bearing  the  same  title.  The  only  interest  it 
now  retains  is  its  having  once  been  the  abode  of  royalty. 
Every  thing  waa  going  rapidly  to  decay.  The  canoes  that 
were  once  occupied  by  her  majesty  and,  her  friends  I  feund 
rotting  in  a  shed  that  stood  near  the  banks  of  the  stream. 
The  only  interest  the  natives  seem  to  cherish  is  the  cultiva- 
tion of  their  ta/ro  plantations,  and  in  taking  care  of  their  nu- 
merous fish-ponds.  It  waa  difficult  to  conceive  that  the  vil- 
lage had  ever  been  honored  with  a  ''  royal  presence.'' 

Having  ranged  among  the  decaying  dwellings,  entered  the 
old  building  used  by  the  villagers  as  a  house  of  divine  wor- 
ship j  and  exchanged  a  few  solitary  words  of  compliment  with 
the  girls  and  women — ^for  the  uncomplimentary  men  returned 
nothing  but  significant  grunts  and  sundry  gesticulations — I 
began  to  make  preparations  to  ascend  the  river.  It  was  with 
a  keen  sense  of  disappointm^it  that  I  learned  that  the  old 
queen  Kafule,  the  steady  fidend,  through  many  long  years,  of 
every  visitor  who  had  been  there  before  me,  had  removed  to 
the  other  side  of  ^  island.     I  had  promised  myself  a  sail  up 


190  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

the  beautiM  stream  in  one  of  her  large  canoes,  that  had  been 
formed  out  of  a  solid  log  by  a  canoe-maker  of  a  past  genera- 
tion. But  as  this  gratification  was  impossible  to  procure,  I 
submitted  to  the  loss  of  it  with  becoming  resigilation. 

A  large  canoe,  however,  was  procured,  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  men  to  paddle  it,  and  a  youth  of  eighteen,  who 
spoke  good  English  and  Hawaiian.  We  had  oUr  httle  vessel 
launched  just  above  the  heavy  sand-bar  at  the  mouth  of  the 
stream,  and  quietly  proceeded  on  our  way.  The  mouth  of  the 
river  is  easily  forded  at  low  tide,  but  a  few  yards  above  this 
bar  there  is  water  enough  to  float  a  first  class  line-of-battle 
ship.  The  scenery  up  this  river  is  second  to  none  in  the  trop- 
ics. It  wends  its  way  through  scores  of  ixLro  plantations,  ch- 
ange and  cocoa-nut  trees,  plantains  and  bananas.  Its  banks 
are  densely  clothed  with  the  screw-pine  (  Tectorius  et  odora- 
tissinms)y  and  the  native  mamaki  (  Urtica  argentea)  and  hau 
{Hibiscus  tUiaceus),  the  latter  of  which  extend  their  pictur- 
esque branches  until  they  droop  and  kiss  the  bosom  of  the  gen- 
tle waters.  Now  they  wind  through  a  fertile  tract  of  alluvial 
deposit,  and  now  they  sweep  round  the  base  of  some  lofty 
cliff,  hoary  with  age,  and  placed  there,  apparently,  to  watch 
over  the  surrounding  quiet.  Again,  and  on  either  hand,  the 
unruffled  bosom  of  the  riv^,  with  the  clearness  of  a  vast  mir- 
ror, reflects  every  object  that  crowds  its  banks  with  wild  and 
romantic  beauty.  At  every  few  yards  the  scenes  change,  and 
the  eye  becomes  delighted  with  the  charm  of  a  continuoas 
panorama. 

The  Wailua  River  stands  associated  with  the  very  genius 
of  romance  and  superstition.  Every  object  on  the  banks,  ev- 
ery rock  in  the  stream,  and  every  cliff  by  which  it  is  over- 
looked, has  attached  to  it  some  legend  of  lovers,  warriors, 
priests,  and  kings.  About  three  miles  above  .the  village,  and 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  left  bank,  there  stands  a  singularly- 
shaped  rock.  Its  form  is  a  well-defined  sugar-loaf,  sixty  feet 
high,  and  twenty  across  the  base.  The  natives  have  invested 
it  with  every  attribute  which  can  constitute  a  ghostly  charac- 
ter, and  it  is  known  to  them  by  the  name  of  Kamaku. 


STRANGE  LEGENDS.  191 

The  origin  of  this  ghost's  existence — accepting  the  native 
legend  as  authority — ^is  simply  this : 

At  a  very  eariy  period,  the  site  occupied  by  this  gray  rock 
was,  as  it  is  now,  a  fine  banana  grove,  sacred  only  to  the  gods. 
On  numerous  occasions,  some  daring  natives,  impelled  by  thiev- 
ish propensities,  appropriated  the  productions  of  this  grove  to 
their  own  use.  At  length  the  gods  became  highly  incensed 
at  the  frequency  and  extent  of  these  outrages,  and  a  supreme 
coimcil  was  held  to  devise  measures  to  arrest  and  punish  the 
aggressors.  Kamalau,  who  was  the  presiding  deity  of  this 
awM  synod,  was  unanimously  appointed  supreme  guardian  of 
the  sacred  grove.  He  descended  from  a  lofty  cliff— the  site 
of  the  council— on  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  and,  alighting 
on  the  spot  he  now  occupies,  transformed  himself  into  the  rock 
described  above. 

Kamalau  had  a  favorite  sister  whose  name  was  Kulai.  Her 
bosom  was  filled  with  sorrow  when  she  saw  her  brother  forsake 
the  home  he  had  occupied  so  many  ages.  Not  being  able  to 
sustain  this  wholesale  desertion,  she  took  a  leap  similar  to  that 
just  taken  by  her  brother.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  a  want 
of  greater  elasticity,  or  to  some  other  legitimate  impediment, 
tradition  does  not  specify ;  but  the  lovely  and  forsaken  goddess 
fell  into  the  river,  and  immediately  became  petrified  for  her 
presumption  in  daring  to  follow  her  brother.  At  this  day,  the 
superstitious  natives  take  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  pointing  the 
traveler's  attention  to  this  rock,  submerged  about  two  feet  be- 
low the  surface  of  the  stream. 

Tradition  says  that  Kamalau  succeeded  in  his  guardianship 
of  the  sacred  fruit.  No  more  thieves  ever  again  attempted  to 
disturb  its  repose.  The  rock  Kamalau  stands  to-day,  and  the 
banana  grove,  forming  a  dense  mass  of  vegetation,  that  has 
continued  to  spring  up  firom  decayed  matter  during  unniun- 
bered  generations,  yet  flourishes  around  it.  No  compensation, 
however  valuable,  can  induce  a  native  to  visit  this  spot  during 
daylight,  much  less  in  the  darkness  of  night. 

A  short  distance  above  the  "  Ghost"  is  another  rock,  whose 
sharp  summit  just  peers  up  above  the  placid  bosom  of  the 


192  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 


the  stream.  It  is  teimed  the  "  Canoe-breaking  Rock,"  from 
the  legend  that,  in  early  days,  wh«i  this  valley  was  densely 
peopled  by  savage  warriors,  the  canoes  of  their  enemies  who 
came  hither  were  dashed  to  pieces,  and  their  rowers  put  to 
death. 

Yet  higher  up  the  river,  another  object  was  pointed  out  to 
me  as  having  been  the  residence  of  a  powerftd  war-chief  His 
retreat  was  gained  by  a  subterranean  passage,  access  to  which 
could  be  obtained  oidy  by  diving  some  distance  below  the  sur- 
fece  of  the  water.  To  gratify  his  propensities  for  cannibalism, 
he  occasionally  sallied  forth,  and  seized  the  first  luckless  mor- 
tal who  might  chance  to  be  passing*  Numbers  of  perscnos  had 
thus  fiedlen  victims  to  his  cruelty  before  the  impregnability  of 
his  den  was  violated.  When  he  was  put  to  death  and  an  mi- 
trance  was  effected  into  his  abode,  it  was  found  to  be  nearly 
filled  with  human  ly)nes,  many  of  which  had  been  converted 
into  savage  ornaments. 

Volumes  might  easily  be  filled  with  the  wild  legends  which, 
even  at  this  day,  these  unlettered  Hawaiians  are  fond  of  re- 
lating to  every  traveler ;  but  enough  has  been  said  on  these 
topics. 

Our  canoe  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  two  hundred  foet 
high.  It  formed  one  of  the  sides  of  an  ancient  crater,  the 
bottom  of  which  was  composed  of  a  rich  soil  covering  about 
^^  acres.  Through  tiiis  wild  and  deep  amphitheatre  the 
picturesque  stream  was  gliding  musically  over  its  rocky  bed. 
And  in  this  spot,  covered  as  it  was  with  taro  and  various 
kinds  of  foliage,  tiiere  were  hundreds  of  wild  ducks,  which 
could  be  easily  approached  within  shooting  distance. 

Climbing  the  steep  banks,  and  crossing  over  an  elevated 
plain  about  half  a  mile,  accompanied  by  my  guide,  I  at  last 
reached  the  object  of  my  search.  For  some  distance  befi»6 
arriving  at  the  falls,  I  saw  clouds  of  vapor  ascending  toward 
the  sky,  and  heard  the  solemn  tones  of  their  undying  music. 
On  reaching  the  brink  of  the  abyss,  the  sublime  scene  bursts 
at  once  on  the  vision  of  the  astonished  and  delighted  visitor, 
and  for  a  time  chains  him  to  the  spot.     As  my  ^e  endeavor- 


WAILUA   FALLS. 


193 


FALLS   OF  WAILUA. 


ed  to  follow  the  huge  sheet  of  water  as  it  went  hissing  and 
foaming  into  the  "  hell  of  waters"  helow,  my  limbs  trembled 
under  me,  and  I  instinctively  clutched  the  limb  of  a  solitary 
tree  under  which  I  stood. 

After  contemplating  the  scene  before  me  in  solemn  silence 
for  some  minutes,  I  resolved  on  reaching  the  foot  of  the  falls, 

I 


194  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

where  I  should  obtain  a  better  view.  Descending  the  rocky 
banks  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  cataract,  and  care- 
fiilly  climbing  over  slippery  masses  of  basalt  which  had  tum- 
bled down  from  the  heights  above,  I  at  length  found  myself 
enveloped  in  the  warm  spray  of  the  foaming  torrent.  At  this 
spot  the  scene  assumed  a  terrific  sublimity.  On  the  night 
previous  to  my  visit  a  heavy  rain  had  rapidly  raised  the  wa- 
ters of  the  river,  and  at  this  moment  the  view  was  unusually 
grand  and  imposing.  The  brow  of  the  cataract  was  sixty 
feet  wide,  the  depth  of  water  six  feet,  and  its  entire  length  of 
fall  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  to  the  pool  by  which  I  stood. 
The  basaltic  rocks  bounding  this  huge  abyss  rather  overhung 
the  vast  masses  of  rock  piled  rudely  below.  The  front  of  the 
right  waU  of  the  torrent  was  as  smooth  as  if  it  had  been  sub- 
mitted to"  the  action  of  a  sculptor's  chisel.  It  was  with  a 
trembling  glance  that  I  raised  my  eyes  upward,  while  the 
huge  walls  looked  as  if  about  to  totter  down  upon  my  head. 
At  this  moment  a  strong  ray  of  sunlight  shot  down  into  the 
abyss,  and  the  foaming  spray  and  the  ascending  vapors  re- 
vealed an  iris  of  enchanting  loveliness.  Beautiful,  strangely 
beautiful  was  its  contrast  from  the  black  and  lofty  rocks,  in 
the  interstices  of  which  delicate  ferns  were  growing,  and  over 
whose  rugged  brow  flourished  the  kurJad,  or  candle-nut  ( Ji- 
eurites  triloba),  and  the  feathery  koa  {Ajcacia  falcata). 
Round  the  edges  of  the  deep  basin  that  received  the  cataract 
rushes  were  growing  ten  to  twelve  feet  in  length,  four  or  five 
feet  under  the  water,  and  two  inches  in  girth  round  the  lower 
extremities ;  and  lower  down  the  ravine,  close  to  the  edge  of 
the  river,  I  noticed  scores  of  the  castor-oil  plant  growing  wild. 
Page  after  page  might  be  devoted  to  a  description  of  this 
scene,  but  nothing  can  aflbrd  a  more  graphic  delineation  of  it 
than  Btron*s  eloquent  description  of  the  "  Falls  of  Term :" 

"  The  roar  of  watera !  from  the  headlong  height 
Velino  cleaves  the  wave-worn  precipice ; 
The  fall  of  waters !  rapid  as  the  light. 
The  flashing  mass  foams  shaking  the  abyss; 
The  hell  of  waters  1  where  they  howl  and  hiss. 


THE   KUMALU  ESTATE.  195 

And  boil  in  endless  torture ;  while  the  sweat 
Of  their  great  agony,  wrung  out  from  this 
Their  Phlegethon,  curls  round  the  rocks  of  jet, 

That  gird  the  gulf  around,  in  pitiless  horror  set, 
And  mounts  in  spray  the  skies^  and  thence  again 
Returns  in  an  unceasing  shower,  which  round, 
"With  its  unemptied  cloud  of  gentle  rain, 
Is  an  eternal  April  to  the  ground, 
Making  it  all  one  emerald — ^how  profound 
The  gulf  I  and  how  the  giant  element 
From  rock  to  rock  leaps  with  delirious  bound. 
Crushing  the  cliffs  which,  downward  worn  and  rent 

With  his  fierce  footsteps^  yield  in  chasms  a  fearful  vent 
•  «««•• 

Horribly  beautiful  I  but  on  the  verge^ 
From  side  to  side,  beneath  the  glittering  moon, 
An  iris  sits  amid  the  infernal  surge, 
Like  Hope  upon  a  death-bed,  and,  unworn, 
Its  steady  dyes,  while  aU  around  is  torn 
By  the  ^tracted  waters,  bears  serene 
Its  brilliant  hues^  with  all  their  beams  unshorn : 
Resembling,  'mid  the  torture  of  the  scene. 

Love  watching  Madness  with  unalterable  mien.'' 

The  estate  called  Kiimalu,  one  side  of  which  is  bounded  by 
the  Falls  of  Wailua,  is,  in  point  of  beauty,  surpassed  by  none 
on  the  group.  It  is  located  immediately  between  the  junction 
of  the  Kukemakau  and  Koheo  Rivers.  The  commodious 
dwelling-house  stood  on  the  very  brink  of  the  crateriform  val- 
ley I  have  already  referred  to,  and  behind  it  was  a  garden  cov- 
ering two  or  three  acres,  beautifully  interspersed  with  a  large 
variety  of  flowers  of  every  hue  and  odor ;  and  on  the  gentle 
slopes  that  stretched  away  to  the  right  of  the  mansion,  hand- 
some acacia  groves  were  flourishing,  with  all  the  magnificent 
tinge  which  the  climate  of  the  tropics  imparts  to  foUage. 

But  the  principal  charm  of  the  estate,  and  especially  of  the 
mansion  itself,  was  gone.  The  family  that  once  occupied  it 
had  departed  for  a  distant  land,  had  left  with  it  an  eternal 
adieu.  There  was  that  about  the  spot  which  spoke  of  that 
family,  and  seemed  to  whisper  that  they  had  but  just  gone  on 
a  neighboring  visit.     And  yet  there  were  gentle  memorials 


196  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

that  told  the  stem  truth — ^that  ixom  this  enchanting  ahode — 
this  elysium  in  miniature— that  lovely  family  had  gone  forev- 
er. I  never  knew  them.  But  I  could  not  repel  the  risings  of 
that  conmion  sympathy  which  hinds  the  heart  of  a  man  to  his 
race.  The  ispacious  apartments  which  once  echoed  the  inno- 
cent mirth  of  joyous  children,  or  the  instrumental  music  at- 
tuned hy  their  accomplished  mother,  were  now  comparatively 
silent  and  nearly  a  stem  soUtude.  I  passed  over  the  embow- 
ered walks,  and  among  the  flowers  around  that  dwelling,  and 
thought  of  the  gentle  communings  of  those  whose  feet  had 
pressed  that  soil,  and  whose  hands  had  reared  those  flowers. 
But  those  feet  and  hands  were .  at  that  moment  being  borne 
away  upon  the  bosom  of  the  treacherous  deep.  The  sun  shone 
with  as  much  beauty,  the  birds  sang  just  as  sweetly,  and  the 
river  in  the  romantic  valley  below  murmured  along  just  as 
musically  as  formerly  they  did.  And  yet  there  was  something 
about  that  forsaken  home  that  left  impressions  on  my  spirit 
that  I  can  not  and  wish  not  to  erase. 

But  to  return  to  the  estate.  The  then  owner  of  it  was  Lieu- 
tenant Turner,  an  English  gentleman.  He  had  purchased  it 
entire  for  the  small  simi  of  $4050 — an  immense  sacrifice  to 
its  former  proprietor,  Mr.  Brown,  also  an  Englishman.  The 
estate  contained  one  thousand  acres.  It  had  formerly  been 
conducted  for  the  support  of  the  dairy  business,  and  Mr.  Tur- 
ner designed  following  the  business  of  his  predecessor.  I  have 
already  referred  to  this  branch  of  business  on  the  Sandwich 
group ;  and  it  is  unnecessary  again  to  state  that  it  may  be 
rendered  a  highly  lucrative  branch  of  native  industry. 

But  Mr.  Brown's  experiment  was  a  failure,  and  worse  than 
a  failure.  He  had  been  reared  in  England,  and  had  acquired 
the  staid  habits  of  an ''  old-fa&hioned  English  gentleman.''  He 
expected  that  every  thing  would  proceed  in  the  same  way,  and 
that  manual  labor  was  just  as  rehable  as  in  England.  This 
was  his  grand  mistake — ^this  was  why  he  failed.  Had  he  be- 
come a  Httle  more  of  the  Sandwich  Islander,  as  a  Yankee  us- 
ually does,  he  would  have  stood  a  much  better  chance  of  suc- 
cess.    The  kind  of  talent  adapted  to  the  tropics  is  a  personal 


POLICY  OF  GOVERNMENT.  I97 

adaptation  to  existing  circumstances,  a  close  study  of  the  oper- 
ations of  Nature.  Sun,  atmosphere,  soil,  crops,  markets,  ev- 
ery thing  is  difierent  there  to  what  it  is  in  other  places.  Nei- 
ther an  Englishman  as  an  Englishman,  nor  a  Yankee  as  a 
Yankee,  can  well  succeed  on  that  group,  so  long  as  he  retains 
his  "isms,''  or  his  peculiar  ideas  on  agriculture.  An  agricul- 
turist must  depend  much  on  sdf,  and  not  too  much  on  others, 
if  he  would  succeed  weU  there.  He  must  he  willing  to  lay 
aside  many  of  his  preconceived  opinions,  and  lay  hold  of  things 
as  he  finds  them. 

But  one  cause  of  so  many  failures  on  the  group  has  beai  in 
the  restaicted  policy  of  the  Hawaiian  government.  That  pol- 
icy has  heen  sustained  for  the  henefit  of  a  few  leading  men 
that  have  surrounded  the  king,  more  than  for  the  national 
good,  and  the  genius  of  the  policy  itself  has  heen  a  too  arbi- 
trary unity  of  Church  and  State.  But  a  beneficial  change 
has  already  dawned,  and  the  first  steps  toward  improvement 
•were  seen  in  the  very  prompt  manner  in  which  the  recent 
Minister  of  Finance  was  dismissed  from  his  official  position. 

From  Kiunalu  to  Hanalei  the  traveler  experiences  much  to 
interest  and  much  to  annoy  him.  Passing  now  through  a 
small  village,  then  fording  a  stream,  or  swimming  his  horse 
over  a  river,  and  yonder  picking  his  path  down  and  up  the 
rugged  sides  of  a  deep  ravine,  there  is  little,  if  any,  of  monoto- 
ny. At  intervals  the  path  leads  through  dense  groves  of  the 
pandamus  (  Tectoriics  et  odoratissimus)  and  the  ku-kui  {Al- 
eu/rites  triloba).  Some  of  these  latter  groves  would  have  hon- 
ored the  old  Druidical  priests. 

Within  two  hours'  ride  of  Hanalei  I  passed  through  a  set- 
tlement established  by  several  enterprising  men  from  Califor- 
nia. They  had  leased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  district  of 
Koolau,  for  the  purpose  of  sustaining  agricultural  interests. 
Possessing  the  essentially  needfid  article  of  Yankee  enterprise, 
should  no  obstacles  be  placed  in  their  way  by  those  in  author- 
ity, they  can  not  fail  of  success.  A  wider  and  more  rapid  in- 
tercourse with  the  California  markets  would  do  much  to  aid 
the  progress  of  agriculture  on  the  group.     And  this  speedy  in- 


X98  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

tercourse  can  be  achieved  only  through  steam  navigation- 
advantage  that  ^v^l  not  be  realized  under  the  present  state  of 
the  Hawaiian  government. 

Travehng  on  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  far  ftom  being  easy, 
and,  in  aU  probability,  a  journey  over  Kauai  is  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  laborious  of  any  which  can  be  performed  over  the 
group.  There  are  no  railroad  cars  and  no  stage-coaches,  into 
which  a  traveler  can  place  himself,  leaving  all  his  responsi- 
biUties  to  the  "  iron  horse"  or  the  hving  driver.  Many  a  weaiy 
hour,  and  over  many  a  long  mile,  he  plods  along  on  the  back 
of  his  solitary  steed.  There  are  ravines  to  cross,  streams  to 
ford,  and  rivers  to  swim. 

Away  from  the  dwellings  of  civilized  men,  his  wants  may 
be  many,  but  his  needs  must  necessarily  be  few,  otherwise 
they  will  be  slimly  supplied.  In  many  cases  the  traveler  must 
fast  for  hours,  or  turn  Hawaiian  pro  tern,,  and  gulp  down  fish 
and  poi.  If  a  chicken  is  broiled  for  him,  it  is  done  in  the  hope 
of  a  heavy  remuneration,  and  the  very  first  preliminary  on  the 
part  of  the  native  is  usually  a  thorough  understanding  as  to 
how  much  the  traveler  is  going  to  pay  for  his  miserable  accom- 
modations. The  insatiable  eagerness  displayed  by  the  Hawaii- 
ans  for  money,  has  been  imbibed  from  avaricious  foreign  resi- 
dents. So  powerful  is  this  talisman,  that,  in  many  instances, 
the  Kanakas  will  fireely  sacrifice  their  wives,  sisters,  moth- 
ers, and  even  their  own  daughters,  for  gold !  I  saw  some  in- 
stances of  this  kind  before  reaching  Hanalei,  and  I  have  seen 
them  many  a  time  since.  A  close  observer  in  passing  over 
the  group  can  not  fail  to  see  things  which  he  may  not  relate, 
and  which  no  person,  not  having  witnessed  them,  would  be 
willing  to  believe.  It  is  well,  therefore,  for  the  traveler  to 
seek  a  reputation  rather  for  veracity  than  the  marvelous. 

"  But,  after  all  we  have  said,  it  is  our  duty  to  add  the  uni- 
versal remark,  that  in  no  part  of  the  world  is  life  and  property 
more  safe  than  in  these  islands.  Murders,  robberies,  and  the 
higher  class  of  felonies  are  quite  unknown  here,  and  in  city 
and  country  we  retire  to  our  sleep  conscious  of  the  most  entire 
security.     The  stranger  may  travel  firam  one  end  of  the  group 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN   FOUNDATIONS. 


VALLEY   OF   HANALEI.  201 

to  the  other,  over  mountains  and  through  woods,  sleeping  in 
grass  huts,  unarmed,  alone,  and  unprotected,  with  any  amount 
of  treasure  on  his  person,  and  with  a  tithe  of  the  vigilance  re- 
quired in  older  anc^more  civilized  countries,  go  unrohhed  of  a 
penny  and  unharmed  in  a«hair/'^ 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Valley  of  Hanalei — ^River. — ^Harbor. — Coffee  Plantations. — Early 
Efforts  to  cultivate  Silk. — Causes  of  the  Failure. — ^The  Spiritual 
versus  the  Secular. — Capacity  of  the  Soil — Extraordinary  vege- 
table Remains.— Evidences  of  a  remote  Antiquity. — ^Excursions. — 
Storm-stayed. — Fondness  of  native  Women  for  Dogs. — Delicate 
Appetite. — ^Mission  Station. — ^Manual-labor  School 

After  crossing  seventeen  streams — several  of  which  were 
respectable  rivers — ^I  came  to  the  brink  of  the  table-lands  by 
which  the  Valley  of  Hanalei  is  bounded.  It  is  one  of  the 
Edens  of  the  Hawaiian  group.  As  the  traveler  reaches  the 
northeast  boundary,  the  view  before  him  is  that  of  a  splendid 
panorama,  perfect  in  all  its  parts.  The  summits  of  the  neigh- 
boring mountains  at  the  back  of  the  valley  look  as  though 
within  rifle  distance,  but,  in  reality,  they  are  six  miles  away ; 
and  of  them  it  may  be  truly  said, 

"  Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view." 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  it  was  the  rainy  season.  More  than 
a  score  of  cascades  were  leaping  down  the  perpendicular  steeps 
of  those  mountains,  whose  rugged  summits,  clad  with  a  dense 
foliage,  pierced  the  clouds  at  a  height  of  four  thousand  feet. 
The  valley  itself  was  covered  with  plantations  and. pasture- 
lands,  dotted  with  groves  of  tropical  trees.  In  the  distance 
stood  the  Mission  Church  and  the  other  buildings  comprising 
the  station.  Here  and  there  the  grass  huts  of  the  natives 
•were  sprinkled  over  the  open  tracts,  or  half  concealed  among 
the  foHage.  Beyond  all,  and  forming  the  mouth  of  the  valley, 
was  the  peaceful  Httle  harbor,  revealing  its  fair  sandy  beach, 
*  Annual  Report  of  Chief  Justice,  p^  108. 
12 


202  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

with  the  white  foam  of  the  saif  defining  its  limits.  The  final 
touch  to  the  picture  was  the  beautiful  river  that  meandered 
through  the  valley,  Ifiaging  the  wild  flowers  that  clustered  on 
its  banks,  or  bearhig  a  sohtary  canoe  on  ittf  bosom,  now  losing 
itself  among  the  dense  fohage,  and  now  bursting  on  the  vision 
like  a  rich  vein  of  silver  stealing  its  way  through  the  perpet- 
ual verdure. 

To  the  planters  in  the  valley  this  river  is  of  incalculable 
value.  By  ordinary-sized  sail-boats  it  is  navigable  for  three 
miles  above  its  mouth,  and  is  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet 
wide.  By  means  of  boats  they  can  send  their  produce  down 
to  any  vessel  that  may  be  anchored  in  the  harbor  awaiting  its 
reception. 

The  harbor  is  more  beautifiil  than  useful.  In  calm  weath- 
er large  vessels  may  anchor. in  it,  but  the  sandy  bottom  is 
loose  and  changeful.  Should  a  heavy  northwest  wind  over- 
take a  vessel  at  anchor  there,  beating  out — ^the  small  native 
schooners  excepted — ^is  next  to  impossible.  It  was  on  the 
beach  of  this  bay  that  the  pride  of  Salem,  '*  Cleopatra's 
Barge,**  was  totally  wrecked.  Several  other '  vessels  have 
there  shared  the  same  fate.  There  is  not  a  harbor  on  this 
island  fit  for  a  vessel  to  ride  in  with  safety.  That  of  Wai- 
mea,  on  the  south  side,  is  the  best. 

The  chief  agricultural  interest  in  the  Hanalei  Valley  I  found 
to  be  the  cultivation  of  cofiee.  There  were  two  plantations 
in  good  condition.  There  was  also  the  ruins  of  a  third,  which 
had  been  placed  under  an  attachment  for  debt.  But  the  most 
flourishing  estate  in  the  valley  was  owned  by  Mr.  Titcomb,  a 
thoroughly  enterprising  Yankee. 

The  co£fee  is  of  the  Bourbon  species,  closely  allied  to  that 
species  called  Mocha,  now  extensively  cultivated  in  the  king- 
dom of  Yemen,  Arabia  Felix.  It  has  a  most  delicious  flavor, 
the  virtues  of  which  I  many  times  tested  during  my  stay. 
The  article  can  be  raised  for  three  and  a  half  to  four  cents 
per  pound.  The  cost  of  labor  per  man,  per  day,  is,  for  Coo- 
lies, eighteen  cents,  and  for  natives  twenty-five  cents.  Yet  the 
Coolies  will  do  the  most  work,  and  give  the  most  iatisfaction. 


EARLY  EFFORTS  TO  CULTIVATE   SILK.  203 

But  the  Hawaiians  feel  their  superiority  over  these  Celestials, 
and  their  services  can  be  obtained  only  by  a  superior  remuner- 
ation. The  business  is  a  highly-lucrative  one,  but  it  requires 
care  and  close  attention.  It  is  of  no  use  for  a  man  to  fall  on 
his  knees  and  implore  Jove  to  assist  him,  unless  he  stoutly 
puts  his  "  own  shoulder  to  the  wheel.''  Mr.  Titcomb,  as  he 
richly  deserves,  is  rapidly  realizing  a  snug  independency. 

A  few  years  ago,  this  same  enterprising  gentleman  made 
experiments  in  raising  silk.  Being  a  total  novice  in  the  busi- 
ness, he  procured  what  he  subsequently  knew  purely  from  the 
study  of  books  that  treated  on  the  subject.  After  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  it  himself^  he  began  to  impart  practical  lessons 
to  some  of  the  natives  living  in  the  vaUey.  Mulberry-trees 
were  cultivated ;  silk- worms  were  procured,  and  an  immense 
cocoonery  was  erected.  Through  his  untiring  perseverance  he 
eooa  raised  several  crops  of  good  silk,  samples  of  which  were 
£)rwarded  to  Mazatlan  and  the  city  of  Mexico,  for  which  he 
received  a  very  high  price.  The  mulberry  leaves  which  an 
acre  of  soil  would  produce  were  sufficient  food  for  worms  that 
would  raise  fifty  pounds  of  raw  silk.  The  article  could  be 
raised  at  an  average  cost  of  $1  50  to  $2  00  per  pound.  Num- 
bers of  the  natives,  of  both  sexes,  were  profitably  employed, 
and  many  of  them  became  much  attached  to  the  business. 
Of  Mr.  Titcomb's  success,  the  gentlemen  of  the  United  States 
Exploring  Expedition  make  ample  mention :  "  Mr.  Titcomb 
has  a  large  plantation  of  both  kinds  [sugar-cane  and  mulber- 
ry], and  an  extensive  cocoonery  in  operation.  He  has  suc- 
ceeded in  making  silk  of  excellent  quaUty,  both  fi)r  the  loom 
and  sewing.  He  gives  his  personal  attention  to  this  business, 
and  began  in  a  small  way.  I  imderstand  that  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  it.  His  greatest  difficulty  is  the  unsteady  labor  of 
the  natives."* 

But,  af^r  such  an  interesting  success,  he  failed !  An  in- 
quiry into  the  failure  is  both  natural  and  instructive.  It  hap- 
pened that,  as  on  all  other  silk  plantations,  the  worms  had  to 

*  ''  United  States  Exploring  Expedition."  Lea  and  Blanohard. 
Philadelphia,  1845 ;  voL  iv.,  p.  10. 


204  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

be  fed  on  Sundays  (!).  This  did  not  exactly  suit  the  rigid 
notions  of  the  ecclesiastics  that  controlled  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  the  natives.  The  planter  was  in  the  habit  of  issuing 
paper  notes,  redeemable,  at  certain  periods,  in  cash  or  goods, 
as  the  laborers  might  choose.  The  first  step,  therefore,  was 
to  create  a  distrust  among  them  relative  to  the  value  of  this 
kind  of  payment.  To  a  great  extent  it  succeeded.  One  by 
one  the  laborers  left  him,  until  nearly  two  thirds  of  them  had 
disappeared  firom  the  premises.  Every  obstacle  was  thrown 
in  the  planter's  way.  The  winding-up  of  the  drama  was 
positively  to  interdict  natives  employing  a  few  minutes  on  the 
Sabbath  to  feed  silk- worms ;  and  this  was  done  on  a  penalty 
of  exconununication,  and  the  pains  of  an  endless  shower  (^ 
hell  fire  beyond  the  grave. 

This  was  an  extraordinary  instance  of  the  exercise  {^spir- 
itual power  versus  secular  interests.  It  was  exercised  by  men 
totally  disqualified  in  legislation  and  in  the  interests  of  com- 
merce—by men  who  would  have  their  own  food  prepared  for 
them  on  Sundays,  and  permit  their  horses  and  cattle  to  range 
over  their  pastures — by  men  whose  silk  cravats  were  raised 
by  worms  fed  on  Sundays  in  other  parts  of  the  world:  Could 
it  be  wrong  to  feed  a  silk-worm  on  a  Sunday,  when  the  God 
of  creation  feeds  the  sparrow  on  the  same  day  ?  The  result 
of  this  fanaticism  was  a  failure  on  tiie  part  of  Mr.  Titcomb. 
His  laborers  were  all  drawn  away  from  him.  His  silk- worms 
were  aU  thrown  into  the  river — ^for  they  died  I  And  all  this 
was  done  when  he  was  within  a  few  hours  of  realizing  a  crop 
of  silk  worth  thousands  of  dollars  ! 

This  is  another  instance  of  that  blind  zeal  which  has  long 
held  back  the  most  important  commercial  interests  on  the  Sand- 
wich group.  It  was  the  zeal  of  Protestantism !  But,  like  the 
perfidious  priests  of  Popery,  who,  in  many  a  part  of  the  earth, 
have  consumed  the  martyr  to  ashes  at  the  stake,  simply  be- 
cause he  dared  to  be  firee,  it  was  equally  censurable.  "When 
God  stands  not  in  a  man's  way,  his  fellow-men  ought  not  to 
do  it.  Whatever  tends  to  interdict  domestic  commerce, 
whether  it  be  by  governments  as  bodies  politic,  or  by  men  as 


THE   SPIRITUAL  va.  THE   SECULAR.       205 

individuals,  can  not  fail  to  be  a  source  of  national  and  domes- 
tic evil.  It  is  impossible  to  portray  how  many  evils  have 
arisen,  and  how  much  real  good  the  Hawaiian  nation  has  lost, 
by  the  overwhelming  predominancy  of  ecclesiastical  legislation. 
The  &ilure  olthe  sUk  culture  was  a  disaster  to  many  private 
individuals,  and  it  certainly  eventuated  in  a  serious  loss  to  the 
government  as  an  item  c^  commerce ;  for  an  interdicted  gain 
through  an  honest  medium  is  an  absolute  loss  secured  through 
the  channel  of  the  interdiction  itself. 

For  ages  past,  the  single  article  of  silk  has  been  a  source  of 
great  commercial  advantage  to  civilized  nations.  -  In  the  early 
trandation  of  the  Bible,  by  Jerome,  it  is  mentioned  as  being 
among  the  articles  imported  by  the  PhoBnicians  £rom  Syria. 
For  a  long  time  it  was  brought  by  traders  from  China,  in  car- 
avans traversing  the  deserts  and  sands  of  Asia  to  the  ports  of 
Syria  and  Egypt.  The  sails  of  the  pleasure-barge  of  the  vo- 
luptuous Cleopatra  were  composed  of  silk.  For  centuries 
the  Persians  monopolized  the  silk  trade.  When  Alexander 
the  Great  had  conquered  that  nation,  it  was  introduced  into 
Greece,  and  subsequently  into  Home.  The  Roman  people  at 
last  induced  the  Emperor  Marcus  Antoninus  to  send  embas- 
sadors to  Persia,  to  negotiate  with  them  a  commercial  treaty 
concerning  this  commodity. 

About  A.D.  1130,  Roger  II.,  of  Sicily,  set  up  a  silk  estab- 
lishment at  Palermo,  and  another  in  Calabria.  From  these 
two  countries  the  silk  trade  rapidly  spread  over  Italy.  At  an 
early  day  in  the  history  of  Spain  it  was  introduced  into  that 
nation  by  the  Moors.  In  1521  it  was  introduced  into  France. 
In  1663  the  State  of  Virginia  witnessed  efibrts  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  the  cultivation  of  silk.  Silk  raised  in  Georgia, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Connecticut,  in  1760,  received  liberal  pre- 
miums from  the  Society  in  London  for  the  Encouragement  of 
Arts,  Manufactures,  and  Commerce.  Ever  since  its  introduc- 
tion into  the  United  States,  it  has  been  looked  upon  as  a  val- 
uable department  in  domestic  commerce,  and  a  source  of  great 
pecuniary  benefit  to  the  country.  From  1821  to  1841  in- 
clusive, the  United  States  exported  silk  to  the  amount  of 


206  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

$26,827,285,  and  these  exports  were  purely  the  produce  of 
the  country. 

Looking  at  the  formidable  bulk  of  the  above  sum,  as  real- 
ized by  American  industry  supported  by  American  laws,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  Hawaiian  treasury  has  lost  a  great  deal 
through  the  tyranny  of  Church  over  State. 

But  if  Mr.  Titcomb  was  defeated  in  his  silk  project,  he  was 
not  entirely  crushed.  It  is  impossible  to  crush  a  genuine  Yan- 
kee. He  borrowed  a  sum  of  money,  and  commenced  plant- 
ing cofi»e.  In  two  years  he  had  paid  all  his  debts,  and  Ibund 
himself  with  money  in  pocket  At  this  day  be  owns  a  noble 
estate,  containing  a  hundred  thousand  co^e-trees,  besides  oth- 
er things,  and  he  looks  forward  to  a  prosperous  and  happy 
old  age. 

But  cofiee  is  not  the  only  article  that  can  be  cultivated  in 
this  valley.  Grapes  will  flourish  on  the  sido-hills ;  and  com 
and  wheat,  of  a  large  growth,  can  be  successfolly  raised. 
Fruits  are  numerous,  and  of  the  finest  quality.  The  bread- 
firuit,  tamarind,  pine-apple,  mulberry,  orange,  peach,  guava 
{Psidmm),  and  many  others,  are  perfiact  in  their  flavor  and 
development.  Plantains  and  bananas,  limes,  cocoa-nuts,  the 
castor-oil  plant,  and  the  American  aloe,  attain  their  highest 
perfection  without  the  least  artificial  aid.  With  a  climate 
ranging  from  60^  to  80^  Fahrenheit,  the  valley  becomes  a 
terrestrial  paradise.  To  a  stranger,  the  growth  of  vegetati(m 
seems  incredible.  The  mulberry  has  been  known  to  grow  an 
inch  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  very  many  of  the  young  trees 
at  the  rate  of  four  feet  per  month.  Many  persons  who  have 
visited  this  valley  have  marked  sticks  and  pushed  them  into 
the  soil  by  the  side  of  young  trees,  and  the  immense  rapidity 
of  their  growth  has  almost  staggered  the  evidence  of  their 
own  senses. 

The  rich  bottoms  of  the  Hanalei  Valley  contain  vegetable 
remains  of  a  highly  interesting  character.  They  are  the  solid 
trunks  of  trees,  from  six  inches  to  nearly  as  many  feet  in  di- 
ameter, and  repose  at  a  depth  of  firom  two  to  four  feet,  in  a 
horizontal  position,  below  the  surface  of  the  soil.     They  are 


EVIDENCES   OF  A   REMOTE   ANTIQUITY.  307 

found  "wherever  trenches  are  cut  for  the  purposes  of  draming 
the  land  in  the  valley.  The  same  sort  of  remains  are  foimd 
projecting  a  number  of  feet  firom  the  banks,  and  at  some  dis- 
tance below  the  surface  of  the  Hanalei  and  Waioli  Rivers. 
"When  first  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  they  are  excessively 
hard,  and  bid  fair  to  last  forever ;  but  after  a  few  days*  expo- 
sure they  begin  to  crumble  away  to  dust.  Large  marine  shells 
have  been  found  in  the  upper  portions  of  the  valley.  The  en- 
tire region  bears  ample  evidence  of  a  very  remote  antiquity. 
The  lower  stratiun  in  the  bed  of  the  valley  is  a  fine  oceanic 
sand,  found  at  regular  intervals.  The  sea  once  rolled  over  it. 
It  was  not  until  the  neighboring  mountains  had  expended  their 
last  volcanic  fires  that  the  soil  of  the  valley  began  to  form. 
The  soil  is  mostly  a  debris^  washed  from  the  mountains,  and 
mingled  with  decayed  vegetable  matter.  Subsequent  to  this 
fi)rmation,  a  forest  of  huge  trees  has  grown  up.  It  took  ages, 
even  beneath  a  tropical  sun,  for  those  giants  of  the  forest  to 
mature,  for  there  is  no  such  species  of  wood  now  on  the  group. 
That  forest  has  been  swept  down,  probably  by  a  heavy  tidal 
influx — ^not  at  all  imcommon  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Over  the 
prostrate  forest,  the  soil  has  accumulated  in  some  places  to  a 
great  depth.  Untold  generations  of  years  have  fled  since  Na- 
ture has  performed  this  task.  Finally,  the  traveler  at  this  day 
can  discover  the  sites  of  villages,  and  of  small  ponds  in  which 
the  inhabitants  cultivated  their  taro  {Arum  esculentum). 
But  villages,  inhabitants,  and  taro  plantations  have  long  since 
passed  away.  Of  the  many  thousands  that  once  lived  in  this 
earthly  paradise,  history  makes  no  mention,  and  no  marble 
points  to  their  places  of  repose. 

Poets  and  romancers  have  flung  around  the  islanders  of  the 
Pacific  the  brightest  halos  of  military  prowess,  and  the  loveli- 
est finish  of  humanity  unsophisticated.  The  loves  of  *'  Neuha," 
in  Byron's  **  Island,"  have  captivated  the  senses  of  many  a 
reader,  and  placed  him  amid  associations  seen  only  by  a  poetic 
eye,  and  felt  only  through  the  abstract  flame  of  poetic  fire. 
So  many  of  those  "  daughters  of  the  isles"  are  portrayed  as 
being  like  one  would  suppose  Eve  was  before  she  ate  the  fruit 


208  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

of  the  interdicted  tree — the  perfection  of  all  that  is  perfect. 
But  gome  of  my  rambles  over  this  group  have  taught  me  that 
romance  is  one  thing,  and  actual  experience  another. 

While  staying  in  the  Valley  of  Hanalei,  I  one  day  set  out 
on  a  short  excursion  afoot,  with  my  gun,  among  rocks,  firuits, 
and  flowers.  While  on  this  excursion  I  was  overtaken  by  a 
heavy,  rain-storm,  aad  compelled  to  take  refiige  in  a  native 
house  which  was  near.  On  entering  it,  I  dehvered  the  cus- 
tomary salutation — **  aloha  f"  and  sat  down  d  la  Kanaka, 
The  house  was  of  very  Hmited  dimensions,  only  afibrding  one 
a  chance  to  stand  exactly  in  the  centre.  A  huge  Kanaka, 
wrapped  in  a  thick  blanket,  lay  stretched  on  a  mat  before  a 
dying  fire.  His  wife — I  supposed — ^was  similarly  enveloped, 
and  in  a  sitting  posture  close  to  the  expiring  embers.  She 
was  of  diminutive  stature,  and  disgustin^y  homely.  Occa- 
sionally die  would  bestow  a  furtive  glance  on  her  dusky  lord, 
and  then  upon  something  which  appeared  to  nestle  most  un* 
quietly  in  her  bosom.  I  sat  surveying  her  for  some  time, 
when,  instead  of  an  infant,  out  peered  the  head  of  a  sickly 
mongrel  dog.  Its  very  appearance  was  repulsive  and  un- 
canine,  rendered  still  more  so  firom  a  partial  suflbcation  be- 
neath the  folds  of  that  filthy  blanket.  Finding  it  impossible 
to  retain  him  there,  his  mistress  employed  herself  by  picking 
the  vermin  ofl*  him,  and  depositing  them  one  by  one  in  her 
capacious — mouth  / 

I  had  many  a  time  heard  of  the  absurd  fondness  of  the  na- 
tive women  for  dogs,  and  I  had  seen  women  pick  them  up 
out  of  the  way  of  a  swiftly-speeding  horse,  while  they  left 
their  children  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  trampled  to 
death ;  but  until  that  momQnt  I  had  seen  nothing  equal  to  the 
perfi)rmance  of  that  woman  of  vermin-loving  appetite !  It 
was  far  too  delicate  for  me!  "Shades  of  the  Prophet!"  I 
thought,  "  what  a  speotacle  of  de^based  humanity  !  What  a 
being  for  a  man  to  receive  into  his  embrace  !'*  Horrors !  I 
grasped  my  gun  and  started  to  my  feet,  and  although  it  rained 
a  young  deluge,  I  hurried  away  from  that  domicile,  and  took 
refuge  under  the  nearest  clump  of  trees. 


MANUAL. LABOR   SCHOOL.  209 

The  Mission  Station  at  Hanalei,  located  between  the  mouths 
of  the  Hanalei  and  Waioli  (singing  water)  Rivers,  is  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  on  the  group.  I  found  the  mission  buildings 
in  good  condition,  commodious,  and  neat.  A  rather  novel 
mode  of  sermonizing  took  place  on  the  Sabbath  during  my 
stay.  The  native  clergyman  publicly  questioned  the  audience 
in  relation  to  the  sermon,  and  their  answers  were  publicly 
and  prbmptly  returned.  I  understood  the  object  to  be  to  ob- 
tain their  undivided  attention,  and  produce  a  more  lasting 
impression  on  their  minds. 

Connected  with  this  station  is  a  manual-labor  school.  The 
number  of  scholars  was  sixty.  They  were  all  native  boys,  se- 
lected from  difierent  parts  of  the  island ;  they  board  with  their 
parents  or  friends,  and  labor  for  their  own  support  in  part. 
There  are  two  native  assistants  in  the  school,  and  instruction 
is  imparted  generally  in  the  native  language;  one  class  is 
taught  Enghsh  to  some  extent.  The  object  of  the  school  is 
to  prepare  scholars  for  the  seminary^  and  also  for  teaching  in 
the  common  schools. 

The  branches  taught  were  reading,  writing,  composition, 
elements  of  natural  philosophy,  geography,  arithmetic,  geom- 
etry, algebra,  sacred  geograj^y.  Church  history,  moral  science, 
and  natural  theology. 

In  these  branches  the  pupils  had  miade  a  surprising  profi- 
ciency. 

Until  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Board  of  Missions 
at  Cincinnati,  October  7th,  1853,  this  school  was  sustained  by 
said  Board  at  an  annual  cost  of  $1500. 


210  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Visit  to  the  Cayes  at  Haena. — Curiouty  of  the  NatiTes. — The  CayeflL 
— Tradition  concerning  a  Chiefl — Subterranean  Lakes. — ^Perilous 
Position. — Story  of  a  Traveler. — Singular  Effects  produced  by- 
Torchlight — Native  Courage  and  Native  Fears. — Terminus  of 
Travel  by  Land. — ^A  Night  at  Anahola. — Pai  and  Bed-fellows. 

Six  miles  beyond  the  Mission  Station  at  Waioli  are  the  caves 
of  Haena.  As  these  caves  are  seldcmi  visited,  the  natives  who 
live  in  the  vicinity  seldom  see  the  face  of  any  white  man  ex- 
cepting their  missionary.  On  approaching  the  caves,  the  coun- 
try becomes  more  open,  and  the  movements  of  the  traveler  are 
seen  at  some  distance,  exciting  no  small  degree  of  curiosity 
among  the  natives.  It  is  intensely  amusing  to  see  them  stand- 
ing as  still  as  so  many  st9,tues,  awaiting  his  arrival ;  and  even 
then,  the  lips  alone  seem  to  be  invested  with  motion  enough 
to  deliver  the  customary  salutation — "  aloha  /'' 

After  passing  several  houses,  the  natives  seemed  to  recover 
their  confidence.  A  crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children  fid- 
lowed  us  to  the  caves.  Some  carried  long  strings  of  candle- - 
nuts  {Aleurites  triloba^  to  serve  the  purpose  of  torches ;  others 
went  with  the  intention  of  seeing  what  the  haoUs  (foreigners) 
were  about  to  do ;  and  others  out  of  mere  curiosity,  or  because 
they  had  nothing  else  to  engage  in. 

The  caves  are  three  in  number.  The  first  is  dry.  The 
floor,  including  a  few  short  windings,  covers  nearly  three  acres. 
It  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  used  as  a  cattle-pen.  A 
rich  soil  had  formed  at  its  entrance.  Ferns  were  growing  be- 
tween the  crevices  of  the  immense  walls,  and  also  in  the  roo£ 
Their  contrast  firom  the  stalactites  was  exceedingly  imposing. 
The  entrance  is  wide  enough  to  admit  several  horsemen  riding 
abreast.  Half  way  in  the  roof  begins  to  decline,  and  at  its 
extremity  it  rests  with  an  acute  angle  on  the  floor  of  the 
cavern. 


TRADITION  CONCERNING  A  CHIEF,      gll 

Tliis  cave  is  invested  with  numerous  traditions  both  singular 
and  ahsurd.  The  most  probable  one,  however,  is  that  which 
relates  to  a  favorite  chief.  Many  years  ago  this  district  was 
invaded,  the  chief  was  vanquished,  and  took  reiuge  in  flight. 
The  conquerors,  wishing  to  secure  him  only,  and  laying  aside 
their  customary  cruelties  to  the  vanquished,  spared  his  tribe 
and  their  possessions,  and  quietly  withdrew  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  spot.  The  people  became  disconsolate  at  their  loss. 
The  usual  demonstrations  of  mourning  were  indulged,  and  their 
grief  found  vent  in  the  following  expressive  dirge : 

"  Alas  I  alas  I  dead  is  my  chief, 
Dead  is  my  friend  and  my  lord : 
My  friend  in  the  season  of  famine. 
My  friend  in  the  time  of  drought. 
My  friend  in  poverty. 
My  friend  in  the  rain  and  the  wind. 
My  friend  in  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
My  friend  in  the  cold  from  the  mountain, 
My  friend  in  the  storm. 
My  friend  in  the  cahn. 
My  friend  in  the  eight  seas  ;* 
Alas  I  alas !  gone  is  my  friend. 
And  no  more  will  return.** 

As  their  grief  continued,  the  victors  became  weary  of  delay ; 
and,  beUeving  that  the  conquered  chieflain  had  really  passed 
away  to  the  world  of  spirits,  they  commenced  a  final  retreat. 
The  captive — ^for  such  he  truly  was — ^who  had  been  near  them 
during  the  whole  of  these  transactions,  left  his  hiding-place, 
collected  his  warriors,  followed  up  their  retreat,  and,  in  a  fa- 
YoraUe  location,  overwhelmed  them  with  ruin.  Peace  and 
safety  being  restored,  the  conqueror  led  his  people  back  to  the 
cavern,  and  showed  them  the  spot  in  which  he  had  efiected 
his  concealment.  He  had  heard  and  seen  the  warriors  of  the 
former  victorious  party  in  search  of  him,  and  close  under  his 
retreat. 

This  celebrated  place  of  retreat  is  pointed  out  with  a  great 
degree  of  pride  at  this  day  by  the  natives.  It  is  a  hole  in  the 
*  The  channels  between  the  islands. 


212  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

roof,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  A  me- 
dium sized  man  would  be  able  to  reach  the  Bides  of  the  orifice 
with  his  hands,  and  a  smart  spring  would  land  him  on  a  ledge 
sufficiently  wide  to  conceal  him.  Above  this  ledge  are  two 
apertures  obliquely  piercing  the  solid  rock,  and  sufficiently 
wide  to  admit  the  body  of  any  fugitive.  Snatching  a  torch 
firom  one  of  the  natives,  and  climbing  up  into  this  hiding-place, 
I  became  fully  satisfied  of  its  abihty  to  conceal  a  warrior  to 
whom  alone  it  was  known. 

The  other  two  caves  contain  subterranean  lakes,  which  can 
be  explored  only  by  the  aid  of  a  canoe*  The  first  of  these 
lakes  is  denominated  Wai-a-kapa-lae  (water  of  terror).  Having' 
procured  a  canoe  and  secured  a  good  torch,  I  commenced  an 
examination  of  the  first  subterraneous  pond.  It  was  my  mis- 
fortune to  have  left  behind  me  my  soundhig-line,  so  I  was  com- 
pelled to  lay  aside  one  of  my  intentions — sounding  these  waters. 
The  singular  transparency  of  the  water  renders  its  apparent 
depth  extremely  deceptive.  As  I  left  the  shore,  I  dropped  a 
large  stone  where  the  water  was  a  fathom  deep,  and  it  sunk 
in  three  seconds.  About  thirty  feet  from  the  shore  I  repeated 
the  experiment,  and  the  stone  found  its  way  to  the  bottom  in 
twelve  seconds.  Moving  over  the  surface  about  thirty  feet 
further,  I  once  more  dropped  a  stone,  which  found  the  bottom, 
in  sixty  seconds.  This  proved  a  depth  of  twenty  fathoms,  or 
a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  at  about  sixty  feet  fix)m  the  shore ! 
The  descent  of  each  piece  of  rock  to  the  bottom  was  clearly 
defined  by  a  phosphorescent  light,  which  disappeared  as  it  rose 
toward  the  surface.  The  sides  of  this  cavern  were  perpen- 
dicular. The  massive  roof,  covered  with  stalactites,  had  an 
angle  of  twenty  degrees,  which  terminated  on  the  opposite  side 
frora  the  entrance.  I  judged  the  superficial  area  of  this  lake 
to  be  about  fifty  thousand  square  feet. 

The  last  cave,  Wai-a-kana-loa  (water  of  long  desolation),  is 
by  far  the  most  striking.  Its  formative  character  is  entirely 
different  fix)m  the  other  two,  and  it  is  located  more  than  a 
third  of  a  mile  further  westward.  A  hundred  yards  from 
the  entrance,  which  is  strictly  Gothic,  is  a  fine  arch  of  the 


PERILOUS   SITUATION.  213 

same  natural  architecture.  At  this  point  the  cavern  £)rms  a 
right  angle,  and  extends  under  the  mountain  nearly  an  eighth 
of  a  mile.  In  the  interstices  of  the  roof  and  sides,  ferns,  on 
ivhich  the  genial  rays  of  the  sun  had  never  shone,  were  grow- 
ing in  solitary  and  strange  beauty,  and  looked  as  if  they  were 
jBdnged  with  silver.  The  waters  in  this  cavern  were  of  an 
inky  blackness,  and  retained  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur.  The 
darkness,  after  passing  the  arch  that  led  into  the  second  cham- 
ber, was  the  very  "  blackness  of  darkness"  itself — ^for  I  acci- 
dentally dropped  my  torch  into  the  water. 

Here  was  a  position  !  Where  the  tortuous  path  would  lead 
to  I  knew  not,  and  I  was  equally  ignorant  as  to  how  soon  the 
canoe  would  come  in  contact  with  the  rugged  sides  of  this 
Hades,  and  capsize  me  into  the  dark  wateis.  I  am  noj;  easily 
disconcerted.  I  trust  I  am  not  given  to  superstition.  I  have 
enjoyed  a  sea-bath  on  the  equator  a  thousand  miles  from  the 
land,  and  where  no  soundings  could  be  procured ;  and  I  have 
been  perched  up  in  a  small  boat  over  the  coral  reefs  of  the  Pa- 
cific, where,  more  than  a  hundred  fathoms  beneath  me,  yawned 
fissures  as  black  as  night,  and  amid  these  sublime  scenes  I  felt 
no  undue  emotion.  But  here  I  was,  surrounded  by  a  total 
darkness,  in  one  of  Nature's  strong  prisons,  with  my  canoe 
leaking  rapidly,  and  my  attendant  native  half  wild  with  a  su- 
perstitious fear,  and  I  am  compelled  to  admit  that  for  once  my 
heart  beat  faster,  and  my  knees  trembled  more  violently,  and 
the  ccild  sweat  flowed  more  freely  than  ever  before  in  my  life. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this,  I  had  to  crawl  to  the  other  end  of  the 
canoe,  and  t£dce  the  paddle  firom  the  native  to  whom  the  canoe 
belonged,  for  he  was  working  uway  with  all  his  might.  I  had 
read  of  the  cold  and  bitter  Acheron  of  the  old  Greek  mytholo- 
gists,  over  which  the  souls  of  the  dead  were  said  to  be  con- 
veyed to  await  their  destiny,  but  I  never  formed  so  vivid  a 
picture  of  it  as  now,  for  I  began  to  imagine  I  was  on  its  very 
bosom.  In  this  dense  darkness  I  had  to  remain  until,  after 
sundry  shouts  by  myself  and  the  native,  two  or  three  persons 
came  swimming  a^r  us  with  lighted  torches  in  their  mouths, 
and  they  were  followed  by  several  others. 


214  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Every  word  they  uttered  ahd  every  motioii  they  made  re- 
verberated like  peals  of  heavy  thunder,  and  the  light  of  those 
torches  cast  a  most  unearthly  glare  on  the  faces  of  the  swimr 
mers,  on  the  crest  of  every  little  wavelet,  and  the  spacious  roof 
itself.  They  looked  as  ifbathed  in  a  liquid  fire;  and  the  drops 
of  water  which  filtrated  through  the  spacious  roof  and  fell  upon 
them,  resembled  flakes  of  flame.  So  vividly  did  the  whole 
impress  me,  that  I  could  not  help  recalling  the  language  of 
Dante  : 

"  Now  *gin  the  rueful  wailings  to  be  heard, 
Now  am  I  come  where  many  a  plaining  voice 
Smites  on  my  ear.     Into  a  place  I  came 
Where  light  was  silent  alL    Bellowing  there  groan'd 
A  noise,  as  of  a  sea  in  tempest  torn 
By  warring  winds.     The  stormy  blast  of  hell 
With  restless  fury  drives  the  spirit  on, 
Whirled  round  and  dashed  amain  with  sore  annoy." 

No  sooner  did  the  natives  appear  with  their  torches  than  I 
perceived  I  was  gliding  along  on  a  swift  current  that  took  its 
course  toward  the  interior  of  the  mountain.  A  few  seconds 
more  and  I  should  have  been  borne  beyond  the  reach  of  any 
human  aid.  I  exerted  all  my  strength,  together  with  what 
Uttle  skill  I  had,  in  managing  my  canoe,  for  the  native  was 
stupefied  with  fear.  It  was  with  a  feeling  of  delight  I  could 
not  describe  that  I  succeeded  in  getting  back  into  the  out^ 
chamber  of  the  cavern,  where  I  could  once  more  press  terra 
Jirma  and  wipe  the  cold  sweat  firom  my  face. 

A  singular  story,  and  well  authenticated,  is  told  of  an  En- 
glish gentleman  who  once  visited  this  third  cave.  His  geolog- 
ical propensities  induced  him  to  attempt  to  procure  a  piece  of 
rock  from  the  inner  chamber.  Having  provided  himself  with 
sounding-line,  sledge-hammer,  torch,  &c.,  he  got  into  a  canoe 
and  laimched  out  upon  the  lake.  But  just  as  he  reached  the 
Gothic  arch  separating  the  two  chambers  of  the  cavern,  his 
canoe  capsized,  and  he  was  plunged  headlong  into  the  inky 
waters.  Eecovering  his  presence  of  mind,  he  struck  out  for 
the  shore  at  the  entrance,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  it.     But 


NATIVE   COURAGE   AND   FEARS.         215 

the  most  remarkable  feature  in*the  case  was  that  he  brought 
back  i^th  him  every  thing  but  his  torch.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  he  abandoned  his  geological  expedition. 

To  a  reader  of  these  pages,  not  less  than  a  visitor  of  the 
caves,  it  may  seem  strange  that  the  natives  will  indiscrimin- 
ately bathe  in  the  black  waters  of  the  last  cavern,  and  even 
penetrate  some  distance  into  the  inner  chamber,  and  that  they 
can  not  be  induced  to  set  a  foot  into  the  second  subterranean. 
But  their  superstitious  fears  flow  through  an  undefinable  chan- 
nel. I  had  before  heard  of  this  singular  decision,  and  resolved 
on  testing  its  truth ;  so  I  ofiered  to  give  one  of  the  party,  who 
was  an  expert  swimmer,  a  piece  of  gold  if  he  would  swim 
across  that  pond.  His  eyes  sparkled  and  his  fingers  twitched 
as  he  looked  at  the  reward,  but  nothing  I  could  ofier  him  was 
sufficient  to  overcome  his  scruples.  Tradition  says  that  a  ter- 
rific monster,  of  the  basilisk,  dragon,  or  sea-serpent  kind,  has 
taken  up  his  abode  in  these  waters,  and  that  a  party  of  men, 
women,  and  girls  were  once  bathing  there,  when,  on  ; 
they  all  disappeared.  Since  that  day  it  is  said 
has  ventured  to  enjoy  a  bath  in  that  lake. 

Not  only  do  the  natives  cherish  a  vague 
caverns,  but  a  foreigner  is  exceedingly  liafl^j^o' the  same  feel-  yj^ 
ing.     It  requires  a  good  degree  of  physirii^  and  moml  cour^i^^^s^j 
age  to  conduct  their  exploration.     On  i^in&^ig  kii^^bB,i 
sunlight,  I  readily  concluded  that  nothinj^  woijJd  iEiflS3e  1 
reattempt  the  expedition.     My  visit  to  the  caves  "oTHaena  is 
indelibly  impressed  on  my  mind,  from  the  fact  that,  having 
left  those  "  Stygian  pools,"  I  climbed  over  the  embankments 
which  Nature  had  thrown  up  before  the  entrance  to  each  one 
of  them,  and  walked  some  distance  over  the  plain  to  take  a 
glance  at  the  overhanging  masses  of  rock  which  those  caverns 
had  pierced.     They  rose  to  a  height  of  nearly  three  thousand 
feet,  and  were  perpendicular  almost  to  their  summits.    I  could 
now  form  some  idea  of  the  immense  masses  of  basaltic  lava 
under  which  I  had  been  conducting  my  explorations.     Millions 
of  tuns  were  sustained  by  the  roof  of  each  cavern. 

At  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet  from  the  plains,  the 
front  of  these  mountains  were  pierced  by  innumerable  orifices, 


216  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

which  were  occupied  as  lodging-places  by  the  white-tailed  fiig-- 
ate-bird  {Fhcetan  atherius).  They  formed  an  impregimble 
retreat  from  the  recreant  hand  of  man ;  and  as  these  beautiful 
birds  rose  up  on  swift  wing  to  their  places  of  abode,  they  re- 
sembled huge  snow-flakes  carried  by  the  wind  toward  the  sides 
of  the  cliHs. 

At  a  short  distance  beyond  these  caverns  all  land  travel 
terminates.  At  that  spot,  the  plain  is  cut  off  by  a  range  of 
precipices  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  which  laves  their 
sides.  These  precipices  comprise  the  districts  of  Na  Pali  and 
Halelea  (house  of  rainbows),  and  extend  along  the  entire  north- 
west coast  of  the  island.  This  chain  of  precipices  is  said  to 
present  a  scene  of  terrific  sublimity.  I  was  exceedingly  anx- 
ious to  survey  them  fipom  the  sea ;  but  it  was  the  rainy  season, 
the  winds  were  frequently  heavy,  and  the  sea  treacherous,  and 
I  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  abandon  the  enterprise. 

Having  finished  my  visit  on  the  northwest  and  north  sides 
of  the  island,  I  left  a  long  adieu  to  its  magnificent  scenery,  and 
a  warm  feeling  of  respect  to  my  generous  entertainers,  and 
started  out  for  Koloa.  I  had  spent  the  day  in  examining  soen- 
ery  among  the  adjacent  mountains,  and  night  and  a  heavy 
rain-storm  overtook  me  at  the  small  village  of  Anahola.  Al- 
though my  position  was  any  thing  but  comfortable,  and  my 
night's  lodgings  had  a  most  dreary  perspective,  1  found  it  im- 
possible to  change  things  for  the  better.  The  day's  excursion 
had  sharpened  my  appetite,  but  there  was  nothing  to  satisfy  it 
but  a  huge  calabash  of  sour  poi.  Vexed,  impatient,  and  dis- 
^  appointed,  I  threw  myself  down  upon  a  mat,  and,  supperless 
and  dinnerless,  with  my  wet  clothes  on,  I  tried  to  sleep. 
Through  the  buzzing  of  countless  multitudes  of  musquitoes, 
and  the  eager  embraces  of  gigantic  fleas,  I  was  kept  tossing 
from  side  to  side,  wishing  for  sleep.  Tired  nature,  however, 
obtained  the  victory  at  last. 

On  waking  up  next  morning,  I  ascertained  one  cause  of  my 
restlessness.  A  couple  of  dirty  dogs  had  nestled  down  by  me 
on  one  side,  and  a  couple  oi  women  (!)  on  the  other.  ^  I  arose, 
shook  myself,  saddled  my  horse,  and  started  at  full  ^lop  for 
the  south  side  of  the  island. 


LEGEND  CONCERNING   PELE.  217 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FROM   KOLOA   TO   WAIMEA. 

XoAro  NomUtL — ^Legend  concerning  PeU. — Comparative  Mythology. 
— ^Novel  Method  of  sounding  a  Lake. — ^Noble  Specimen  of  a  Ha- 
waiian Woman.  — Significancy  of  Native  Names.  — Nomilu  Salt- 
-works. — ^Battle-ground  of  W«Jii-awa. — ^Incidenta  and  Results  of 
the  Battle. — ^Valley  of  Hanapepe. — ^A  Relic  of  civilized  Law. — 
Arrival  at  Waimea. 

The  south  side  of  Kauai  is  of  a  difierent  physical  confoima- 
tioii  to  that  of  the  north.  The  scenery  is  more  rugged  and 
less  fertile.  The  traveler  has  to  xmdergo  more  fatigue,  and  he 
feels  less.,  (rf,the  poetry  of  traveling.  The  eye  rests  on  little 
else  than  wild  lands,  stretching  from  the  great  central  sum- 
mits of  thf).:  inland  down  to  the  sea-shore  on  the  south,  and 
these  slopes  are  r^  asunder  in  several  places  by  deep  ravines 
and  valleys* 

Five  miles  west  of  Koloa  is  a  small  lake,  called  by  the  na- 
tives Loko  Nomilu,  The  lake  itself  is  a  great  natural  curi- 
osity ;  but  it  derives  a  profound  interest  from  its  mythological 
associations.  It  is  three  hundred  yards  long  by  two  hundred 
-wide,  and  has  a  subpaanne  uniou  with  tb^  ocean.  On  three 
sides  it  is  surrounded  with  \c^^  and  abrupt  hills.  Tradition 
says  that  its  excavation  was  the  work  of  Fele,  when  in  search 
of  fresh  water.  But  when  the  goddess  had  dug  down  to  a  cer- 
tain depth,  the  water  irqm  the  sea  rushed  in  and  spoiled  her 
work.  At  this  ske  became  huhu  (angry),  and  immediately 
took  her  departure  to  the  great  volcano  on  the  island  of  Ha* 
waii,  where  she  has  ever  since  remained. 

Such  is  one  of  the  mythological  legends  which  the  Hawaii- 
ans  at  this  day  relate  of  this  terrific  deity  of  volcanic  fire.  It 
is  nothing  marvelous  that,  like  other  pagan  nations,  they 
should  select  from  the  numerous  family  of  gods  a  chief  deity, 
whom  they  might  invest  with  supreme  attributes.     The  Jupi- 

K 


218  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 


LOKO   NOMILU. 


ter  of  Pagan  Rome  was  invested  with  every  power  and  pre- 
rogative which  conveyed  an  ideal  of  the  Supreme.  In  the 
same  hght  he  was  regarded  by  the  Greeks.*  Modem  Brah- 
mism  invests  Brahm  with  a  spirit  of  omnipotence  and  omni- 
presence. For  ages  past  the  Gymnosophists  of  India  have 
cherished  and  inculcated  the  same  creed.  If  the  poHshed 
Greeks  and  Romans,  and  the  philosophic  Asiatics,  fell  into  the 
belief  that  Jove  and  Brahm  were  at  once  omnipotent  and  om- 
nipresent, material  and  immaterial,  in  their  mysterious  nature. 


*  "Zevc  eoTiv  alOrfPf 

Zevg  re  yij' 
Zevf  6e  ovpavod 
Zevg  ra  iravra. 
-Prom  the  Cheek  of  -^Eschylus. 


"  Jupiter  is  the  air ; 
Jupiter  is  the  earth ; 
Jupiter  is  the  heaven ; 
All  is  Jupiter." 


COMPARATIVE   MYTHOLOGY.  gjg 

it  afibrds  no  cause  for  surprise  that  a  people  like  the  Hawaii- 
ans  should  have  ascribed  to  Pele  such  extraordinary  perform- 
ances, much  less  is  it  surprising  that  this  generation,  having 
just  emerged  from  a  paganism  the  blackest  and  most  debas- 
ing the  world  has  ever  seen,  should  cling  with  a  childhke  sim- 
plicity to  the  fabled  doings  of  their  gods.  The  old  Hawaiians 
had  six  principal  deities  to  -yv^hom  they  gave  distinctive  names  ; 
but  they  more  frequently  addressed  only  four  —  Ku,  Lono^ 
Kane,  and  Kanaloa.  These  deities  they  regarded  as  having 
their  residence  above  or  in  the  clouds,  and  as  being  immate- 
rial, and  they  were  impersonated  by  idols  carved  out  of  wood, 
which  received  the  homage  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child. 
But  PeU  was  as  much  superior  to  all  these  as  Jove  was  to 
Vulcan.  She  was  the  deity  of  volcanic  fire — the  formative 
agency  that  originated  the  group.  It  was  said  that  she  some- 
times assumed  the  appearance  of  a  woman  ;  and  that  when 
she  resolved  on  punishing  the  inhabitants  for  a  profane  ap- 
proach to  her  awful  abode,  she  summoned,  as  her  ministers  of 
vengeance,  the  contents  of  the  nearest  crater,  rode  on  the  fore- 
most wave  of  the  fiery  torrent,  and  overwhelmed  them  with 
destruction.  Hence  the  cause  for  existing  superstitions.  It 
is  a  prominent  fact,  however,  that  the  operation  of  natural 
causes  is  singularly  in  keeping  with  the  order  of  native  legends. 

But  to  return  to  the  lake.  It  retains  the  most  rehable  ev- 
idence that  it  is  the  remains  of  a  very  ancient  quiescent  crater. 
There  is  also  a  submarine  connection  with  the  ocean,  the  shore 
of  which  is  distant  but  two  hundred  feet. 

Having  been  informed  that  this  lake  was  fathomless,  I  felt, 
only  more  solicitous  to  test  the  mystery.  There  were  no  men, 
however,  on  the  premises ;  and,  two  women  excepted,  the 
little  village  was  temporarily  deserted.  There  were  several 
canoes  on  the  shore ;  but  the  lake  was  much  disturbed  by  a 
heavy  north  wind,  so  that  they  would  have  been  rendered 
nearly  useless.  But  I  felt  as  though  I  could  not  abandon  the 
expedition.  The  gentleman  who  accompanied  me  thither  in- 
formed the  women  of  my  object  in  coming,  and  assured  them 
I  was  extremely  anxious  to  know  the  depth  of  water  in  that 


220  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

lake,  and  that  we  would  wait  until  some  of  the  men  returned 
from  their  fishing  excursion. 

But  one  of  them  soon  provided  a  remedy.  She  proposed 
swimming  into  the  lake  with  a  sounding-Hne  to  make  the  re- 
quired measurement.  Our  remonstrance  against  such  a  meas- 
ure was  in  vain,  for  she  resolutely  assured  us  it  would  be  not 
only  an  easy  performance,  hut  afibrd  her  much  satisfaction  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  serving  me.  She  procured  a  piece  of 
vnli-wili  wood,  exceedingly  Hght,  about  six  feet  long,  and  as 
many  inches  in  diameter.  This  she  insisted  on  carrying  to 
the  north  end  of  the  lake,  where,  under  the  lee  of  the  high 
hills,  she  launched  the  log  of  wood.  After  wading  in  until  it 
was  deep  enough  to  swim,  she  placed  the  log  firmly  under  her 
chest,  keeping  it  there  with  one  hand,  and  retaining  the  sound- 
ing-Hne with  the  other.  In  this  position  she  struck  down  the 
lake,  stopping  at  short  intervals  to  let  down  the  line,  which 
she  knotted  at  the  surface  of  the  water  every  time  she  found 
the  bottom.  This  done,  she  would  gather  up  lier  line,  replace 
her  log,  and  resume  her  course.  And  she  pursued  this  plan 
until  her  task  was  done. 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  say  that  this  feat  excited  our  ad- 
miration, or  that  we  compensated  her  for  her  pains.  It  was 
the  most  novel  expedition  I  had  ever  seen ;  nor  could  I  ftdly 
realize  it,  until  I  remembered  that  in  these  islands,  as  in  other 
parts  of  Polynesia,  and  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  the  women  and 
girls  are  the  best  swimmers.  The  Hawaiians  are  almost  am- 
phibious. Volumes  might  be  written  detailing  their  extra- 
ordinary feats  in  the  water.  It  is  owing  to  their  frequent 
bathing  that  many  of  the  women  of  Polynesia  display  such 
an  exquisite  physical  contowr. 

An  examination  of  the  sounding-line  satisfied  me  as  to 
the  depth  of  the  lake.  I  found  it  to  vary  from  five  to  eleven 
fathoms. 

I  can  hardly  take  a  leave  of  this  novel  navigator  'mthout 
a  very  brief  glance  at  her  personal  character.  Aside  from  her 
ingenuity,  Emele  possess^  a  great  natural  nobiUty.  At  the 
time  of  my  visit,  she  was  mother  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom 


SPECIMEN   OF  A  HAWAIIAN   WOMAN.     221 

were  living — an  extraordinary  event  in  the  history  of  k  Ha- 
waiian woman,  for  infanticide,  abortion,  and  neglect  of  children 
during  their  infency  sweep  off  thousands.  Although  Emele's 
face  was  decidedly  intelligent,  its  predominant  exipiression  was 
that  of  good  nature.  To  her  natural  iiohiHty  of  character 
was  added  the  simplicity  of  a  child. '  Her  character  may  be 
defined  in  a  few  words  :  she  was  ju^  what  Nature  and  Chris- 
tianity had  made  her ;  she  was,  therefore,  philo^phically  and 
morally  sjpeaking,  a«  specimen  of  the  highest  style  of  woman, 
without  the  least  degree  of  sophistry. 

As  a  mother,  Emel6  retained  an  ardent  and  self-sax^rificmg 
love  for  her  children — a  fact  which  readily  accounts  for  their 
number  aiid  preservation.  A  few  months  before  i  met  her, 
her  youngest  child,  Lapouli*  (day  of  darkness),  lay  at  the 
point  of  death.  She  was  almost  frantic  with  grief  Koloa 
was  five  miles  distant  from  her  home ;  but  she  walked  that 
distance,  over  a  very  rugged  region  of  country,  to  procure  nied- 

*  Hawaiian  personal  names  Are  usnalUy  ngnificknt  of  some  par- 
ticular act)  event)  or  employment  J  became  acqui^inted  with  an  in- 
stance of  a  birth  in,  the  absence  of  the  father  and  husband.  The 
mother  called  the  child  Holokai,  which  signifies  **to  go  upon  the 
seas." 

Emele's  little  daughter  wks  bom  on  the  *!^  of  August,  1850,  at  10 
AM.,  during  kh.  almost  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  at  the  Hawaiian 
group,  at  whi<di  hour  the  fowls  went  yy  roost  She  called  her  child 
LapouH  (day  of  darkness),  in  commemoration  of  the  event 

The  following  are  significant: 

Aiaipali — guard  the  precipice. 

Kaiaimak^ni — ^wind  watcher. 

Hoki — the  donkey. 

Ejiipu — the  calabash. 

jKuaihelaui — purchase  the  heavens. 

Pauahi — ^fire-destroyed. 

Opukahaia — ^ripped  abdomen. 

Kahekili — thunder. 

Kapule — ^prayer.    (Queen  of  Kauai,  181 9-'21.) 

Ona — ^intoxicated. 

I^avalevale — ^weak,  feeble. 

Mataki — ^wind. 
These  specimens  might  be  pursued  to  any  length. 


222     .  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

icine  for  her  sick  child.  On  one  occasion  she  reached  Koloa 
at  a  late  hour,  and  before  she  could  return,  a  dark  night  set 
in  upon  her.  The  heavens  gathered  blackness,  and  it  rained 
ahnost  a  deluge.  The  family  at  the  Mission  Station  used  ev- 
ery conceivable  argument  to  induce  her  to  stay  with  them 
imtil  morning,  but  all  was  in  vain.  The  undying  fountain 
of  that  holy  thing — a  mother's  love,  gushed  forth  in  all  its 
strength ;  and  bare-headed,  and  thinly  clad,  and  without  any 
covering  for  her  feet,  she  went  forth  into  the  storm  to  return 
to  her  child.  Night  after  night,  for  weeks  in  succession,  she 
watched  by  the  couch  of  her  suffering  Uttle  one,  pillowing  its 
head  on  her  own  bosom,  giving  it  cooling  drinks,  and  using 
every  effort  to  soothe  its  agonies.  The  child  recovered ;  but 
its  restoration  to  health  was  followed  by  the  prostration  of  the 
mother,  whose  reason  was  nearly  shattered  from  the  effects  of 
long  and  dreary  vigils. 

In  the  ^region  of  the  lake  are  the  salt- works  of  Nomilu. 
They  are  merely  a  collection  of  open  vats,  formed  by  a  low 
wall  or  embankment  of  mud,  sun-dried.  These  vats  are  oc- 
casionally filled  with  sea-water,  which  is  evaporated  by  an 
exposure  to  the  sun,  leaving  behind  it  a  thick  sediment  of  fine 
salt.  These  works  are  under  the  control  of  a  few  natives, 
who  derive  firom  them  a  very  snug  little  profit. 

This  region  forms  the  southern  portion  of  the  battle-ground 
of  Wahiawa.  The  travel^  can  not  pass  over  it  without  ex- 
periencing deep  emotions.  With  a  range  of  mountains  bound- 
ing the  battle-field  on  the  north,  and  the  ocean  rolling  its  blue 
waves  on  the  south,  it  is  just  such  a  place  as  would  caU  forth 
deeds  of  noble  daring  from  the  warriors  of  the  last  generation 
of  Hawaiians. 

In  1824  a  fierce  struggle  took  place  on  this  plain.  Headed 
by  the  disaffected  young  prince  Hume-hume,  son  of  BLaumua- 
i.n,  the  last  king  of  this  island,  a  band  of  insurgents  attacked 
the  Royalists  in  the  fort  at  Waimea.  This  event  occurred  on 
the  8th  of  August,  before  the  dawn  of  day.  The  insurgents 
were  repulsed,  and  they  fled  toward  the  Valley  of  Hanapepe. 
The  Royalists,  few  in  number,  and  perplexed  as  to  the  only 


RESULTS  OF  THE  BATTLE.      223 

legitimate  mode  of  action,  were  compelled  to  stand  in  defense 
of  the  garrison.  At  length  a  dispatch  was  forwarded  by  sea 
to  Honolulu.  The  news  of  the  recent  struggle  at  Kauai,  the 
danger  to  which  the  little  garrison  was  exposed,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  rapine  by  the  insurgents,  excited  the  most  intense  in- 
terest at  Honolulu.  In  a  short  time  a  thousand  warriors  were 
ready,  and  eager  to  embark  for  the  scene  of  conflict. 

Singular  and  romantic  was  the  method  taken  to  vanquish 
the  rebels ;  but  it  was  characteristic  of  the  people  in  those 
days.  The  regent  of  the  kingdom,  Kaahumanu,  was  absent 
at  Lahaina  when  the  missive  arrived  at  Honolulu  from  Kauai. 
Immediately  a  messenger  was  sent  thither  to  inform  the  queen 
of  the  recent  battle.  From  hp  to  hp,  as  if  borne  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  his  words  spread  from  the  royal  abode  until  they 
found  their  way  pver  the  island  of  Maui.  On  hearing  the 
danger  to  which  his  friend  Kalanimoku — ^general  of  the  royal 
forces  at  Kauai — was  exposed,  Kaikioewa,  an  old  chief  of 
high  rank,  vehemently  addressed  a  crowd  of  warriors  in  the 
following  strain  :  '*  I  am  old,  like  Kalanimoku.  We  played 
together  when  children.  We  have  fought  together  beside  our 
king,  EjLMEHABfEHA  I.  Our  heads  are  now  ahke  growing  gray. 
Kalandcoku  never  deserted  me ;  and  shall  I  desert  him  now, 
when  the  rebels  of  Kauai  rise  against  him  ?  I  will  not  deal 
with  him  thus.  If  one  of  us  is  ill,  the  others  can  hasten  from 
Kauai  to  Maui  to  see  the  sick.  And  now,  when  our  brother 
and  leader  is  in  peril,  shall  no  chief  go  to  succor  him  ?  I  wiU 
go ;  and  here  are  my  men  also !" 

The  speech  of  the  old  warrior-chief  acted  like  magic  upon 
the  courage  and  enthusiasm  of  his  soldiers.  With  two  other 
chiefs,  accompanied  by  their  eager  warriors,  Kaikioewa  em- 
barked for  the  scene  of  conflict.  No  sooner  had  they  left  the 
shores  of  the  island,  than  the  regent  proclaimed  aiast,  which 
was  most  rehgiously  observed  by  many  of  the  people. 

On  the  18th  of  August,  these  re-enforcements,  joined  by 
others  that  had  arrived  from  Oahu,  placed  themselves  under 
HoAPiLi,  a  youthM  and  ambitious  warrior,  and  subsequently 
Grovemor  of  Maui.     Leaving  their  quarters  in  the  fort  at  Wai- 


224  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

mea,  they  inarched  for  the  eneampment  of  the  rebel  forces. 
Withm  eight  miles  of  the  insctrgentg,  lAiey  were  overtak^i  by 
as  lordy  a  Sabbath  as  €rver  dawned  on  coreation.  Ohristiam- 
ty  had  just  begun  to  iiifluence  a  few  leading  chie&  and  sehreral 
of  the  natives.  The  wanriors  hahed,  and  the  day  was  BtAsfOmr 
ly  observed  by  the  performance  of  r^igious  rites. 

With  the  rising  of  the  morrow's  sun,  Hoapo;!  and  hk  chosen. 
%and  were  again  seen  m  line  of  march.  They  oto^sed  the 
highly  picturesque  valley  and  liver  of  Hanapepe,  and  advanced 
uBitil  within  a  mile  of  ^e  ^surgents.  At  this  spot,  Hoapiu 
kaeh  in  piresenoe  of  his  little  army,  who  fi^wed  hk  exan^e, 
"amd  sent  up  an  invocatticm  to  the  God  of  battles :  "  0  J^ovah  ! 
Ood  of  the  warriors  d*  Kauai !  Protector  o[  ^be  liberties  for 
which  Kamehambha,  our  old  warrioi^king,  fought  and  Med  I 
we  are  here  in  a  ri^lieous  cause.  Our  ^leiiOies  wieii  to  giv6 
our  lives  to  the  wind,  and  our  bones  to  the  6un-)raiy8  that  scorch 
the  {4ains.  Ptft  Ga  thy  ^eld,  gvasp  t^y  war-qiear,  9iad  lead 
tis  on  to  the  struggle.  In  thy  presence  we  wiM  conquer  our 
^i^xiies,  and  fight  thy  battles  iot  freedom !" 

The  warriors  arose  fyom  their  knees,  iaiarehed  tip  to  the  n^M 
fcMPces,  and  commenced  the  battlo.  The  contest  lasted  several 
hours.  Sometimes  the  Royalists  W«!e  repulsed,  but  at  lai^  vic- 
tory was  declared  in  their  favor.  The  kisoigents  weire  scail- 
tered.  Their  dn^fled  to  the  iftountaiiis,  but  was  subsequent- 
ly oaptured.  The  vanquished  wence  takesa  to  Eeiiolulu,  wh^re 
they  received  every  manifestntion  <^respeot  iand  kindness  which 
royal  clemency  could  bestow.  Such  a  step  did  more  t6  crii^ 
a  f^iirit  <si  rebellion  than  though  recourse  to  th^  old  pagan 
itjTuelties  had  been  em^oyed.  This  was  itub  kst  battle  fo  tho 
indep^idence  of  Kauai. 

The  west^n  boundary  <^  the  battle-ground  of  Waihiawa  hi 
tihe  Valley  of  Hanapepe.  In  its  physical  a^fiect  and  c(m£»rma- 
tion  it  is  entirely  difierent  from  the  Valley  of  Hanalei.  By  Ad 
peculiar  sc^ess  of  its  scenery,  the  latter  eeexoR  to  address  the 
finer  feelings  of  the  soul ;  by  the  rugged  suWmity  of  its  feat- 
ures, the  foim^  awakens  ^notions  of  awe  and  astonidmieat. 
On  reaching  its  brink,  both  horse  and  rider  imtcoraliy  eome  to 


VALLEY  OF  HANAPEPE.  225 

a  halt,  and  a  tourist  can  not  fail  to  admire  the  richly-cultivated 
valley  below.  The  only  place  of  descent  is  near  the  mouth, 
where  the  principal  part  of  the  village  is  located.  Here  the 
natives  frequently  assemble  for  bathing,  and  to  bask  in  the 
warm  and  delicious  sunlight.  At  the  mouth  of  the  river,  a 
heavy  sand-bar  disputes  its  natural  egress  into  the  boimdless 
ocean  beyond. 

The  bed  of  the  valley  is  a  rich  vegetable  and  mineral  debris. 
Here  and  there  it  is  dotted  with  numerous  plantations  of  taro, 
small  cocoa-nut  groves,  and  native  dwellings.  The  ever-peace- 
fiil  river  incessantly  ghdes  on  through  all  these  objects.  As  in 
the  Valley  of  Hanalei,  the  traveler  frequently  discovers  unques- 
tionable evidences  of  extensive  population  in  other  days,  such 
as  village-sites  and  lands  that  wexe  once  cultivated.  War, 
disease,  and  epidemics,  besides  natural  causes,  have  swept  away 
multitudes,  whosfe  resting-places  remain  unknown  to  the  pres- 
ent generation.  The  inhabitants  are  kind  to  visitors  who  be- 
stow on  them  the  least  mark  of  respect,  and  endeavor  to  ap- 
preciate their  kindly  offices. 

The  Valley  of  Hanapepe  is  a  noble  specimen  of  Sandwich 
Island  scenery.  It  is  characterized  rather  by  the  savage  and 
awM  than  the  beautiful  and  sublime.  There  is  that,  howev- 
er; which  can  not  fail  to  attract  the  profound  admiration  and 
awe  of  the  tourist.  In  some  places  the  valley  contracts  to  a 
few  yards  in  width,  inhere  the  river  comes  sweeping  along  like 
a  second  Phlegethon,  freely  distributing  its  "  sweat  of  agony," 
and  moistening  the  sides  of  its  boundaries,  which  rise  to  a  per- 
pendiculdf  height  of  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  feet.  Again 
the  giant  sides  expand  to  a  considerable  width,  admitting  the 
warm  sunlight,  which  creates  a  pleasant  temperature.  The 
entire  length  of  the  valley  is  tortuous,  and  its  inighty  sides 
grow  in  height  as  its  source  is  approached.  In  this  region, 
and  at  an  early  day,  the  throes  of  Nature  must  have  been  al- 
most almighty ;  for  a  close  survey  of  the  lof\y  table-lands  above 
convey  the  conviction  that  the  entire  valley  was  formed  by  a 
rending  asunder  of  the  earth  to  a  great  depth  by  a  mighty 
earthquake.     At  the  head  of  this  valley,  Nature's  fiat  pro- 

K2 


226  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

claims  to  the  traveler,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  far- 
ther I"  On  looking  upward,  the  huge  cliffs  seem  as  if  coming 
down  upon  your  head,  and  a  few  scattered  and  stunted  trees, 
projecting  firom  their  summits  almost  horizontally,  look  as  if 
they  are  retained  there  against  their  will,  or  as  if  ashamed  of 
their  dwarfish  stature.  A  lover  never  stole  the  first  kiss  from 
the  Hps  of  his  earthly  idol  with  more  modesty  and  courtesy 
than  the  fleecy  clouds  kiss  these  shrubs  and  the  rugged  rocks 
on  whose  sides  they  grow. 

The  finishing  feature  in  this  savage  panorama  is  a  heavy 
cascade,  leaping,  with  "  delirious  bound,"  in  three  separate  dis- 
tances, down  the  time-worn  cliffs.  The  first  leap  is  thirty  feet, 
upon  a  ledge  of  rocks ;  the  second  is  a  hundred,  where  it  seems 
to  crush  another  ledge  ;  the  third,  of  equal  distance,  falls  into 
a  deep  basin  placed  by  the  hand  of  Nature  for  its  reception, 
where  it  whirls  and  eddies  like  a  miniature  Charybdis. 

The  journey  to  this  scene  is  one  replete  with  toil  and  abso- 
lute danger  to  a  visitor,  but  he  is  amply  repaid  for  both« 

Within  a  short  mile  of  Waimea  village,  and  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  stood  a  rude  firame,  which  had  once  served  the  pur- 
pose of  a  gallows.  Several  years  since,  four  natives  murdered 
a  foreigner  who  resided  in  "Waimea.  They  were  arrested, 
found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  expiate  their  transgressions  by 
a  forfeiture  of  their  own  hves  by  hanging.  From  this  rude 
gallows  they  took  their  final  leave  of  all  below,  and  passed 
into  the  sublime  mystery  of  death.  On  the  spot  where  the 
crowd  stood  to  witness  the  execution  of  their  coimtrymen,  a 
small  grove  oihm  bushes  {Cordia  sebestena)  has  sprung  up, 
as  if  in  mourning  for  the  wretched  criminals.  The  existence 
of  this  ominous  reHc  is  sacredly  protected,  and  it  stands  as  a 
faithful  monitor  to  aU  evil  doers. 

Waimea  may  be  seen  at  a  distance  of  several  miles  frcmi  the 
eastward.  On  coming  up  to  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river 
which  has  originated  the  village,  the  cooling  water  is  exceed- 
ingly grateful.  The  travder  advances  some  distance  up  the 
stream  to  the  regular  fording-place,  where  he  is  sure  to  find  a 
number  of  natives  ready  to  assist  him  over  to  the  other  bank. 


WAIMEA  VILLAGE.  227 

If  the  tide  should  be  in  and  the  river  high,  he  may  unsaddle 
his  horse,  take  him  by  the  bridle-rein,  and  jump  into  a  canoe 
propelled,  probably,  by  some  Naiad  of  a  native  girl.  In  trav- 
eling over  this  interesting  group  of  islands,  such  incidents  are 
by  no  means  uncommon,  and  certainly  not  objectionable  to  a 
reasonable  foreigner.  But  the  most  amusing  part  of  these 
performances  is  the  eagerness  displayed  by  the  natives  in  their 
kindly  offices  to  the  traveler.  Now  and  then  a  huge,  brawny 
fellow  will  take  him  up  out  of  the  canoe  when  it  reaches  the 
opposite  bank,  and,  to  prevent  his  boots  becoming  wet,  wiU 
carry  him  in  his  arms,  and  deposit  him  safely  on  terra  firma^ 
and  see  that  the  horse  is  resaddled.  For  ail  this,  however,  a 
good  remuneration  is,  of  course,  expected. 

From  the  west  bank  of  the  ford,  a  ride  of  two  minutes 
brings  the  traveler  ijito  Waimea, 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Waimea  Village — River — Harbor.  —  Historical  Reminiscences. — 
Charges  against  Captain  Cook. — ^Visit  to  an  ex-Queen. — A  Glance 
at  her  History. — Russian  Fort  at  Waimea. — ^Expulsion  of  the  Rus- 
sians.— ^Missionary  Church  and  Station. — ^Peculiarities  of  this  Sta- 
tion.— ^A  Sabbath  at  Waimea. — ^Missionary  Labor. — ^Practice  ver- 
ms  Poetry. — ^The  right  kind  of  an  Epitaph. 

The  village  of  Waimea  is  the  capital  of  Kauai.  In  this 
relation,  however,  it  differs  in  no  respect  from  any  village  on 
the  island,  unless  it  be  that  a  few  of  the  houses  are  composed 
of  adobes  ;  that  there  is  one  street  in  it,  and  that  the  village 
itself  is  a  Httle  larger.  The  population  in  the  village  and  up 
the  river  numbered  about  seven  hundred — a  fearful  decrease 
when  compared  with  the  census  of  a  few  years  past.  Year 
by  year  the  population  declines. 

About  this  village  there  is  not  the  least  attraction  to  the  per- 
manent stay  of  a  foreigner  of  any  merit ;  on  the  contrary,  all 
is  cheerless  and  monotonous,  and  unless  the  visitor  becomes 
deeply  interested  during  his  visit — a  thing  not  at  all  likely — 


328  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

he  is  glad  to  get  away  as  early  as  posBible.  The  least  motioii 
of  men  or  animals,  and  especially  of  the  wind,  is  certain  to 
raise  a  cloud  of  thick  red  dust,  which  coTers  the  entire  village ; 
and  whoi  the  hreath  of  Boreas  does  get  fairly  aroused,  the  re- 
sult is  almost  insupportable.  Eyes,  month,  nostrils,  ears,  and 
*  clean  linen  especially,  eeem  to  be  the  chief  objects  a£  ven- 
geance. Numerous  ablutions  are  required  to  remove  the  evil, 
before  a  person  can  fully  recognize  himself  in  a  mirror.  Oph- 
thalmia, may  be  attributed  not  so  much  to- the  action  of  the 
trade- winds  alone  as  to  these  clouds  of  red  lava-dust.  Vege- 
tation, what  httle  there  is  of  it,  and  every  fixed  object,  bortovirs 
from  these  flying  atoms  an  mmatural  tinge. 

But  it  may  be  deemed  sacrilegious  thus  to  speak  of  an  island- 
capital. 

The  river  of  Waimea  is  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  attraction. 
To  the  existence  of  this  romantic  stream  may  be  traced  that 
of  the  village.  Having  its  source  in  the  central  mountains  of 
the  island,  it  flows  on  for  miles  in  undisturbed  repose  toward 
the  embrace  of  the  otiean.  Like  an  infant  Nile,  its  influence 
is  highly  fertilizing.  Flowing  as  it  does  by  numerous  dwell- 
ings, and  watering  scores  of  tciro  beds ;  affi)rding  drink  to  the 
people,  and  ccmvenience  for  canoe-sailiiig,  it  is  of  more  value 
to  the  inhabitants  than  though  it  were  a  second  Pactolus.  ^ 

The  bosom  of  this  tranquil  stream  has  been  the  sc^ie  of 
many  a  loving  embrace,  and  of  many  a  final  avowal,  by  the 
youthfid  Hawaiians  of  many  generaticms.  Sailing  along  in 
their  swift  canoes  b^ieath  the  6un-lit  sky,  or  when  Nature  was 
bathed  in  the  more  poetic  light  of  the  moon  and  her  attendant 
orbs,  the  zephyrs  alone  caught  those  vows  and  their  acfit  and 
languishing  reeponses.  The  undefinable  emotions  which  Cu- 
pid breathes  in  the  bofiomis  of  his  votaries  a^  not,  and  can  not 
be,  confined  within  the  luxurious  bdWers  of  haughty  potentates. 
Not  merely  do  they  sway  the  ?i(nm,  who  gUde  vdth  smooth 
steps  and  soul-beaming  eyes  through  the  immortal  saloons  in 
Mohammed's  pdx^ise ;  not  merely  does  love  ^ohtaiily  hover 
amid  thd  damask  curtains  dnd  perfumed  couches  of  an  Ori^it- 
al  harem ;  in  all  probalnlity,  it  ^ows  as  intensely  in  the  boa- 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  PO'JNDATIONS. 


^        WAIMEA  HARBOR.  23^ 

oms  of  the  young  Hawaiians,  as  it  did  in  the  soul  of  Sappho 
when  she  composed  her  matchless  "  (Jdes/'  or  died  so  tragical 
a  death  for  the  love  of  Phaon. 

Several  times  I  have  seen  a  muscular  youth,  sitting  opposite 
his  lovely  inamorata,  moving  his  light  canoe  over  the  calm 
waters  of  this  stream,  and  drinking  in  the  soul-fire  that  beam- 
ed in  her  eyes.  It  was  a  bright  scene !  And  his  own  eyes 
seemed  as  bright,  and  his  arm  as  strong  and  active,  while  he 
paid  her  his  attentions,  as  though  the  Golden  Age — of  which 
we  love  frequently  to  dream — ^had  come  back  with  aU  its  glory 
and  purity  to  this  fallen  world.  But  most  of  this  bright  im- 
agery is  mutable  and  of  short  duration,  and  there  are  not  a 
few  who  can  say, 

"  Alas !  our  young  aflfections  run  to  waste, 
Or  water  but  the  desert,  whence  arise 
But  weeds  of  dark  luxuriance,  tares  of  haste, 
Rank  at  the  core,  though  tempting  to  the  eyes ; 
Flowers  whose  wild  odors  breathe  but  agonies. 
And  trees  whose  gums  are  poison ;  such  the  plants 
Which  spring  beneath  her  steps  as  Passion  flies 
0*er  the  world's  wildemess,  and  vainly  pants 
For  some  celestial  fruit  forbidden  to  our  wants." 

The  harbor  of  Waimea  is  merely  an  open  roadstead.  It  is, 
however,  the  best  anchorage  on  the  shores  of  the  island,  and 
is  deemed  perfectly  safe  for  vessek  of  a  large  class,  except  in 
the  months  of  January  and  February,  when  the  trade-winds 
are  interrupted  by  heavy  southwest  winds. 

The  historical  reminiscences  which  cluster  around  this  har- 
bor and  village  are  of  deep  interest  to  a  traveler.  They  speak 
of  bold,  intrepid  men — explorers  of  new  realms — ^who  have 
come  here  at  various  periods,  and  gone  away  forever.  The 
renowned  Cook  anchored  first  in  this  harbor  when  he  first 
discovered  the  group  in  January,  1778.  The  great  and  good 
Vancouver  was  here  in  1792.  It  waa  visited  by  the  United 
.States  Exploring  Expedition  in  1840. 

Cook  has  many  times  been  charged  by  writers — ^but  by 
none  more  than  missionaries — ^with  two  glaring  faults,  name- 
ly, a  clandestine  appropriation  to  his  own  use  of  a  set  of 


232  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

maps  and  charts  found  in  a  Spanish  galleon  that  was  cap- 
tured hy  Lord  Anson  in  1748,  and  also  as  having  introduced 
syphilis  into  the  group  of  islands. 

The  first  of  these  charges  is  decidedly  improhahle ;  the  Sec- 
ond is  exceedingly  questioiiahle. 

So  many  writers  have  trodden  the  same  path  in  asserting 
these  charges,  that  at  this  late  day,  it  may  seem  the  height  of 
presumption  to  attempt  their  refutation.  But  justice  to  truth 
in  great  historical  events,  demands  at  least  a  passing  nbtice. 

The  vessel  said  to  have  heen  captured  by  Lord  Anson  is 
described  as  being  bound  "  from  Manilla  to  the  Russian  set- 
tlements in  America.  On  its  way  from  America,"  it  wad 
seized.  It  is  also  stated,  that  on  her  outward  voyage  thid 
galleon  discovered  "certain  islands,  whose  latitude  agreed 
with  that  of  Hawaii.  The  name  given  them  on  the  chart 
was  JLos  Monjes.  As  they  were  m  the  same  latitude,  and 
in  the  route  from  Manilla  to  Russian  America^  it  is  believed 
that  they  were  the  Sandwich  Islands."* 

The  latter  portion  of  this  paragraph  is  entirely  vague.  A 
mere  hdief  that  the  "jLo5  Monjes''  were  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands did  not  render  them  so.  It  is  thoroughly  understood  that 
modem  navigation  has  corrected  the  geographical  portions 
laid  down  by  itistny  of  tiie  early  explorers  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  is  equally  true  that  the  locations  assigned  by  Cook  to  his 
discoveries  have  been  subsequently  found  to  be  correci.  Tiiis 
nice  accuracy  is  a  noble  comment  on  the  splendid  genius  of 
that  distiriguished  navigator  Whoever  carefully  reiads  the 
narratives  of  his  voyages  will  discover  a  singular  magnanim- 
ity of  character,  a  truthfulness  of  description,  and  a  singleness 
of  purpose,  which  are  seldom  copied  by  men  having  so  mtich 
under  their  command  as  Cook  had.  He  had  candor  enough 
to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  aid  received  i&oin  any 
source  opened  by  previotis  navigators ;  and  no  man  Vt^as  ever 
more  conscious  than  himself  that  such  an  acknowledgment ' 
could  not  have  detracted  fix)m  his  justly  merited  fame.  That 
he  was  the  discoverer  of  the  Sandwich  group  is  evident  from 
*  HA^aiialn  Spectator,  voL  ii,  g.  61. 


CHARGES  AGAINST   COOK.  233 

the  authority  of  the  natives  themselves ;  and,  in  this  instance, 
sudh  authority  is  ample. 

But  there  are  stronger  considerations  than  these.  As  these 
islands  aire  said  to  have  been  the  *'Los  Monjes''  of  the  early 
Spaniards,  and  as  they  were  located  immediately  en  route 
from  Pananda,  Acapulcoj  Mazatlan,  and  other  Spa^nish  Amer- 
ican ports — ^in  which  great  commercial  interests  were  sustained 
— to  ManHla  and  other  Eastern  ports,  is  it  reasonable  to  ad- 
mit that  theiy  would  faQ  to  render  this  gr6up  a  half-way  depot 
for  their  commerce  across  this  ocean  ?  Had  they  fail^  to 
take  this  step,  they  certainly  would  have  called  here  for  water ; 
for  at  that  period,  vessels  used  to  contain  water  at  sea  were ' 
any  ihin^  but  perfect  and  convenient,  and  a  freqtient  supply, 
during  those  long  voyages,  6ould  not  but  be  of  vital  importance 
to  the  crews  and  commanders  of  those  vessels. 

If  we  admit  many  exceptions  that  have  been  urged  against 
lihe  probability  of  these  theories,  there  are  others  of  stiH  great- 
er moment.  They  are  facts,  however,  rather  than  theories. 
It  has  been  stated  that  the  Spaniards  kept  their  knowledge  of 
the  niavigation  of  these  seas  a  profoimd  secret  from  the  rest 
of  liie  commercial  world.*  In  this  instance,  and  for  a  short 
period,  it  might  have  been  done  with  a  view  to  monopolize 
the  commerce  between  the  western  coiist  of  America  and  the 
east  coai^  of  Asia,  as  a  means  of  filling  the  t^ofiers  of  Spain 
throfugh  her  colonies  in  the  West.  And  yet  such  a  step  could 
hot  long  have  been  retained  a  secret ;  hor  would  it  have  ac- 
corded with  tihie  national  chaxacter  of  Spain  at  that  period, 
much  less  would  it  have  been  consonant  ^th  the  boastful  pa- 
geantry of  the  then  ruling  monarch.  From  the  time  of  the 
conquest  of  Granada  by  Ferdinand  the  C/ATdoLic,  Spiin  has 
act  been  backward  to  boast  her  conquests  and  possessions, 
her  arts  and  sciences.     The  discoveries  mide  by  the  great 

*  '^The  Manilla  ships  are  the  only  ones  which  have  traversed  this 
vast  ocean,  except  a  French  straggler  or  two ;  and  during  near  two 
ages,  in  which  this  trade  has  been  carried  on,  the  Spaniards  have, 
with  the  greatest  care,  secreted  all  luicounts  of  their  voyages." — Inr 
troduction  to  Lord  Anson's  Voyages^  p:  15.    London,  1748. 


234  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Columbus,  under  the  auspices  of  the  same  monarch,  remained 
no  secret.  The  knowledge  that  a  western  continent,  or  New 
World  was  found,  spread  from  the  palace  at  Madrid  across 
the  summits  of  the  Alps  and  over  the  Ural  Mountains,  and 
sent  a  profound  thrill  to  the  utmost  limit  of  the  conunercial 
world.  It  opened  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  nations  hy  giv- 
ing a  new  impulse  to  long  dormant  energies.  It  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  the  sword  and  the  crucifix,  precisely  in  the 
same  manner  as  Mohammbd  and  his  successors  conveyed  the 
dread  alternative  of  the  Koran :  the  sword  demolished  the 
sovereignty  of  the  rulers  of  aboriginal  races ;  the  Cross,  borne 
aloft  by  a  haughty  hierarchy,  tore  from  their  altars  and  tem- 
ples the  profuse  trappings  of  a  splendid  paganism.  It  was  in. 
this  way  that  the  Aztec  Empire  crumbled  to  the  dust,  and 
that  the  palaces  of  the  Montezumas  were  deprived  of  their 
original  tenants  to  make  way  for  the  soldiers  of  Cortes.  In 
the  same  way  the  Peruvian  sovereigns  were  hurled  from  their 
thrones,  and  the  Children  of  the  Sun  became  mingled  with 
the  descendants  of  the  conquerors. 

The  Hawaiian  Islands  have  been  peopled  from  time  im- 
memorial. If  they  had  ever  been  discovered  by  Spanish  nav- 
igators, would  not  attempts,  at  least,  have  been  made  by  Spain 
to  reduce  them  to  her  commerce,  laws,  and  religion  ?  Would 
Spain  have  permitted  them  to  be  wrested  from  her  grasp  with- 
out extending  some  remonstrance  ?  Did  Spain  ever  discover 
valuable  territory,  and  not  attempt  to  colonize  it  ?  Did  she 
ever  permit  her  colonies  to  pass  away,  in  silence,  from  her 
grasp  ?  Let  her  national  history  for  three  centuries  past — ^let 
the  youthful  repujihcs  of  South  America— let  the  present  con- 
dition of  Cuba  answer  I 

Hawaiian  history  makes  mention  of  all  the  vessels  that 
have  called  at  the  islands  at  the  time  they  were  about  to 
emerge  to  civilization.  The  prominent  events  recorded  in  that 
history  have  never  been  successfully  disputed.  It  mentions  a 
vessel  which,  generations  ago,  "was  wrecked  in  the  surf  at 
Pale,  Keei  [south  side  of  Kealakeakua  Bay,  Hawaii]."*  The 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  ii,  p.  60. 


CHARGES  AGAINST   COOK.  235 

people  speak  of  the  origin  of  the  group— -of  a  long  line  of  chiefs 
and  kings— of  the  frequent  and  sanguinary  wars  which  devas- 
tated entire  districts,*  but  they  are  silent  about  the  arrival 
of  any  navigator  previous  to  Cook. 

If  the  Spaniards  ever  did  discover  this  archipelago,  then  the 
alence  maintained  by  Hawaiian  history  and  tradition  is  most 
marvelously  strange.  No  navigators  could  have  procured  a 
chart  of  the  group  without  adopting  a  rigid  system  of  inter-* 
island  navigation,  and  in  such  a  proceeding  they  certainly 
would  have  been  seen  by  the  islanders.  The  arrival  of,  the 
first  exploring  ship  could  never  have  been  forgotten  by  a  peo- 
ple entirely  unaccustomed  to  such  a  scene.  When  Cook's 
ships  arrived,  they  awakened  a  curiosity  among  the  Hawaii- 
ans  as  intense  as  did  the  ships  of  Columbus  among  the  ab- 
origines of  the  new  world,  and  the  incident  forms  one  of  the 
leading  features  in  their  historical  records.  It  is,  therefore,  an 
undoubted  fact  that  the  illustrious  Cook  was  the  discoverer 
(tf  the  Sandvnch  Islands,  and  that  he  employed  honorable 
means  in  their  discovery. 

We  come  now  to  the  second  charge — ^that,  at  the  visit  of 
Cook,  the  syphilis^  vnth  its  catalogue  of  attendant  evils,  was 
first  introduced  among  the  Hawaiians.  On  this  point  little 
need  be  said ;  and  I  shall  reserve  the  bulk  of  my  remarks 
until  I  arrive  at  the  causes  of  depopulation.  And  here  I  would 
have  the  reader  understand  that  I  am  pleading  for  no  man  or 
class  of  men,  but  for  truth  in  history.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  condition  of  the  nation  at  the  time  of  Cook's  visit, 
certain  it  is  that  the  conduct  of  his  crews  coiild  not,  and  did 
not,  tend  to  debase  the  people  any  more.  A  darker  picture 
can  not  be  portrayed  of  Hawaiian  character  -at  that  precise 
period  than  is  given  by  their  own  historians.  "  When  foreign 
vessels  first  visited  these  shores,  the  natives  were  enveloped  in 
darkness.  They  worshiped  idols,  were  schooled  and  praxsticed 
in  licentiousness,  and  led  captive  at  the  pleasure  of  Satan,  "t 
"  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  ancient  Hawaiians,  as 
far  back  as  their  own  traditions  go,  were  idolaters,  devoted  to 

*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  il,  p.  211-216.  f  ^^^*  P-  ^l^- 


236  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

sensual  pleasures,  easily  provoked,  and  inflicting  injuries  one 
on  another.*'*  "  There  were  other  evils  also  in  ancient  days. 
Infanticide,  polygamy,  polyandria,  licentiousness,  suicide,  tnur- 
der,  burjring  the  aged  alive,  kilting  ofienders  without  trial, 
robbery,  with  other  turts  of  a  similar  character.  That  time 
was  very  difierent  from  the  present. 

#  *  «  #  «  *  * 

**  The  land  was  full  of  darkness,  folly,  iniqtdty,  oppression, 
pain,  and  death.  A  pit  of  destruction,  dark,  polluted,  deaSy, 
and  ever-burning,  was  the  dwelling  of  the  Hawaiian  in  alicient 
times.'*! 

So  much  for  facts  in  native  testimony.  But  how  it  was 
possible  to  impair  the  morals  of  a  people  to  which  history  so 
plainly  points,  is  the  very  sublime  of  mystery  itself.  There  is 
not  a  darker  page  in  the  history  of  huhianity  than  thi,t  record- 
ed by  Hawaiian  historians  concerning  their  own  people  at  the 
time  the  foreigner  first  landed  upon  their  shores.  "When  Cook 
anchored  his  vessels  in  the  Bay  of  Waimea,  he  took  every  pre- 
cautiont  to  prevent  licentious  intercourse  on  the  part  of  his 
crew.  After  Kakupuu  had  been  ]()reventM  from  stealing  iron 
&om  the  "  strange  ships,"  his  zeal  to  obtain  it  was  in  no  de- 
gree diminished.  A  chief  woman,  who  was  sister  to  the  then 
ruling  king,  KAUBrtrALn,  of  Kauai,  proposed  k  plan  by  which  the 
much-'Wished-for  iron  could  be  secured  (for  iron  was  a  precious 
thing  among  the  early  Hawaiians).  Her  advice  was,  "  Let 
us  not  fight  our  god,Wmt  gratify  him,  that  he  may  be  propi- 

*  tia^aiian  Spectator,  vol  ii,  p.  ^20.        f  IMd.,  vol  R,  p.  445. 

X  "  One  order  given  by  Captain  Cook  at  this  island  was  that  none 
of  the  boats'  crews  should  be  permitted  to  go  on  shore ;  the  reason 
of  which  was,  that  he  might  do  every  thing  in  his  po#er  to  prevent 
the  importation  of  a  fatal  disease.  «  «  *  With  the  salme  view, 
he  directed  that  all  female  visitors  should  be  excluded  from  the  ships. 
Another  necessary  precaution  taken  by  the  captain  was  a  strict  in- 
junction that  no  person  known  to  be  capable  of  propagating  disor- 
der should  be  sent  upon  duty  out  of  the  vessels." — A  Narrative  of 
Ck)OK'8  Voyages,  by  A  Kippis,  D.D.,  F.R.S.  and  aA  London,  1788. 
American  e^tion. 

§  "The  people  were  filled  with  terror  and  confosion,  concluded 


VISIT   TO  AN   EX-QUEEN.  237 

tious."*     It  is  said  that  "  she  gave  her  daughter  to  be  Lono'ft 
(Captain  Coqk's)  wife."t 

Such  is  the  alleged  origin  of  syphilis  in  the  Hawaiian  Isl- 
ajids.  There  is  not  the  least  proof,  however,  that  the  distin- 
guished navigator  accepted  the  offer  made  him  by  the  king'a 
sister.  But,  supposing  his  own  biographers  to  have  done  him 
justice — and  it  may  fairly  be  presumed  that  they  would  aim 
at  correctness — ^there  is  strong  presumptive  proof  to  the  con- 
trary.J 

If  the  reader  will  pardpn,  this  long  digression,  and,  if  he 
feels  inclined,  blame  truth  rather  than  my  love  of  rambljng,  I 
promise  him  he  shall  have  little  cause  for  a  similar  complaint 
through  the  rest  of  thes^  l>ages. 

Soon  after  my  arriv£^  at  ^aimea  I  had  the  honor,  of  an  in- 
terview with  Blapule,  an  ex-queen,  and  once  the  favorite  wife 
of  the  last  king  of  K^uai.  She  had  removed  her  residence  from 
Wailua,  and  taken  up  her  permanent  abode  at  this  village,  ' 
once  the  seat  of  her  ancestors.  I  found  her  occupying  a  neat, 
stone  house,  handsomely  matted  on  the  floor  of  the  apartment ; 
for  there  was  only  one,  and  that  served  for  every  purpose. 
There  was  something  about  it  that  indicated  ease,  comfort, 
and  dignity,  ^though  not  so  inunense  as  formerly,  Kafule's 
physical  bulk  was  pretty  soUd.  In  height  she  was  nearly  six 
feet,  and  her  weight  between  two  and  three  hundred  pounds. 
Her  age  was  above  sixty.  Her  countenance  was  the  very  seat 
of  perfect  good-nature,  and  her  conversation  was  exceedingly 
cheerM.  Her  "  maids  (?)  of  honor"  were  two  or  three  of  the 
Handsomest  girls  I  saw  on  the  group.     In  1824,  she  bore  arms 

that  the  foreigners  were  superior  beings,  called  the  captain,  and  gave 
him  the  name  of  Lono.*' — 'DwiiLE*s  JUstory,  p.  82. 

*  Hawaiian  Spectator^  voL  il,  p.  62.  t  I^id* 

t  "H^  possessed,:  in  an  eminent  degree,  all  the  qualifications  req- 
uisite for  his  professions  and  great  undertakings,  together  with  the 
amiable  and  worthy  qualities  of  the  best  of  men. 

"Mild,  jost^  but  exact  in  discipline,  he  was  a  father  to  his  pe<^le, 
who  were  attached  to  him  from  affection,  and  obedient  from  confi- 
dtmce.** — Introduction  to  CJook's  Voyagen^  p.  8t.    London,  1*786. 


238  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

in  the  old  stone  fort  against  the  insurgent  warriors.  She  has 
always  retained  the  reputation  of  kindness  to  foreigners — a 
report  which  her  deportment  toward  myself  amply  sustained. 

But  Kapule's  history  has  been  an  eventful  one.  "When  her 
husband  had  ceded  this  island  to  Kamehameha  the  Great,  it 
was  thought  that  she  exercised  too  much  influence  over  him. 
By  royal  authority  he  was  admonished  to  put  her  away ;  but 
she  was  his  favorite  wdfe,  and  his  heart  clung  to  her  with  an 
intense  affection,  and  the  order  was  disregarded.  Soon  after 
the  cession  of  the  island,  the  conqueror  was  summoned  to  the 
world  of  spirits.  The  imperious  Kaahuuanu  was  almost  in- 
consolable at  the  loss  of  her  royal  husband.  Suddenly  she 
bethought  herself  of  the  King  of  Kauai.  He  was  the  hand- 
somest man  on  the  group,  and  his  own  son  ranked  next  with 
him  in  this  particular.  But  the  bereaved  woman  was  a  queen ! 
So  she  sent  an  order  to  Kauai  for  the  king  and  his  son  to  await 
her  pleasure  at  her  royal  apartments  in  Honolulu.  They  obey- 
ed the  summons,  and  on  the  9th  of  October,  1821,  both  father 
and  son  were  secured  to  her  conjugal  bed  by  the  tie  of  mar- 
riage !  Thus  Kapule  was  deprived  of  both  husband  and  child 
in  a  single  day !  Subsequently  she  was  expelled  from  the 
Church  for  an  indulgence  which  ^would  have  l^en  legitimate 
had  not  her  Uege  lord  been  snatched  away  from  her  to  share 
the  couch  of  a  royal  paramour.* 

On  the  east  bank,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Waimea  River,  stand 
the  remains  of  a  fort  built  by  an  agent  of  the  Russian  colony 
at  Sitka.  The  walls  are  composed  of  large  masses  of  basaltic 
rock,  mingled  with  lava  stones  that  have  been  insecurely  put 
together.  It  has  been  said  that  the  agent  aspired  to  a  lease 
of  the  whole  island,  and  that  he  built  this  fort  for  its  defense- — 
a  thing  totally  improbable  and  impossible.  But  the  fort  was 
erected  under  the  auspices  of  Kaumualu,  the  king  of  the  island. 
The  magazine  was  completed,  a  flag-staff*  erected,  and  on  the 
seaward  wall  several  guns  were  mounted. 

At  this  stage  of  the  work  (in  1820),  news  was  carried  to 

*  Since  leaving  the  Sandwich  Islands,  I  have  received  the  intelli- 
gence that  Kapule  died  at  Waimea,  Kauai,  August  26,  1858. 


A   SABBATH  AT   WAIMEA.  239 

Oahu  that  the  Russians,  through  their  agent,  Dr.  Schoof,  were 
about  to  seize  the  island  of  Kauai.  Kamehameha  the  Great, 
and  Kjllaimoku,  a  high  chief  of  Oahu,  viewed  the  proceedings 
with  alarm.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  the  King  of  Kauai  or- 
denng  him  to  expel  the  doctor  forthwith.  The  mandate  was 
immediately  compUed  with,  and  the  ambitious  agent  was  ban- 
ished from  his  possessions. 

But  widely  difierent  was  that  half-finished  fortress  at  the 
time  of  my  visit  from  its  condition  at  the  time  the  E^ussian 
agent  was  expelled.  Then  it  was  impregnable  to  the  fiery 
assaults  of  the  rebel  forces,  and  the  engines  of  death  sent  their 
echoes  far  over  the  bay  and  up  the  peaceful  river.  But  now 
every  gun  was  dismounted ;  the  powder  magazine  was  used 
as  a  native  dwelling ;  while  the  interior  of  the  old  ruin  was 
cultivated  for  the  purpose  of  raising  sweet  potatoes  {Convcl- 
vtdzcs  batatus).  Some  half  dozen  shoeless  and  stockingless — 
and  almost  every  thing  else-less — soldiers,  without  arms  and 
ammunition,  were  lounging  over  the  useless  guns,  or  stretched 
on  their  backs  upon  the  hard  stones,  and  under  a  tropical  sun, 
with  mouths  wide  open,  and  fast  asleep.  I  knew  not  which 
looked  the  most  desolate,  the  ruin  itself,  or  its  ruined  defend- 
ejp,  ycleped  soldiers. 

As  a  mission  station,  Waimea  is  extremely  uninviting. 
There  is  no  special  incentive  to  any  man  to  go  there  and  re- 
side as  a  missionary,  and  a  life-devotion  to  a  people  living  in 
such  a  region  as  that  is  the  strongest  evidence  that  a  man  is 
actuated  solely  by  the  purest  motives  for  the  furtherance  of 
moral  good.-  The  scenery  is  of  a  bleak  and  changeless  char- 
acter ;  the  climate  is  warm,  dry,  and  choking.  The  eye  rests 
on  no  splendid  groves  and  foUage-clad  bills,  as  it  does  at  nearly 
every  other  station  on  the  group.  A  comparative  desolation 
frowns  back  the  tourist's  gaze.  The  only  feature  of  physical 
beauty  is  the  river  and  a  portion  of  the  valley  through  which 
it  flows. 

I  spent  one  Sunday  at  Waimea.  It  was  one  of  such  a  na- 
ture as  I  can  never  forget,  nor  can  I  repel  the  desire  to  at- 
tempt a  partial  description  of  it.     On  going  to  the  native 


240  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Church,  I  found  the  audience  nearly  all  afisembled,  A  solemn; 
silence  and  decorum  pervaded  that  audience  and  the  entire 
scene.  The  building  in  whjch  services  were  conducted  had 
formerjy  been  occupied  as  a  private  dwelling-house.  It  waa 
now  in  a  stat;e  of  rapid  decay ;  the  g]:ass  was  nearly  all  torn, 
off  the  outsides,  and  the  roof  was  about  tumbling  in .  Through 
the  wide  apertures  caused  by  the  lost  thatch  from  the  side 
facing  the  south,  an  extensive  view  of  the  ocean  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  its  foaming  surges  could  be  seen  at  a  few  yards' 
distance.  The  missionary  commenced  the  services  of  the  daj. 
with  a  brief  invocation.  A  hymn  was  sung,  in  which  all  the 
congregation  appeared  to  unite.  As  their  song  of  praise  ag^ 
cended  on  high,  the  everlasting  hymn  of  the  ocean  mingled, 
with  it,  and  produced  such  an  effect  on  my  own  entire  being 
as  I  had  never  before  felt.  The  text  was  announced.  It  spoke 
of  eternal  life  and  eternal  death.  Every  auditor  himg  with 
an  intense  attention  on  the  words  of  the  missionary.  A  da- 
guerreotype of  ^that  audience,  as  it  then  appeared,  would  be 
invaluable  to  a  physiognomist.  There  was  every  variety  of 
coimtenance.  There  were  the  young,  just  starting  out  upon, 
life's  great  race,  but  gay  and  cheerful.  There  were  others 
who  could  look  down  from  the  summit  of  life's  meridian,  wdth 
either  shore  of  life's  ocean  in  view.  There  sat  the  far  ad- 
vanced in  age,  their  gray  locks  sprinkled  thinly  over  their  deep-, 
furrowed  foreheads,  and  their  limbs  bearing  many  a  scar  from 
engagements  rnider  the  standards  of  Kamehameha  I.  In  front 
of  the  pulpit  sat  the  old  ex-queen  Kapule,  absorbed  in  what 
she  heard.  And,  as  that  dusky  audience  sat  there,  with  the 
most  profound  attention  to  the  words  of  their  teacher,  the 
ever-glorious  sun  gilded  the  sky,  and  land,  and  ocean  vdth  his 
matchless  hght ;  and  there  was  a  continuation  of  that  same 
ocean  anthem,  solemn,  grand,  impressive,  as  though  it  felt  the 
impress  of  its  Maker's  footsteps,  and  had  opened  its  many  lips 
to  proclaim  his  presence. 

At  the  close  of  that  sacred  day,  when  I  sought  the  repose 
of  my  p^low,  I  was  wakeful  from  the  most  vivid  feelings.  It 
was  not  because  that  Hawaiian  congregation  had  wielded  such 


MISSIONARY   LABOR.  341 

a  moral  influence  over  me  that  I  had  become  a  proselyte — ^not 
that  they  were  more  moral  than  the  people  in  any  other  part 
of  the  group ;  but  that  sea-side  dilapidated  house  of  worship, 
ihe  solemn  attention  of  that  varied  audience,  and  that  same 
sublime  ocean  anthem  rolled  before  me  in  quiet  succession. 
Then  came  the  grand  and  imposing  truth  :  "  Jehovah  dwell- 
eth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands !"  and  yet  I  felt  His  pres- 
ence that  day,  in  that  old  house  of  worship,  and  in  that  hymn 
of  the  restless  waves.  Then  came  the  stem  conviction  that, 
whatever  may  be  said  of  the  hypocrisy  of  native  Christians, 
they  were  not  all  insincere  whom  I  had  seen  that  day — no, 
not  aU!  And,  as  I  continued  to  reflect  on  these  themes,  I 
could  not  help  wishing  that  I  myself  was  a  better  man. 

On  few  topics  connected  with  the  islands  has  more  been 
said  and  written'  than  on  missionary  labor.  It  is  an  incon- 
trovertible truth,  that  it  is  Twt  all  a  farce !  The  best  mode 
of  testing  the  truth  of  this  position  is  for  a  man  to  lay  aside 
every  preconceived  opinion,  and  quietly  traverse  the  hills, 
mountains,  plains,  and  valleys,  where  missionary  labor  has 
been  performed,  and  then  form  an  estimate  of  things  as  he 
finds  them  !  He  must  then  compare  the  present  with  the 
PAST  of  thirty  years  ago,  with  just  the  same  sense  of  responsi- 
biUty  as  though  things  of  the  mightiest  moment  awaited  his 
decisions ;  and,  unless  I  am  entirely  mistaken  in  what  consti- 
tutes an  honest  conscience,  his  conclusion  will  be,  that  such 
men  as  the  missionary  at  Waimea  have  done  much  good.  It 
is  a  self-evident  fact,  that,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  Hawaiians 
are  morally  and  physically  happier  now  than  they  were  before 
the  introduction  of  Christianity. 

There  is  a  great  proneness  to  fling  around  missionary  en- 
terprise a  few  touches  of  romance  and  poetry,  and  this  is 
usually  done  when  a  ship  is  about  leaving  her  moorings,  to 
convey  a  band  of  missionaries  to  a  distant  region  of  the  globe. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  poetry  in  those  throbbing  bosoms,  and 
dewy  eyes,  and  warm  grasps  of  the  hand,  as  the  ship  leaves 
her  wharf  to  proceed  on  her  way — Cleaving  woods  and  mount- 
ains, literary  institutions,  friends  and  flresides,  far  behind,  until 

L 


242 


SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


they  seem  to  have  sunk  beneath  the  wave  that  reflects  the 
pale  and  trembling  twilight.  All  this,  however,  is  perfectly 
natural,  and  ought  not  to  call  forth  the  least  surprise  &om  a 
mere  looker-on. 

But  the  poetry  which  invests  such  scenes  is  of  an  abstract 
character,  and  more  properly  belongs  to  the  Churches  at  home 
than  the  stations  of  the  right  kind  of  men  abroad.  I  have 
seen  that  in  the  work  of  some  missionaries  on  the  Sandwich 
group  and  elsewhere,  which  bar  convinced  me  that  the  life  <^ 
a  thoroughly  philanthropic  Christiaa  teacher  is  a  stem  reality. 
I  found  a  new  church  in  process  of  erection  at  Waimea.  For 
five  long  years  it  had  been  in  progress;  and  the  missionary  has 
accompanied  the  natives  to  the  mountains,  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant, to  hew  wood,  and  to  the  quarry,  several  miles  over  the 
plains  to  the  westward,  to  procure  stone.  That  building  was 
nearly  completed  when  I  saw  it,  and  when  finished  it  would 
be  a  credit  to  any  town  in  the  United  States. 


AMERICAN  MISSION  CHUBCH. 
\ 


VOLCANIC   FEATURES.  343 

^ ^ ^ 

This  fiibric  was  only  a  portion  of  that  missionary's  kbor  ; 
but  it  will  be  his  monument  when  the  hands  that  have  rear- 
ed it  have  gone  back  to  their  primitive  dust/ and  the  mind 
that  designed  it  has  gone  to  expand  in  a  clime  where  there 
are  no  evening  shadows.  When  himian  destiny  receives  its 
final  seal,  such  an  epitaph  as  this  will  be  of  more  value  than 
the  thrones  of  Alexandeb,  and  Cjesxr. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

FROM  WAIM£A   TO   KOLO. 

Volcanic  Features.— Tobacco  Flantations. — ^Wild  Cotton. — ^Plains 
and  Vegetation. — NohUi,  or  Sounding  Sands. — ^Probable  Theory 
of  Sound. — ^A  Night  at  Kolo. — ^Proceedinga  of  a  Hawaiian  Family. 
— Kindness  to  the  Traveler. — Poi-maTring.— rEvening  Devotions. 
— ^Return  to  Koloa. — ^Departure  from  Kauai — ^The  ''Middle  Pas- 
sage.''— ^A  Tribute  to  Neptune. — ^Recent  Steam-boat  Project — Its 
Importance  and  Necessity. 

Beyond  the  village  of  Waimea  the  traveler's  path  stxetdhes 
(Tver  the  plains  forming  the  seaward  portion  of  the  district  of 
Mana.  These  plains  are  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  their 
average  width  two.  Their  physical  character  is  strictly  allu- 
vial. The  substratum  is  a  fine  oceanic  sand,  mingled  with 
fine  coral  and  shells ;  the  upper  fomiation  is  composed  of  de- 
eayed  v^etaUe  matter, 'mingled  with  a  rich  deposit  of  de- 
composed lava,  washed  down  by  the  rains  from  the  adjacent 

These  plains  axe  bounded  on  the  north  by  a  lofty  range  of 
volcanic  hills,  resembling,  in  some  places,  the  Palisades  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson.  Upon  'thona  are  superimposed  rugged 
table-lands,  of  a  gradual  ascent  as  &r  as  the  central  peaks  of 
the  island.  These  table-lands  are  formed  by  a  continuation 
of  layers  that  were  originated  during  the  periodical  eruptions 
of  Mauna  Waialeale,  This  formation  ha«  evidently  progress- 
ed when  the  sea  swept  over  the  plains  stretching  from  Wai- 
noea  to  Kolo.     The  first  strata  that  waB  formed  above  the  sea 


244  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

circumscribed  the  limits  of  the  south  side  of  the  island.  The 
oceans  of  lava  that  have  formed  successive  strata  flowed  on- 
ward to  this  prescribed  limit,  where  they  were  suddenly  ar- 
rested by  being  broken  abruptly,  or  cooled  by  the  atmosphere, 
thus  forming  an  abrupt  boundary  or  wall  against  which  the 
waves  of  the  sea  once  rolled  in  all  their  majesty  and  strength. 

Subsequent  to  these  formations,  they  have  been  rent  asund^ 
by  mighty  earthquakes.  As  the  traveler  passes  along  at  this 
day,  he  almost  fancies  that  the  old  Hawaiian  gods  may  have 
torn  up  these  immense  masses  by  their  roots  during  their  angry 
or  sportive  moments,  and  flung  them  about  merely  for  recrea- 
tion. The  eye  rests  on  single,  double,  and  triple  valleys,  or  ra- 
vines, whose  steeps  it  is  impossible  to  climb,  and  at  whose  bases 
a  few  straggling  natives  have  reared  their  rude  houses.  This 
wild  and  savage  scenery  extends  as  fax  as  Kolo,  where  the 
land-travel  terminates. 

About  a  mile  west  of  Waimea  village  is  the  spot  where  the 
first  English  boat  landed  from  Cook's  expedition.  It  is  op- 
posite a  couple  of  cocoa-nut-trees,  which  were  pointed  out  to 
me  by  the  natives  as  the  only  memorial  of  that  event.  But 
on  such  a  spot,  a^d  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  surrounding 
scenery,  they  seemed  to  be  the  most  fitting  monuments.  I 
first  saw  them  at  the  hour  of  noon,  when  the  sun  was  at  the 
hottest,  and  shedding  an  ocean  of  light  on  the  fair  sand-beach. 
Begardless  of  the  crowd  of  natives  that  surrounded  me,  and  of 
the  noon-day  hour,  I  walked  along  the  same  shore,  and  bathed 
in  the  same  clear  waters  that  had  witnessed  the  landing  of 
the  distinguished  navigator  seventy-five  years  ago !  It  was 
here  that  the  Hawaiians  first  saw  the  face  of  a  white  man ; 
here,  that  they  looked  upon  him  as  a  god.  Little  did  Cook 
think,  at  that  moment,  that  he  would  find  a  grave  on  the 
shores  of  this  far-distant  archipelago. 

At  Waiawa,  five  miles  west  of  Waimiea,  I  met  a  cordial  re- 
ception by  some  tobacco-planters,  who  kindly  showed  me  over 
their  estates.  The  planters  held  their  lands  on  a  lease  from 
the  government.  They  had  commenced  their  plan  of  opera- 
tions on  a  limited  capital,  but  success  was  nobly  crowning 


TOBACCO  PLANTATIONS.  245 

their  efforts.  One  of  them  had  tried  experiments  in  the  Valley 
of  Hanalei,  but  the  too  frequent  rains  interdicted  his  success. 
The  south  side  of  the  island  is  th^  most  suitable  for  the  cul- 
ture of  tobacco.  Here  the  plant  attains  a  large  size,  and  is 
of  superior  quality.  I  took  the  dimensions  of  one  plant,  and 
ascertained  its  largest  leaves  to  be  three  feet  long,  and  twenty 
inches  broad.  The  plants  were  all  young,  of  the  species  call- 
ed Nicotiana  tahacwm. 

Made  up  into  cigars  by  skillful  fingers,  this  tobacco  would 
satisfy  the  wishes  of  the  most  fastidious  connoisseur  of  the 
**  Virginny  weed."  Native  labor  is  available — ^for  Hawaiians 
are  passionately  fond  of  smoking,  and  their  services  can  be 
procured  at  twenty-five  cents  per  day.  Experienced  men, 
having  but  little  capital,  could  commence  this  Dusiness  on  this 
group,  and  in  a  short  time  realize  a  very  handsome  income. 
An  amount  of  tobacco  could  be  annually  raised  which  would 
exceed  the  financial  receipts  for  1852-'3,*  and,  judiciously 
managed,  it  could  not  fail  to  be  a  source  of  profit  to  the  na- 
tional treasury. 

On  these  plains  the  wild  cotton-tree  {Ghssypiv/ni  vitifdi- 
vm)  is  found  in  abundance.  Cotton,  as  well  as  tobacco,  can 
.  be  successfully  cultivated  here  and  on  other  portions  of  the 
group.  In  this  region,  vegetation  luxuriates  in  a  manner  un- 
surpassed by  few  places  even  in  the  tropics. 

At  a  distance  of  nearly  six  miles  beyond  these  tobacco  plan- 
tations, there  is  a  singular  phenomenon,  called  by  the  natives 
Nbhilif  and  by  foreigners  the  Soimding  Sands.  It  is  a  mound 
of  sand  about  a  hundred  feet  high,  located  immediately  on  the 
sea-shore,  and  forms  the  southern  point  of  a  ridge  of  sand-hills 
extending  in  an  acute  angle  to  the  terminus,  of  the  plain  at 
Kolo.  This  ridge  has  been  formed  by  the  combined  influence 
of  the  ocean  on  one  side  and  the  winds  on  the  other.  To  test 
the  truth  of  what  report  had  stated,  I  induced  two  natives  to 
ascend  the  mound.  On  reaching  its  summit,  one  of  them 
placed  himself  on  his  chest,  while  the  other  seized  his  feet  and 
dragged  him  dovm  to  the  bottom.  During  this  operation,  a 
*  See  Appendix  IL 


246  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

floand,  MB  of  distant  thunder,  or  of  the  stuting  of  heavy  ma- 
chinery, was  distinctly  heard.  It  was  sufficiently  kod  to 
startle  my  tired  hone.  After  taking  him  away  some  distance 
orer  the  plain,  and  securing  him  to  a  shruh,  I  walked  hack 
and  tried  the  expenmoit  I  had  seen  conducted  hy  the  nathres, 
and  the  same  result  was  produced. 

Sudi  an  unusual  phenomenon  was  highly  interesting,  and 
induced  me  to  linger  for  a  time  on  the  spot.  On  a  micro- 
scopic examination,  I  found  the  sand  to  he  a  comlmiatioQ  of 
small  oceanic  shells,  and  conl  resemhling  crushed  talc,  hut 
Tory  hard.  There  was  nothing  in  the  physical  conformation 
of  the  ridge  of  hills  that  could  induce  an  echo,  nor  did  the 
mound  itself  rest  on  any  apparent  cavernous  foimation.  The 
wind  was  Uowing  frcnn  the  south  hy  east,  and  swe^fnng  near- 
ly in  a  direct  line  along  the  hills.  I  observed  that  when  the 
wind  was  rather  light,  the,  sounds  emitted  hy  the  mound  dur- 
ing the  sliding  down  of  the  natives  were  proportionately  hght, 
and  so  vice  versa.  It  se^Do^  conclusive  that  the  atomic 
character  of  the  hill  was  such  as  necessarily  to  ahsorh  a  h^ge 
amount  of  atmosphere ;  that  the  moving  of  an  extraneous 
hody  down  its  sides  induced  a  rapid  vibraticai  of  atnK)6;^)^c 
fluid,  and  that  the  direct  result  was  crepitati<m. 

Night  was  creeping  over  the  face  of  nature  when  I  had 
completed  my  explorations  of  this  phenomenon.  To  return 
to  Waimea  that  night  was  impossible,  and  the  only  alterna- 
tive was  to  stay  virith  the  first  fomily  at  whose  house  I  might 
arrive.  Among  the  numerous  iirchins  whom  my  visit  at- 
tracted to  the  Sounding  Sands,  there  was  a  young  lad,  who 
appeared,  from  some  cause  unknown  to  myself,  to  take  no 
small  degree  of  interest  in  ipy  movements.  Anticipating  my 
need  of  a  night's  lodgings,  he  requested  me  to  follow  him. 
He  mounted  a  horse  sans  saddle  and  every  accoutrement,  and 
sped  away  over  the  plain ;  while  his  shirt — ^his  only  garment ! 
— ^was  occasionally  blown  over  his  head  by  the  wind.  As  the 
last  ray  of  the  evening  twilight  was  merging  into  darkness, 
my  guide  halted  in  front  of  a  commodious  house,  located  in 
the  extreme  comer  of  the  plain. 


KINDNESS  TO  THE  TRAVELER.        247 

In  the  front  of  this  native  dweUing  a  huge  wood  fete  was 
blazing.  '^From  ^e  nmnb^  of  culinary  utensils  which  w^re 
stationed  around  it,  and  simmering  away  like  the  enchanted  cal- 
drons of  the  witches  in  "  Macbeth,"  one  might  easily  have  con- 
cluded, that  the  family  were  about  giving  a  feast  to  their  neigh- 
bors for  miles  around.  Some  half  dozen  good-natured  "oZo- 
has  f ' '  spoken  at  once,  made  me  feel  quite  at  home.  Alighting 
from  my  horse,  and  having  seen  him  deposited  in  a  good  pas- 
ture for  the  night,  I  entered  the  domicile,  which  was  faintly 
illiunined  with  torches  of  the  candle-nut  {Aleurites  triloba). 

The  arrival  of  an  entire  stranger  seemed  to  be  a  signal  for 
a  g^ieral  family  convention.  The  smoking  viands  outside 
-^ere  for  a  moment  forsaken  to  self-quiet,  while  men,  women, 
and  children  came  tumbling  over  each  other  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  a  glimpse  at  the  "  to^"  (foreigner).  If  I  had  not 
been  previously  informed  that  foreigners  were  infrequent  vis- 
itors to  Kolo,  a  mere  glance  would  have  satisfied  me  of  the 
truth  of  the  matter.  I  sat  perched  up  on  a  sort  of  saw-bench, 
while  the  group  crowded  close  around  my  feet,  surv^ring  my 
appearance  and  my  every  motion ;  and  in  this  position  I  re- 
mained for  some  minutes — ^the  object  of  a  general  scrutiny. 
Squatting  on  their  mats  in  a  way  pecuhaxly  a  la  Kanaka^ 
they  presented  a  group  that  would  have  been  invaluable  on 
canvas.  There  sat  two  old  men,  who  might  have  shared  in 
the  battles  of  Kamehameha  the  Great.  Beside  them  sat 
their  consorts^— of  suitable  age,  good-looking  women,  apparent- 
ly of  iron  constitution.  There  were  several  persons  in  the 
meridian  of  Hfe,  and  a  few  others,  of  both  sexes,  varying  in 
years,  from  the  playing  child  to  early  manhood.  But  they 
were  all  one  family. 

When  their  curiosity  had  somewhat  abated,  they  proceeded 
to  make  their  comments  and  indulge  their  witticisms  aj;  my 
expense.  They  asked  me  a  variety  of  questions,  which  I  an- 
swered to  the  best  of  my  ability,  and  to  their  no  small  amuse- 
ment. At  last  one  of  the  two  elder  women  came  and  sat 
down  close  to  me,  passed  her  hand  over  my  limbs,  and  then 
across  my  chest,  and  ^hed  to  know  if  I  was  ''  full ;"  in  other 


348  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

words,  if  I  were  hungry.  I  gave  her  a  negative  replv.  In  a 
short  time,  a  calabash  of  wild  pork  immediately  from  the  boil- 
ing caldron,  a  pile  of  hot  taro,  a  calabash  of  water,  and  a 
huge  calabash  oi  poi,  were  placed  before  me,  or  rather  on  a 
mat  on  each  side  of  my  bench.  My  very  hospitable  entertain- 
ers meant  well,  but  theif^ood  remained  untasted,  for  the  mere 
appearance  of  it  was  enough  to  disgust  an  appetite  less  fastidi- 
ous than  mine.  I  had  already  conceived  an  insurmountable 
disgust  of  sour  poi,  and  its  sickly  aspect,  so  semi-civilized,  at 
once  annihilated  my  voracity ;  so  I  swallowed  a  draught  of 
water,  filled  a  pipe  with  tobacco,  and  began  to  smoke. 

A  question  now  arose  in  my  own  mind  where  I  shoiild  re- 
pose. There  were  twenty-seven  persons  in  that  family,  all 
told.  I  saw  no  prospect  before  me  but  that  of  sharing  the 
"  field-bed,"  which  I  felt  assured  would  be  enjoyed  by  every 
member  of  that  domicile,  and  it  was  a  prospect  I  by  no  means 
coveted.  But  this  difficulty  soon  vanished.  Two  of  the  men 
instantly  set  to  work  and  rigged  up  a  rude  frame,  over  which 
they  stretched  an  entire  raw-hide.  A  woman  then  threw  a 
rough  mattress  upon  it,  and  several  sheets  of  kapa  (native 
cloth).  While  these  preparations  were  making,  I  was  squat- 
ting on  the  mat,  passing  my  pipe  firom  one  to  another  until  it 
had  made  a  family  tour,  the  youngest  children  excepted. 

No  sooner  had  I  sought  my  pillow  than  a  space  was  cleared 
in  the  centre  of  the  apartment,  and  a  couple  of  men  com- 
menced making  poi.  On  a  former  page  I  have  described  the 
process,  so  I  need  not  waste  words  in  repetition.  The  labor 
ci  making  it,  however,  could  not  be  very  light,  for  they  were 
entirely  nude  excepting  their  maloSy*  and  their  bodies  glisten- 
ed with  sweat  as  though  they  had  been  oiled.  To  enhven 
their  work,  each  man  indulged  in  copious  inhalations  of  their 
lighted  pipes.  An  old  woman  sat  on  one  side  of  the  tray,  and 
a  naked  child  on  the  other,  picking  up  the  pieces  of  boiled  taro 
that  were  scattered  by  the  stone  ^xw'-mallets ;  these  were  put 
back  to  be  pounded  up  with  the  general  batch  of  food,  which 
was  a  compound  of  sweat,  tobacco  smoke,  and  dust,  scraps  of 
*  A  narrow  girdle  orossed  round  the  loins. 


0>*  A 

is 

I 


1/ 


I 


(a)  Calabash  for  |wi.  (d<()  Poiii 

(ft)  Calabaafa  for  fish.  (e)  Ptn  trough, 

(c)  Water  bottle.  (/)  Natire  bracelet. 

(^,  *y  i  i)  Fiddle,  flute,  and  drama. 

L2 


tHl:  i<£\v  yoF?K 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


.A8T0R,  LENOX  AND 

TILDEN  FOUNDATIONSo 


EVENINO  DEVOTIONS.  ggj 

taro  that  had  been  recovered  firom  the  dirty  mat,  and  sundry 
other  unmentionables.  If  this  meagre  descripti<Hi  has  been 
sufficiently  graphic  fox  the  reader's  comprehension,  I  trust  he 
will  pardon  my  decided  abhorrence  oipaiy  and  think  none  the 
less  of  Hawaiian  domesticity  when  I  assure  him  that  it  is  the 
staff  of  life  to  the  Sandwich  Islanders ! 

The  sound  of  the  |io^-mallets,  and  coming  to  the  conclusion 
that  I  was  more  than  ever  opposed  to  the  article  in  question, 
lulled  me  to  sleep.  But  the  voice  of  singing  at  length  awoke 
me.  At  first  I  supposed  I  was  in  tibe  land  of  dreams ;  but  a 
continaatiQn  of  the  sounds  reassured  me.  Partially  raising 
myself  on  (me  elbow,  I  soon  saw  that  the  family  had  formed 
a  circle,  and  were  engaged  in  family  devotions.  They  were 
singing  Hebeb's  magnificent  '^  Missionary  Hymn,*'  commenc- 
ing with  the  words 

"  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains.'* 
At  such  a  time,  in  such  a  place,  under  such  circumstances,  I 
frankly  admit  I  was  much  astonished.  Their  song  of  praise 
was  ccmduded,  and  the  patriarch  of  the  family,  with  hair  as 
white  as  the  snows  of  winter,  and  with  a  face  heavily  scarred 
by  wounds  received  in  youthful  struggles  on  the  field  of  battle, 
knelt  down  in  the  centre  of  the  group  to  pray.  I  shall  never 
£>rget  his  upturned  and  solemn  countenance,  his  pathetic  invo- 
catiiHi — "  E  Iehovah  !"  so  strictly  Hawaiian  in  its  character, 
and  o^red  up  to  the  true  God.  I  shall  never  forget  the  as- 
pect of  that  bending  and  devotional  family.  At  this  mom^it 
I  feel  an  irresistible  impulse  to  record  the  sum  of  my  impres- 
sions created  that  night  by  that  scene. 

Had  I  been  a  disputant  against  the  divinity  of  Christianity, 
that  acem  and  its  associations,  so  simple,  unlocked  for,  and 
sublime,  would  have  put  upon  my  Ups  the  seal  of  perpetual 
silence.  To  that  family  I  was  totally  a  stranger,  and  they 
were  equally  strangers  to  me.  The  only  thing  they  felt  solicr 
itous  about  was  to  have  me  as  comfortably  lodged  as  possible. 
They  knew  not  that  I  was  not  soundly  asleep ;  therefore,  in 
this  instance  at  least,  they  effected  no  disguise  of  their  paoral 
sentiments.    That  act  of  devotion  was  the  spontaneous  gush- 


252  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ing  forth  of  feelings  at  once  sacred  and  grand,  for  they  be- 
longed to  God ;  and  that  family  group  only  gave  what  was 
justly  due  to  the  universal  Parent  of  Good. 

It  is  not  the  only  instance  of  the  kind  that  I  have  seen  on 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  To  a  wide  extent,  the  Hawaiians  axe 
charged  with  hypocrisy,  and,  to  a  wide  extent,  that  charge  is 
just ;  but  I  envy  not  the  feelings  of  that  man  who  can  find 
no  good  among  them.  Of  the  many  who  have  quietly  wor- 
shiped their  Maker,  and  gone  to  the  grave,  and  been  received 
up  on  high,  the  day  of  judgment  will  best  decide.  Think  on 
it,  ye  misanthropes !  and  ye  who  never  bend  your  knee,  only 
in  a  cushioned  sUp,  beneath  gorgeous  domes,  that  serve  only  to 
mock  the  search  of  the  soul  after  heaven's  Monarch ! 

I  arose  next  morning  with  the  gray  dawn,  refreshed  with  a 
night's  sound  repose,  and  took  a  final  leave  of  that  family. 

On  returning  to  Koloa,  I  was  storm-stayed  several  days. 
At  length  the  skies  again  became  clear,  and  the  ocean  re- 
sumed its  cahn,  azure  smile.  I  engaged  a  passage  in  the 
schooner  *^  Chance,"  Spunyam,  master,  and  1^  a  sincere  fare- 
well to  the  Island  of  Kauai. 

The  inter-island  navigation  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  ut- 
terly repulsive,  the  only  mode  of  transit  being  by  small  schoon- 
ers, owned  chiefly  by  natives.  Those  who  have  never  made 
one  of  these  passages  can  form  no  conception  of  their  loath- 
some character,  and  they  who  have  gone  through  the  ordeal 
have  bestowed  upon  it  the  very  expressive  appellation  of  the 
"  middle  passage."  A  foreigner  takes  up  his  abode  in  a  very 
diminutive  place  below  deck,  dignified  ^  the  title  of  calnn. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  the  effluvia  of  bilge  water,  and  a 
few  inexpressibles,  compels  him  to  take  refuge  on  d^.  This 
step  is  certain  to  cause  discontent  among  the  native  passen- 
gers, and  they  are  usually  very  numerous  ;  fw,  although  they 
pay  but  a  fifjh  of  the  passage-money  paid  by  a  foreigner,  and 
are  found  in  provisions,  too,  at  that,  they  lay  a  stem  claim  to 
the  whole  of  the  decks,  fore  and  aft.  It  is  not  at  all  uncom- 
mon for  thaoa  to  gorge  themselves  with  fish  and  pai  before 
starting.     (I  really  beg  the  reader's  pardon  for  the  very  fi«- 


THE   "MIDDLE   PASSAGE."  353 

quent  use  of  the  woid  poi^  but  it  is  imposBible  to  avoid  it  in 
the  course  of  these  pages.)  Shortly  after  the  schooner  leaves 
her  moorings,  such  scenes  occur  as  baffle  all  attempts  at  graphV 
ic  description.  There  are  women  and  girls,  men  and  b<^ 
dogs,  pigs,  calabashes  filled  with  their  favorite  fix)d,  and  ev- 
ery variety  of  bedding,  together  with  bundles  of  tobacco  and 
tobacco-pipes,  huddled  all  together  in  the  most  indescribable 
confusion.  At  such  a  moment,  every  human  animal  on  board 
may  be  paying  Neptune  a  heavy  tribute— in  other  words,  they 
may  be  horribly  '*  sea-sick,"  and  dogs  and  pigs  will  wallow  in 
the  flood  of  disgorged  poi  like  ducks  in  mud.  A  foreigner 
may  have  doubled  th^  stormy  Cape  Horn,  or  made  a  passage 
across  the  Polar  Seas,  and  behaved  like  a  good  son  of  the  ocean ; 
but  here  he  is  compelled  to  yield.  Surrounded  by  twenty  to 
sixty  Hawaiians,  ejecting  with  a  vengeance  the  contents  of 
gorged  systems,  it  is  in  vain  he  endeavors  to  avert  his  gaze  or 
repress  his  emotions.  Once  more  he  retires  to  his  cabin,  but 
his  emoti(»is  and  sympathies  obtain  the  mastery,  and  once 
more  he  returns  to  the  deck,  again  to  meet  with  the  disgust- 
ing scenes  he  has  just  sought  to  avoid.  .  Alas  for  the  acoustic 
and  olfactory  organs !  He  struggles  with  all  his  manly  forti- 
tude, and  resolves  and  re-resolves  he  wiQ  not  yield  to  the  de- 
testable sympathy.  But  just  as  he  supposes  he  is  gaining  the 
ccmquest,  his  senses  are  again  accosted  by  the  sounds  of  such 
throes  as  almost  indicate  a  separation  of  souls  firom  bodies, 
and  he  is  compelled  reluctantly  to  lay  aside  his  modesty  by 
becoming  the  sickest  mortal  in  the  group. 

Night  draws  her  curtain  over  the  ocean.  The  foreigner  is 
on  deck.  Wedged  in  between — two -women,  perhaps !  he  is 
glad  to  forget  his  privations  in  sleep,  if  he  can  procure  it.  He 
is  just  on  the  imaginate  wing  to  some  loved  and  lovely  old 
scene ;  or,  perchance,  a  "  change  comes  over  the  spirit  of  his 
dreams,*'  and  a  sweet  face,  beaming  with  an  unearthly  beauty, 
comes  peering  in  upon  him,  when,  lo !  the  scaly  shin  of  some 
diseased  Kanaka  is  wiped  across  his  lips,  or  a  pig,  ever  hungry, 
capsizes  a  mess  of  sour  poi  over  him,  and  then  he  himself 
walks  over. 


254  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Night  weais  away,  aud  the  welcome  daylight  lifts  up  the 
eyehds  of  the  eleepeiB.  The  £>reigiier  may  probably  go  to  his 
cabin  to  procure  something  as  an  antidote  against  his  increas- 
ing squeamishness.  He  opens  his  basket,  which  some  lady- 
foreigner  filled  with  nice  Uttle  delicacies  for  him  during  his 
passage,  but,  alas !  a  perfect  blank  stares  him  in  the  face ;  §ot 
some  dainty  native  has  gone  down  in  the  night  and  stowed 
every  thing  away  in  his  own  capacious  system.  Lest  the 
reader  may  deem  me  too  imaginative,  I  wiU  merdy  say, 

"  Fate  draw  the  curtain ;  I  can  do  no  more." 

And  yet,  for  thirty  years,  the  wives  of  foreigners  have  been 
compelled  to  subserve  an  inter-island  transit  so  utterly  repul- 
sive.* 

liVith  a  view  to  obviate  these  difficulties,  attempts  were 
made  on  the  30th  of  March,  1853,  to  organize  a  joint-stodc 
ccHnpany,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  in  idiares  of  $500  each. 
It  was  designed  to  procure  a  small  steam-boat  on  the  "  Eh- 
icsson'*  plui.  A  list  of  subscribers  was  made  out,  and  (me 
or  two  of  the  subscriptions  were  taken  up ;  but,  owing  to  the 
state  of  the  money  market,  and  a  want  of  confidence  in  gov- 
ernmental protection,  the  project  became  a  total  &ilure. 

The  mere  efibrt  to  achieve  such  an  object  was  in  itself 
noble  and  commendable.  Such  a  step  is  absolutely  necessary 
and  imp(nrtant ;  but  it  can  nev^  be  successfully  put  into  op- 
eration until  the  "  stars  and  stripes*'  float  over  ihe  group,  and 
their  commercial  system  is  revolutioni29ed  by  a  truly  Hberal 
system. 

*  Since  these  pages  have  been  in  the  press,  information  has  been 
received  from  the  islands  that  this  extremely  xmcomfortable'  mode 
of  inter-island  navigation  is  about  coming  to  a  dose.  The  steamer 
"S.  R  Wheeler/'  from  the  coast  of  California,  has  arriyed  at  the 
islands  for  the  purpose  of  plying  between  them.  The  Hawaiian 
government  has  granted  the  steam  company  the  exclusive  privilege, 
for  five  years,  of  establishing  steam  commnnication  between  the 
islands  of  the  group,  and  has  agreed  to  admit  coal,  machinery,  and 
other  materials  for  the  use  of  the. company  duty  free. 


DEVOTIONS    OFAHAWAIIANCREW.      355 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ISLAND  OF    MOLO^AC. 
FROM  HONOLULU  TO   KALUAAHA. 

Devotions  of  a  Kative  Crew. — ^Fondness  fop  Tobacco. — Despotic  Stric- 
tuBes. — Conyenience  of  Native  Habits  in  Traveling. — Ealnaaha 
Mission  Station. — Civilization. — Sewing  Circles. — Female  Cos- 
tame. — System  of  Education. — Sdiools. — ^Influence  of  Christianity. 
— ^How  it  is  valued. — ^A  Hawaiian  Feast. — ^A  Hawaiian  Marriage. 
— ^Loves  of  the  Hawaiians. — ^Instance  o£ 

The  sun  was  about  to  dip  in  the  western  wave  as  the  Ku- 
Imnanu  left  her  wharf  at  Honolulu  for  the  island  of  Maui. 
She  was  crowded  with  passengers,  whose  destinations  were 
various  portions  of  the  Windward  Islands.  The  seas  were 
calm,  the  winds  light.  The  schooner  glided  along  so  smooth- 
ly, that  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  though  we  were  propelled  by 
a  magical  influence.  We  had  passed  the  outer  reef,  and  were 
just  gliding  into  the  ocean  breeze,  when  the  owner  of  the 
schooner — John  Ii,  a  distinguished  chief — ^who  had  accom- 
panied us,  took  off  his  hat,  and,  in  a  fervent  and  impressive 
prayer,  commended  us  to  tiie  God  of  the  ocean,  and  went 
ashore. 

This  was  the  prelude  to  the  devotional  exercises  of  the  crew. 
That  evening,  and  the  next  morning,  and  the  subsequent  even- 
ing, these  exercises  were  faithfully  and  solemnly  performed. 
In  former  days  they  would  have  worshiped  their  ocean  deity, 
as  the  Eomans  venerated  Neptune.  A  tribute  of  homage  to 
the  Almighty,  when  performed  on  the  ocean  by  the  mariner, 
is  always  impressive  and  appropriate ;  but  when  paid  by  a 
crew  of  Hawaiian  sailors,  who  are  always  joined  by  the  native 
passengers,  it  speaks  directly  to  the  sensibilities  of  any  foreign- 
er who  may  be  present,  and  produces  an  impression  not  easily 
forgotten. 

If  there  is  much  to  annoy,  during  an  inter-island  passage 


256  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

on  a  native  schooner,  there  is  also  much  to  amuse  a  foreigner. 
As  in  the  United  States,  or  any  other  civihzed  country,  a  vehi- 
cle of  any  kind  is  the  chief  place  £)r  the  development  of  char- 
acter, so  on  hoard  a  Hawaiian  schooner,  a  traveler  finds  a 
capital  opportunity  to  study  the  traits  of  the  Hawaiian.  Bhw- 
ever  sea-sick  the  tourist  may  be,  these  traits  are  so  peculiar 
and  prominent,  that  he  can  not  &il  to  notice  them.  The 
Hawaiian  has  a  greater  fondness  for  tobacco  than  the  North 
American  Indian,  and  it  is  on  the  deck  of  one  of  these  schoon- 
ers  that  this  fondness  most  strongly  displays  itself  A  native 
would  aa  easily  forget  to  take  himself  on  board  aa  forget  his 
little  bag  of  tobacco.  In  many  instances,  he  loves  his  tobacco 
better  than  he  loves  his  wife ;  and  so  it  is  in  regard  to  the 
wife  toward  her  husband.  After  refireshing  themselves  when 
going  aboard  their  schocmers,  the  first  thing  is  to  get  out  their 
bags  of  tobacco,  containing  also  their  pipes,  flint,  steel,  and 
tinder-boxes.  The  tobacco  is  cut  and  rubbed  finely,  and  the 
pipes  are  filled  and  lighted.  The  girls  share  the  pipes  smoked 
by  the  women,  the  boys  those  used  by  the  men.  Sometimes 
there  is  a  general  family  smoke,  and  one  pipe  makes  a  tour 
of  the  entire  group  of  passengers — ^the  foreigner  included,  if  he 
wishes.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  comical  scenes  in  the 
world  to  witness  a  young  girl  (of  semi-Greek  features,  with 
glossy  raven  hair  and  eyebrows,  and  lids  finnged  with  the 
same  kind  of  material)  take  one  of  those  huge  wooden  pipes 


NATIVE  PIPB.  NATIVE  NBCKLAO. 


FONDNESS  FOR  TOBACCO.       257 

in  her  mouth,  and  inhale  the  smok^  until  her  cheeks  are  dis- 
tended as  though  they  would  hurst,  and,  after  retaining  it 
tiiere  several  seconds,  puff  it  out  in  a  perfect  cloud.  It  tends 
to  fling  a  shadow  over  their  rcHnance  and  heauty.  What  a 
native  most  wants  the  first  thing  in  a  morning,  and  the  last 
thing  at  night,  is  his  pipe.  It  would  be  ahnost  impossible  to 
recount  the  number  of  times  the  pipe  is  used  by  the  same  per- 
son in  a  single  day  ;  and  every  time  he  wakes  up  at  night  he 
fiMs  and  smokes  his  pipe.  One  is  forced  to  conclude  that  both 
men  and  women  retire  to  refresh  their  memories  by  dreaming 
of  the  "  weed"  and  its  "  vapors."  It  is  their  food  when  hun- 
gry, and  their  consolation  when  full.  It  is  their  antidote  in 
affliction,  and  especially  in  sea-sickness ;  and  the  more  severe 
this  horrible  feeling  bec(Hnes,  the  more  eagerly  the  pipe  is 
sought  after.  A  physician,  long  a  resident  on  the  group, 
thus  describes  this  native  propensity : 

"  The  zcse  of  tobacco  has  evidently  a  deleterious  influence 
on  the  natives,  whatever  may  be  its  effects  on  others.  In 
smoking,  the  natives  do  not  sit  down  deliberately,  and  finish  a 
cigar  or  pipe,  but  take  one  or  two  quiffs,  inhaling  the  full 
volume  of  smoke  directly  into  the  lungs,  and  retain  it  there 
as  long  as  the  breath  can  well  be  retained.  Individuals  have 
been  killed  by  its  efiects,  and  how  much  disease  may  have 
been  induced  or  exacerbated  thereby  remains  to  be  ascer- 
tained."* 

This  inveterate  love  for  tobacco  has  given  rise  to  the  most 
despotic  restrictions  on  the  part  of  a  few  of  the  missionaries. 
Several  of  the  churches  are  organized  on  the  anti-ixibnjcco  prin- 
ciple, and  the  luckless  wighf  who  happens  to  violate  his 
pledge— K)r,  I  had  rather  say,  who  is  caught  breaking  it — ^is 
certain  to  be  excommunicated  £>r  his  sin(?).  This  is  espe- 
cially the  case  with  the  Church  at  Lahaina,  on  Maui.  By 
some  of  the  missionaries  it  is  thought  to  lead  to  the  vice  of 
licentiousness.  The  mode  in  which  some  of  the  native  wom- 
en are  said  to  procure  private  gratifications  is  certainly  novel. 
Missionary  testimony  says :  "  They  are  not '  keepers  at  home,' 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  yoU  L,  p.  268. 


258  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

but,  wandering  about,  fall  into  the  society  of  the  profligate, 
and,  aa  is  often  the  case,  become  tempters  of  others.  Smok- 
ing tobacco  leads,  in  multitudes  €i  cases,  to  the  oommissiim 
of  this  sin.  Many  a  female  has  risen  at  midnight,  filled  her 
pipe,  ^md  gdne  in  the  darknews  to  some  neighbor  to  procure  a 
light,  when  she  has  fallen  into  sin."'*'  Under  such  circum- 
stances, they  are,  of  course,  expelled. 

But  the  wisdom  of  expulsion  is  exceedingly  qrostionalde. 
The  restrictions  placed  on  smokers  are  both  unwise  and  dm- 
potic.  Every  where  over  the  group  the  natives  smoke.  It 
is  «.F^fTi?gi"g  to  see  how  carefully  a  Church  member  of  Tjahaina 
puts  away  his  *'  smoking  tackle"  when  he  goes  ashore  from  a 
schooner.  So  Icmg  as  the  natives  are  fond  of  mimicking  for- 
eigners, just  so  long  they  will  smoke.  The  foreign  population 
very  generally  smoke.  A  number  of  ex-missionanes,  and  a 
few  regular  missionaries,  chew  the  "filthy  and  destructive 
weed."  Numbers  of  the  members  of  the  "  Bethel,"  and  of 
the  "  Foreign  Church"  in  Honolulu,  smoke  in  the  public 
streets,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  natives.  To  excommuni- 
cate Hataaiians  for  smoking  is,  therefore,  "straining  at  a 
gnat  and  swallowing  a  camel." 

*  But  the  despotic  restriction  not  only  creates  a  more  intense 
desire  for  the  forbidden  article,  but  it  leads  directly  to  false- 
hood. A  striking  instance  was  related  to  me  by  Mr.  Parker, 
missionary  at  Kaneohe,  on  Oahu.  During  one  of  his  pastoral 
visits,  he  entered  a  house  in  which  he  found  a  woman  and  her 
little  daughter,  and  a  large  cloud  of  tobacco  smoke.  His  first 
question  was, 

"  "Who  has  been  smoking  ?"  * 

Keply:  "No  one." 

"  But  there  has,  for  I  can  see  it." 

He  was  mistaken  ;  no  one  had  been  smoking. 

"  But  I  can  smeU  it." 

Again  he  labored  under  a  mistake ;  it  was  only  the  smoke 
firom  a  wood-fire  which  had  just  been  put  out. 

This  waa  more  than  Mr.  Parker  could  endure.     With  the 
•  See  "  ABtTren  to  Qaeftions,'*  p  81. 


NATIVE  HABITS   IN   TRAVEI^ING.       259 

toe  of  his  boot,  he  removed  the  yet  smoking  p^,  which  waa 
just  visible  under  the  woman's  drapery  as  she  sat  down  on 
the  mat.  Beiog  fairly  caught,  she  owned  her.  fault,  and  con- 
fessed her  sorrow  for  smoking.  Mr.  Parker,  osi  leaving  that 
domicile,  examined  the  prohibitory  law  and  its  tendencies,  and 
he  came  to  the  very  sensible  conclusion  that,  f(^  using  tobacco, 
he  would  not  expel  another  member  from  his  church. 

However  singular  native  habits  may  appear,  they  are  cer- 
tainly very  convenient  in  .traveling.  Nothing  can  be  more 
simple  than  their  mode  of  dietetics.  They  nearly  always  eat 
and  drink  their  food  in  a  cold  state ;  so  that  while  a  foreigner 
may  be  waiting  two  or  three  hours  £)r  the  coddng  of  a  few 
sundries,  in  a  few  minutes 'the  natives  have  made  a  hearty 
meal  of  poi^  fish,  water-melons,  and  water.  Such  a  course, 
however,  leads  to  a  very  beneficial  result. 

"  The  fine  rows  of  teeth  possessed  by  the  natives  will  attract 
the  notice  of  every  stranger.  The  oldest  inhabitonts  have  gen- 
erally their  teeth  in  perfect  order,  except  such  as  they  have 
knocked  out  firom  time  to  time,  on  ocea^ons  of  the  death  of 
chie&  or  their  firiends.  The  rea^ns  are  obvious :  they  make 
no  use  of  acids  or  other  substances  which  tend  to  e&ct  rapidly 
the  destruction  of  the  enamel ;  they  J#e  free  £rom  those  dis- 
eases of  the  stomach  and  of  the  nervous  system  which  operate 
most  actively  in  producing  carious  teeth ;  and  they  rarely  eat 
their  food  while  hot,  and  the  water  which  they  drink  is  usually 
no  colder  than  that  of  our  rivers  during  the  heat  of  summer.'' 

A  passage  of  thirty-six  hours  among  these  smokers  and  poi- 
eaters  was  broughl  to  a  close  by  arriving  at  Lahaina.  The 
little  sloop  Sarah,  of  seven  tuns  register,  was  in  port ;  and  as 
she  was  about  returning  to  JBlolokai,  I  concluded  to  visit  that 
island  first. 

Three  bonis'  bailing  brought  us  to  an  anchor  on  ^e  coral 

^leef,  off  the  Mission  Station  at  Kaluaaha.    The  '*  Sarah's' '  very 

small  boat  conveyed  me  to  the  rugged  wall  of  a  hnge  fish- 

pcmd,  along  which  I  walked  until  I  fairly  landed  on  the  beach. 

I  had  noticed  several  places  on  Oahu  and  Kauai — the  latter 
island  especially — where  the  appeaaranoe  of  a  foreigner  excited 


260  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

an  intense  curiosity.  But  I  had  yet  seen  nothing  which  com- 
pared -with  the  curiosity  displayed  among  the  natives  on  my 
arrival  at  this  station.  Women,  who  had  seen  me  at  a  dis- 
tance, came  to  meet  me  with  children  in  their  arms,  as  though 
I  had  shared  in  the  introduction  of  the  latter  into  this  sinful 
world.  There  were  crowds  of  older  children,  who,  getting  into 
each  others*  way,  turned  a  variety  of  gyrations  one  over  the 
other,  in  their  eagerness  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  *^  haolS** 
(foreigner).  That  crowd  of  urchins,  followed  me  up  as  though 
my  very  shadow  imparted  a  healing  influence  to  disease.  And 
when  I  got  fairly  into  the  residence  of  Mr.  Dwight — a  very- 
gentlemanly  Christian  teacher — ^the  door  was  hesieged  in  such 
a  way  that  I  feared  some  of  their  hmhs  would  share  some  dis- 
aster in  their  struggles  to  get  the  foremost  standing-place, 
where  they  might  gaze  their  fill  at  myself.  This  crowding 
continued  until  I  requested  the  missionary  to  order  them  away, 
when  he  informed  me  that,  as  few  foreigners  ever  came  to  the 
island,  they  were  usually  objects  of  great  curiosity. 

Kaluaaha  is  the  only  regular  station  on  Molokai.  It  is  but 
sparsely  inhabited.  As  it  is  approached  fipom  the  sea,  it  has 
an  appearance  highly  picturesque.  The  mountains  in  the 
rear  are  much  rent  It^  deep  ravines,  but  their  cloud-capped 
summits  are  covered  with  foliage.  It  is  extremely  difficult 
for  a  tourist  to  divest  his  mind  of  the  impression  that  those 
clouded  heights  are  the  abode  of  the  discarded  deities  once 
worshiped  by  the  people. 

My  stay  at  this  station,  and  my  subsequent  tour  over  the 
island,  induced  the  belief  that  civilization  lia6  bestowed  some 
benefits  on  the  people,  but  more  especially  on  those  residing 
in  the  region  of  the  mission.  It  ia  a  civilization  based,  not  on 
Christianity  only,  but  on  personal  employment  and  activity ; 
and  a  unity  of  ethics  with  practical  actions  is  the  only  legiti- 
mate mode  of  elevating  savage  mind,  or  of  sustaining  civilized 
institutions. 

Civilization  is  best  t^ted  by  its  results.  One  of  these  tests 
was  the  school  of  Hawaiian  youth,  of  both  sexes,  under  the 
care  of  Mr.  B  wight.     There  was  a  class  of  girls  in  that  school 


SEWING-CLASSES.^  261 

who  had  been  organized  by  himself  I  into  a  sewing  class.  It 
was  the  first  time  in  my  life — and  it  may  be  the  last — ^that  I 
saw  a  class  of  girls  whose  sewing  occupations  were  mider  the 
supervision  of  a  gentleman !  But  Mr.  Dwight  was  a  Yankee ! 
and  a  Yankee  can  turn  his  attention  to  any  thing,  for  he  cer- 
tainly is  the  most  remarkable  specimen  of  the  genius  homo 
that  has  ever  helped  to  compose  the  family  of  man.  Aside 
from  Mr.  Dwight's  Yankeeism,  he  combined  the  sterling  qual- 
ities of  a  gentleman  with  the  deep  and  eloquent  sympathies 
of  a  refined  Christian  woman.  He  loved  those  girls,  and,  in 
return,  they  loved  him.  It  was  a  love  such  as  is  reciprocated 
by  father  and  child.  He  was  their  physician  when  sick,  their 
friend  and  adviser  in  health.  There  were  not  wanting  those, 
however,  among  his  own  "  brethren,"  who  rather  felt  inclined 
to  stigmatize  his  celibacy — ^for  he  was  a  bachelor. 

But  to  return  to  this  sewing  class.  Mr.  Dwight  had  taught 
his  school-girls  to  sew,  and  their  work  would  have  honored 
the  instructions  ,of  the  most  punctilious  woman.  They  cut 
and  made  up  sundry  unmentionables  for  gentlemen,  besides 
cutting  and  making  all  their  own  drapery.  The  articles  they 
manufrwtured  for  gentlemen  were  sold  in  stores.  In  several 
instances  they  have  commanded  a  ready  and  lucrative  sale  at 
the  agricultural  fairs  in  Honolulu,  where  they  would  favora- 
bly compare  with  the  needle-work  of  the  foreign  belle,  upon 
whose  education  years  of  time  and  purses  of  money  had  been 
expended.  But  they  had  some  inducement  to  be  industri- 
ous. For  an  article  which  would  sell  for  two  dollars,  the 
maker  of  it  would  receive  a  compensation  of  seventy-five  cents, 
and  so  6n  in  a  regular  ratio.  With  the  avails  of  their  own 
labor  they  furnished  their  own  wardrobes,  which  were  highly 
creditable.  That  class  of  sewing-girls  numbered  about  thirty ; 
and  they  never  met  or  dispersed  in  their  usual  capacity  with- 
out singing  a  hymn  and  invoking  the  blessing  and  protection 
of  Heaven. 

I  have  spoken  of  female  costumes,  and  I  can  not  dismiss 
the  theme  without  a  brief  remark  or  two.  In  no  item  of  civ- 
ilization have  the  natives — ^the  females  especially — ^made  more 


262  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

adyancement  than  in  this.  When  civilized  halnts  first  da'wn- 
ed  upon  th^oo,  their  perscmal  appearaace  was  the  most  eccenr 
trie  that  can  well  he  imagined.  In  coming  to  chnich  ^  a 
Sunday,  one  man  would  come  clad  in  nothing  but  a  coat  but- 
toned up  on  his  back  instead  of  in  firrait.  The  eauixie  ward- 
robe of  a  second  would  be  dragged  cravat,  and  a  angle  strip 
of  native  cloth  crossed  over  his  loins,  called  a  malo;  that  tsi  a 
third,  the  malo,  and  a  pair  of  high  boots ;  that  of  a  Iburth, 
the  malo,  and  a  tattered  palm-leaf  hat  that  might  have  served 
some  foreigner  nearly  a  score  of  years ;  that  of  a  fifth,  a  shirt, 
virith  a  collar  reaching  his  eyes  and  halfway  up  the  back  of 
his  head,  and  the,  malo.  The  catalogue  might  be  pursued  to 
any  length,  and  it  would  stagger  the  faith  of  many  a  reader ; 
but  these  were  among  some  of  the  ciHuical  scenes  which  irre- 
sistibly drew  smiles  fix>m  the  lips  of  their  early  teachers. 

But  they  have  improved  since  then.  The  costume  of  the 
females  was,  to  my  own  mind,  a  convincing  comment  on  the 
certainty  of  a  great  transformation.  Many  of  those  school- 
girls were  on  the  verge  of  womanhood.  Their  drapery  sat 
easily  on  them,  and  displayed  forms  which  would  have  excit- 
ed the  envy  of  many  a  city  beUe.  More  than  once  did  I  see 
them  arrayed  in  their  best,  with  their  heads  handsomely  dec- 
orated with  wreaths  formed,  by  their  own  fingers,  fi»m  tlie 
beautiful  flowers  of  the  native  hala,  or  screw  pine  (  Tectoritis 
et  odoratissimus),  and  their  appearance  was  exceedingly  fas- 
cinating, rather  verging  to  the  coquettish.  Their  beautiful  de- 
velopment was  the  work  of  Nature,  unassisted  by  the  imposi- 
tions of  every-day  fashions,  and  their  toilet  was  the  result  of 
their  own  easy  and  honest  industry.  Think  of  the  former,  ye 
slaves  to  Fashion  !  and  learn  to  be  more  true  to  Nature.  And 
think  of  the  latter,  ye  slaves  to  Avarice !  whose  wealth  may 
be  earned  in  part  by  needle*women,  whose  cheeks  are  pale  and 
emaciated  by  fatigue  over  the  midnight  lamp,  and  by  the  pangs 
of  the  same  hunger  which  is  gnawing  the  very  vitals  of  their 
children — ^who  toil  on,  and  weep  and  hunger  <m,  to  earn  your 
stinted  pittance,  until  the  angel  of  Death  breaks  the  acciused 
fetter  which  binds  them  to  your  slavery ! 


EDUCATION—SCHOOLS.  263 

The  systeiji  o£  education  pursued  by  Mr.  Dwight  is  design- 
ed and  calculated  to  be  of  permanent  value  to  the  scholars. 
Their  studies  are  conducted  mainly  in  Hawaiian.  The  course 
embraces  reading,  writing,  algebra,  geography,  universal  his- 
tory, vocal  music,  drawing,  mental  and  moral -science,  elocu- 
ticm,  and  composition.  Four  hours  «ach  day  are  devoted  to 
English  Btudies^-chiefly  reading  and  spelling.  In  these  exer- 
cises, both  males  and  females  equally  participate.  In  addi- 
tion to  aU,  there  is  a  system  of  manual  labor  for  the  elder  of 
the  male  scholars,  which  to  themselves  is  a  source  of  pecuni" 
ary  gain  and  of  great  physical  benefit.  The  number  of  schol- 
ars averaged  a  hundred,  and  their  proficiency  was  truly  sur- 
prising. At  the  time  of  my  visit,  this  school  had  be«i  in  ex- 
istence but  a  single  year ! 

Many  of  the  scholars  woidd  read  English  fluently,  but  speak- 
ing it  was  rather  difficult.  It  was  intensely  amusing  to  hear 
them  salute,  mornings  and  evenings,  during  my  stay  at  th^  star 
tdon.  In  the  morning  they  invariably  said,  ^^Doodre  night  P* 
and  in  the  evening,  the  usual  salutation  was  "Dood-e  momr 
in  /"  I  was  willing  to  make  every  allowance,  for  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  many  of  the  Hawaiian  words  that  I  tried 
to  use  were  just  as  absurd  to  themselves,  so  our  mirth  met 
with  a  reciprocity. 

The  Government  School  at  this  station  was  in  a  thriving 
condition,  and  contained  a  hundred  and  sixty  scholars. 

There  was  a  flourishing  Sabbath  school  of  three  to  four 
hundred  children,  neatly  clad  and  looking  happy. 

The  total  number  of  schools  on  the  island  was  sixteen ;  the 
number  of  scholars,  eight  himdred  and  ten.  These  were  sus- 
tained at  a  cost  to  the  government,  during  the  i»revious  year, 
of  $1197  48. 

For  the  people  of  Kaluaaha  and  other  portions  of  Molokai, 
Christianity  has  done  a  great  deal,  for  to  its  influence,  sec- 
onded by  practical  and  social  habits  of  industry,  they  owe 
whatever  they  possess  of  a  change  for  the  better.  It  has  sev- 
eral limes  been  asserted  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  island,  be- 
cause rather  isolated,  are  more  moral  than  those  on  the  other 


264  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

portions  of  the  gioup  ;  but  I  waive  all  notice  of  this  asserticni 
for  the  present.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  moral  heroism, 
the  miearthly  beauty,  the  perfect  happiness  which  poetry  and 
romance  have  thrown  around  these  "  children  of  Nature," 
when  they  were  excluded  from  the  light  of  revelatiiHi.  In 
such  instances,  the  bright  side — far,  indeed,  too  fabulous — has 
occupied  the  gaze  of  the  mere  sentimentalist.  They  forgot  to 
delineate  their  deeds  of  blood,  and  the  desertion  of  the  aged, 
and  infirm,  and  the  dying  by  unnatural  children,  and  of  chil- 
dren by  unnatural  parents.  They  did  not  portray  the  hellidi 
horror  which  brooded  oyer  altars  stained  by  the  blood  of  hu- 
man victims  immolated  to  the  gods  by  the  red  right  hand  of 
a  pagan  hierarchy.  But  their  omission  renders  their  past  ex- 
istence none  the  less  a  truth.  And  it  is  from  these  acts,  so 
dark,  sanguinary,  and  relentless — ^from  the  undefinable  dark- 
ness of  the  pagan's  grave  and  the  pagan's  eternity,  that  this 
people  have  been  rescued. 

And  how,  it  may  be  asked,  do  they  appreciate  the  change  ? 
They  are  not  clad  with  the  "**  pomp  and  circumstance"  of  those 
to  whom  Fortune  has  been  most  lavish  of  her  favors,  nor  are 
they  as  highly  gifted  as  millions  who  are  blessed  with  the  civ- 
ilization which  philosophy  and  refinement  have  hereditarily 
bestowed.  But,  feeling  conscious  that  the  genius  of  the  Bible 
nobly  advocates  the  civil  and  spiritual  freedom  of  the  whole 
family  of  man,  they  have  acted  out  their  impulses  and  convic- 
tions by  showing  their  liberaUty  to  that  best  and  most  sacred 
of  all  causes — a  republican  Christianity.  It  is  not  for  me  to 
judge  of  the  motive  which  prompts  a  disposition  of  a  sacred 
gift  on  the  altar  of  the  soul's  fireedom ;  but  it  nu^y  safely  be 
asserted  that,  in  view  of  their  extent  of  worldly  wealth,  no 
community  on  earth  has  ever  done  more  for  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity than  the  Christianized  natives  of  Molokai.  A  careful 
examination  of  their  ecclesiastical  records  proved  to  me  that, 
from  1847  to  1853  inclusive,  they  had  contributed  in  cash 
$1389  63  to  missionary  operations  in  other  portions  of  the 
Pacific ;  and  they  had  oheerfully  subscribed  the  sum  of 
$3458  08,  during  a  period  of  years  ranging  from  1845  to 


A  HAWAIIAN   FEAST.  265 

1852,  for  the  support  of  the  resident  missionary  at  Kalua- 
aha. 

The  Hawaiians  are  peculiarly  patriarchal  in  many  of  their 
hahits.  They  cherish  a  particiUar  fondness  for  visiting  and 
company,  and  are  always  glad  to  see  a  £riend.  When  any  lit- 
tle circumstance  occurs  to  try  personal  friendship  or  courage, 
or  when  a  few  persons  have  heen  exposed  to  a  Heavy  tribula- 
tion, a  feast  is  the  almost  certain  result.  While  at  Kaluaaha, 
I  witnessed  one  of  these  convivial  gatherings.  It  had  its  ori- 
gin in  a  storm  at  sea.  During  a  recent  trip  of  the  sloop  "  Sa- 
rah," and  when  the  parties  in  question  were  on  board,  Tnalring 
a  passage  from  Honolulu  to  Molokai,  a  terrible  gale  arose. 
The  Httle  craft  labored  to  keep  on  her  way,  and  her  Hawaiian 
captain  exerted  all  his  ingenuity  to  efiect  the  passage,  but  in 
vain.  To  escape  being  ingulfed,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
put  back  to  Honolulu.  To  cheer  their  hopes  and  reheve  the 
anguish  of  disappointment,  the  captain  made  a  solemn  prom- 
ise that,  if  they  diould  live  to  return  to  Molokai,  he  would  give 
them  a  "  feast." 

After  having  been  detained  a  day  or  two  at  Honolulu,  the 
sloop  again  put  to  sea.  Favorable  breezes  soon  wafted  them 
to  Molokai.'  A  day  was  appointed  for  their  social  meeting, 
but  its  arrival  witnessed  clouds  and  storm.  The  feast  was  ad- 
journed until  the  first  fine  day.  Once  more  disappointed,  the 
crowd  dispersed  to  console  themselves  with  a  trial  of  patience. 

At  length  the  long-wished-for  day  arrived.  The  sun  rose 
in  a  cloudless  sky.  From  plains,  valleys,  and  across  the  cloud- 
capped  mountains,  the  guests  made  their  appearance,  and  were 
gladly  welcomed  by  their  host  and  his  better  half.  It  was 
goon  discovered  that  the  host's  domicile  was  too  small  for  their 
acc(»nmodation,  for  five  times  the  original  number  had  arrived. 
To  remedy  this  inconvenience,  an  awning  was  spread  over  the 
smooth  grass.  Clean  mats  were  laid.  Sundry  articles  of  ta- 
ble-service were  then  distributed  over  them.  Under  each  plate 
was  laid  one  or  two  leaves  of  the  ti  plant  {Draccma  termi- 
nalis).  Several  huge  dishes  and  calabashes,  containing  the 
lepast,  occupied  the  remaining  space. 

M 


266  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

The  company,  clad  in  their  best  apparel,  took  their  station 
round  the  viands.  The  captain  proceeded  to  invoke  the  Al- 
mighty's blessing.  The  last  accent  of  the  '•'Amen^^  had  not 
fallen  firom  his  lips,  when  such  a  clatter  of  dishes,  et  cetera^ 
commenced  as  effectually  baffled  all  approach  of  ceremony, 
and  the  host's  bounty  was  most  mercilessly  attacked.  Pigs, 
turkeys,  chickens,  and  fish  had  been  compelled  to  yield  up  their 
firail  lives,  so  as  to  be  permitted  to  honor  that  feast  with  their 
presence.  Besides  these  substantials,  there  were  'poi^  sweet 
potatoes,  baked  and  boiled,  in  abundance ;  and  their  drink  was 
the  pure  cold  water,  which  had  just  flowed  down  from  the 
summits  of  the  lofly  moimtains. 

There  was  not  one  in  the  company  who  appeared  to  possess 
a  knife,  fork,  or  spoon ;  so  they  were  compelled  to  employ  their 
fingers  ! — Adam  and  Eve's  plan,  undoubtedly.  All  squatted 
down  a  la  Turky  and  disposed  of  their  refireshments  a  la  Ha- 
waiian, It  really  did  me  good  to  see  with  what  eagerness 
they  attacked  their  food.  There  was  no  fastidious  delicacy,  no 
studied  formaUty,  such  as  sometimes  clog  the  sociabiUty  at  the 
patrician's  table.  They  cared  not  for  the  glance  and  the  pres- 
ence of  the  stranger,  but  kindly  invited  him  to  share  their  re- 
past. While  surveying  that  scene,  1  almost  concluded  that, 
if  Nature  had  not  made  me  white,  Hawaiian  simpUcity  would 
have  suited  me  very  well.  One  or  two  of  the  most  amusing 
features  in  that  feast  were,  it  took  place  at  10  A.M.,  and  lasted 
fifteen  minutes !  when  the  company  dispersed  for  their  homes. 

Before  leaving  this  station,  I  witnessed  the  novel  scene  of  a 
Hawaiian  marriage.  The  sun  was  setting  in  aU  that  quiet 
splendor  peculiar  to  the  tropics,  as  a  couple  walked  into  Mr. 
Dwight's  yard,  and  interrupted  ourjx)nver8ation  by  requesting 
him  to  unite  them  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony.  They 
had  walked  that  day  firom  the  other  side  of  the  mountain — a 
distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles ;  and  under  such  circimistances, 
there  was  a  two-fold  claim  on  his  official  power.  The  couple 
were  of  a  respectable  size,  and  ranged  in  their  respective  ages 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  years.  In  a  few  seconds  the  in- 
telligence was  communicated  that  a  wedding  was  about^to 


LOVES   OF  THE   HAWAIIANS.  267 

take  place.  A  number  of  the  school-girLs  gathered  at  the 
scene  of  operations.  The  moment  arrived  when  the  betrothed 
were  to  be  linked  for  life  in  the  destinies  of  the  hymeneal 
chain.  The  officiator  had  obtained  a  quiet  response  to  every 
question  he  had  proposed  to  the  man.  It  was  now  the  wom- 
an's turn  to  submit  to  interrogations.  But  before  the  mission- 
ary coidd  reach  the  end  of  either  of  his  questions,  so  anxious 
was  she  to  assert  her  obedience  to  her  newly-espoused  lord, 
and  also  to  end  the  ceremonies,  that  she  rapidly  and  emphat- 
ically enunciated  "  ae,  ae"  (yes,  yes).  In  the  midst  and  at 
the  end  of  every  sentence  he  uttered,  the  emphatic  "ye*.'" 
rolled  from  her  Ups  in  such  a  manner  as  to  indicate  her  own 
sincerity  of  expression,  and  also  to  excite  the  most  irresistible 
mirthfulness  among  those  laughter-loving  girls. 

This  unique  ceremony  at  last  ended,  and  the  newly  united 
in  mind,  soul,  and  body,  went  away  smiling  like  the  sim  after 
an  April  shower,  being  apparently  satisfied  with  themselves, 
the  world  at  large,  and  the  ceremony  just  performed ;  nor 
have  I  a  single  doubt  that  the  missionary  was  equally  re- 
lieved, for  the  very  moment  they  had  disappeared,  his  patient 
eiylurance  found  vent  in  a  loud  outburst  of  laughter,  which 
was  echoed  by  all  present.  I,  too,  was  reheved  ;  for  it  need- 
ed but  a  single  glance  to  assure  one  that  the  female,  at  least, 
had  for  some  time  past  been  married,  and  that  Nature  had 
acted  as  priest  in  the  ceremonies.  Her  pubUc  union  was, 
therefore,  a  very  necessary  consummation,  for  it  saved  her 
fiK>m  fines,  hard  labor,  and  imprisonment. 

These  very  necessary  unions  are  by  no  means  uncommon 
among  the  Hawaiians ;  nor  can  it  be  questioned  that  they 
have  their  origin  in  the  fervent  eloquence  of  their  "  loves," 
which  flow  rather  from  Nature's  dictates  than  the  voice  pf 
reason.  They  are  the  ofispnng  of  passion  rather  than  the 
high  and  holy  inculcations  of  susceptible  spirits.  But,  after 
all,  they  will  favorably  compare  witii  the  deeds  of  fabled  he- 
roes, with  which  our  modem  school-boys  are  supposed  to  ren- 
der themselves  famihar  at  an  early  age. 

The  loves  of  the  Hawaiians  are  usually  ephemeral.     It  is 


268  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

fabled  of  Abela&d,  that  after  he  had  been  dead  twenty  years, 
he  opened  his  arms  to  embrace  his  beloved  Heloise  when 
she  was  lowered  into  his  grave.  But  few  such  instances  of 
undying  afiection  can  be  fabled  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders. 
The  widow  seldom  or  never  plants  a  solitary  flower  over  the 
grave  of  her  lord.  She  may  (mce  visit  the  mound  that  marks 
the  repose  of  his  ashes,  but  never  again  unless  by  accident. 
It  not  un£requently  happens  that  a  second  husband  is  selected 
while  the  remains  of  the  first  are  conveyed  to  his  "long 
home." 

There  are  instances,  however,  of  a  singular  constancy  of  af- 
fection. One  of  these  occurred  some  years  since  on  the  island 
of  Kauai. 

A  beautiful  young  Hawaiian  girl  was  attached  to  a  noble 
and  warlike  youth.  In  childhood,  and  up  to  manhood,  they 
had  played,  conversed,  and  rambled  together,  until  their  very 
souls  seemed  to  form  a  unity  that  was  inseparable.  They 
were  about  to  consummate  their  external  union,  when  events 
called  him  away  to  sea.  Three  long,  dreary  years  crept  past, 
and  the  young  adventurer  was  looked  upon  as  dead.  But  his 
affianced  hoped  against  hope,  until  news  was  actually  brought 
that  the  schooner  in  which  her  lover  had  sailed  was  lost  In 
one  of  the  distant  archipelagoes  in  the  South  Pacific. 

At  this  fatal  moment,  hope  closed  her  broad  pinions,  and 
the  icy  hand  of  despair  was  laid  on  the  bosom  of  Liliha,  until 
her  v^  soul  sickened,  and  reason  forsook  its  throne.  Morn- 
ing, and  noon,  and  evening,  she  wandered  the  shore  he  last 
touched  with  his  feet.  The  burden  of  her  complaint  was, 
"  Alas  for  you,  my  Ltjnalilo  I  Where  hast  thou  gone,  my 
soul,  my  light  ?  Long  has  been  thy  journey  toward  the  golden 
gates-  of  the  western  wave.  Let  us  die  together,  Lunalelo  ! 
Come  back  to  me,  my  love,  on  the  golden  wing  of  the  morn- 
ing twilight !  I  will  go  to  the  western  wave,  and  there  I  will 
ding  to  thee,  Lunalilo  !" 

For  two  years  LmmA  was  thus  disconsolate.  Reason  i^as 
again  restored  to  its  empire,  and  she  was  compelled  by  her 
firiends  to  marry.     The  couple  Hved  together  until  a  lovely  in- 


SEA-SHORE   ROAD.  269 

fant  crowned  their  union.  When  she  could  again  tread  the 
cocoa-nut  grove  on  the  sea-shore,  with  her  child  in  her  arms, . 
a  schooner  hove  in  sight,  and  soon  dropped  its  anchor  in  the 
bay.  With  an  agony  of  suspense,  she  stood  there,  as  if  trans- 
fixed, watching  a  small  boat  that  came  boimding  over  the 
waves.  An  oarsman,  pale  with  impatience,  came  up  the 
beach,  took  one  glance,  and  folded  her  in  his  bosom. 

That  night  a  certain  couch  was  vacated  and  a  certain  ad- 
venturer was  missing.  The  prophetic  dirge  of  Liliha  was 
fulfilled :  "I  will  go  to  the  western  wave,  and  there  I  will 
cling  to  thee,  Lunalilo  !" 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

JOURNEY    TO   HALAWA. 

Sea-ehore  Road. — Bullock-riding. — Fondness  for  Horses. — An  In- 
stance ofl — ^Mode  of  Fishing. — ^A  Hawaiian  "  Venus." — Scarcity  of 
Singing  Birds. — Solitude  of  the  Mountains. — Noble  Kvrkui  Grove. 
— Halawa  Valley. — ^Descent. — Cascades. — ^The  Valley  at  Sunset. 
— Cultivation  of  Taro. — Kindness  of  a  Hawaiian  Family. — An 
Evening  Repast — ^Fastidiousness  of  a  Native  Cook. — ^A  Night  at 
Halawa — Kapa  Sheets. — Manufacture  of  Kapcu — ^Population. — 
Religion. — ^Morals. 

In  the  roads  leading  along  the  south  shores  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands  there  is  much  sameness  of  general  character ;  but 
that  leading  from  Kaluaaha  to  the  romantic  valley  of  Halawa 
was  diversified  more  by  incident  than  scenery. 

Occasionally  the  traveler's  eye  rests  on  the  ruined  walls  in^ 
closing  immense  fish-ponds  that  were  formed  several  genera^ 
tions  past.  Here  he  passes  a  solitary  dwelling  that  indicates 
the  last  extreme  of  poverty  and  discomfort.  Yonder  is  a  smah 
village  bearing  precisely  the  same  aspect,  and  yet  its  tenants 
seem  perfectly  happy.  Now  the  path  leads  along  the  edge 
of  the  beach,  and  the  horse's  feet  are  wet  with  the  white  surf 
which  breaks  in  thunder-tones  upon  the  shore. 

The  Sandwich  Islanders  cherish  a  strong  propensity  foi 


270  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

equestrian  feats.  Any  species  of  the  quadruped,  strong  enough, 
to  carry  them,  serves  their  purpose.  On  my  way  to  Halawa 
I  was  not  a  little  amused  at  seeing  a  specimen  of  bullock- 
riding  by  two  or  three  native  lads.  Their  riders  were  clad 
simply  in  the  suit  which  Nature  had  bountifully  bestowed 
upon  them.  They  had  very  ingeniously  secured  bridles  in  the 
mouths  of  these  comical-looking  steeds.  With  eyes  bright  with 
excitement,  and  th^  shaggy  hair  streaming  in  the  wind,  those 
young  urchins  sped  on  with  inconceivable  dehght.  Occasion- 
ally they  would  dismount  and  keep  pace  on  foot  with  their 
animals  by  running  alongside*  and  then,  with  all  the  dexterity 
of  circus-riders,  they  would  spring  on  their  backs,  goading  and 
inciting  them,  to  a  greater  speed,  until  they  were  foaming  at 
the  mouth  with  rage.  It  is  a  current  phrase,  "  Place  a  beg- 
gar on  a  horse,  and  he  will  ride  to ."  Philanthropy  for- 
bids the  harsh  conclusion,  and  I  may  as  well  omit  it.  But, 
put  a  Kanaka  on  a  horse,  or  a  bullock  either,  and  there  is  no 
deciding  to  what  place  he  will  not  ride. 

The  fondness  of  the  Hawaiians  for  horses  is  proverbial. 
With  them  it  may  be  denominated  the  ruling  passion.  Give 
a  Hawaiian  a  pretty  wife  and  a  first-rate  horse,  and,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing,  his  earthly  happiness  is  completed.  Give  hinx 
these — ^the  horse  especially — and  you  could  not  fascinate  him 
with  the  rivers  of  wine,  and  milk,  and  honey ;  the  couches  of 
silk,  the  undying  fountains,  the  unfading  fruits,  the  immortal 
beauty  of  the  "  hcniri^^  the  paviHons  of  pearls  promised  by  the 
Koran  to  the  faithful  warriors  and  followers  of  the  Prophet 
and  Allah.  This  fondness  for  the  horse  is  displayed,  not  in. 
a  generous  care  of  him,  so  much  as  in  wearing  him  out  by  fu- 
rious and  firequent  riding.  Their  mode  of  riding  over  hills 
and  plains,  and  through  valleys  and  ravines,  entirely  ecUpses 
the  immortal  "  Gilpin.'*  Sometimes  you  may  see  a  Hawaii- 
an horseman  dashing  along  the  very  brink  of  a  ravine  hun- 
dreds of  feet  high,  where  a  single  false  step  would  send  both 
horse  and  xy^Qx  into  the  jaws  of  certain  destruction. 

The  best  horse  in  the  world  would  last  one  of  those  island- 
ers but  a  short  time  before  he  is  entirely  worn  out.     This  pen- 


FONDNESS  FOR  HORSES.       271 

chant  for  riding  removes  certain  little  delicacies  in  relation  to 
the  rights  of  ownership.  On  getting  up  in  a  morning  to  look 
at  his  horse  after  a  hard  ride  on  the  previous  day,  the  traveler 
is  sometimes  surprised  and  mortified  to  see  that  the  nohle  ani- 
mal is  in  a  perf^t  foam,  or  covered  with  a  cold  sweat — ^the 
strongest  evidence  that  some  rascaUy  native  has  ridden  him 
all  night.  I  knew  an  instance  in  which  a  gentleman  caught 
a  native  in  the  act  of  saddling  his  tired  horse.  Being  on  the 
alert  for  him,  he  gave  him  such  a  chastisement  wit&  a  heavy 
raw-hide  as  brought  him  three  several  times  upon  his  knees, 
in  which  position  he  earnestly  iipplored  for  pardon  and  con- 
fessed his  fault.  And  yet  the  same  culprit  met  the  same  gen- 
tleman on  the  following  morning,  touched  his  hat  to  him,  and 
coolly  said  "Aloha .'"  (Love  to  you). 

Volumes  might  he  filled  with  a  relation  of  the  curious  meth- 
ods adopted  hy  natives  to  procure  money  or  means  to  purchase 
horses.  But  this  would  refer  more  particularly  to  the  time 
when  horses  were  not  so  numerous  as  now.  One  day  a  na- 
tive and  his  wife  came  to  the  house  of  a  foreigner  in  Oahu 
with  produce  for  sale.  He  had  on  his  entire  person  nothing 
but  a  malo,  and  his  wife's  only  covering  was  a  tattered  sheet 
o£kapa.  The  foreigner  offered  him  an  equivalent  in  clothing 
and  domestic  comforts,  hut  they  were  resolutely  refiised.  On 
being  closely  questioned,  he  stated  it  to  be  his  intention  to  pur- 
chase a  horse,  and  that  for  some  time  past  he  had  saved  all 
the  money  required  excepting  five  dollars.  The  foreigner 
handed  him  money  for  his  produce,  and  the  next  time  he  saw 
this  Hawaiian  **  Gilpin,'*  he  was  mounted  on  the  very  steed 
to  purchase  which  he  had  toiled  and  saved  for  more  than  two 
years. 

Passing  on  along  the  sea-shore,  and  leaving  those  buUock- 
riders  far  behind,  I  noticed  scores  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren out  on  the  coral  reefs  fishing.  Some  were  out  at  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  two  miles  in  canoes.  Others  were  nearer  the 
shore,  up  to  their  waists  in  water,  anxiously  watching  the 
movements  of  the  finny  tribes,  which  they  would  spear  with 
remarkable  swiftness  whenever  they  made  their  appearance. 


272  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

Others,  again,  were  in  groups  of  ten  to  twelve,  in  the  form  of 
a  crescent,  and  holding  a  light  net,  -^hUe  one,  detached  for  the 
purpose  at  the  distance  of  a  few  rods,  would  come  toward 
them,  beating  the  water  as  he  came,  and  drive  the  fish  into 
the  net,  which  the  party  would  close  by  ciywding  in  toward 
the  centre.  In  one  place  there  liras  a  young  mother  accom- 
panying her  husband,  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  and  up  to 
her  waist  in  water,  looking  after  a  calabash  of  fish  that  was 
floating  on  the  surfiice.  Still  nearer  the  shore  there  were 
small  groups  of  women  picking  a  species  of  Conferva  and. 
FtKi  as  an  article  of  food.  There  is  more  romance  in  wit- 
nessing these  sports  than  in  actually  sharing  them. 

In  truth  to  Nature,  it  may  safely  be  asserted  that  beauty  is 
not  confined  merely  to  the  saloons  of  the  monarch,  nor  to  the 
tapestried  chambers  of  the  patrician.  It  is  more  firequently 
found  amid  the  lowlier  walks  of  life,  on  the  desert,  or  the  dis- 
tant isle  of  the  ocean.  In  "^is  instance  I  wish  to  be  under- 
stood as  speaking  of  physical  beauty  only.  On  leaving  the 
shore  road  to  ascend  the  mountains  for  Halawa,  I  met  just 
such  a  specimen  as  has  often  driven  men  mad,  and  whose  pos- 
session has  many  a  time  paved  the  way  to  the  subversion  (^ 
empire  on  the  part  of  monarchs. 

She  was  rather  above  the  medium  size  of  American  wom- 
en. Her  finely-chiseled  chin,  nose,  and  forehead  were  singu- 
larly Grecian.  .  Her  beautifully-moulded  neck  and  shoulders 
looked  as  though  they  might  have  been  borrowed  firom  Juno. 
The  development  of  her  entire  form  was  as  perfect  as  Nature 
could  make  it.  She  was  arrayed  in  a  single  loose  robe,  be- 
neath which  a  pretty  little  nude  foot  was  just  peeping  out. 
Her  hair  and  eyebrows  were  as  glossy  as  a  raven's  wing. 
Around  her  head  was  carelessly  twined  a  wreath  of  the  beau- 
tiful native  ohdo  flowers  {Chmttheria  pendidiflorum),  Hor 
lips  seemed  firagrant  with  the  odor  of  countless  and  untiring 
kisses.  Her  complexion  was  much  fairer  than  the  fairest  of 
her  countr3rwomen,  and  I  was  forced  into  the  conclusion  that 
she  was  the  oflshoot  of  some  white  father  who  hadlrampled 
on  the  seventh  precept  in  the  Decalogue,  or  taken  to  his  em- 


A   HAWAIIAN   "VENUS."  373 

brace,  by  the  maniage  relation,  some  good-looking  Hawaiian 
woman.  But  her  eyes !  I  shall  never  forget  those  eyes !  They 
retained  something  that  spoke  of  an  afiection  so  deep,  a  spir- 
itual existence  so  intense,  a  dreamy  enchantment  so  inexpress- 
ibly beautiful,  that  they  reminded  me  of  the  beautiftd  Greek 
girl  ^'Myrrha,'  in  Byron's  tragedy  of  "  Sardanapalus," 
whose  love  clung  to  the  old  monarch  when  the  flame  of  the 
funeral  pile  formed  their  winding-sheet. 

In  no  former  period  of  my  life  had  I  ever  raised  my  hat  in 
the  presence  of  beauty,  but  at  this  moment,  and  in  such  a 
presence,  I  took  it  off!  I  was  entirely  fascinated,  charmed, 
spell-bound  now.  I  stopped  my  horse,  and  there  I  sat  to  take 
a  Mler  glance  at  the  fair  reality.  And  the  girl  stopped,  and 
returned  the  glance,  while  a  smile  parted  her  lips,  and  par- 
tially revealed  a  set  of  teeth  as  white  as  snow,  and  of  match- 
less perfection.  I  felt  that  smile  to  be  an  unsafe  atmosphere 
for  the  nerves  of  a  bachelor ;  so  I  bowed,  replaced  my  hat, 
and  passed  on  my  way,  feeling  fully  assured  that  nothing  but 
the  chisel  of  Praxiteles  could  have  copied  her  exquisite 
charms.  And  as  I  gently  moved  past  her,  she  exclaimed,  in 
the  vocabulary  of  her  country,  "  Love  to  you  !" 

In  ascending  the  elevated  regions  of  the  Hawaiian  group,  a 
traveler  is  sometimes  more  impressed  with  what  there  is  not, 
than  with  what  he  sees.  One  of  these  negative  gratiiications 
is  the  almost  universal  absence  of  singing-birds.  Seldcmi  does 
a  feathered  warbler  utter  his  melody,  annoimcing  the  approach 
or  the  close  of  the  long  summer  days.  In  this  relation  there 
is  little,  if  any  thing,  to  remind- him  of  the  gentle  melody  which 
sends  its  sweet  echoes  through  the  avenues  of  the  Northern 
£>rests  when  the  foliage  is  in  its  glory. 

And  then  the  solitude  of  the  mountains  is  almost  oppress- 
ive. To  be  realized,  it  must  be  felt.  It  is  in  such  places  as 
these  that  a  man  can  think  without  an  eflbrt,  for  thoughts 
crowd  upon  him  fast  and  heavy.  It  was  in  passing  over  the 
mountain  regions  to  Halawa,  where  I  met  not  even  a  wan- 
dering native  to  break  the  solemn  silence,  that  I  thus  thought 
And  yet  Nature  had  a  voice,  grand,  aolemn,  and  impressive. 

M2 


274  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

He  can  retire  into  the  depths  of  his  own  spirit,  and  there  hold 
self-converse,  and  fed  that  he  is  immortal.  It  was  not  in 
vain  that  the  early  Persian  made  the  everlasting  mountains 
of  our  earth  his  altars,  and  thus  sanctified  an  unwalled  tem- 
ple to  the  worship  of  the  Eternal  Spirit.  Compared  with 
Nature's  realms  of  worship-^the  hosom  of  the  deep,  the  clear, 
cold  atmosphere,  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  the  glades  of 
the  forest — ^how  utterly  insignificant  are  all  the  temples  rear- 
ed by  the  hand  of  Groth,  Greek,  or  Christian  !  If  this  beau- 
tifiil  world,  with  its  flowers  and  sweets,  its  lakes  and  rivers, 
its  broad  plains  and  fertile  valleys,  and  its  mountains,  that 

"  Look  from  their  throne  of  clouds  o'er  half  the  world" — 
if  this  world  is  only  the  "  footstoor*  of  the  Creator,  what  must 
his  "  throne"  be !     How  true  are  the  words  of  "  Childe  Har- 
ddr 

"  There  is^  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods, 
There  is  a  rapture  on  the  lonely  shore. 
There  is  society,  where  none  intrudes. 
By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar : 
I  love  not  man  the  less,  but  nature  more, 
From  these  our  interviews,  in  which  I  steal 
From  all  I  may  be,  or  have  been  before. 
To  mingle  with  the  universe,  and  feel 
What  I  can  ne^er  express,  yet  can  not  all  conceal." 

On  the  extreme  point  of  the  promontory  which  bounds  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  valley,  a  noble  kurktd  grove  {Aleurites 
triloba)  was  flourishing.  It  contained  nearly  two  hupdred 
acres,  and  on  its  outskirts  stood  a  few  native  dwellings.  In 
many  a  country  it  would  have  been  a  place  of  favorite  resort. 
By  the  old  DiTiids  it  would  have  been  held  in  sacred  venera-v 
tion.  It  would  have  ^rmed  a  classic  retreat  for  the  disciples 
of  Plato  and  Aristotle.  But  the  cmly  benefit  it  could  ever 
confer  on  the  natives  who  resided  near  it  would  be  candle- 
nuts  for  their  torches. 

The  VaUey  of  Halawa,  to  which  I  have  firequently  alluded, 
is  the  finest  scene  on  Molokai.  The  traveler  stumbles  on  its 
brink  unawares.  At  a  depth  of  nearly  twenty-five  hundred 
feet  below  him,  the  whole  scene  is  spread  out  befinne  him  like 


CASCADES.  276 


an  exquisite  panorama.  Several  large  cascades  were  leaping 
from  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet  at  the  head  of  the  val- 
ley. Scores  of  taro  beds,  and  a  number  of  dwellings,  and  the 
romantic  river,  are  all  seen  at  a  single  glance ;  and  it  seems 
as  though  a  single  leap  would  lodge  the  visitor  at  the  foot  of 
the  enormous  walls  which  bound  this  earthly  Eden. 

The  descent  is  arduous,  leading  down  a  zigzag  path,  the 
bottom  of  which  it  seems  will  never  be  reached.  In  the  last 
angle  of  this  downward  jpath,  your  horse  treads  the  edge  of 
a  steep  bank  several  hundred  feet  high,  and  one  false  step 
would  s^id  him  breathless  to  its  foot. 

Some  of  the  chief  objects  of  attraction  are  the  cascades  at 
the  head  of  the  valley.  A  good  path  leads  to  within  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  of  the  mighty  precipices  over  which  they  fall. 
A  little  careful  stepping  will  aid  the  tourist  to  cross  the  foam- 
'  ing  torrent,  as  it  rushes  between  huge  masses  of  basalt,  and 
finds  its  way  into  the  peaceful  river  below.  At  this  spot  the 
most  difficult  part  of  the  journey  commences.  Now  scramb- 
ling over  lofty  banks,  or  stepping  up  to  your  waist  in  treack- 
erous  mud  covered  with  a  luxuriant  grass,  or  making  the  cir- 
cuit of  some  solitary  taro  bed,  there  is  quite  a  variety.  The 
river  has  to  be  crossed  again,  by  skiUM  leaps  firom  one  basalt- 
ic ^rag  to  another.  Here  the  grass  is  nearly  five  feet  high, 
occasionally  concealing  interstices  between -the  rocks,  and  in- 
stead of  stepping  on  soUd  ground,  the  tourist  disappears  among 
them  several  seconds  at  a  time.  There  is  no  remedy,  how- 
ever, but  to  crawl  out  and  go  on  again. 

Some  tourists  over  this  ^oup  have  boasted  the  absence  of 
v«[iomous  creatures  in  whose  slimy  folds  a  traveler's  limb  may 
meet  a  warm  embrace.  This  is  all  true,  so  far  as  the  larger 
reptiles  are  concerned.  But  there  are  spiders  surpassing  in 
size  the  Jjycosa  Tarenttda  of  the  ItaUan  forests ;  and  these 
are  any  thing  but  agreeable.  With  feet  distended  firom  five 
to  six  inches  apart,  these  horrible  creatures  may  be  seen  cling- 
ing to  their  strong,  silky  webs,  of  a  bright  yellow  color,  and 
several  yards  in  length.  Sometimes  these  bright  networks 
entangle  the  travdier's  face,  producing  an  indescribable  shud- 


276  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

der.  The  only  remedy  for  this  incoavenieDce  is  to  cany  & 
stick  for  the  parpose  of  beating  it  down  ss  you  progreas,  and 
then  the  foul-loc^dng  t^iants  disappear  with  proper  di^patdi. 

At  length  the  foot  of  the  huge  spur  which  separates  the  two 
cascades  is  reached.  The  ascent  of  this  spur  is  HiflFM»nH  and 
dangerous.  Two  thirds  of  it  is  achieved  by  the  aid  of  stunt- 
ed fohage  and  strong  fkrinaceous  plants.  Beyond  this  pmiit 
it  is  necessary  to  stride  the  sharp  ridge  as  a  horseaian  sits  his 
saddle,  and  by  firequ^it  jumps  the  top  is  reached. 

The  summit  once  gained,  the  adventurer  is  rewarded  by  a 
magnificent  prospect.  One  of  these  cascades  falk  loom  a 
height  oi  more  than  two  hundred  feet,  the  other  fiom  twice 
the  same  elevation,  and  each  one  of  them  has  a  volume  a£ 
thirty  to  forty  feet  wide,  and  four  to  five  feet  deep,  at  its  beaa- 
tifiil  brow.  (I  now  refer  to  the  rainy  season.)  As  the  eye 
follows  them  down  their  rapid  desc^it  into  deep  basins  placed 
there,  by  the  hand  of  Nature,  for  their  recepticm,  the  brain 
becomes  ahnost  sick,  and  the  nerves  tremble  like  an  aspen 
leaf  The  sides  of  the  perpendicular  rocks  ind  liie  maigin  of 
these  basins  are  ornamented  with  the  most  delicate  and  lovely 
ferns,  as  if  they  would  mock  the  downward  rush  and  impetu- 
ous thunder  of  the  delirious  torrents.  The  huge  masses  of 
mountain  over  which  these  streams  tumble  are  purely  tra- 
chytic,  and  on  their  summits  were  trees  whose  verdure  is  ev- 
erlasting. The  cratenform  character  of  the  two  basins  below 
led  me  to  decide  that  a  volcano  of  scnne  magnitude  had  once 
been  active  here ;  and  a  subsequent  examination  of  the  sides 
of  the  valley  induced  the  conviction  that  a  mighty  earthquake, 
a  forerunner  of  some  eruption,  rent  the  earth  asunder  firom  the 
crater  to  the  sea.  And  this  conviction  was  supported  by  test- 
ing the  bed  of  the  valley,  which  closely  corresponds  with  the 
Valley  of  HanaJei,  on  Kauai. 

The  natural  beauty  of  this  valley  is  greatly  increased  at  the 
hour  of  sunset.  The  rays  of  the  sun,  as  they  melt  away  into 
the  soft  twilight,  impart  to  the  entire  scene  such  a  tinge  of 
splendor  as  no  words  can  express,  no  pencil  portray.  The 
glittering  cascades,  covered  with  white  foam,  seem  to  creep 


AN   EVENING   REPAST.  277 

nearer  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  to  be  invested  with  a 
species  of  life  allied  to  some  familiar  playthings  half  spiritual. 
One  could  almost  imagine  himself  transported  to  that  Alpine 
cataract  by  whose  sides  appeared  the  Witch  of  the  Alps  to  the 
desolate  and  haughty  soul  of  BtsoN's  "  Manfred." 

The  cultivati(m  of  the  taro  is  carried  on  here  on  a  large 
Bcide.  It  is  raised  chiefly  to  supply  the  Lahaina  market.  I 
was  informed  by  Mr.  Dwight,  at  Kaluaaha,  that  the  entire 
amount  raised  for  sale  and  hon^  consumption  was  valued  at 
$15,000  to  $20,000.  The  Valley  of  Halawa  is  the  richest 
spot  on  the  island. 

Probably  in  no  portion  of  the  group  is  the  £:)reigner  better 
cared  for  than  in  this  valley.  I  was  favored  with  a  note  of 
introduction  to  the  district  judge,  a  full-blooded  Hawaiian. 
He  was  away  from  home  on  professional  duties,  but  the  re- 
ception extended  me  by  his  family  was  one  of  very  marked 
cordiality.  Every  exertion  was  employed  to  render  me  "  at 
home."  There  was  a  good  deal  of  civilization  in  that  dwell- 
ing— a  state  of  things  accounted  for  in  the  fact  that  his  honor 
handled  a  few  more  dollars  than  any  of  his  neighbors.  I  no- 
ticed a  well-made  table — a  scarce  article  in  a  Hawaiian  fami- 
ly— a  well-flnished  bedstead,  a  few  chamber  chairs,  and,  above 
all,  that  universal  and  indispensable  article  of  domestic  com- 
fort, the  Yankee  rocking-chair. 

But  my  evening  repast  under  that  hospitable  roof  was  one 
of  the  most  unique  character  I  have  ever  seen.  First  of  aU, 
the  table  ivas  covered  with  a  sheet  just  taken  off  the  bed. 
The^  table-service  consisted  of  a  knife,  £)rk,  and  spoon,  procured 
&om  the  foot  of  a  long  woolen  stocking,  a  «ingle  plate,  a  tum- 
bler, and  a  calabash  of  pure  water  from  a  neighboring  spring. 
The  eatables  were  composed  of  ^resh  fish,  baked  in  wrappers 
of  the  ti  le^  {Draccena  tenmnalis),  a  couple  of  boiled  fowls, 
a  huge  dish  of  sweet  potatoes,  and  another  of  boiled  tara.  My 
excursion  had  created  within  me  a  shark-like  appetite,  and  I 
need  not  say  that  I  bestowed  ample  justice  upon  my  host's 
hospitahties.  The  last  thing  served  upon  the  table  was  some- 
thing which  the  family  had  learned  to  designate  by  the  name 


278  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

of  "  tea''  in  English.  This  was  emptied  into  large  bowls,  and 
was  intended  for  the  fiunily  group,  myself  included. 

At  this  stage  of  the  performances  I  feel  constrained  to  in- 
troduce my  worthy  cook,  who  undertodc  a  dischaige  of  the 
table-honors  at  that  evening  meal.  He  was  a  strapping  Ka- 
naka, rather  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  and  would  have 
weighed  nearly  three  hundred  pounds.  While  I  was  the  5nly 
occupant  of  the  table,  the  &mily  had  formed  a  circle  on  their 
mats,  where  they  were  discussing  their  supper  with  the  ut- 
most eagerness.  He  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  me.  He 
was  a  good  specimen  of  a  well  |x»-fed  native.  I  could  see 
his  frame  to  advantage,  for  his  sole  dress  consisted  of  a  short 
woolen  shirt  and  the  malo  ;  and  his  head  of  hair  resembled 
that  of  the  pictured  "  Medusa."  When  I  first  sat  down  to 
the  table,  he  took  up  my  plate,  and,  with  a  mouthful  of  breath 
which  was  really  a  small  breeze,  he  blew  the  dust  firom  it. 

This  act  occasioned  me  no  small  merriment.  But  when, 
in  supplying  me  with  *'  tea''  he  took  up  a  bowl  and  wiped 
it  out  with  the  comer  of  his  flannel  shirt,  I  could  refimin 
no  longer.  I  laughed  until  my  ffldes  fairly  ached,  and  the 
tears  streamed  down  my  face,  and  the  very  house  echoed 
with  my  mirthfiilness.  For  a  moment  the  &mily  were  taken 
by  surprise,  and  so  was  this  presiding  deity  of  culinary  op- 
erations. But  on  a  second  outburst  firom  myself,  they  felt  re- 
assured, and  joined  with  me  in  my  laughter.  The  cook,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  fed  that  I  had  laughed  at  some  one  of  his 
blimders;  so  he  dipped  the  bowl  in  a  calabash  of  water, 
washed  it  out  with  his  greasy  fingers,  and  again  wiped  it  out 
with  that  same  shirt  lap.  This  was  done  three  times,  in  an- 
swer to  tke  laughter  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  restrain. 
And  when  he  had  filled  the*bowl  with  "  tea,"  and  saw  that 
it  remained  untasted,  he  put  a  laige  quantity  of  sugar  into 
the  huge  tea-kettle,  shook  it  up,  fdaced  it  at  my  right  elbow, 
and  told  me  to  drink  that ! 

I  spent  that  night  at  Halawa.  The  evening  was  closed 
with  solemn  devotions.  The  best  bed  in  the  house  was  placed 
at  my  disposal ;  and  upon  it  was  replaced  the  sheet  on  which 


A   NIGHT   AT   HALAWA. 


279 


I  had  just  before  supped,  and  on  which  I  slept  during  that 
night.  The  bed  was  carefully  stufied  with  a  soft  downy  sub- 
stance resemWing  yellow  raw  silk,  but  called  by  the  natives 
jpvlUy  and  culled  from  the  tree-fern  (fiihotvumri  chamissonis). 
The  pillows  were  stufied  with  the  same  material.  Although 
the  kapa  sheets  which  covered  me  were  not  so  smooth  and 
soft  as  those  which  the  Koran  describes  as  existing  in  Moham- 
med's "  Paradise,"  I  found  them  extremely  agreeable,  and  they 
furnished  me  with  a  night's  good  repose. 

These  sheets  of  kapa^  or  native  cloth,  are  regarded  by  every 
traveler  as  a  great-  curiosity.  Formerl]^  they  were  only  gar- 
ments used  by  the  natives,  of  every  age,  sex,  and  condition. 


KAPA  MALLETS. 


280  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

As  sheets  fi)r  bedding,  it  is  still  used  extoisively  in  lemote 
portions  of  the  group. 

The  manu&ctuie  of  ka^  is  rather  tedious,  and  always  de- 
volves cm  the  women.  It  is  made  of  the  inner  bark  of  the 
paper  mulberry  {Marus  papyrifera),  beat  out  on  a  board,  and 
joined  together  with  anow-root,  so  as  to  form  any  width  or 
length  of  cloth  required.  The  juice  of  the  raspings  of  the 
bark  of  trees,  together  with  red  clay  and  the  soot  of  burned 
candle-nut,  furnish  them  with  coloring  matter  and  varnish, 
with  which  they  daub  their  native  cloth  in  the  form  of  squares, 
stripes,  triangles,  &<^,  but,  with  a  few  exceptions,  perhaps,  de- 
void of  taste  or  regularity. 

The  population  of  the  valley  was  little  more  than  three 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  on  the  decrease. 

They  appeared  to  be  a  strictly  religious  people,  and  regu- 
larly sustained  their  periodical  meetings  for  religious  worship. 

Their  morals  were  more  elevated  than  on  any  other  part 
of  the  island — so  I  judged  from  their  general  deportment. 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

JOURNEY   TO   THE  PALIS   OF   KALAE. 

Deserted  Villages. — ^Road  over  the  Mountains. — ^Ravines. — Cascadea. 
— The  Palis, — Sublime  Prospect — ^Plain  of  Ealanpapa. — District 
ofWai-a-la-la. — ^Native  Morals. — ^Licentious  Dance. — ^How  to  study 
Hawaiian  Character. — ^Deserted  Residence. — ^Broken  Resolutiona. 
— ^Unpleasant  Lodgings. — A  rough  Supper. — ^Fleas  and  Musqai- 
toes. — "  Wailing**  for  the  Sick. — ^Refuge  in  a  ChapeL — ^Return  to 
former  Lodgings. — The  Scene  changed. — ^Daylight 

Next  to  the  Valley  of  Halawa,  the  Palis  of  Kalae  claim 
the  attention  of  the  tourist,  and  no  man  visiting  Molokai 
should  leave  the  island  until  he  has  seen  them.  Returning 
to  Kaluaaha,  and  directing  his  course  westward  until  he 
reaches  Kaunakakai,  he  passes  several  deserted  villages  which 
present  the  most  absolute  pictures  of  desolation.     The  houses 


THE   PALIS.  281 


•were  falling  in.  Hank  weeds  had  grown  up  around  the  oft- 
firequented  doorways.  And  the  tenants  had  gone — ^heaven 
knows  whither  I 

At  Kaunakakai,  a  small  village  on  the  sea-shore,  the  road 
to  the  Palis  commences,  and  runs  directly  north  over  a  rugged 
mountain  region.  Over  this  region  the  path  leads  through 
deep  ravines,  bearing  traces  as  of  recent  lava-streams,  or  deep- 
ly shaded  by  a  variety  of  foliage,  interspersed  with  wild  flow- 
ers, lu  crossing  over  some  of  these  ravines,  silvery  cascades 
-were  leaping  £:om  crag  to  crag,  or  the  stream,  so  clear  and 
beautlBil,  was  just  fordable  by  the  horse.  Far  away,  on  either 
hand,  stood  a  solitary  native  dwelling  on  the  summit  of  some 
elevation,  presenting  a. feature  as  desolate  and  forsaken  as  a 
lodge  built  by  a  watcher  of  an  Oriental  garden  of  cucum- 
bers. Within  one  or  two  miles  of  the  PaliSy  a  variety  of 
£)liage  environs  the  path.  Among  these  I  noticed  large  quan- 
tities of  the  castor-oil  plant  {Palma  Christi),  the  Qual- 
theria  'pendvlijhorwnt,  and  whole  groves  of  the  Draccena  ter- 


The  Pali  of  Kalae  is  on  the  northern  limit  of  the  island  of 
Molokai,  and  stands  close  to  the  shore  of  the  ocean.  It  is  per- 
pendicularly reared  to  a  height  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet. 
The  brink  of  it  is  quite  bare,  owing  to  the  fierce  action  of  the 
northeast  trade-winds'.  The  traveler  wends  his  way  on  foot 
through  the  deep  moimtain  grass,  for  he  is  compelled  to  leave 
his  horse  at  some  distance  behind  him.  All  of  a  sudden  he 
comes  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice ;  his  very  knees  quake  imder 
him ;  he  holds  his  breath  ;  he  involuntarily  sinks  down  into 
a  sitting  posture,  overwhelmed  with  the  unspeakable  mag- 
nificence that  is  spread  out  before  him.  The  ocean  unfolded 
its  majestic  bosom  for  scores  of  miles ;  and  although  the  trades 
were  blowing  heavily,  and  the  sea  was  rough  below,  the  tops 
of  the  huge  waves,  crested  with  Vhite  foam,  looked  no  larger 
than  snow-flakes.  And  the  larger  rocks  on  the  shore  dwin- 
dled away  to  the  size  of  pebbles  in  some  moimtain  brook.  The 
thimder  of  the  heavy  surge  -^as  lost  in  the  distance  below. 
I^ever  before  in  my  life  had  I  so  well  realized,  as  at  that  mo- 


282  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

ment,  the  language  of"  Edgar"  to ''  Gloster,"  in  Shaksfbake's 
"King  Lear:'* 

"  Here's  the  place — stand  stilL    How  fearftd 
And  dizzy  'tis,  to  cast  one's  eyes  so  low  I 
The  crows  and  choughs,  that  wing  the  midway  air. 
Show  scarce  so  gross  as  beetles.        *        *        * 
*        *        *        *        The  mnmmring  surge, 
That  o'er  the  mmnmber'd  idle  pebbles  chafes^ 
Can  not  be  heard  so  high." 
This  precipice  has  stood,  while  the  storms  of  centuries  have 
swept  over  it,  and  while  najions  have  arisen,  flourished,  and 
gone  to  the  grave,  and  it  will  stand,  in  all  its  terrible  majesty, 
till  time  itself  shall  expire. 

From  the  base  of  the  Paliy  the  plains  of  Kalaupapa  extend 
some  distance  seaward.  Over  its  surface  were  scattered  a 
number  of  dwellings  belonging  to  the  natives,  besides  numer- 
ous pasture-lands  and  plantations.  From  where  I  stood,  they 
were  just  traceable  to  the  naked  eye. 

Nearly  two  thirds  of  the  island  were  visible  £rom  this  spot. 
Its  broken  surface,  dotted  occasionally  with  clumps  of  trees, 
or  a  low  volcanic  cone,  and  rent  asunder  in  deep  ravines,  had 
a  most  uninviting  appearance.  Over  the  rugged  brow  of  the 
Pcdiy  the  winds  howled  as  though  they  were  singing  the  re- 
quiem of  a  lost  race.  The  dark  storm-clouds  were  coming  in 
j&om  the  sea,  rolling  in  subHme  confusion,  and  warning  me  to 
depart. 

Leaving  the  Palis,  on  my  return  I  passed  through  the  dis- 
trict of  Wai-a-la-la.  Fatigue  and  thirst  induced  me  to  enter 
a  native  house,  and  procure  water,  and  take  a  httle  rest.  The 
lirst  thing  which  attracted  my  notice  was  the  deep  and  undis- 
guised immorality  of  the  native  women. 

By  many  of  the  missionaries,  and  some  of  the  ecclesiastical 
legislators  in  Honolulu,  it  has  frequently  been  said  that  where 
no  foreigners  have  corrupted  the  Hawaiians,  their  deportment 
is  exceedingly  chaste.  How  far  this  assertion  is  true  will  be 
seen  in  the  following  facts  that  occurred  imder  miy  own  ob- 
servation. 

I  had  not  been  in  that  house  ten  minutes  before  I  noticed  a 


NATIVE   MORALS. 


283 


wide  difierence  between  the  people  in  that  village  and  in  the 
Valley  of  Halawa.  I  had  been  urged  to  visit  the  Palis  on  the 
assurance  that  foreigners  seldom  or  never  went  there.  Now 
that  I  was  among  the  people,  I  resolved  to  see  all  I  could  of 
native  character.  My  appearance  was  uncouth  enough  to  be 
taken  for  a  runaway  sailor.  In  view  of  this,  the  natives — es- 
pecially the  women — ^manifested  ^very  possible  freedom,  for  by 
this  time  quite  a  little  crowd  had  collected  in  and  around  the 
house  in  which  I  was  staying.  Two  or  three  of  the  women 
were  very  desirous  of  finding  my  pockets  and  testing  their  con- 
tents, and,  had  I  permitted  them,  they  would  soon  have  left 
me  minus  of  nondescripts.  In  that  respect  I  concluded  they 
had  gone  far  enough,  so  I  motioned  them  away,  and  patient- 
ly awaited  the  rest  of  the  drama. 


NATIVE  FEMALE — MODE  OF  SITTING. 


I  sat  smoking  a  cigar.  Just  before  me  sat  a  young  woman, 
nude  to  the  waist,  and  covered  with  a  syphilitic  eruption. 
Her  hair  was  hanging  down  her  back  in  tangled  and  filthy 


2S4  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


In  that  OQnditiDii  she  was  leediiig  her  child  haia 
"  Nature's  Nile."  And  that  infant,  from  the  crown  of  its 
head  to  the  loks  of  its  £9et-;-4br  it  was  quite  nude — ^was  cor- 
eied,  like  its  mother,  with  a  disgusting  cutaneous  disease.  I 
looked  anotha  way,  and  several  parties  were  performing  com- 
ic acts  which  diould  never  be  pei£inned  only  behind  the  thick 
curtain  of  night  But  my  presence  and  the  light  of  day  had 
not  the  least  influence  oir  their  motives  and  actions,  for  they 
ccnnpleted  what  they  so  unceremoniously  begun — amid  the 
shouts  of  the  by-standers. 


i*4-l**'-lTT. 


NATIVK  MUf — ^MODB  OP  8ITTIIIO. 


There  were  indications  that  these  unseemly  performances 
had  not  come  to  a  close,  and  I  was  resolved  on  seeing  all  I 
could  of  "  native  morality."  Three  of  the  younger  women 
placed  themselves  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  commenced  danc- 
ing the  hida  hula*  to  the  music  of  a  native  flute  and  drum. 
Their  intricate  gyrations  I  can  not  attempt  to  describe,  for  I 
possess  not  the  talent  of  a  dancing-master,  nor  could  any  form 
of  written  language  assume  a  sufficient  modesty  to  attempt  a 
*  The  licentious  dance. 


TEST   OF  NATIVE   CHARACTER.  285 

description  of  that  scene.  Its  results,  however,  were  to  excite 
the  animal  passions  to  the  highest  degree  beyond  endurance. 
In  the  midst  of  this  excitement,  a  danseuse  advanced  toward 
me,  and  before  I  could  repel  the  movement,  she  had  taken  a 
seat  on  my  shoulders,  precisely  as  a  horseman  would  mount 
his  sacAe.  What  else  occurred  in  that  domicile  I  know  not. 
With  me  it  was  the  last  act  in  the  drama,  for  I  moved  the 
woman  from  her  posture,  rose  to  my  feet,  mounted  my  horse, 
and  rode  away. 

I  presume  this  statement  may  be  abnegated  by  thousands 
of  persons  who  have  never  seen  the  intense  degradation  of  a 
semi-civilized  or  an  uncivilized  South  Sea  Islander.  It  may 
be  totally  denied  even  by  many  residents  on  the  Hawaiian 
group.  But  that  abnegation  does  not  amount  to  disproof. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  "  native  morahty"  so  ftdly 
developed,  but  it  was  not  the  last.  This  instance  taught  me 
a  species  of  philosophy  I  had  not  before  thought  of  It  was 
this — ^that  the  natives  take  liberties  at  certain  times  and  with 
certain  persons  which  they  will  not  take  at  other  times  and  in 
the  presence  of  other  persons. 

There  is  only  one  key  which  wiU  unlock  this  simple  philoso- 
phy. The  only  mode  of  properly  testing  native  character  is 
simply  this :  A  man  must  not  go  among  them  with  a  minis- 
terial suit  of  clothes,  nor  a  ministerial  deportment,  as  the  mis- 
sionaries do.  This  is  why  many  a  resident  clerical  teacher 
has  failed  accurately  to  test  native  character  when  he  ought 
to  have  known  all  about  it.  But  let  a  man — any  man — ^put 
on  a  rough  suit,  and  put  off,  to  a  certain  extent,  his  stoical 
gravity ;  let  him  go  and  sit  on  their  mats,  share  their  food — 
if  nature  will  permit  him: — and  smoke  with  them,  and  indulge 
in  a  ]H$b  tete-a-tete,  and  in  one  tour  over  the  group  he  will 
see  more  than  many  a  permanently  located  missionary  will 
see  in  twenty  years.  WTbo  does  not  know  that  semi-civilized 
islanders  have  a  secret  dread  of  their  spiritual  teachers,  and 
that  they  will  conceal  many  things  in  their  presence  which 
they  would  not  think  of  concealing  in  their  absence  ?  This 
is  but  human  nature ;  and  it  is  the  same  in  professedly  Chris- 


286  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

tian  lands  as  in  pagan  countries.  In  nations  and  states  where 
Popery  sways  an  absolute  sceptre,  a  sight  of  the  cowl  and 
hood,  and  the  ringing  of  the  vesper-bell,  will  produce  the  most 
complete  momentary  transformations.  Every  emplojrment 
and  pursuit,  of  whatever  character,  or  by  whomsoever^^tron- 
ized,  immediately  terminates ;  nor  is  it  resumed  until  the  ces- 
sation of  the  superstitious  spell.  So,  wherever  men,  as  teach- 
ers, have  acquired  any  influence  over  the  minds  of  their  pros- 
elytes, they  have  only  to  make  their  appearance,  and  their 
disciples  endeavor  to  appear  what  they  wish  them  to  be.  On 
these  grounds  missionaries  have  many  a  time  censured  the 
honest  statements  of  travelers ;  but,  under  the  circumstances, 
those  travelers  knew  most  of  native  character.  They  went 
among  them  quietly  and  unpretendingly,  and  the  rude  natives 
acted  out  before  them  their  exact  nature.  In  this  way,  they 
saw  what  the  missionaries,  as  missionaries  y  never  saw,  and 
can  never  see ;  and  in  this  way  every  traveler  passing  over 
the  group  to-day  has  the  advantage. 

In  retracing  my  steps  toward  the  southern  shore  of  the  isl- 
and, at  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  from  the  Palis,  I  passed 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Hitchcock,  once  the  missionary  of  this  dis- 
trict. The  family  had  gone  away  to  the  United  States,  and 
their  absence  from  that  dwelling  imparted  to  it  a  shade  of 
profoimd  solitude.  I  found  the  rooms  pleasantly  furnished, 
and  resolved  on  staying  there  that  night.  I  turned  my  tired 
horse  into  a  pasture.  My  next  step  was  to  roll  down  one  of 
the  beds,  and  I  was  as  weU  satisfied  with  my  performance  as 
though  it  had  been  done  by  the  most  accomplished  valet  de 
chambre.  There  were  at  least  two  hours  left  for  reading 
before  the  day  merged  into  total  night ;  a  propensit^which, 
in  the  absence  of  supper  or  any  means  to  procure  it,^as  not 
difficult  to  gratify. 

There  was  a  small  library  of  good  reading,  among  which 
were  the  famiUar  titles  of  Ainsworth's  Latin  Dictionary, 
CowPER*s  Poems,  Fox's  Martyrology,  and  Bunyan's  "PU- 
grim's  Progress*'  translated  into  the  Hawaiian  language.  The 
"  Pilgrim"  was  a  pet  of  mine  in  my  school-boy  days ;  and  the 


DESERTED  RESIDENCE.  287 

vivid  impressions  then  produced  in  my  mind  about  the  "  De- 
lectable Moimtains,"  the  "  Land  of  Beaulah,"  the  "  River  of 
Death,"  and  the  "  Eternal  City,"  were  reproduced  as  I  turn- 
ed over  the  Hawaiian  pages  of  that  matchless  allegory.  Lit- 
tle did  the  poor  "  tinker"  think,  when  in  Bedford  jail,  that  his 
"  Pilgrim"  would  find  its  way  to  this  distant  archipelago !  But 
where  has  it  not  journeyed,  as  though  it  were  animated  by  the 
prophetic  mandate  of  its  immortal  author — 

**  Go  now,  my  little  book,  to  every  place?" 

It  has  crossed  the  burning  plains  of  India  and  Persiar— passed 
through  the  forest  glades  of  Burmah  and  Ceylon — ^traversed 
the  valleys  of  Syria  and  Palestine — and  wended  its  way 
through  almost  every  obscure  pomer  of  the  North  American 
Continent.  And  it  ^all  live  until  the  sun  of  Nature  rises  and 
sets  for  the  last  time,  and  after  human  languages  have  per- 
ished on  the  lips  of  the  last  of  Adam's  race. 

I  stood  turning  over  the  pages  of  that  library  until  the  sky 
grew  dark,  and  then  my  resolution  to  stay  all  night  entirely 
forsook  me.  As  I  turned  away  fiom  those  pages,  the  wind 
uttered  its  sad  and  wild  meanings,  and  heavy  storm-clouds 
came  sweeping  over  the  tops  of  the  mountains.  In  the  apart- 
ment in  which  I  stood,  there  lay  strewn  around  me  the  toy  of 
the  child,  and  the  vestiges  of  things  which  had  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  sober  manhood :  they  were  memorials  of  the  loving 
and  the  loved ;  associations  of  days  which  had  fled  forever. 
These  things  made  that  silence  more  stilly  and  that  solitude 
more  solitary.  I  could  no  longer  endure  it ;  but,  rolling  back 
the  bed  I  had  smoothed  down,  and  saddling  my  already  tired 
horse,  and  securing  the  door  of  the  house  as  I  passed  out  of  it, 
I  mounted  and  started  for  the  sea-shore  on  the  south. 

By  the  time  I  reached  Kaunakakai,  night  had  spread  its 
dark  wings  over  every  object.  I  rode  up  to  a  hut  and  bar- 
gained for  a  night's  lodgings.  Negotiations  having  been  closed, 
my  smutty  host  kindly  inquired  into  the  condition  of  my  <*  in- 
ner man."  In  something  short  of  an  hour,  he  brought  a  mess 
which  was  suiEcient  to  have  disgusted  a  shark.     It  consisted 


288  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

of  some  sweet  potatoes  and  salt  fish  dried  in  the  sun.  But 
such  a  mess !  Had  my  existence  depended  on  that  food,  I 
could  not  have  taken  it ;  and  I  soon  forgot  that  I  had  abready 
fasted  twenty-four  hours.  But  I  felt  enraged  and  disappoint- 
ed;  so  I  took  up  the  dish  of  provisions,  and  flung  them  all  at 
the  head  of  my  worthy  host,  much  to  his  sincere  indignation 
and  disgust.  My  only  solace  lay  in  raising  a  cloud  of  smoke 
from  cigars,  i^hile  the  host  and  his  son  collected  the  scattered 
fragments  of  the  supper  I  had  just  flung  at  his  head,  and  then 
sat  down  aud  devoured  them  with  the  appetite  of  cannihals. 

Failing  in  my  efibrts  to  gratify  a  keen  appetite,  I  concluded 
to  retire  for  the  night.  But  if  I  had  retired  supperless,  the 
fleas  and  musquitoes  seemed  resolved  on  another  thing.  I  had 
been  exposed  pretty  freely  to  these  sorts  of  things  on  the  island 
of  Kauai ;  but  they  were  no  more  to  be  compared  with  these 
merciless  bed-fellows,  than  Gulliver's  Liliputiaa  warriors 
with  the  Anakims  of  the  early  ages  of  the  world.  The  mats 
seemed  lined  with  fleas,  aud  the  atmosphere  of  the  wretched 
hovel  of  a  house  seemed  thick  with  musquitoes.  Tired  na* 
ture,  however,  was  gaining  the  ascendency  over  this  species  ci 
martyrdom,  and  I  was  just  closing  my  eyes  in  a  refreshing 
sleep,  when  such  a  weeping  and  wailing  comm^iced  as  was 
never  before  heard  on  this  side  of  Hades.  It  seemed  as  though 
Pandemonium  had  broken  loose  from  its  Stygian  confines,  and 
had  come  to  pay  a  midnight  visit  to  this  settlement.  In  a 
moment  I  sprung  from  my  mat  aud  entered  the  next  house, 
from  which  the  lamentation  seemed  to  proceed. 

On  entering  the  wretched  abode,  such  a  scene  burst  on  my 
vision  as  I  wish  never  to  see  again.  There  sat  a  group  of 
thirty  or  forty  women,  in  the  centre  of  whom  was  a  mother 
with  streaming  eyes  aud  dii^eveled  hair,  and  an  infant,  ap- 
parently in  the  last  pangs  of  existence,  lay  stretched  at  frdl 
length  across  her  knees.  She  was  bathing  its  head  with  cold 
water,  and  besmearing  its  limbs  with  a  thick  decoction  of  can- 
dle-nut bark.  At  intervals  of  a  few  seconds,  the  mother  would 
recommence  her  unearthly  wailing,  in  which  she  was  jcMned 
by  the  other  women,  who  seemed  to  aim  at  nothing  el^e  bat 


REFUGE   IN   A   CHAPEL.  289 

the  loudest  noise.  Their  faces  were  distorted  as  if  with  mortal 
agony ;  but  the  mother  of  the  sick  child  was  the  only  woman 
that  shed  real  tears.  The  gloomy  reality  was  completed  by 
a  few  men  who  were  present,  some  of  whdm  sat  up  as  pro- 
foundly still  as  the  Egyptian  Menmon ;  while  the  others  lay, 
faces  downward,  and  snoring  away  as  if  designing  never  to 
wake  until  the  archangers  trumpet  should  announce  the  ar- 
lival  of  the  resurrection  morning. 

That  wailing  continued ;  of  itself,  it  was  enough  to  kill  any 
well  child,  not  to  say  any  thing  of  one  nearly  dead.  Not 
caring  to  stay  to  philosophize  on  the  subject,  I  started  for  the 
native  Church.  It  was  some  distance  £rom  this  scene  of  sor- 
row, but  the  moon  was  rising,  and  I  found  it  easily.  On  en- 
tering the  building,  I  groped  roimd  for  materials  to  make  a 
pillow,  and  found  a  pile  of  books.  These  I  placed  on  the 
platform  which  supported  the  pulpit,  and  once  more  stretched 
myself  for  the  purpose  of  sleep.  But  the  Fates — ^if  they  really 
have  an  existence — ^were  against  me  that  night.  Even  there, 
the  siege  commenced  afresh,  but  with  more  vigor,  for  this 
time  there  was  an  addition  of  mice  and  cockroaches.  Inch 
by  inch  they  disputed  the  groimd  Mdth  me ;  but  raoaembering 
that,  in  this  instance  at  least,  discretion  was  the  best  part  of 
valor,  I  concluded  to  leave  them  the  undisputed  victors. 

There  was  now  left  no  imaginable  alternative  but  to  return 
to  my  former  lodgings.  On  nearing  the  house,  I  found  that 
another  order  of  things  existed — ^the  sick  child  had  suddenly 
recovered.  And  now  their  mirth  was  as  unbounded  as  their 
sorrow  had  just  before  been  deep  and  distressing.  They  con- 
tinued Hiese  rejoicings  until  daylight  dawned  on  the  village, 
and  found  me  half  asleep  imder  a  large  catioe. 

No  vigil-keeper  by  a  sick  couch  was  ever  more  glad  to  wel- 
come the  coming  dawn  than  I  did  that  morning.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  many  annoyances  of  the  previous  night,  I  discov^ 
ered  that  my  tired  horse  had  been  rode  all  night  by  some  mis- 
creant of  a  Kanaka.  Brimful  of  wrath  at  such  a  proceed- 
ing, I  quietly  returned  to  Kaluaaha,  which  place  I  soon  left  for 
Lahaina,  on  Maui. 

N 


290  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 


CHAPTER  XXin. 

ISLAND  OF   MAUI. 

T^liftiTin^  from  the  Sea. — Lahaina  on  Shore. — Public  Bmldings. — 
Palace.  — Fort  —  Churches. — Houses. — ^Beer-shops. — "Fourfii  of 
July"  at  Lahaina. — Police. — Evils  of  the  Police  System. — ^BEarbor. 
— Commerce. — Surf-bathing. — ^A  singular  Providence.-^Marque- 
san  Chief — Christian  Liberality. — Seminary  at  Iiahainaluna. — ^Its 
Location. — Early  History. — Present  Condition. — Old  Hawaiian 
Gods. 

Viewed  from  the  anchorage,  Lahaina  is  tlie  most  pictor- 
esque  town  on  the  Hawaiian  group,  It  is  the  capital  of  Maui ; 
and  a  few  years  since  it  was  the  abode  of  royalty. 

The  town  of  Lahaina  is  in  longitude  156°  41^  west,  lat- 
itude 20^  6V  60^^  north.  It  has  a  front  of  two  miles,  and 
is  close  to  the  sea-shore,  which  is  skirted  with  the  foam  of 
lofty  and  powerful  roUers  coming  in  £rom  the  ocean.  Many 
of  ike  houses  lock  as  though  they  had  actually  grown  up  out 
of  the  trees. 

But  the  background  of  the  picture  is  the  most  impresfflve 
and  grand.  The  mountains  rise  to  a  height  of  rather  mcnr^ 
than  six  thousand  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  are  deft 
asunder  by  precipices  thousands  of  feet  in  depth.  To  come 
and  gaze  on  these  splendid  footprints  of  the  Almighty,  it  is 
worth  a  journey  of  thousands  of  miles.  During  every  hour 
of  the  day,  they  assume  a  new  feature  beneath  the  difierent 
degrees  of  sunlight.  But  the  most  perfect  view  of  them  can 
be  obtained  just  as  the  sun  is  going  down  behind  the  wave  of 
the  ocean.  A  tourist  continues  his  gaze  as  though  some  in- 
visible chain  held  him  to  the  spot.  Towering  far  above  La- 
haina, and  at  a  distance  of  two  miles,  may  be  seen  the  semi- 
nary of  Lahainaluna. 

But  Lahaina  has  a  very  difierent  aj^axance  to  a  stranger 
when  ashore.     It  is  a  di^rence  as  great  as  thi^  which  exists 


TITE  NE'.V  VOr-K 


n 


A8T0R,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATiCNS. 


LAHAINA   ON   SHORE.  298 

between  dream-life  and  life  that  is  real.  It  has  hut  one  prin- 
cipal street,  intersected  hy  a  few  others  running  at  right  an- 
gles. They  are  all  too  narrow,  and  without  any  regular  gra- 
ding, and  many  portions  of  them  are  inclosed  hy  ruined  adobe 
walls.  Their  surface  is  composed  chiefly  of  a  red  tufaceous 
lava-dust,  deep,  hot,  and  dry  during  a  very  laige  portion  of 
the  year,  and  very  obnoxious  to  pedestrians.  But  all  these 
features  are  relieved  by  a  various  and  extensive  foUage,  com- 
prising the  bread-fruit  {Artocarpus  incisa\  the  cocoa-nut 
(Cocos  nv/dferd),  the  candle-nut  {Aleurites  triloba),  the  koa 
{Acada  fcUcata),  and  the  hau  {Hibiscus  tiMacezis).  These 
aflbrd  a  romantic  and  refreshing  shade  from  the  mid-day  sun. 

In  Lahaina  the  pubhc  buildings  are  few  in  number  and 
uncostly  in  appearance.  They  include  a  hospital  for  seamen, 
a  few  school-houses  for  native  children,  a  customrhouse  and 
post-office — 'Ccmiprised  ia  one  building  — an4  a  ne"^ly-erect- 
ed  jail,  which  a£G)rds  rough  accommodations  for  delinquents 
against  civil  and  qiiritual  laws,  brought  £rom  Molpkai,  La^ 
nai,  and  every  portion  of  Maui.  And  among  these  culprits, 
poor  "Jack,"  just  come  in  £rom  the  tdiLs  of  the  ocean»  xnay 
not  infirequently  be  numbered  foj^  a  violation  of  the  seventh 
precept  of  the  Decalogue. 

The  Palace  (!)  is  a  plain,  huge  frame  building  for  such  a 
place  as  Lahaina.  It  is  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long,  and 
forty  in  width,  exclusive  of  a  piaasza,  which  entirely  surrounds 
it.  It  has  two  stories,  divided  off  into  almost  any  number  of 
apartments,  without  1^  least  regard  to  comfort  or  design. 
It  was  never  finished,  and  never  wiU  be ;  consequently,  it  re- 
tains an  appearance  peculiarly  ruinous.  The  best  thing  about 
it  is  its  location,  close  to  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  tides, 
and  within  hearing  of  that  never-wearying  hymn,  the  ocean's 
anihem. 

Yet  this  worthless  pile,  erected,  too,  at  vast  expense,  was 
OD.ee  the  abode  of  royalty.  Here,  in  his  younger  days,  Kam]&-. 
j^ATxngTTA  III.  convoked  1^  counselors  on  aflairs  of  state  and, 
received  £^mgn  officials.  But,  since  those  days,  every  thing 
and  every  body  has  changed.    The  past  seems  more  an  asr 


294  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

semblage  of  shadows  that  have  fled  away  forever.  The  large 
saloon  in  which  the  monarch  formerly  held  his  soirSes  is  now 
employed  as  a  circuit-court  room,  and  very  comical  and  ab- 
surd are  some  of  the  scenes  sometimes  enacted  there.  In  the 
rear  of  this  ruined  pile  is  a  large  fish-pond,  in  the  centre  of 
which,  and  on  a  small  island,  stands  a  tomb  containing  sev- 
eral defimct  members  of  Hawaiian  nobility,  some  of  whom 
wandered  over  this  shore  before  the  face  of  the  fin^  foreign^ 
was  seen  by  any  of  them.  It  is  thus  that  governors,  like  the 
governed,  go  back  to  the  dust  firom  whence  they  sprung,  and 
where  there  are  no  more  human  distinctions  in  place,  wealth, 
and  power. 

The  f(»rt  is  much  like  that  at  Honolulu  both  in  form,  ma- 
terial, and  capacity.  It  is  a  cumbrous  mass  of  no  use  what- 
ever, but  occupies  tlie  best  and  most  valuable  piece  of  land 
in  the  town.  It  was  erected  in  1832  by  Hoapili,  the  chief 
of  the  royal  farces  that  conquered  the  insurgents  at  Kauai  in 
1824.  Its  walls  are  lumbered  with  twenty-one  useless  guns 
of  every  calibre.  Their  principal  use  is  to  fire  salutes  on  the 
birth-day  of  Kamehameha  III. 

In  Lahaina  there  are  two  churches — a  Bethel  for  seam^i 
and  foreigners,  and  a  large  house  of  worship  used  by  the  na- 
tive population.  It  was  erected  at  an  early  period  in  the 
Sandwich  Island  Mission,  and  is  the  best  and  most  seemly 
structure  on  the  group.  Its  capacity  is  sufi&cient  to  accom- 
modate the  entire  native  population  of  Lahaina. 

The  houses  are  mostly  built  in  the  Hawaiian  style  of  arch- 
itecture, which  has  already  been  described.  There  are  a  few 
dwellings,  owned  by  foreigners,  which  are  peculiarly  neat  and 
inviting  in  their  appearance  and  location. 

There  are  no  licensed  taverns  in  this  sea-port,  but,  what  is 
infinitely  worse,  there  are  numbers  of  licensed  victuaJing- 
hduses.  The  very  appearance  of  these  dens  is  enough  to  cre- 
ate within  a  man  a  disgust  of  his  race — enough  to  make  a 
savage  sick.  They  are  kept  entirely  by  a  few  low  foreigners. 
During  the  spring  and  fall  seasons,  when  thewhahng  fleets 
are  here  to  recruit,  there  are  no  f&wet  than  twelve  of  these 


BEER- SHOPS.  295 


Plutos  in  full  blast.  And  these  hot-beds  of  vice  are  tenned 
"  Houses  of  Refreshment !"  and  *'  Sailors'  Homes !" 

"  These  termis  need  not  be  interpreted  to  those  who  are  at 
all  conversant  with  seamen,  their  general  character,  and  hab- 
its ;  the  object  with  which  but  too  large  a  proportion  of  them 
Beek  first  to  be  entertained,  when  coming  on  shore  afler  a 
voyage  or  a  cruise,  and  the  altar  upon  which  so  many  lay 
property,  and  peace,  and  character,  and  all,  a  willing  sacri- 
fice. Refreshed  with  5000  or  6000  gallons  of  *  New  England 
rum,'  and  kindred  spirits  during  a  single  year !  Refreshed, 
indeed,  and  with  a  vengeance  !  as  the  troubles  on  board  ships 
firom  the  intemperance  of  their  crews — ^the  pawning  of  clothes 
and  chests,  and  oooks  and  instruments,  to  procure  a  few  glass- 
es of  the  '  good  creature' — ^the  sicknesses  and  diseases  conse- 
quent upon  drinking  ardent  spirits — ^the  lodgment  of  a  score 
or  more  of  sailors  upon  the  bare  ground  in  the  fort,  for  weeks 
or  months,  and  with  kalo  and  salt  and  water  for  their  daily 
fix)d  and  drink,  as  a  penalty  for  scrapes  into  which  rum  had 
brought  them — and  as  the  shame,  and  conscious  disgrace  and 
degradation,  which  a  sailor  must  feel  on  awaking  to  con- 
sciousness, after  a  drunken  fit  in  a  grog-shop,  would  probably 
testify." 

And  then  the  vile  decoctions  which  are  constantly  palmed 
off  as  "  beer"  on  the  too  pliant  sailor,  would  best  merit  the 
title  of  '*  double-distilled  damnation ;"  for  this  beverage  has 
the  capacity  to  produce  scenes,  the  mere  mention  of  which  is 
impossible.  An  idea  of  the  profits  arising  from  this  "  beer"- 
eelling  may  be  formed  from  the  fact  that  a  room  twelve  by 
fourteen,  centrally  located,  will  rent  at  $100  per  month. 

The  result  of  liiis  pseudo-license  system  was  plainly  visible 
on  the  fourth  of  July,  1853,  among  some  of  the  crews  of  the 
United  States  sloop  Portsmouth  and  the  fiigate  St.  Lawrence. 
The  governor  of  the  island  had  removed  every  restriction,  in 
the  shape  of  fines  and  imprisonment,  that  would  tend  to  fet- 
ter the  liberties,  not  only  of  "Jack  ashore,"  but  the  entire  na- 
tive population  of  the  town.  Sensible  of  these  acts  of  clem- 
ency, it  hardly  need  be  said  that  no  person  was  slow  to  em- 


296  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

brace  opportunities  that  are  not  of  eveiy-day  occurrence.  The 
Bailor  could  take  his ''  glafis  of  cheer/'  gallop  his  horse  through 
the  streets,  and  be  gallaat  to  the  native  women,  ivithont  in- 
curring the  vengeance  of  the  law,  or  securing  a  sohtary  place 
of  abode  in  the  fort.  It  is  impossible  to  depict  by  the  pen 
the  singularly  comic  equestrian  feats  of  some  of  the  sailors ; 
nothing  less  than  the  pencil  of  Cruikshajnk  would  be  equal 
to  the  task.  Many  an  unlucky  &I1  was  witnessed.  In  one 
instance,  a  sailor,  rather  "  tight"  &ojai  the  effects  of  Hquor, 
affirmed  tiiat  the  legs  of  his  horse  were  extr^oaely  uneven, 
and  he  dismounted  in  order  to  measure  their  length  before  he 
would  venture  again  along  the  streets.  Others  might  be  seen 
on  horses,  with  women  sitting  in  £ront  of  the  saddle,  and  near- 
ly frantic  with  mirth.  The  governor  very  generoudy  took  tlie 
tabu  off  himself  and  family,  and  those  who  had  no  moral 
helm  attached  to  their  vessels  drifted  about  just  where  they 
pleased. 

All  this  time  the  police  were  silent  spectators  of  all  these 
scenes.  There  was  many  a  good  opportunity  to  drag  "  Jack" 
and  his  paramour  away  to  the  fort,  and  share  the  fine  imposed 
on  their  forbidden  "  loves."  But  the  suspension  of  the  tabu 
rendered  them  powerless  pro  tern.  Their  only  consolation 
was  to  follow  the  sailor's  plan  of  enjoyment,  or  to 

"  Grin  horribly  a  ghasHy  smUe,*' 

and  pass  on.  In  all  probability,  an  efiicient  body  of  police 
will  do  a  great  deal  toward  the  maintenance  of  order ;  but 
in  some  parts  of  the  world — ^the  town  of  Lahaina  included — 
it  is  exceedingly  questionable  how  much  they  accomplish  to- 
ward the  preservation  of  virtue.  A  more  unprincipled  set  of 
fellows  than  the  police  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  generally — 
and  especially  at  Lahaina/--*-can  not  be  found.  They  can  be 
bribed  to  do  any  thing  but  commit  murd^.  Many  a  time 
they  have  gone  and  laid  a  snare,  not  only  for  foreigners,  but 
for  their  own  unsuspecting  countrymen.  When  the  plot  has 
been  ripe  for  development,  or  has  just  reaohed  its  crisis,  the 
base  hireling  who  led  him  into  the  coil  has  gone  and  brought 


HARBOR  OF  LAHAINA.  297 

his  posse  alcmg  with  him,  and  poimced  upon  him  like  a  wild 
heast.  Like  "  Samson"  shorn  of  his  locks,  he  has  been  drag- 
ged most  brutally  to  the  fort,  while  the  "  Delilah,"  who  was 
employed  as  the  principal  bait,  skulks  away,  giggling  at  her 
escape  firom  pubhc  recognition  and  lodgings  in  prison.  Of 
course  the  crest-fall^  victim  does  not  wish  to  be  placed  in  con- 
finement, and  yet  there  is  no  alternative  between  that  and  the 
payment  of  $30  to  these  sagacious  Idood-hounds,  who  chuckle 
over  the  £>Uy  of  their  victim  as  they  pocket  the  *'  spoils."  In 
most  cases,  the  female  culprit  is  treated  on  the  same  plan. 

It  can  not  but  be  seen  that  such  a  system  is  rife  with  evils 
of  the  deepest  dye.  In  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  pohce  are 
paid  regular  wages,  but  this  does  not  disincline  them  to  make 
a  few  dimes  in  the  manner  above  described.  In  speaking  of 
Hawaiian  police,  it  may  safely  be  said  that  they  wotBhip  no 
god  so  much  as  Mammon,  and,  next  to  that,  Lust.  So  long 
as  these  fellows  can  be  bribed  to  their  present  extent,  or  be 
permitted  to  adopt  and  carry  out  the  blackest  of  intrigues,  just 
80  long  will  the  foundations  of  female  virtue  be  undermined. 
These  police  very  well  illustrate  the  vile  saying,  "  Employ  a 
rogue  to  catch  a  rogue !"  In  th^  case,  it  is  like  his  Satanic 
majesty  sitting  in  judgment  over  his  apostate  compeers. 

Within  the  last  few  years,  the  port  of  Lahaina  has  become 
quite  a  resort  for  vessels  from  foreign  nations.  This  may  be 
owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  character  of  the  harbor.  The 
anchorage  is  accessible  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night.  The 
mast^  of  a  vessel  need  not  await  the  mere  pleasure  of  a  pilot 
to  conduct  him  to  a  spot  where  he  can  anchor.  The  best 
holding-ground  is  between  the  fort  and  the  native  church. 
During  the  winter  season,  the  winds  blow  strong  from  the 
south ;  consequently,  they  threaten  a  vessel  with  a  lee  shore. 
But  these  vnnds  are  of  short  duration,  and  come  only  at  inter- 
vals. The  northeast  trades  blow  during  nine  tenths  of  the 
year,  when  the  town  and  anchorage  are  amply  sheltered  by 
the  lofty  mountains  in  the  rear,  and  a  ^p  rides  at  her  anchor 
as  safely  as  when  her  timbers  flourished  in  the  forest.  A  ves- 
sel has  never  been  lost  here,  and  both  access  to  this  port  and 

N2 


298  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

egiess  from  it  are  easily  efiected  by  day  or  night,  and  at  any 
season  of  the  year.  In  these  respects  it  is  vastly  superior  to 
the  port  of  Honolulu. 

This  sea-port  was  once  deemed  the  best  in  the  group ;  nor  is 
there  any  solid  reason  why  it  should  not  now  be  regarded  as 
such.  The  fact  that  the  king  has  fixed  his  abode  at  Honolu- 
lu may  have  drawn  to  that  port  a  greater  number  of  foreign- 
ers than  otherwise.  Of  course  it  is  to  their  interests  to  advo- 
cate the  alleged  superiority  of  that  harbor.  But  these  things 
do  not  detract  from  the  c(»nmercial  importance  of  Lahaina. 
The  truth  of  this  position  is  clearly  demonstrated  in  the  fact 
that,  in  the  spring  season  of  1853^  no  fewer  than  seventy 
whale  ships  came  here  to  recruit.  For  many  years  it  has  oc- 
cupied this  commercial  position.  Shipping  to  any  amount  can 
be  supplied  with  the  utmost  dispatch.  A  vessel  of  any  ton- 
nage can  be  watered  for  the  sum  of  ten  dollars.  It  may  safely 
be  predicted  that,  when  the  immense  agricultural  resources  of 
Maui  shaU  be  fully  developed,  Lahaina  will  become  the  capi- 
tal of  the  group.  Those  resources  may  sustain  a  population 
of  150,000  ;  but  they  will  never  be  properly  developed  until 
the  soil  is  universally  turned  up  by  the  plowshare  of  the  Amer- 
ican farmer. 

Of  the  numerous  national  games  and  amusements  formerly 
practiced  by  the  Hawaiians,  surf-bathing  is  about  the  only  one 
which  has  not  become  extinct. .  Lahaina  is  the  only  place  on 
the  group  where  it  is  maintained  with  any  degree  of  enthusi- 
asm, and  even  there  it  is  rapidly  passing  out  of  existence.  In 
other  days,  there  was  no  amusement  which  more  displayed  the 
skill,  or  bestowed  a  greater  phydcal  benefit  on  the  performer, 
than  this.  Formerly  it  was  indulged  in  by  all  classes  of  per* 
sons,  of  aU  ages  and  both  sexes,  firom  royalty  to  the  lowest 
plebeian,  at  one  time  and  in  the  same  place.  Even  the  huge 
regent  Kaahumanu,  and  others,  by  whose  cofi^  I  stood  and 
pondered  in  the  royal  tomb  at  Honol]ilu,  were  in  the  habit  of 
bathing  in  the  surf  at  Lahaina.  At  this  day,  the  sport  is  con- 
fined more  to  the  youthfiil  portion  of  the  community. 

Surf-baHiing  is  an  exciting  sport  to  the  swimmer,  and  a 


SURF. BATHING.  299 

cause  for  excitement  and  astonishment  on  the  part  of  an  un- 
accustomed spectator.  The  swimmers  start  out  from  the  shore, 
taking  with  them  their  surf-boards.  These  boards  are  of  di- 
mensions suited  to  the  muscular  strength  and  capacity  of  the 
swimmers.  As  they  proceed  seaward,  they  dive,  Uke  ducks, 
underneath  the  heavy  rollers,  and  come  up  on  the  other  side. 
This  course  is  pursued  until  the  outermost  roller  is  reached — 
sometimes  nearly  a  mile  firom  the  shore.  The  higher  the 
roller,  the  more  exciting  and  grand  is  the  sport.  Placing  them- 
selves on  these  boards,  the  bath^nr  gradually  approach  the  in- 
ward current  of  the  roller  as  it  sweeps  over  the  reef,  and, 
lying  on  the  chest,  striding,  kneeling,  or  standing  up  on  the 
board,  they  are  borne  on  the  &aming  crest  of  the  mighty  wave 
with  the  speed  of  the  swiftest  race-horse  toward  the  shore, 
where  a  spectator  looks  to  see  them  dashed  into  pieces  or 
maimed  for  life.  By  a  dexterous  movement,  however,  they 
slip  o£r  their  boards  into  the  water,  grasp  them  in  their  hands, 
dive  beneath  the  yet  foaming  and  thundering  surge,  and  go 
out  seaward  to  repeat  the  sport.  This  they  do  for  hours  in 
BUccessicHi,  imtU  a  traveler  is  almost  led  to  suppose  they  are 
amphibious.  This  game  involves  great  skill ;  it  is  acquired 
only  by  commencing  it  in  the  earhest  childhood.  A  standing 
position  on  the  svdftly-gHding  surf-board  is  a  feat  of  skill  never 
yet  surpassed  by  Jjny  circus-rider. 

While  I  was  staying  at  Lahaina,  a  very  singular  provid^ce 
developed  itself  in  relation  to  the  Christianity  of  the  islands. 
It  had  its  development  in  the  arrival  of  a  Marquesan  chief 
In  his  personal  appearance  he  was  an  interesting  fellow.  He 
was  rather  below  medium  size  for  a  South  Sea  Islander,  with 
a  muscular  ferm,  features  rather  sharp,  a  prominent  nose  and 
chin,  forehead  rather  retiring,  and  his  hair  trimmed  to  a  bushy 
ridge,  running  over  the  crown  from  ear  to  ear,  giving  him  a 
formidable  and  warlike  aspect. 

For  a  man  of  his  character,  the  object  of  his  visit  seemed 
more  romantic  than  real ;  but  it  manifested  the  silent  and 
sovereign  agency  of  the  great  Father  of  the  universe  over  his 
oreatuies,  and  it  teaches  a  very  significant  lesson. 


300  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

On  the  moming  of  March  the  14th,  181^3,  Makouivi?!-- 
chief  in  question — and  his  son-in-law,  Puu,  presented  tfacsnr 
selves  at  ^e  residence  of  Dr.  Baldwin,  the  missionary  at  la^ 
haina.  The  chief  stated  that  he  had  come  firom  the  island^ 
Haknhiwa,  in  the  Marqnesan  group.  He  had  come  to  procme 
a  teacher  of  Christianity  to  take  back  with  him.  He  thought 
they  might  get  a  Hawaiian  first,  and  subsequently  a  white 
man.  On  being  questioned  what  they  had  seen  or  heard  which 
induced  them  to  wish  fcr  a  religious  teac^ier,  they  replied, 
"  We  have  nothing  but  war,  war,  war !  fear,  trouMe,  and 
poverty.  We  have  nothing  good,  and  are  tired  of . living  so. 
We  wish  to  live  as  you  do  here." 

But  what  added  a  yet  deeper  interest  to  the  mission  c^this 
pagan  warrior-chief  was  the  nature  ci  the  circumstances  un- 
der which  he  left  his  home  in  the  Marquesas.  The  people 
were  then  at  wto.  Putr  stated  that  Makountji  was  the  high 
chief  of  the  island  of  Hakiihiwa,  aiwi  had  ten  chiefs  under  him. 
In  this  war  he  had  employed  erne  thousand  fighting  men. 
There  was  a  strong  force  opposed  to  him.  When  ihe  war 
was  ended,  he  called  his  chiefs  together,  and  proposed  the  bnsi« 
ness  of  sending  for  a  missionary.  Far  a  long  time  he  had 
cherished  this  idea.  It  was  first  conceived  by  seeing  sailors 
who  were  natives  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  the  islands  of 
Raratonga,  Aitutake,  and  Mangaia  coming  ashore,  well  dress- 
ed, firom  whale  ships.  He  Mt  satisfied  that  the  Hawaiian 
sailors  were  the  test  clothed  of  any,  and  on  a^dng  them  a  few 
questions  in  regard  to  it,  he  instantly  exclaimed,  '*  The  gods 
of  Hawaii  best  clothe  Iheir  people !  they  are,  therefore,  the 
best  gods !    The  gods  of  Hawaii  shall  be  our  gods !" 

It  was  decided  by  the  council  of  chie&  to  send  MAKOtmn 
and  his  son-in-law  to  Tahiti  or  the  Sandwich  Islands  fat  a 
teacher.  Before  he  embarked  on  this  voyage,  it  was  clearly 
understood  that,  if  he  were  absent  firom  his  people  and  lands 
longer  than  five  months,  they  were  to  conclude  him  dead. 
Having  set  out,  he  adopted  a  very  unique  method  of  comput- 
ing time.  He  k^pt  a  piece  of  twine,  in  which  he  tied  a  knot 
for  eax)h  day  and  night  dating  the  voyage,  until  they  sighted 


CHRISTIAN   LIBERALITY.  301 

the  high  mountainB  of  Hawaii.  After  six  knots  a  space  was 
left,  which,  he  said,  indicated  to  himself  the  time  when  he  left 
bis  own  archipelago.  There  were  forty-seven  knots  in  this 
twine ;  thns  showing  that  Ihey  had  been  twenty-three  and  a 
half  days  coming  within  sight  of  Hawaii,  exclusive  of  thirteen 
days  more  in  reaching  Lahaina  on  the  14th  of  March. 

On  the  countenance  of  this  chief  there  dwelt  a  deep  and 
constant  anxiety.  For  this  there  was  ample  cause.  He  knew 
,it  was  ^e  custom  of  the  Marquesans,  when  a  chief  was  sup- 
posed to  be  dead  after  a  certain  absence,  to  seize  upon  his  pos- 
sessions and  kiU  his  family.  Aside  firom  this,  he  was  very 
desirous  to  procure  teachers  to  instruct  his  benighted  country- 
men. 

It  is  superfluous  to  state,  that  in  his  enterprise  the  Sand- 
-wich  Islsuid  diurches  felt  a  profound  interest.  His  errand 
was  laid  before  the  General  Meeting  of  the  missionaries  in 
May,  1853.  The  Directors  of  the  Hawaiian  Missionary  Soci- 
ety chartered  the  English  brigantine  "  Royalist,"  at  an  expense 
of  several  thousand  dollars,  which  were  raised  by  the  native 
churches.  The  tone  of  that  meeting  is  graphically  described 
by  the  editor  of  the  ''Friend**  for  June,  1853 : 

"  The  anniversary  of  this  society  tpok  place  at  the  Bethel, 
Tuesday  evening.  May  24th.  The  exercises  on  the  occasion 
were  rendered  exceecUn^y  interesting  in  consequence  of  the 
presence  of  the  Marquesan  chief,  who  has  come  for  a  "  Kumu" 
or  teacher.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Alexander  officiated  as  interpreter,- 
who  informed  this  messenger  from  Marquesas  that  the  audience 
had  assembled  to  confer  in  regard  to  the  sending  of  mission- 
aries to  his  countrym^i.  With  great  earnestness,  the  chief 
asked,  *  Have  you  found  the  teacher?'  It  was  for  a '  teacher* 
that  he  had  come — ^that  was  his  sole  errand.  That  one  idea 
has  been  ever  present  to  his  mind,  in  pubhc  and  in  private. 
To  one  of  the  missionaries  he  remarked  that  he  came,  not  to 
see  the  coimtry,  its  fig-trees,  or  its  other  products,  but  for  a 
*  teacher.* " 

The  request  of  the  Marquesan  chief  was  granted.  The 
''Boyaikt"  sailed  on  the  16th  of  June,  taking  out  the  chi^, 


302  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

his  eon-in-law,  three  native  cleigymen  and  their  wives,  and 
Mr.  Parker,  missionary  at  Kaneohe,  Oahu. 

Whatever  may  be  the  fate  of  tiiat  enterprise,  and  whether 
expectations  which  have  been  cherished  will  ever  be  realized, 
there  is  no  lover  of  his  race  but  will  wish  it  a  hearty  "  God- 
speed !"  Repeatedly  have  attempts  been  made  to  civilize  and 
Christianize  those  savage  and  warlike  islanders.  The  Eng- 
lish and  American  missionaries,  as  well  as  the  French  Cath- 
ohcs,  have  aQ  been  doomed  to  disappointment.  In  summing 
up  the  prospects  of  this  enterprise,  the  ''Friend'  for  July 
says : 

"  We  hope,  as  the  missionary  spirit  is  awaking,  and  two  ex- 
peditions having  already  left  our  shores,  others  will  follow  in 
their  wake.  Let  one,  at  least,  annually  go  forth,  until  every 
island  in  Polynesia  shall  not  only  be  visited,  but  the  Bible  be 
translated  into  every  dialect  spoken  by  these  wasting  nations. 
The  Bible,  faithfully  translated  into  the  dialect  of  any  heathen 
people,  is  a  prouder  monument  of  the  Church  of  Christ  than, 
are  the  most  costly  Christian  temples  which  adorn  the  en- 
lightened nations  of  Europe  and  America.  Suppose  the  na- 
tions and  tribes  of  Polynesia  may  waste  and  vanish  b^ore  civ- 
ilization, let  Christians  break  to  them  the  bread  of  life,  and 
now  promptly  discharge  a  duty  which  was  tardily  peiformed 
or  altogether  neglected  by  former  generations." 

This  language  is  sensible  and  just,  and  will  readily  be  ap- 
preciated by  thousands  of  enlightened  and  hberal  minds.  A 
few  moments  of  reflection  wiU  be  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
success  of  that  enterprise  depends  entirely  on  the  cliaracter  of 
the  first  efforts  made  on  the  Marquesan  soil.  Look  to  it,  yo 
pioneers,  that  none  of  you  dabble  in  the  pohtical  councils  of 
warlike  chieftains.  Should  commerce  send  the  white-winged 
clipper  to  your  shores,  throw  no  obstacles  in  the  way  of  trade, 
as  many  have  done  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  In  your  at- 
tempts to  Christianize  those  warrior-tribes,  dirilize  them  on  a 
generous  commercial  basis.  Should  the  chiefs  ever  derive  .a 
revenue  from  commercial  relations,  stand  aloof  from  financial 
matters,  and  see  to  it  that  the  fingers  of  your  compeers  are 


SEMINARY  AT  LAHAINALUNA.  803 

kept  out  of  the  treasury,  otherwise  your  efibrts  to  benefit 
that  people  will  be  as  useless  as  the  attempts  of  a  tidal  in- 
flux to  wash  away  a  continent.  In  such  an  enterprise  as  this, 
no  private  consideration  should  actuate  the  Qiind — ^no  sectari- 
anism should  level  its  deadly  venom  at  a  brother's  soul.  Ves- 
sels may  be  employed  to  convey  rehgious  teachers  to  a  foreign 
shore,  and  thousands  may  be  lavished  on  their  support,  but,  so 
long  as  denominationalisms  exist  so  extensively  as  they  do  at 
this  day,  not  much  good  will  be  realized.  We  may  hope  for 
the  cessation  of  crime  and  vice,  want  and  sorrow — ^we  may 
look  for  the  dawn  of  the  jubilee  of  our  whole  race,  only  when 

"  From  the  lips  of  Truth,  one  mighty  breath 
Shall,  like  a  whirlwind,  scatter  in  its  breeze 
The  whole  dark  pile  of  human  mockeries : 
Then  shall  the  reign  of  hind  commence  .on  earth. 
And,  starting  fresh  as  from  a  second  birth, 
Man,  in  the  sunshine  of  the  world's  new  spring, 
Shall  walk  transparent,  Hke  some  holy  thing  I" 

But  it  is  time  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  seminary  at  Lahaina- 
luna.  As  I  have  already  stated,  it  is  two  miles  at  the  back 
of  Lahaina,  on  an  elevation  of  six  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  road  leading  up  to  it  was  made  several 
years  since  by  some  of  the  students  then  in  the  seminary.  Al- 
though the  seminary  buildings  overlook  the  town  of  Lahaina, 
a  large  extent  of  calm  blue  ocean,  and  the  neighboring  isl- 
ands of  Lanai  and  Kahoolawe,  it  is  the  very  worst  location 
which  even  a  bad  taste  could  have  selected  over  the  whole 
group.  Its  selection  for  a  retreat  for  Hawaiian  students  is  a 
specimen  of  the  impracticable  and  absurd.  The  soU  is  com- 
posed of  a  red  clay,  which  in  dry  weather  forms  a  fine  red 
dust  that  covers  and  chokes  every  thing,  and  which  is  raised 
in  dense  clouds  by  the  daily  winds  that  sweep  down  the 
slopes  of  the  mountains  in  the  rear.  This  is  an  obstacle  to 
native  comfort,  and  a  complete  nuisance  to  every  visitor. 

As  this  seminary  has  all  along  been  fostered  by  missionary 
enterprise,  a  glance  at  its  ewrly  history  can  not  fail  of  some  in- 
terest to  a  general  reader.     I  have  gathered  my  materials  from 


304  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

a  sketch  published  some  years  since  in  the  Hawaiian  Spec- 
tator.* The  primitive  object  of  the  institution  was  to  aid  in 
the  advancement  of  Christianity  and  the  perpetuity  of  its  in- 
stitutions ;  to  elevate  the  moral- and  religious  ccmdition  of  the 
people,  and  to  teach  them  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  to  pro- 
vide suitable  teachers  for  the  existing  generations.  This 
school  was  established  cm  the  principle  of  self-support,  and 
none  were  admitted  but  those  who  could  support  themselves 
by  manual  labor.  It  went  into  operation  in  1831.  The  site 
of  the  school  was  then  in  a  rude  and  barren  state ;  the  only 
school-house  was  a  temporary  shed,  constructed  of  poles  and 
grass  by  the  scholars.  In  a  few  weeks,  the  scholars,  under  the 
direction  of  the  principal,  commenced  building  a  moie  perma- 
nent house.  But  great  embarrassment  was  experienced  for 
the  want  of  means  to  carry  forward  the  work,  and  of  skill  in 
the  workmen.  After  two  or  three  accidents,  which  material- 
ly put  back  the  work,  the  walls  of  a  house,  fifty  feet  by  twen- 
ty-six inside,  were  finished  and  covered  with  ti  leaf^  and  fur- 
nished with  rude  seats  and  window-blinds,  but  without  a  floor. 
This  building  was  erected  entirely  by  the  scholars  themselves. 

In  1 836,  the  character  of  the  institution  was  dtanged.  The 
self-supporting  system  was  laid  aside,  and  no  pupils  were  ad- 
mitted beyond  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

In  1837,  the  present  buildings  were  reared,  and  their  ex- 
tent and  cost  is  thus  described  in  the  sketch  already  alluded 
to  :  "  They  consist  of  a  centre  building  and  two  wings,  all  in 
one  block.  They  are  built  of  stone.  The  centre  building  is 
forty  feet  square  inside,  two  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a 
smaU  cupola.  The  lower  story  a^>rds  two  school-rooms. 
The  second  story  afibrds  a  good  room,  fi>rty  feet  square,  for  a 
chapel.  A  room  above  the  chapel,  forty  feet  by  eighteen,  is 
occupied  as  a  room  for  apparatus,  library,  curiosities,  &c.  The 
two  wings  were  each  fifty  feet  by  twenty-six,  two  stories  high. 
The  lower  story  of  one  is  a  school-room,  and  the  upper  story 
a  dwelling-house  for  one  of  the  teachers.  The  lower  story  of 
the  other  is  a  dining-hall  for  the  boaiding-seholars.  The  up- 
*  VoL  i,  No.  iv.,  Art  1. 


EARLY  HISTORY.  305 

per  story  is  unfinished,  but  designed  as  a  dwelling-house  for  a 
secular  assistant.  In  addition  to  this  building,  there  are  twen- 
ty-seven small  thatched  houses  for  lodging-rooms  for  the  pu- 
pils, besides  a  few  other  small  buildings,  such  as  cook-house, 
store-houses,  &c.  These  buildings,  including  the  dwelling- 
houses  connected  with  them,  and  the  improvements  on  the 
yard,  cost  about  $12,500."  This  institution  was  endowed 
by  the  king  and  chie&  with  a  grant  of  lands,  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  the  pupils  in  raising  their  own  food,  which  was  val- 
ued at  about  two  cents  per  scholar  per  day,  or  $7  30  a  year. 
Their  food  was  principally  poi  and  fish — ^the  common  food  of 
the  country — but  eaten  at  a  taUcy  vrith  botds,  spoons^  knives^ 
&c.  The  clothing  of  each  scholar  consisted  of  a  shirt  and  pan- 
takxms.  The  entire  personal  expenses  for  the  year  amounted 
to  about  $20. 

Their  course  of  study  was  reading,  writing,  Scripture  geog^ 
raphy,  history  and  chronology,  Church  history,  elements  of  ge- 
ometry and  astronomy,  trigonometry,  mensuration,  algebra^ 
navigation,  and  surveying.  To  test  their  capacity  for  the  class- 
ics, they  were  permitted  to  study  Greek,  and  they  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  that  language. 

But  the  change  introduced  into  the  seminary  since  1836 
has  been  highly  disadvantageous  to  the  pupils.  The  rapid 
transition  of  a  number  of  young  men  £rom  outof^oor  exercise 
to  close  mental  exertion  could  not  fail  to  inflict  certain  evils 
upon  themselves  and  others  with  whom  they  came  in  contact. 
The  savage  can  not  be  taken  firom  his  canoe,  firom  his  fishing 
excursions,  his  loiterings  in  the  valleys  or  among  the  mountr 
ains,  and  immured  within  the  walls  of  a  seminary  with  im- 
punity. Practical  labor  must  ever  be  paramount  to  mere  in- 
tdlectual  pursuits,  or  the  exertions  made  to  elevate  native 
character  are  ahnost  useless. 

After  all  the  means  expended  on  this  seminary,  one  is  nat- 
urally led  to  hope  to  see  scmiething  of  the  results  of  that  ex- 
penditure. But  there  are  few  to  be  seen  to-day.  The  insti- 
tution has  long  be^i  past  the  meridian  of  its  usefulness.  Not- 
withstanding it  had  for  eacae  time  past  been  under  the  foster- 


306  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ing  care  of  the  government,  I  found  the  buildings  half  pros- 
trated, and  the  remaining  portion  looked  as  if  they  were  des- 
tined soon  to  share  the  same  fate.  It  was  at  the  time  of  var 
cation.  The  pupils  had  gone  to  their  homes  or  to  visit  their 
friends.  The  rooms  they  had  vacated  were  half  filled  with 
every  variety  of  cast-off  or  dirty  articles,  and  presented  the  very 
epitome  of  filth  and  recklessness.  The  chapel,  recitation-rooms, 
and  lecture-rooms  were  in  a  deplorably  filthy  condition.  From 
these  circumstances,  it  was  not  diflicult  to  estimate  the  appear- 
ance of  the  pupils  when  occupying  their  respective  desks  and 
rooms,  or  when  formed  into  a  class  for  recitation.  The  whole 
seemed  to  me  to  be  an  almost  total  failure  of  an.  object  once 
inherently  good ;  and  it  was  because  the  earlier  ilistructors 
were  not  eminentiy  practical  and  systematic  men.  For  twen- 
ty-two years  the  young  men  of  the  group  have  been  boring 
away  at  their  intellectual  pursuits  amid  aU  the  poverty  of 
their  native  language.  For  twenty-two  years  exertions  have 
been  making  to  produce  a  grand  failure.  The  costs  of  this  in- 
stitution to  the  Hawaiian  government  amounted,  in  1852,  to 
$6000  ;  and  in  his  annuul  report,  the  Minister  of  Public  In- 
struction recommended  that  the  same  amount  be  appropriated 
for  1853,  besides  $3500  for  the  repairs  of  the  ruined  build- 
ings.* 

The  modem  course  of  instruction  is  closely  allied  to  the  sys- 
tem originally  established.  It  consists  of  arithmetic,  mental 
and  written  algebra,  geometry,  trigonometry,  optics,  sacred, 
ancient,  and  Church  history,  composition,  pimctuation,  anat- 
omy, didactic  theology,  and  Hawaiian  laws. 

During  the  twenty-one  years  ending  in  1852,  four  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  students  have  received  their  diplomas,  after  an 
individual  course  of  four  years*  study.  A  few  of  th^oti  have 
become  teachers,  evangelists,  and  ordained  clergymen,  while 
a  few  others  have  acted  as  judges,  lawyers,  and  physicians, 
the  last  of  which  are  villainous  professions  in  the  hands  of  Ha- 
waiians  generally. 

In  the  museum  of  this  seminary,  in  the  midst  of  a  pile  of 
*  See  Annual  Report  for  1852,  p.  59. 


OLD  HAWAIIAN   GODS. 


307 


ipirorthless  philosophical  apparatus,  I  observed  a  couple  of  old 
Hawaiian  gods.  Their  aspect  was  extremely  ridiculous  and 
repulsive.  One  was  about  two  feet  high.  It  was  composed 
of  a  plain  piece  of  wood,  slightly  hollowed  out  at  the  back, 
^nrhile  the  front  was  covered  with  a  piece  of  native  cloth,  mark« 
ed  with  sundry  figures  more  grotesque  than  some  of  the  old- 
Aztec  hieroglyphics.  The  other  idol  was  about  six  feet  high, 
carved  out  of  a  sohd  log,  and  of  grim  countenance.  These 
gods  are  correctly  represented  in  the  accompanying  wood-cut. 
It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  concluded  that  the  people 


308  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

of  a  formw  generatioii  were  80  intellectaally  debased,  or  that 
theae  were 

"The  devils  they  adored  for  deities.** 

Yet  all  this  was  true!  While  I  stood  ccmtemplating  these 
idols,  I  could  not  help  wondmng  how  many  li^sless  humaa 
victims  had  been  laid  at  their  feet,  in  the  hope  of  conciliating 
the  spirits  of  the  duties  which  were  sii^poeed  to  hover  aronnd 
the  inanimate  wood.  How  many  a  pocn:  wretch  had  knelt,  as 
he  felt  the  gushings  forth  of  his  own  immortality,  and  breathr 
ed  his  prayers  to  these  helpless  objects ;  and  yet  he  arose  froia 
his  knees  with  a  greater  agony,  a  darker  mind,  and  a  sonl 
more  intensely  crushed.  O  !  who  shall  tell  how  many  hearts 
have  thus  bled,  how  many  bitter  tears  have  been  shed,  how 
many  spirits  have  thus  writhed  in  bitter  agony  during  the 
days  of  pagan  darkness.  Yet  these  were  once  thy  gods,  Ha- 
waii !  and  these  were  the  tortures  levied  by  an  accursed  hi- 
erarchy upon  thy  abject  and  confiding  children  I 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

FROM   LAHAINA   TO   WAI-LU-KU. 

Crossing  the  Mountains. — Isthmus  of  Kula. — Maui  formerly  two 
Islands. — ^Village  of  Wai-ka-pxL — ^Wai-lu-ku  and  Valley. — ^Terrific 
Battle-ground — Old  Battle-ground  of  Eahului. — ^Hawaiian  *'  6W- 
gotha." — A  Cranium  Hunter. — Curiosity  of  the  Natives. — Modem 
Superstitions. — Doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  studied  over  the 
Bones  of  "Warriors. — ^Why  the  Doctrine  is  difficult  to  believe. 

From  Lahaina  to  Wai-lu-ku  there  is  little  to  interest  a  bu- 
perficial  traveler.  A  man  must  be  prepared  for  a  dry,  dusty, 
and  rugged  road,  leading  chiefly  along  the  sea-shore. 

On  passing  over  the  plains  of  Oloalu,  a  few  ravines  open 
on  the  left.  The  scenery  at  this  spot  is  perfectly  gorgeous. 
There  are  times— one  of  which  I  experienced — ^when  the  wind 
bursts  through  these  ravines  in  gusts  of  such  viol^ice  as  al- 


MAUI   FORMERLY   TWO  ISLANDS.       399 

most  to  unhorse  a  very  experienced  horseman.  They  have 
sometimes  proved  destructive  to  houses,  canoes,  and  even  ves- 
sels "within  their  reach.  Th<f  natives  call  these  "wiqds  Mur 
muku. 

The  road  leading  over  the  mountains  is  surrounded  with  a 
-wild  and  romantic  interest.  The  traveler  frequently  passes 
along  the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine,  or  cHmhs  along  the  side  of  a 
lofty  ascent.  He  may  meet  a  hare-hmbed  native  mounted  on 
an  ill-fed  horse,  which  he  is  urging  at  a  regular  break-neck 
speed  across  the  fearful  ravines.  Occasionally  a  wild  bullock 
may  stand  in  the  path,  as  if  about  to  dispute  the  horse's  pas- 
sage ;  but,  on  nearing  him,  he  is  certain  to  run  away  at  the 
top  of  his  speed.  The  continuous  ascent  of  these  mountains 
is  very  fatiguing — their  descent  is  equally  the  same. 

This  mountain-region  once  passed,  the  traveler  enters  on 
the  plain  or  isthmus  of  Kula.  It  is  a  sandy  alluvial,  con- 
stantly changing  the  configuration  of  its  surface  beneath  the 
action  of  heavy  winds.  This  neck  of  land  has  a  gradual  ele- 
vation from  the  sea-shore  on  the  southwest,  to  nearly  two  hund- 
red feet  on  the  northeast,  in  the  region  of  Wai-lu-ku.  In  ex- 
tent it  is  seven  miles  by  twelve.  During  three  fourths  of  the 
year  it  forms  a  fine  pasture-land  for  hundreds  of  cattle  that 
range  over  its  surface.     It  is  not  fit  for  cultivation. 

The  islaud  of  Maui  is  geographically  divided  into  east  and 
west.  The  physical  conformation  of  the  isthmus  of  Kula,  and 
the  configuration  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  island,  plainly  es- 
tablish the  conviction  that  Maui  was  formerly  two  islands. 
The  character  of  the  isthmus  is  mainly  alluvial ;  but  it  re- 
tains a  large  quantity  of  volcanic  sand,  ashes,  and  scorisB,  in- 
terspersed with  huge  boulders  and  projections  of  lava,  which 
were  thrown  out  of  the  craters  in  the  neighboring  mountains 
in  generations  past.  The  formation  of  this  isthmus  has  formed 
a  natural  imity  between  the  two  islands.  In  its  general  out- 
line, Maui  represents  a  human  bust  well  defined. 

The  first  village  of  any  note  on  the  way  to  Wai-lu-ku  is 
Wai-ka-pu.  It  contains  a  population  of  about  five  hundred. 
Here  the  forces  of  Kamehameha  the  Great  once  assembled 


310  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

for  battle  at  the  Bounding  of  the  conch-shell.     Hence  its  name, 
Wai-ka-pu  (water  of  the  conch  or  trumpet). 

The  ^strict  of  Wai-lu-ku  is  composed  of  upland  and  valley. 
The  soil  is  rich  and  well  watered.  Wai-lu-ku  village  stands 
at  the  mouth  of  the  valley  bearing  the  same  name.  This 
village,  like  Wai-ka-pu,  is  somewhat  scattered.  It  once  con- 
tained the  principal  female  seminary  on  the  group,  and  thou- 
sands of  dollars  have  been  expended  on  its  support.  One  of 
its  leading  features  once  was,  *'to  educate  the  daughters  of 
Hawaii  as  wives  for  the  young  men  who  were  educated  at 
Lahainaluna,"  and  to  keep  them  in  the  institution  until  they 
were  married.  To  a  limited  extent,  this  avowed  design  haa 
been  carried  out.  Like  the  seminary  at  Lahainaluna,  it  has 
proved  a  grand  failure,  ''  and  the  daughters, of  Hawaii"  have 
been,  in  a  great  measure,  abandoned  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Its  former  lay-teacher,  Mr.  Bailey,  has  found  a  more 
lucrative  occupation  under  the  Hawaiian  government.  The 
boasted  "  Central  Female  Boarding  Seminary"  at  Wai-lu-ku 
has  dwindled  away,  or  given  place  to  one  of  more  limited  c&- ' 
pacity,  called  "  Mrs.  Gower's  Family  School."  In  his  An- 
nual Report  for  1852,  the  Minister  of  Pubhc  Instruction  states 
its  capacity  thus :  "■  Number  of  scholaJs,  seventeen ;  ten  pure 
whites,  six  half  whites,  one  native.  The  school  is  support- 
ed by  the  parents ;  the  usual  English  primary  branches  are 
taught :  pronunciation,  spelling,  reading,  writing,  arithmetic, 
grammar,  and  music." 

There  is  a  substantial  church  at  Wai-lu-ku,  built  entirely 
by  natives.  Its  dimensions  are  one  hundred  feet  by  fifty. 
The  waUs  are  composed  of  vesicular  lava. 

But  the  valley  at  the  back  of  the  village  is  the  chief  object 
of  attraction  to  the  traveler.  It  is  commonly  called  the  "  Wai- 
lu-ku  Pass,"  and  bisects  West  Maui,  terminating  in  a  deep 
gorge  in  the  precincts  of  Lahaina.  This  "  Pass"  is  threaded 
with  much  fatigue  and  some  danger,  but  the  tourist  is  amply 
repaid  for  all  his  toil.  Prospects  more  picturesque  and  awful- 
ly grand  are  seldom  seen  by  the  most  universal  traveler. 
Here  volcanic  action  and  the  subterranean  convulsions  of  Na- 


TK£  :;e-/.'  -ii'^bk 

Fujlicl:l:,;.:.y 


A8TCR,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS, 


TERRIFIC  BATTLE-GROUND.  3x3 

t?ire  must  have  been  terrific.  The  sides  of  the  "  Pass"  are 
reaied  perpendicularly  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet 
The  River  lao  wends  its  way,  with  a  thousand  gentle  mur- 
murs, among  masses  of  fallen  rock  and  tropical  plants  of  a 
highly  interesting  character,  amon^  which  I  noticed  a  splen- 
did Lobdia. 

Up  this  "  Pass"  there  is  a  narrow  foot-path,  winding,  in 
many  places,  along  the  very  brink  of  tremwidous  precipices. 
This  narrow  pass  was  once  a  battle-field  of  Kamehameha  the 
Great.  The  old  conqueror  sailed  from  Hawaii  to  wage  war 
agfidnst  Kahekili,  King  of  Maui,  but  met  the  monarch's  son, 
KalaNikufule,  instead.  Oil  the  very  brink  of  these  preci- 
pices the  two  armies  met.  Eetreat  by  either  party  was  im- 
possible, and  the  limited  space  of  the  field  rendered  the  con- 
flict desperate.  For  a  long  time  the  fortune  of  war  was  du- 
bious. Warrior  after  warrior,  of  botli  parties,  and  face  to  face 
in  deadly  struggle,  or  close  locked  in  a  mutual  embrace,  and 
amid  the  shouts  of  victors  and  the  groans  of  the  vanquished, 
rolled  over  the  brink  of  the  frightful  abyss.  At  length  Kam- 
ehameha prevailed.  Many  of  the  pursuers  and  the  pursued, 
in  the  eagerness  of  fiight  and  pursuit,  fell  over  the  precipice 
and  were  dashed  to  pieces.  Th^re  were  many  annihilated 
by  every  species  of  barbaric  warfiire.  Numbers  took  refuge 
in  the  mountains,  where  they  were  reduced  by  starvation. 
KAHEKmi's  army  was  annihilated,  and  Prince  Kalanikupulb 
fled  to  Oahu.  So  terrible  was  the  carnage,  that  the  progress 
of  the  River  lao  was  arrested.  It  was  from  this  incident  that 
Wai-lu-ku  (water  of  destruction)  derived  its  appellation.  This 
victory  left  Kamehameha  the  undisputed  sovereign  of  Maui» 
Lanai,  and  Molokai.  For  years  afterward,  this  engagement 
was  well  known  by  three  appellations :  Kapani-wai  (stop- 
ping the  water),  EJmanrpali  (battle  of  the  precipice),  and 
lao  (the  name  of  the  stream). 

Leaving  Wai-lu-ku,  and  passing  along  toward  the  village  of 
Kahului,  a  distance  of  three  miles,  the  traveler  passes  over 
the  old  battle-ground  named  after  the  village.  It  is  distinctly 
marked  by  moving  sand-hills,  which  owe  their  &imation  to 

0 


314  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES.  * 

< 

the  action  of  the  northeast  trades.  Here  these  winds  blo^ 
ahnost  with  the  violence  of  a  sirocco,  and  clouds  of  sand-tfie 
carried  across  the  northern  side  of  the  isthmus  to  a  height 
of  several  hundred  feet.  These  sand-hills  constitute  a  huge 
"  Golgotha"  for  thousands  of  warriors  who  fell  in  ancient  bat- 
tles. In  places  laid  bare  by  the  action  of  the  winds,  there 
were  human  skeletons  projecting,  as  if  in  the  act  of  struggling 
for  a  resurrection  from  their  lurid  sepulchres!  In  many  po- 
tions of  the  plain  whole  cart-loads  were  exposed  in  this  way. 
Judging  of  the  numbers  of  the  dead,  the  contests  of  the  old 
Hawaiians  must  have  been  exceedingly  bloody. 

To  myself  these  remains  had  no  small  degree  of  interest 
No  hand,  whether  of  friend  or  foe,  seemed  to  be  employed  in 
collecting  these  broken  skeletons  for  reinterment.  On  the 
contrary,  many  a  strange  visitor  had  passed  over  these  timvur 
liy  and  carried  away  just  such  portions  of  the  dead  as  best 
suited  him  to  remote  regions  of  the  earth.  As  I  glanced  at 
those  mounds,  and  thought  of  the  condition  of  their  lifeless  ten- 
ants, I  could  not  help  thinking  of  "  Hamlet's"  celebrated  col- 
loquy on  the  remains  jof  his  friend  "  Yorick:'' 

"  Ham.  *  To  what  base  uses  we  may  return,  Horatio !  Why  may 
not  imagination  trace  the  noble  dust  of  Alexander,  till  he  find  it 
stoppmg  a  bnng-hole  ?* 

"  Sor,  *  'Twere  to  consider  too  curiously  to  consider  so.' 
"  Ham.  *  No,  faith,  not  a  jot ;  but  to  follow  him  Ahither  with  mod- 
esty enough,  and  likelihood  to  lead  it;  as  thus:  Alexander  died, 
Alexander  was  buried,  Alexander  returned  to  dust;  the  dust  is 
earth :  of  earth  we  make  loam ;  and  why  t)f  that  loam,  whereto  he 
was  converted,  might  they  not  stop  a  beer-barrel? 

Imperious  Cjssab,  dead,  and  turned  to  clay. 
Might  stop  a  hole  to  keep  the  wind  away ; 
O  that  the  earth,  which  kept  the  world  in  awe. 
Should  patch  a  wall  to  expel  the  winter^s  flaw  I* " 

Although  I  could  not  reconcile  my  mind  to  the  belief  that 
a  removal  of  any  of  these  remains  would  be  exactly  right,  I 
could  not  resist  the  inclination  to  procure  a  few  perfect  crani- 
ums.  This  "Golgotha,"  however,  afforded  no  such  speci- 
mens.    Calling  at  a  store  in  the  village  of  Kahului,  I  bor- 


1 


11 


i  CURIOSITY   OF  THE   NATIVES.  315 

r  lowed  a  shovel  to  aid  me  in  my  researdies^  As  I  rode  a  short 
distance  to  the  eastward  beyond  the  village,  that  shovel,  dan- 
gling from  my  saddle-bow,  sent  forth  such  sepulchral  notes  as 
seemed  to  chide  my  resolves.  But  I  rode  on.  Arriving  at  the 
eastern  extremity  of  this  old  battle-ground,  I  took  off  coat  and 
vest,  for  the  weather  was  intensely  warm. 

The  openness  of  the  plain  caused  my  operations  to  be  seen 
by  a  few  natives,  who  hved  on  the  sea-shore,  at  the  distance 
of  a  short  mile.  An  ever-restless  curiosity  brought  them  to 
the  scene  of  my  excavations,  but  they  manifested  not  the  least 
concern  on  account  of  my  sacrilegious  acts.  For  some  time  I 
dug  in  silence.  It  was  an  actual  rehef  when  a  native  woman, 
deeming  that  I  had  no  other  employment  but  hunting  for  era- 
niums,  very  emphatically  termed  me  ''ka  po  Kanaka"  (the 
E&uU  man).  However  appropriate  the  appellation  might  seem 
in  its  application  to  myself  under  the  circumstances,  I  confess  it 
sounded  pecuharly  harsh  and  ungratefrd ;  nor  was  it  at  all  less- 
ened in  its  sepulchral  signification  as  my  shovel  came  in  con- 
tact with  a  huge  thigh-bone  or  humerus ;  but,  graceless  fellow 
that  I  was,  neither  the  reproaches  of  conscience,  nor  the  title 
bestowed  on  me  by  native  wit,  nor  the  sepulchral  notes  pro- 
duced by  my  shovel,  could  for  a  moment  deter  me  from  my 
sepulchral  excavations.  I  seriously  question  whether  the  dis- 
tinguished Spurzheim,  or  any  other  phrenologist,  could  have 
been  more  industrious  than  I  was  at  that  moment.  Dig  I 
would,  and  dig  I  did,  until  I  found  my  efibrts  were  all  in  vain, 
I, discovered  a  few  decomposed  vertebrsB,  and  some  imperfect 
cranimns,  which  crumbled  to  dust  by  an  exposure  to  the  at- 
mosphere. Little  did  these  old  warriors,  when  Uving,  dream 
that  a  stranger  from  a  distant  land  would  one  day  dig  and 
delve  among  their  remains  for  a  physiological  reUc. 

From  time  inunemorial,  the  Hawaiians  have  regarded  the 
dead  with  a  profoundly  superstitious  awe.  As  the  civilized 
school-boy,  and  many  adults  even  at  this  day,  when  passing 
a  rural  cemetery,  too  frequently  converts  every  object  into  some 
horrible  phantom,  and  goes  along  singing  or  whistling  some 
popular  air,  merely  to  keep  his  "courage  to  the  sticking- 


316  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

place,''  80  the  Hawaiiaii,  imagining  that  the  spirit  of  the  de- 
parted yet  hngeiB  aionnd  the  lottiiig  dost,  caxeliilly  shtrn^  at 
night  their  places  of  interment.  Of  these  superstitions  many 
of  the  merchants  on  the  gronp  have  taken  a  decided  advant^ 
age.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  them  to  place  one  or  two  cra^ 
niums  in  some  prominent  place  in  thdr  stores.  This  precau- 
tion is  an  unfailing  safeguard  against  all  hmglarioas  actions 
on  the  part  of  the  natives. 

OvCT  the  hemes  of  exhumed  Varriors  is  the  hest  of  all  loca- 
tions to  study  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrectimi  of  the  dead. 
The  difficult  questions,  ^  How  are  the  dead  raised  up  ?  And 
with  what  hody  do  they  ccHUe?''  is  by  no  means  modem. 
These  questions  have  been  objected  to,  and  answered,  on  the 
bases  of  animal,  vegetable,  and  metaphysical  science.  The 
ablest  intellects  have  examined  it,  and  di8ci]ssed,'with  a  mas- 
terly success,  its  absolute  certainty.  The  love  which  has  its 
birth  in  the  strongest  of  earthly  ties,  and  sends  its  hallowed 
contemplaticms  through  the  portals  of  eternity,  fineely  admits 
it.  The  resurrection  of  the  dead  is  a  truism  which  ccxnmends 
itself  to  the  embrace  of  reason,  and  it  is  supp(»ted  both  by 
analogy  and  Eevelaticm.  Not  less  has  it  been  admitted  by 
the  myths  of  Indian  and  Persian  theology. 

Logic  is  a  species  of  reasoning,  but  it  may  not  at  all  times 
accord  with  the  plain  dictates  of  reason.  A  logical  test  of 
this  difficult  doctrine  commonly  ffings  around  it  an  imperviotis 
cloud,  an  absolute  impracticability.  While  turning  over  the 
crumbling  remains  of  those  old  warriors,  I  could  not  but  coii- 
clude  that,  like  other  men,  they  had  once  thought,  and  willed, 
and  acted.  They  once  had  their  hopes  and  fears,  their  joys 
and  sorrows.  On  this  sandy  plain  they  had  shed  their  blood, 
and  laid  down  their  lives  in  battle ;  and  they  left  behind  them 
a  few,  at  least,  who  would  mourn  their  absence,  and  cHng, 
with  a  strong  sympa^y,  to  their  memory.  Some  of  the  re* 
mains  of  their  warriors  have  a  place  in  every  physiological 
collection  in  Europe  and  America ;  a  hand  in  one  place,  a 
£x)t  in  another,  and  a  cranium  in  another.  *  It  can  not  be  de^ 
nied  that  this  dismemberment  over  thousands  of  miles  imparts 


BELIEF  IN   THE   RESURRECTION.      3^7 

a  complex  aspect  to  the  subject,  and  holds  out  the  strongest 
improbability  of  their  reunion.  But  thoughts  can  not  die, 
£01  they  are  sparks  struck  out  from  the  depths  of  eternity. 
And  yet  these  remaios  were  once  actuated  by  thought,  volition, 
and  love  for  somebody.  And  the  love  of  the  meanest  slave, 
not  less  than  that  of  ^e  most  exalted  potentate,  is  as  immoor- 
tal  as  heaven. 

To  the  mere  philosopher,  therefore,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
this  theme  becomes  a  Gordian  knot  whidi  all  his  reasonings 
fail  to  unravel.  Letl)ut  the  faith  which  Eevelation  teaches 
be  grasped,  and  the  difficulty  vanishes,  and  the  Gordian  knot 
is  severed  and  scattered  into  irreparable  fragments.  This  is 
the  key  which  unlocks  the  resources  of  the  universe,  and  rolls 
back  the  long  night  of  ages  from  the  grave.  And  it  is  on  this 
£>undation,  as  on  the  throne  of  eternity,  that  man  may  defy 
the  dissolving  universe  to  quendi  his  immortality,  or  shake  hk 
trust  in  God. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

EAST   MAUI. 

Makawao. — Sugar  Plantations. — Chiltiyation  of  Wheat— Indian 
Com. — The  Irish  Potato. — ^Agricultural  Lands. — Land  Monopoly. 
— The  Non-taxation  System. — ^Kindness  of  Foreigners  to  the  Trav- 
eler. —  Ascent  of  Mattna  ffale-c^^kth-Uk  — Atmospheric  Regions. 
— ^Unexpected  and  unwelcome  Visitors. — ^Vastness.  of  the  (>ater. 
— Sense  of  Cold. — Splendor  of  the  Sun-light. — "  Ossian's"  Address 
to  the  Sun. — ^View  from  the  Summit  of  ttie  Crater. — Glory  of  the 
<nouds. — The  Soul's  Emotions. — Man  immortal — Gon  omnipotent. 

East  Maui  embraces  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  entire 
island,  and  is  by  far  the  most  attractive  portion.  After  leav- 
ing the  Isthmus  of  Kula  there  is  a  gradual  ascent  to  Makar 
wao,  which  is  elevated  nearly  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

In  its  dwellings  and  population  MaJcawao  is  a  scattered  dis- 
trict ;  but  in  point  of  beauty,  location,  and  capacity  of  its  soil, 
it  ranks  with  any  on  the  group. 


318  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

In  this  Tegion  I  found  several  &ie  sugar  plantations.  The 
crops  do  not  mature  so  rapidly  as  on  Kauai,  but  they  produce 
a  superior  quahty  of  sugar.  The  planters  concluded  that  the 
causes  of  this  difference  originated  in  the  lower  tempferature 
of  the  clunate ;  that  the  cane  does  not  tassel  as  in  the  lower 
regions,  and  that,  at  this  elevation,  the  soil  is  not  so  heavily 
impregnated  with  salt.  Within  a  few  years  past,  the  cultiva- 
tion of  wheat  has  received  considerable  attention.  The  wheat 
used  for  seed  has  been  procured  firom  Sidney  and  Oregon,  firom 
which  abundant  crops  have  been  raised.  The  ustial  number 
of  bushels  to  a  single  acre  is  twenty-five,  but  as  many  as  thir- 
ty have  been  realized.  The  agricultural  resources  of  East 
Maui  are  rapidly  developing.  The  wheat  crop  in  the  harvest 
season  of  1853  turned  out  some  two  thousand  bushels  of  an 
excellent  quality.  It  was  the  intention  to  reserve  most  of  this 
crop  for  seed,  and  twenty  thousand  bushels  was  anticipated  as 
the  yield  for  1854. 

The  amount  of  land  on  East  Maui  and  on  Hawaii  has  led 
to  the  hope  that  the  time  is  not  distant  when,  for  home  con- 
sumption, if  not  for  export,  the  flour  of  the  Hawaiian  Steam- 
mill  Company  wilt  take  the  place  of  Richmond,  Gallego,  and 
HaxaU,  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  which  comes  into  market 
in  a  damaged  condition.  It  is  only  occasicoially  that  a  ship 
brings  flour  around  the  Gape  perfectly  sweet ;  it  is  more  ire- 
quently  sour,  and  often  musty  withal,  and,  of  course,  greatly 
deteriorated  in  money  value  as  well  as  heahhiul  qualities. 

It  was  in  May  that  I  first  visited  Makawao.  Such  was  the 
nature  of  the  climate  and  the  capacity  of  the  soil,  that,  had  the 
season  not  been  unusually  rainy,  there  would  then  have  been, 
crops  ready  for  the  sickle. 

Here  the  Indian  com  crops  attain  great  perfection. 

The  Irish  potato  is  cultivated  to  a  large  extent.  In  no  part 
of  the  world  are  its  qualities  and  size  generally  surpassed.  A. 
golden  harvest  has  been  raised  by  exporting  large  quantities 
to  California  when  the  mines  of  wealth  were  first  announced 
to  the  world. 

The  only  obstacle  of  a  serious  nature  in  the  way  of  the 


CLIMATE  — LAND   MONOPOLY.  3^9 

planter  is  a  small  caterpillar  called  the  "  pekuiy  Sometimes 
its  ravages  are  very  destructive.  Like  the  locusts  of  Egypt, 
but  not  -so  numerous,  it  marches  forth,  destroying  every  leaf, 
but  more  commonly  the  roots  of  the  grain.  No  agent  for  its 
destruction  has  yet  been  discovered. 

I  have  already  hinted  at  the  nature  of  the  climate  in  this 
region.  It  is  delicious  to  leave  one's  couch  at  early  daylight, 
and  stand  and  inhale  the  balmy  air  as  it  comes  in  from  the 
ocean,  or  sweeps  down  the  mighty  slopes  of  the  contiguous 
mountai^.  Under  such  influences,  a  man  feels  years  younger, 
and  he  is  almost  tempted  to  wish  he  were  a  child  again,  so 
that  he  might  chase  Jhe  butterfly  from  flower  to  flower.  He 
wanders  among  whole  groves  of  the  rose  and  the  bloody  ge- 
ranium (^Geranivm  sanguinevm),  towering  to  a  height  of 
Jfour  to  seven  feet,  breathing  forth  almost  celestiift  odors.  *  He 
stretches  forth  lus  hands,  and  plucks  a  peach  so  luscious  and 
blooming  that  it  really  seems  a  sort  of  violence  to  deface  it  by 
eating.  The  pure  dew-drops  are  pendant  from  every  bough, 
and  these  delicate  tears  of  night  drop  on  your  hair,  hands,  and 
drapery  with  all  the  sweetness  of  a  lover's  kiss.  Think  of 
this,  before  breakfast !  while  thousands  in  our  cities  are  buried 
in  sleep— -and  in  the  month  of  May ! 

The  extent  of  agricultural  lands  on  East  Maui  covers  about 
a  hundred  thousand  acres,  eight  thousand  of  which  were  al- 
ready taken  up  in  plantations.  But  there  were  thousands  of 
acres  of  the  best  of  the  soQ  reposing  in  a  state  of  nature,  for 
those  who  monopolized  them  had  never  put  a  plowshare  in  a 
single  acre. 

If  there  is  an  evil  which  has  retarded  the  progress  of  civil- 
ization, and  precluded  habits  of  industry  among  the  native  jiop- 
iilation  in  remote  districts,  it  is  tbis  land  monopoly.  The  lands 
themselves  are  useless,  and  their  owners  worse  than  useless, 
for  they  are  consumers  only,  and  do  nothing  in  the  shape  of 
production,  unless  it  be  in  that  line  usually  denominated  the 
genus  homo. 

This  land  monopoly  is  encouraged  by  a  non-taxation ;  hence 
the  evil  becomes  two-fold.     The  treasury  loses  by  the  latter, 


320 


SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


the  mass  of  the  people  by  the  fonner.  I  have  already  referred 
to  the  necessity  of  a  tax  judiciously  imposed  on  all  parties  in- 
discriminately. Nor  can  I  here  avoid  a  reiteration  of  the  same 
sentiment.  The  sales  of  lands  on  difierent  portions  of  the 
group  have  already  been  a  source  of  benefit  to  the  finances  of 
the  natLon."*"  Properly  ccmducted,  the  real-estat&system  would 
be  of  still  greater  benefit.  In  his  annual  report  for  1852,  the 
Minister  of  Finance  did  all  he  could  to  prevent  taxation  of  real 
estate.  He  said  that  "  a  property  tax,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
state  of  the  islands,  will  be  a  difficult  and  expensive  one  to 
collect."  It  might  have  been  much  less  "  difficult  and  expen- 
sive'' if  the  minister  himself  had  not  been  in  possession  of 
large  estates.    A  written  Constitution  and  Code  of  Laws  have 

♦  SALES  OF  REAL  ESTATE. 

The  number  of  Royal  Patents  granted  during  the  present  year 
IS  844: 

To  aliens 25 

To  subjects 819 

By  the  annexed  table  can  be  seen  the  number  of  acres  sold  on 
each  island,  and  the  gross  amount  of  their  price: 

Islands.  Acres.  Amoant. 

Oahu 15,161 $19,775  20 

Maui 9,387 17,927  86 

Hawaii 8,196 8,490  68 

Kauai 2,446 2,699  58 

Molokai 1,871 439  00 


31,518  $44^852  82 

— From  the  Report  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  for  1851. 

Owing  to  mismanagement  on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  Land 
Commission,  the  report  for  1852  shows  a  serious  decline  in  the  re« 
ceipts  for  the  sale  of  public  lands : 

THE  SALES  OF  REAL  ESTATE. 
PatenUfor  Land  Soldt  execuUd  during  the  Nine  Months  ending  Dec.  31, 1659. 


Whole 

Nmnberof 

Patanto. 

For  Land 

Sold. 

AetM. 

Priee. 

•t  Nominal 
Pricet. 

Atxm. 

Hawaii 

Maui 

949 
30 

4 
38 
6 

947 
94 

4 
37 
6 

18,705  45 

1,409  00 

969  35 

6,897  94 

134  50 

•      Cte. 

17,511  96 

9,147  29 

155  00 

6,680  90 

87  09 

9 
6 

1 

1,006  84 
3,043  95 

46 

Molokai 

Oahu 

Kauai 

Tbtal 

397 

318 

97,499  94 

96,589  17 

9 

4,141  95 

KINDNESS  OF  FOREIGN  RESIDENTS,   ggl 

efiected  some  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  nation.  But 
the  reins  of  government  have  been  held  by  one  or  two  individ-^ 
uals  who  have  too  long  dictated  terms  to  that  puppet  of  a  king> 
-whose  wil^,  most  unfortunately,  has  been  merged  in  their  own. 
This  extraordinary  course  has  been  induced  by  self-interest  on 
the  part  of  some  of  the  ministry,  whose  only  aim  has  been  ever 
to  aggrandize  themselves,  and  impoverish  the  king  and  his  nar 
tive  subjects. 

But  a  truce  to  these  political  elements.  Let  us  turn  ajdde, 
and  converse  with  one  of  Nature's  landmarks. 

And  yet,  before  conversing  with  the  good  old  dame,  I  must 
linger  for  a  moment  to  notice  the  kindness  of  the  foreign  res- 
idents to  the  traveler.  I  was  deeply  sensible  of  this  feet  be- 
fore leaving  Makawao.  No  m^tt^  how  far  a  man  has  trav- 
eled in  the  course  of  the  day,  nor  how  rude  his  externals  may 
be,  the  welcome  he  receives  by  the  family  of  a  foreigner  he 
can  nev^  forget.  This  generous  spirit  is  rife  both  in  mission- 
ary and  lay  femilies.  But,  to  appreciate  it  &lly,  a  man  must 
have  been  out  for  several  days  in  the  interior,  among  semi- 
civilized  natives,  where  his  very  soul  loathed  their  filthy  food 
and  their  filthy  selves — ^where  he  dare  not  touch  their  water* 
calabashes  with  his  Ups  for  fear  of  a  contagious  disease,  and 
where  he  may  have  fested  a  day  or  twQ  firom  compulsion. 
After  such  a  tour,  let  him  return  to  a  civilized  family — a  fam- 
ily of  foreigners.  Let  him  gaze  on  a  parlor  scrupulously  neat 
and  clean — every  thing  in  its  place.  Let  him  take  his  seat 
at  a  table  covered  with  linen  of  a  snowy  whiteness,  and  sup- 
phed  with  plain  and  good  cheer  for  the  ''  inner  man.'*  At  the 
same  table  there  may  sit  one  or  two  interesting  wom^i,  doing 
the  "  honors"  with  an  irresistible  grace,  whose  faces  almost 
grow  into  smiles  of  inefiable  sweetness,  and  whose  words  are 
soft  and  delicious  as  an  evening  zephyr.  As  the  day  glides 
away,  she  tells  you  of  "  life  on  the  islands,"  and  gives  you  il- 
lustrations of  native  character ;  and  then,  like  a  true  woman, 
she  kindly  inquires  into  your  health,  your  general  welfiure,  and 
your  general  self. 

Night  covexB  that  dwelling  with  its  dark  wings.  You  are 
02 


322  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

i^wn  to  a  sleeping  apartment  where  the  bed-drapery  rivals 
the  whiteness  of  winter's  snows.  For  a  moment  you  stand 
buried  in  contemplation.  The  spell  departs.  You  unrobe 
yourself  with  a  motion  somewhat  mechanical.  0|it  goes  the 
light,  and  you  slip  into  the  pure  sheets,  aired  and  spread  for 
your  special  comfort.  You  would  not  change  your  position 
for  the  "  Paradise"  of  the  Prophet — even  if  you  andd  go  there. 
Your  thoughts  wander  away  to  the  circles  of  the  loving  and 
the  loved :  you  are  once  more  in  the  land  of  brave  men  and 
of  lovely  women ;  you  think  of  its  mighty  rivers,  its  fields  of 
plenty,  its  populous  and  enterprising  cities,  its  everlasting 
mountains — the  emblems  of  our  fireedom — and  as  sleep  begins 
to  steal  over  your  senses,  you  are  led  to  exclaim,  firom  the  deep- 
est sympathies  of  your  soul,  '*  My  country-women !  God  bless 
them  forever !" 

But  to  return  to  Nature.  After  a  night  of  refireshing  sleep, 
I  started  from  Makawao  at  an  early  hour  to  ascend  Mauna 
HaU-n-ka-la  (house  of  the  sun).  My  worthy  host  wished 
me  to  adjourn  my  intentions  for  a  day  or  two,  for  the  purpose 
of  furnishing  me  with  a  guide ;  but  my  impatience  would 
brook  no  delay ;  and,  besides,  I  had  seen  sufficient  of  the  in- 
tense stupidity  of  native  guides. 

From  the  starting-place  it  was  fifteen  miles  to  the  summit ; 
but,  in  reaUty,  it  seemed  within  a  few  minutes'  walk.  I  fol- 
lowed a  narrow  path  for  some  distance  up  the  mountain,  un- 
til it  became  lost  in  almost  endless  bullock-paths,  which  were 
not  a  little  perplexing.  My  only  alternative  now  was  to  keep 
my  eye  fixed  on  some  prominent  object  on  the  summit,  and 
travel  directly  toward  it.  Pursuing  this  course,  I  soon  enter- 
ed some  young  groves  of  koa  {Acacia  falcata).  Evidently 
much  larger  groves,  containing  gigantic  specimens  of  this 
beautiful  tree,  had  flourished  iiere  at  an  earlier  day.  Here 
and  there,  on  isolated  hills  much  exposed  to  the  action  of  the 
strong  winds,  stood  a  few  solitary  trees,  all  sapless  and  with- 
ered. In  other  places,  huge  koas,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  torn  up  by  their  roots  by  the  fierce  embrace  of  some  re- 
lentlesB  tempest,  lay  rotting  and  bleaching,  like  forsaken  skel- 


ASCENT   OF  MAUNA   H ALE-A-K A-L A.    323 

etons,  in  the  rain  and  the  sunbeams.  Numerous  ravines 
were  nearly  filled  with  the  foUage  of  the  silvery  ku-kui  {Al- 
eurites  triloba).  There  were  thousands  of  bushels  of  wild 
strawberries,  that  needed  only  a  few  hours  of  sunshine  to  rip- 
en them.  In  this  region  the  limbs  of  the  trees  were  fantas- 
tically clad  with  a  fine  end  luxuriant  mo6s,  that  causes  them 
to  appear  several  times  more  than  their  real  dimensions ;  and 
amid  these  fantastic  trappings  of  Nature,  the  gorgeous  crim- 
son creeper  {Cirthia  sanguinia)  was  sporting  from  limb  to 
limb. 

When  I  commenced  the  ascent,  the  slopes  were  entirely 
firee  firom  clouds ;  but  at  this  point  they  rubbed  the  slopes  of 
the  mountains  so  closely,  that  frequent  showers  fell,  and  my 
way  became  almost  indiscernible.  Occasionally  a  fugitive 
sun-ray  would  pierce  the  gathering  mists ;  again  a  heavier 
cloud  would  sweep  past,  spreading  a  gloomier  tinge  over  ev- 
ery object.  Already  had  my  thermometer  fallen  12°.  The 
rains  were  growing  chilly.  My  path  was  more  difficult.  The 
increafflng  rarefEiction  of  the  atmosphere  had  a  strong  tenden- 
cy to  nervous  depression. 

During  the  intervals  of  scattered  clouds,  I  obtained  a  few 
casual  glances  at  the  vdld  bullocks  that  ranged  this  region  of 
the  mountain.  Those  glances  were  freely  exchanged,  and 
Xhej  betokened  no  good-will  at  my  disturbance  of  their  sav- 
age and  solitary  retreats.  It  was  with  no  small  degree  of 
satisfaction  that  I  saw  them  erect  their  tails,  stretch  out  their 
powerful  necks,  and  trot  away. 

But  my  anxiety  was  relieved  only  to  be  more  intensely 
tested.  Scarcely  had  these  wild  catde  disappeared,  when  a 
troop  of  wild  dogs  crossed  my  path.  There  were  more  than 
a  dozen  of  them ;  and  there  they  stood,  like  so  many  hungry 
devils,  ready  to  pounce  on  my  horse,  or  myself,  or  both  of  us 
together,  casting  at  us  their  fiery  glances,  and  sending  forth 
their  Gerberean  yells.  Not  anticipating  a  tmi  from  their  ca- 
nine maj  esties,  I  was  there  completely  at  their  mercy.  Sincere- 
ly did  I  wish  for  a  "  Colt's  revolver,"  or  a  good  sabre ;  but 
as  I  knew  that  merely  wishing  would  avail  nothing,  I  felt  it 


324  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

"woald  be  piudent  to  be  active  in  dispelling  thdbr  hopes.  There 
was  no  club  which  chance  might  have  cast  in  the  way,  but 
there  were  plenty  of  rugged  lava-stones  strewn  around ;  so, 
amid  their  infernal  music,  I  dismounted,  losing  one  leg  of  my 
nondescripts  in  the  act  of  doing  so,  and  began  to  storm  them 
with  misses.  To  mysdf,  it  was  a  novel  mode  of  assaulting 
a  brute,  or  a  band  of  brutes  rather ;  but,  by  dint  of  peltings 
and  shouts,  I  at  l^oigth  succeeded  in  dispersing  this  un&iendly 
mob. 

Beyond  the  regular  region  of  vegetation  and  the  clouds, 
commenced  the  region  of  boulders.  This  was  at  a  height  of 
eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  ascent  in  this  spot 
was  Uterally  covered  with  a  shower  of  lava  stones,  and  ridges 
of  lava  precipitous  and  rugged.  At  intervals  there  were  a  few 
stunted  bushes  of  sandal-wood  {Santaltifn  frey  dnetiarum), 
Compasitaf  Vdcdniimi,  and  Epacris,  struggling  £»r  life  amid 
the  dense  soUtude. 

Within  two  mile8«of  the  summit,  my  tired  horse  refused  to 
carry  .me  any  fieurther.  I  dismounted,  and  secured  him  to  a 
small  wiry  shrub,  but  not  without  a  few  misgivings  of  those 
rascally  dogs.  From  this  point  I  was  compelled  to  plod  along 
on  foot.  Alternately  climbing,  sUpping,  and  resting,  after  a 
space  of  two  hours  I  reached  the  summit  of  the  crater. 

But  what  a  prospect !  Could  I  attain  ten  times  the  age  of 
Methuselah,  I  could  never  forget  the  overwhelming  mag- 
nificence of  the  sc^ie  that  burst  upon  me  in  a  single  moment ! 
I  stood  there,  spell-bound  to  the  spot.  Every  sense  of  &tigue 
was  in  a  moment  forgotten.  I  looked,  and  pondered,  and 
looked  again,  as  I  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  greatest  of  all 
quiescent  craters,  and  I  felt  that  I  was  nothing  and  less  than 
nothing. 

It  is  only  by  actual  measurement  that  the  immense  dimen- 
sions of  this  crater  can  be  ascertained.  From  the  point  where 
I  stood,  a  huge  pit,  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  feet  deep,  and  nearly  thirty-five  miles  in  circumference 
—capable  of  burying  three  cities  as  large  as  New  York — 
opened  before  me.     The  sides,  in  some  places,  were  a  perfect 


VASTNESS  OF  THE  CRATER.  325 

wall ;  in  others,  abutments  of  lava  rocks,  partially  incased  in 
slopes  of  red  and  black  lava  sand.  The  bottom  of  the  abyss 
was  a  wide  field  of  lava  in  the  first  stage  of  decomposition, 
and  on  it  were  superimposed  fourteen  distinct  cones  or  chim- 
neys, composed  of  scoria,  some  of  which  were  six  hundred  feet 
high,  but  which,  firom  the  top  of  the  crater,  appeajred  to  be 
nothing  more  than  mere  mounds  of  sand  and  ashes.  From 
"where  I  stood  I  could  overlook  the  funnel-shaped  tops,  partially 
fiUed  with  loose  sand.  There  was  a  certain  freshness  about 
them  that  caused  them  to  look  as  if  they  had  just  expended 
their  last  fires,  or  were  merely  reposing  to  gain  new  strength 
preparatory  to  another  deluge  of  devastation.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  canopy  of  heaven  shining  down  upon  it,  I  should  al- 
most have  concluded  that  it  was  the  identical  Pluto,  spc^en 
of  in  classic  iable,  where  the  smutty  Vulcan  forged  flamjng 
thunder-bolts  for  Jove. 

On  the  east  and  north  were  two  enormous  gaps  forced 
through  the  solid  wall  of  the  crater.  It  would  seem  that 
during  eruptions — and  probably  the  very  last — ^the  enormous 
sea  of  liquid  lava  must  have  accumulated  to  a  depth  (or  height 
lather)  of  more  than  a  thousand  feet.  Terrible  indeed  must 
have  been  the  scene  at  such  a  momeyt !  Wave  must  have 
lolled  on  after  wave,  surging  against  the  sides  of  the  mighty 
prison-house  in  search  of  an  escape.  Millions  on  millions  of 
tons  accumulated  thus.  Unable  any  longer  to  restrain  the 
impetuous  ravings  of  the  dreadful  hell  beneath,  the  wall  east- 
ward and  northward  gave  way  beneath  its  pressure,  and  the 
fiery  flood  was  hurled  with  fearfiil  velocity  down  the  steep 
slopes  into  the  sea.  Surpassing  every  thing  that  this  world 
has  ever  witnessed,  or  the  mind  of  man  conceived,  must  have 
been  this  crater  when  in  a  state  of  activity.  And  it  only 
needed  that  Yiroil  and  Homer  should  have  caught  one 
glimpse  of  it  to  have  earned  an  immortality  beyond  that  they 
already  possess. 

On  the  highest  point  of  the  crater  the  temperature  was  32°, 
and  on  the  floor  of  the  crater,  75°.  The  thermometer  ranged 
at  81^  at  sunrise,  when  I  started  out  &r  the  ascent.     The  ex- 


326  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ertion  of  climbing  these  rugged  steeps  iuduced  a  free  perspira- 
tion. On  the  summit  the  change  I  experienced  in  a  few  hours 
was  a  depression  of  49^  in  the  atmospheric  temperature.  My 
wet  clothes  clung  to  me  like  an  icy  mantle,  and  the  sudden- 
ness of  the  change  produced  an  intense  physical  depression, 
and  a  slight  hemorrhage  at  my  nose.  But  these  difficulties 
fled  as  I  commenced  the  descent  of  the  crater.  On  looking, 
from  the  highest  point,  down  into  the  bottom  of  the  abyss  be- 
low me,  I  noticed  a  cluster  of  objects  which  looked  about  the 
size  and  brightness  of  silver  dollars  ;  but  on  reaching  the  bot- 
tom, what  was  my  surprise  on  finding  they  were  a  grove  of 
those  beautiful  Alpine  plants  called  the  silver  sword  {Ensis 
argentea)y  growing  to  a  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  and  shining 
like  silver. 

On  the  summit  of  HaU-a'ka-la  the  sunlight  was  perfect. 
I  had  seen  the  sun  from  elevations  far  greater  than  this,  but  I 
had  never  seen  it  so  purely  bright  as  now.  It  seemed  like  one 
of  the  portals  of  the  '*  third  heavens"  just  opened  to  shed  its 
surpassing  glory  on  this  lower  world.  At  this  moment  I  was 
not  surprised  at  the  genius  of  that  splendid  paganism  which 
traced  in  the  brightness  of  the  sun's  fauce  the  quintessence  of 
aU  that  was  perfect  ip^glory  and  goodness ;  for,  in  a  material 
sense,  it  seems  but  one  remove  firom  the  uncreated  light  of  the 
immaterial  God.  What  intellect  has  not  been  elevated  when 
contemplating  this  centre  of  the  solar  system  ?  What  soul 
has  not  felt  the  gushings  forth  of  the  sublime  and  beautiful,  aa 
it  looked  through  the  eye  of  sense,  and  viewed  this  elder  son 
of  creation  shaking  an  ocean  of  light  from  his  blazing  locks  ? 
And  were  it  not  that  mankind  are,  in  part,  blessed  with  a  di* 
vine  revelation,  thousands,  millions,  yea,  all  might  mistake  the 
sun  for  its  creator,  and  pay  it  divine  homage.  Among  all  the 
apostrophes  to  this  glorious  orb,  there  are  few,  if  any,  more  nat- 
ural and  eloquent  l^ian  that  of  Ossian  : 

"O  thou  that  rollest  above,  round  as  the  shield  of  my  fathers  I 
Whence  are  thy  beams,  O  sun  1  thy  everlasting  light  1  Thou  comest 
forth  in  thy  awful  beauty ;  the  stars  hide  themselves  in  the  sky ;  the 
moon,  oold  and  pale,  sinks  in  the  western  wave;  but  thou  thyself 


VIEW  FROM   THE   CRATER.  327 

moveat  alone.  Who  can  be  a  companion  of  thy  course  ?  The  oaks 
of  the  mountain  fall ;  the  mountains  themselves  decay  with  years ; 
the  moon  herself  is  lost  in  heaven ;  but  thou  art  forever  the  same, 
rejoicing  in  the  brightness  of  thy  course.  When  the  world  is  dar]^ 
with  tempests— when  thunder  rolls  and  lightning  flies,  thou  lookest 
in  thy  beauty  from  the  clouds,  and  laughest  at  the  storm.  But  to 
OssiAN  thou  lookest  in  vain,-  for  he  beholds  thy  beams  no  more, 
whether  thy  yellow  hair  flows  on  the  eastern  clouds,  or  thou  trem- 
blest  at  the  gates  of  the  west.  But  thou  art,  perhaps,  like  me,  for  a 
season ;  thy  years  will  have  an  end.  Thou  shalt  sleep  in  thy  clouds^ 
careless  of  the  voice  of  the  morning.  Exult,  then,  O  sun  1  in  the 
strength  of  thy  youth.  Age  is  dark  and  unlovely ;  it  is  like  the 
glimmering  light  of  the  moon  when  it  shines  through  broken  clouds 
and  the  mist  is  on  the  hills :  the  blast  of  the  ndrth  is  on  the  plain, 
the  traveler  shrinks  in  the  midst  of  his  journey." 

Not  less  beautiful  than  the  sunlight  was  the  view  from  the 
summit  of  the  crater.  I  could  overlook  the  clouds  called  cir- 
rus, and  far  below  them  were  others  of  their  brethren,  but  di- 
verse in  character.  Those  clouds  looked  like  an  ocean  of  pol- 
ished silver.     If  it  be  true  that 

"  Millions  of  spiritual  creatures  walk  the  earth 
Both  when  we  sleep  and  wake," 

I  could  almost  fancy  that  the  silvery  vapors  below  me  were 
their  intermediate  dwelling-place.  Far  above  them,  by  a  nat- 
ural illusion,  rose  the  lofty  peaks  of  West  Maui.  On  the  east 
and  southeast  was  the  wide  and  eternal  deep,  whose  horizon, 
so  far  away,  seemed  lost  in  the  embrace  of  the  vast  upper 
ocean  of  firmament.  Away  to  the  southeast,  at  a  distance  of 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  miles,  respectively  rose  the  sum- 
mits of  Mauna  Kea  and  Mauna  Loa,  on  Hawaii,  with  their 
broad  crowns  of -buow  glittering  in  the  sunlight,  and  looking 
down,  as  if  with  a  conscious  pride,  on  the  clouds  which  girdled 
their  sides.  The  lofty  and  rugged  cones — forming,  at  an  early 
period,  the  natural  vent-holes  of  the  more  external  fires  of  the 
mountain — ^which  I  had  passed  in  my  ascent,  dwindled  away 
to  the  size  of  mere  mounda.  By  the  aid  of  a  telescope  I  could 
just  discern  my  horse,  by  his  gray  coat,  standing  patiently,  as 
i£  awaiting  my  return.     Makawao  and  the  isthmus  beyond 


828  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

seemed  to  be  a  perfectly  smooth  plain,  for  every  midulation 
was  lost  in  the  distance  below. 

It  is  on  such  an  elevation  as  this  that  a  man  feels  his  own 
insignificance.  The  conscience  becomes  sensitive,  and  the  soul 
— ^that  inner  being  that  constitutes  the  man  ! — utters  its  might- 
iest and  most  holy  aspirations.  Here  a  man  is  entirely  alone, 
or,  at  least,  he  should  be,  for  he  can  not  help  reflecting. 
Here  there  is  no  trace  of  man,  nor  of  his  pigmy  and  perisha- 
ble works.  The  busy  sounds  of  commerce,  and  the  tread  of 
milhons  of  its  votaries,  are  fax  away ;  not  even  a  fly  cleaves 
the  atmosphere  with  his  wing.  Not  a  sound  £atlls  on  the  ear, 
unless  it  be  the  soft  moaning  of  the  wind,  sweeping  up,  like 
the  notes  of  an  ^ohan  harp,  from  the  depths  of  the  crater. 
I  felt  as  tl^ough  I  was  losing  my  own  identity  amid  those 
overwhelming  scenes  and  their  associations.  I  seemed  to  stand 
on  the  portals  of  anoth^  world,  or  to  cling,  sohtarily  and  sad- 
ly, to  the  wrecks  of  this,  as  if  it  were  just  emerging  frcon  the 
grave  of  a  deluge.  Like  Caius  MARros  contemplating  the 
ruins  of  Carthage ;  like  Volney  holding  converse  with  the 
fallen  but  beautiful  Palmyra ;  Hke  Campbell's  ''Last  Man,'' 
surveying  the  wrecks  that  old  Time  had  flung  over  the  lap  of 
earth's  mightiest  nations,  I  was  alone  on  that  naked  sunmiit, 
where  I  felt  like  a  child,  listening  to  a  voice  within  me  that 
proclaimed  my  own  destiny — ^my  immortality. 

Man  is  immortal,  or  the  earth  is  an  incomprehensible  mys- 
tery;  man  a  mere  machine,  and  history  an  absurd  fable. 
Wherever  we  go  and  are,  this  sublime  and  innate  truth  of  the 
soul  utters  its  voice,  and  points  us  to  the  skies,  where  immor- 
tahty  itself  becomes  inunortalized.     On  the  siunmit  of  Hal^- 
a-ka-la,  more  than  when  treading  the-  streets  of  forsaken  and 
ruined  cities,  I  was  compelled  to  exclaim  with  the  poet : 
"  It  must  be  so :  thou  rea80^e8t  well, 
Else  whence  this  pleasing  hope,  this  fond  desire 
Of  falling  into  naught?     Why  shrinks  the  soul 
Back  on  herseli^  and  startles  at  destruction  ? 
*Tis  the  Divinity  that  stirs  within  us : 
Tis  Heaven  itself  that  points  out  a  hereafter, 
And  intimates  eternity  to  man  1" 


TRIP  TO  HAWAII.  329 

The  loftier  the  altitudes  we  ascend,  the  wider  becomes  the 
development  of  things  around  us.  So,  when  the  soul  takes  its 
flight  £rom  its  mortal  prison,  there  will  be  developments  of 
which  it  cherished  no  previous  conception.  Existence  here  is 
but  the  bud  of  being — ^the  dim  dawning  of  our  futurity — ^the 
Yestibole  to  everlasting  hopes.  And  as  the  last  moments  of 
liie  are  surrounded  with  foretastes  of  what  the  fiiture  shall  be 
to  every  man,  so,  doubtless,  the  very  first  step  beyond  life's 
threshold  wiU  be  an  introduction  to  futurity  forever  future ! 

The  vast  ruin  of  this  ancient  crater  is  a  soHd  proof  of  the 
omnipotence  of  God.  It  is  but  one  of  the  many  of  his  foot- 
steps which  are  so  plainly  stamped  on  the  bosom  of  universal 
nature.  His  breath  kindled  the  ancient  ^fires  of  this  abyss, 
that  spread  such  a  setf  of  desolation  around  its  sides.  By  his 
permission  alone  these  wrecks  were  left  to  instruct  and  aston- 
ish the  traveler.  As  I  left  that  scene,  I  was  led  involuntarily 
to  exclaim,  "  Who  would  not  fear  Thee,  0  Kino  of  nations  I" 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ISLAND    OP    HAWAII. 

Trip  to  Hawaii. — The  Schooner  Jfanti-o-ifca-iooi— Hawaiian  Sailora 
— ^Abnse  offered  to  a  Native  Woman. — ^An  unpleasant  Position. — 
A  Btonny  Sunday. — The  snow-capped  Mountains  of  Hawaii — Ka- 
waihae. — Landing-place  at  Mahu-kona. — Mode  of  transporting 
Baggage. — ^District  of  Kohala. — ^Numerous- Evidences  of  ancient 

•    Population. 

Hawah  is  by  far  the  largest  island  of  the  Sandwich  group. 
It  has  long  be^,  and  now  is,  the  theatre  of  volcanic  action. 
It  has  been  the  birth-place  of  a  long  line  of  rival  kings,  and 
of  generations  that  have  passed  away  forever. 

These  general  associations  are  sufficient  to  allure  the  curi- 
ous and  adventurous  traveler  to  its  bold  and  rugged  shores. 
It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  restrained  my  impatience 
to  see  it ;  and  it  was  with  no  common  enthusiasm  that  I  em- 


330  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

barked  on  board  of  a  Hawaiian  schomier  which  would  carry 
me  thither. 

The  blue  ddes  were  just  beginning  to  blush  with  the  gor- 
geous purple  of  departing  day,  as  the  Marvu-a-ka-wai  (Bird 
of  the  water)  spread  her  sails  and  raised  her  anchor  to  leave 
the  port  of  Lahaina  for  Hawaii.  With  an  extensive  cargo  of 
passengers,  a  sufficient  complement  of  seamen — among  whom 
.was  a  white  man,  who  had  so  far  forgotten  his  dignity- as  to 
turn  "  cook"  and  '*  steward"  under  the  auspices  of  a  du^y 
captain — and  an  almost  endless  assortment  of  calabashes  filled 
with  native  food,  and  of  water-melons,  oranges,  bananas,  pigs, 
dogs,  etc.,  that  schooner,  of  about  fifty  tons,  stood  out  to  sea. 
"We  had  made  but  little  progress,  when  the  coming  twilight 
brought  a  calm  with  it,  and  there,  wifhin  sight  of  the  town, 
we  lay  imprisoned  nearly  all  night.  It  is  in  such  a  situatum 
as  this,  when  hour  drags  along  after  hour^  and  the  sweQ 
heaves  the  vessel  in  every  possible  position,  that  a  passenger 
feels  his  Dwn  helplessness ;  and  he  is  ready  to  sweax,  by  Nem- 
esis, that,  should  he  ever  set  his  foot,  agidn  qn  the  land,  there 
he  will  remain,  and  no  loxiger  tempt  the  treacherous  bosom 
of  the  deep. 

But,  in  spite  of  these  occasional  calms,  there  is  little  of  mo- 
notony. There  are  so  many  ludicrous  scenes  constantly  oc^ 
curring,  that  there  is  ample  food  for  mirth  and  excitement.- 
In  all  probabihty,  the  most  perfect  novelties  on  board  are  the 
men  who  compose  the  crew.  In  the  strongest  sense  of  the 
term,  a  Hawaiian  sailor  is  the  "  creature  of  circumstances." 
During  a  calm,  he  is  the  calmest  being  in  the  world,  for  he 
invariably  always  falls  into  a  slumber  deeper  than  that  which 
creeps  over  the  ocean,  and  lulls  the  wave  into  a  peaceful  re- 
pose. A  sudden  breeze  may  possibly  excite  him,  or  leave  him 
in  a  state  of  apathy.  In  any  case,  he  may  usually  be  seen 
squatting  down  on  deck,  with  his  arm  thrown  listlessly  over 
the  tiller,  while  he  is  smoking  a  pipe,  gorging  himself  with 
water-melon,  or  holding  a  tete-a-tete  with  the  nearest  dadc;- 
eyed  beauty.  Under  thesd  circumstances,  he  is  more  likely  to 
steer  the  schooner  into  the  wind,  and  run  the  risk  of  having 


ABUSE   OF   A   NATIVE   WOMAN.  33I 

her  driven  down  backward,  than  he  is  to  steer  her  on  her 
course,  and  so  escape  the  danger.  So  lax  is  the  authority  of 
the  captain,  that  a  transient  observer  is  hable  to  mistake  him 
for  one  of  his  men,  and  so  vice  versa. 

But  the  singular  deportment  of  these  sailors  formed  not  the 
only  4und  of  variety  on  board  that  schooner.  The  principal 
share  of  it  was  produced  by  the  mate  of  the  vessel.  This 
nautical  hero  was  brother-in-law  to  the  captain,  through  a 
marriage  relation  to  his  sister.  When  the  mate  came  on 
board  the  schooner  at  Lahaina,  he  was  well  steeped  in  hquor. 
His  first  performance  was  to  light  his  pipe,  after  which  he 
commenced  some  disgusting  familiarities  with  his  "better 
half,'*  and  which  she  indignantly  repelled.  Her  "  lord  para- 
mount" relapsed  into  a  seeming  indifierence  to  every  thing  ex- 
cepting his  pipe,  and,  when  tired  of  smoking,  he  renewed  his 
famiharities.  His  wife's  temper  now  became  irritated,  and 
she  gave  him  several  heavy  blows  in  the  face,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  native  passengers.  But  this  pugihstic  per- 
£>rmance,  and  the  merriment  it  drew  forth  at  his  expense, 
were  more  than  his  nature  could  surmount.  He  very  deHb- 
erately  went  down  into  the  cabin,  put  on  another  suit  of 
clothes,  came  up  on  deck,  and  began,  in  the  most  villainous 
manner,  to  abuse  his  wife.  With  one  hand  he  seized  her  by 
her  Jiair,  and  with  the  other  he  dealt  upon  her  face  and  bo- 
som the  most  furious  blows.  The  woman  screamed  and  plead 
for  mercy,  but  he  only  showered  his  blows  upon  her  with  in- 
creasing vengeance.  All  this  time  his  wife's  brother,  the  cap- 
tain, stood  against  the  main-mast  smoking  his  pipe,  and  fold- 
ing his  arms,  and  the  passengers  chuckled  most  boisterously 
over  the  sufiering  woman.  This  state  of  things  gave  this  hu- 
man fiend  courage  to  renew  his  cowardly  insults.  He  seized 
her  again  by  her  hair,  and  dragged  her  across  the  deck  with, 
the  intention  of  throwing  her  overboard  ;  but  at  this  moment 
the  hand  of  a  foreign  passenger  held  him  by  the  throat,  and 
the  foreigner  vowed,  by  the  God  of  the  land  and  the  ocean, 
that  unless  he  left  that  woman  alone,  he  would  inflict  upon 
him  her  fate.     The  thunder-stmck  mate  dropped  his  victim, 


332  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

cuisiiig  the  interference  which  ended  his  baseness — for,  like 
the  captain,  he  spoke  some  Engh^.  Such  a  disinterested  act 
of  noble  and  virtuous  daring  was  son^thing  new  to  these  Ha- 
waiians,  and  they  stood  mute  in  astonishment,  while  the  -poor 
insulted  woman  was  left  to  lament  herself  to  sleep. 

Such  scenes  as  this  are  not  uncommon.  Some  of  these  Ha- 
waiian *'  liege  lords"  are  guilty  of  treatment  to  their  wives,  a 
delineation  of  which  would  draw  tears  of  shame  and  sorrow 
from  any  hearts  but  their  own.  And,  in  truth,  to  what  I  have 
witnei^ed  among  the  inhabitants  on  that  group,  I  am  compell- 
ed reluctantly  to  acknowledge  that  the  Hawaiians  treat  their 
wives  with  no  more  fiendish  cruelty  than  most  of  the  low  for- 
eigners do,  who  have  married  native  women. 

A  smooth  breeze  had  sprung  up  about  midnight,  and  by 
daylight  next  morning  we  were  directly  opposite  the  danger- 
ous Cape  Pohakueaea,  on  East  Maui.  Once  more  the  schoon- 
er was  becalmed.  In  his  carelessness,  the  captain  had  the 
schooner  steered  too  dose  to  the  horrible-looking  rocks  which 
formed  this  cape,  and  as  we  were  imprisoned  in  this  calm,  an 
inland  current  was  rapidly  carrying  us  toward  the  shore.  The 
captain  and  crew  seemed  to  care  nothing  about  it,  and  the  na- 
tive passengers  were  equally  careless.  The  Hawaiians  look 
upon  the  approach  of  death  with  remarkable  indifierence* 
Into  its  ghastly  jaws  we  were  speeding.  I  could  have  thrown 
a  missile  to  the  black  rocks  against  which  the  heavy  suige 
was  thundering  in  sublime  confusion.  There  was  a  prospect 
of  a  few  struggles,  a  few  stifled  gasps,  and  an  ocean  grave ; 
for  no 

"  Strong  swimmer  in  his  agony** 

could  have  escaped  being  dashed  to  pieces  on  those  rocks.  But 
just  as  expectation  was  reaching  its  crisis,  relief  came.  A 
.  few  pufls  of  wind  from  the  land  carried  the  schooner  toward 
the  middle  of  the  channel,  where  we  were  out  of  the  danger 
of  being  wrecked ;  but  the  heavy  swell  of  the  sea  was  such  as 
seriously  to  test  the  strength  of  the  schooner's  ribs,  as  well  as 
our  own  abdominal  regions. 

Having  passed  this  dangerous  cape,  we  entered  the  Straits 


AN   UNPLEASANT  "FIX."  333 

of  Alenuihaha,  where  we  Btruok  the  northeast  trades.  These 
straits  separate  Maui  from  Hawaii.  Although  they  are  only 
thirty  miles  wide,  they  are  of  great  depth,  and  usually  very 
stormy.  From  the  hour  we  had  left  Lahaina,  the  weathor 
had  been  too  calm  to  permit  our  small  craft  to  effect  a  rapid 
passage.  Imprisoned  as  I  was  among  seventy  native  passen- 
gers on  that  contracted  deck,  and  the  small-pox  breaking  out 
among  them,  not  to  say  any  thing  of  the  effluvia  of  old  wood- 
en tobacco-pipes,  sun-dried  fish,  and  sour  pai,  I  was  longing 
for  a  gale,  or  any  thing  which  would  bring  to  a  close  the  hor- 
rors of  the  passage.  I  envied  the  deer  in  the  forest,  and  the 
Bedouin  on  the  wastes  of  Lybia,  their  Hberty.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  my  wish  was  gratified.  The  Straits 
soon  became  lashed  into  a  foam,  and  the  schocmer's  canvas 
was  nearly  all  shortened.  In  a  short  time  every  passenger 
was  ridding  himself  of  his  break&st  by  an  upward  passage. 
It  was  a  sort  of  &st-day  with  myself.  Wishing  to  escape  the 
sickening  scenes  that  surrounded  me,  I  took  refuge  in  the 
small  boat  suspended  at  the  schooner's  stem,  where,  nearly  all 
day,  amid  wind  and  spray,  and  under  a  scorching  sun,  I  pre- 
served my  fast  firom  the  previous  noon.  But  it  was  a  result 
of  dire  necessity,  for  I  was  the  mosO  sea-sick  mortal  in  the 
ccnnpany. 

Having  been  compelled  to  shorten  sail,  it  was  nearly  sunset 
when  we  were  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  shores  of  Hawaii. 
It  was  at  this  spot  that  I  first  obtained  a  perfect  view  of  the 
snow-capped  mountains  of  the  island.  Among  the  loftiest  of 
the  Andes,  looking  firom  their  thrones  of  clouds  over  the  lap 
of  a  great  continent,  there  is  something  so  awfiiUy  grand,  that 
a  traveler  can  not  but  cherish  emotions  of  reverence  and  won- 
d^.     It  is  so,  too,  in  relation  to 

"TheAlps, 

The  pi^adM  of  Nature,  whose  vast  walls 

Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 

And  throned  eternity  in  icy  halls 

Of  cold  sublimity,  where  forms  and  falls 

The  ayalanche-— the  thnnder-bolt  of  snow  I 

All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appi^ ; 


334  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

Gathers  around  those  summits,  as  to  show 
How  earth  may  pierce  to  heayen,  yet  leave  vain  man  below.** 

But  the  snow-capped  mountaiiiB  of  Hawaii  are  difierent  finom 
all  these.  A  tourist  stands  and  looks  at  them,  and  takes  out 
his  pencil  to  record  his  impressions  in  his  note-book,  and  th^i 
he  stops  and  looks  again  at  the  mountains,  and  again  tries  to 
record  his  thoughts,  and,  finally,  he  fails.  Mauna  Kea  and 
Mauna  Loa  are  before  him,  and,  although  miles  and  miles 
must  be  left  behind  before  their  summits  can  be  reached,  yet 
they  seem  but  a  short  distance  away.  There  is  something 
about  them  so  lovely,  grand,  and  impressive,  that  I  am  com- 
pelled to  term  it  the  majesty  of  repose,  and  yet  it  is  a  repose 
which  seems  as  if  about  to  start  into  life,  like  Nature  awak- 
ening from  her  nightly  or  her  winter's  slumbers. 

Next  morning  found  the  ManvrO-ka-vxd  anchored  in  the 
Bay  of  Kawaihae.  I  was  not  long  in  resolving  to  go  ashore 
to  see  the  village.  There  were  severallwats,  owned  by  Ha- 
waiians,  that  came  off  to  the  schooner  to  carry  away  those  of 
the  passengers  who  wished  to  leave  her  at  that  village,  and  it 
was  highly  amusing  to  witness  how  those  fellows  fought  among 
each  other  for  the  privilege  of  canying  them  ashore,  or,  rather, 
earning  a  Spanish  rial  per  passenger  for  their  trouble.  The 
first  consolation  the  traveler  seeks  on  landing  firom  a  Hawaiian 
vessel  is  usually  a  thorough  ablution.  This  was  a  luxury  I 
enjoyed  that  morning  on  landing  from  that  hatefiil  craft. 

The  village  of  Kawaihae  was  the  pooiest  and  most  cheer- 
less I  have  ever  seen.  Every  thing  around  and  in  it  wore  an 
aspect  of  such  stem  desolation,  that  I  could  not  but  wonder 
that  any  human  being,  or  even  a  wild  goat,  should  find  a  place 
of  abode  there.  There  was  nothing  in  the  shape  of  refresh- 
ments which  money  could  purchase  from  the  natives — ^not  even 
a  cocoa-nut ;  and  had  it  not  been  that  I  was  favored  with  a 
note  of  introduction  to  a  foreign  resident  who  lived  near  the 
house  once  occupied  by  John  Young  (the  friend  and  counselor 
of  Kamehameha  the  Great),  I  must  have  maintained  my  fast. 

As  my  destination  was  I0I6,  in  the  district  of  Kohala,  I  was 
compelled  to  resume  my  passage  in  the  Manura-korvxii  at 


DISTRICT   OF  KOHALA.  335 

noon.  The  captain  had  pledged  himself  to  land  me  at  Mahu- 
kona,  on  his  way  to  Hilo.  After  much  labor,  the  landing  was 
leached  in  the  schooner's  boat. 

The  natives  of  this  "village  gave  me  a  kindly  welcome,  and 
manifested  a  deep  interest  in  my  welfare.  I  was  ''Ka  Kana- 
ka maikai'*  (a  good  man),  and  every  thing  else  that  was 
"  good."  As  these  encomiums  were  bestowed  on  the  suppo- 
ffltion  that  possibly  I  might  have  a  few  dollars  about  me,  I 
received  them  at  cost  price,  and  returned  them  a  few  salams 
for  their  generosity.  They  cordially  invited  me  to  stay  the 
night,  for  day  was  beginning  to  wane,  and,  as  a  special  in- 
ducement, ofiered  me  the  handsomest^eTTzm^  in  the  village  as 
an  accompanimient  to  my  couch ;  but  I  respectfiilly  declined 
all  such  ofiers.  Had  most  of  the  people  not  been  afflicted  with 
syphilist  and  arranged  chiefly  in  Nature's  costume,  I  should 
still  have  refused  their  solicitations. 

Having  resolved  on  not  staying  there  through  the  night,  the 
next  thing  was  to  arrange  for  the  transportation  of  my  bag- 
gage. A  Hawaiian  has  not  the  shghtest  idea  of  the  value  of 
time,  and  in  this  instance  they  were  exceedingly  dull  of  com- 
prehension. There  was  no  alternative  left  but  to  look  out  a 
suitable  pole,  to  which  I  slung  my  baggage  with  a  bark  rope 
made  out  of  the  hau  {Hibiscus  tUiaceus),  and  placed  the 
whole  on  the  shoulders  of  two  natives,  who  went  trotting  off 
with  it  at  a  very  respectable  speed.  In  this  way  they  set  out 
for  I0I6,  twelve  miles  distant,  and  as  I  could  procure  no  horse, 
I  was  compelled  to  plod  after  them  on  foot.  We  reached  I0I6 
at  a  late  hour  in  the  evening,  and  just  in  time  to  get  thorough- 
ly dr^iched  with  a  heavy  rain-storm. 

Kohala  is  the  northern  district  of  Hawaii,  and  forms  one  of 
the  six  divisions  of  the  island.  Before  the  group  was  brought 
under  the  sway  of  Kamehameha  the  Conqueror,  this  district 
was  a  petty  kingdom,  and  had  its  consecutive  hst  of  monarchs. 
The  lands  are  very  fertile  and  extensive,  and  the  soil  rich,  and 
it  is  well  refireshed  by  fertilizing  showers. 

If  ancient  landmarks  are  any  evidence  of  past  population, 
then  the  district  of  Kohala  has  been  densely  peopled.     The 


336  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

entire  region,  covering  more  than  three  hundred  equaxe  miles, 
18  oovered  with  these  landmarks.  Countless  footpaths,  wide 
enough  for  pedestrians  in  single  file,  but  nearly  overgrown  with 
grass ;  sites  of  villages,  of  various  extent  and  in  every  locati(ni» 
and  the  small,  elevated  lines  of  demarkation — or,  as  the  Ha- 
waiians  would  term  them,  na  itai  (the  bones  of  the  land) — 
which  showed  the  limits  of  landed  property,  were  scattered 
over  all  the  entire  district.  These  village  sites  appeared  to 
have  been  laid  out  so  as  to  accommodate  from  fifty  to  five 
hundred,  and  in  some  places  a  thousand  pec^le.  The  real  es- 
tate seems  to  have  been  laid  out  in  lots  ranging  fiom  a  fourth 
d  an  acre  to  two  or  three  acres,  all  starting  firom  the  nKmnt- 
ains  on  the  south,  and  nmning  down  to  the  sea-shore  on  the 
north. 

These  evidences  of  ancient  population  led  me  to  oondude 
that  Cook's  census  of  four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  scat- 
tered over  the  group  of  islands,  waa  not,  as  some  inodem  sta- 
tisticians have  asserted,  over-estimated.  Here,  in  this  very 
region,  thousands  on  thousands  have  flourished  at  once,  and 
many  a  generation  of  warriors  have  cultivated  these  lands,  and 
enjoyed  their  indigenous  productions,  and  gone  back  to  the 
same  oblivion  fiiom  whence  they  sprung.  No  pyramids  com- 
memorate their  architectural  skill,  no  costly  mausoleums  mark 
their  resting-places,  no  giant  fortresses  stand  as  monuments  of 
their  martial  habits ;  but  these  landmarks  are  sufficient  indi- 
cations of  their  vast  numbers,  and  also  of  their  mysterious  ex- 
tinction. The  traveler  finds  no  costly  shrine  to  kindle  a  devo- 
tional spirit,  or  before  which  he  may  o^r  a  piassing  memorial ; 
nor  does  he  wander  amid  the  astounding  splendors  of  a  Thebes, 
or  a  Luxor,  or  a  Kamak,  but  there  is  something  in  the  deep 
silence  and  desolation  of  Kohala  which  seems  to  say — 
"  Stop  I  for  thy  tread  is  on  an  empire's  dust : 
A  nation's  spoil  is  sepulchred  below  1" 

And  such  is  the  wasted  state  of  the  modem  populaticm,  that 
they  seem  to  feel  as  if  they  almost  intruded  on  the  lands  owned 
by  their  fathers. 


PAGAN  TEMPLE  AT  PUUEPA.  337 


CHAPTEE  XXVn. 

A  Visit  to  the  Seiau  of  Puuepa. — Accursed  DespotismB  of  Paganism. 
— ^Wholesale  daughters. — ^Testimony  of  an  old  Pagan  Priest — Oo- 
nlar  Demonstration. — Solitude  of  the  Ruins. — ^Public  Works  of  a 
past  Generation. — Graves  of  a  forgotten  Race. — Glances  at  De- 
population.— Oausesy  Fcut  and  Present, — ^New  House  of  Worship 
at  I0I6. — Character  of  Missionaries. — ^Friends  and  Foes. — ^Import- 
ance and  Necessity  <^  an  impartial  Estimate  by  the  Traveler. — 
Nature  and  Extent  of  Hostilities. 

The  first  object  I  visited  after  my  arrival  at  Kohala  waa 
the  celebrated  heicm,  or  pagan  temple  at  Puuepa,  six  miles  to 
the  northwest  of  I0I6.  It  is  the  largest  temple  on  the  group, 
and  is  located  within  a  few  yards  of  the  sea-shore.  Extemal- 
-  ly,  its  length  is  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  its  width  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet.  The  walls  are  nearly  thirty  feet  thick  at 
the  surface  of  the  earth ;  their  thickness  at  the  top,  eight ; 
their  average  height,  fourteen.  I  found  the  northeast  wall  in 
the  best  state  of  preservation. 

Tradition  says  that,  at  the  time  of  its  erection,  all  the  in- 
hahitants  of  the  island  were  convened  for  the  purpose,  and 
that  the  stones  of  which  it  is  comjposed  were  conveyed  from 
the  Valley  of  Polulu,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  by  being  pass- 
ed fipom  hand  to  hand  in  single  file  by  the  workmen.  Wheth- 
er tradition  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  these  stupendous 
works  were  reared  when  kings  had  absolute  command  over 
the  lives  and  labors  of  their  subjects,  and  when  population 
was  immensely  numerous.  The  character  of  the  stones  form- 
ing these  huge  walls  is  volcanic.  The  solid  materials  of  this 
hdaUy  including  the  altars,  and  allowing  for  their  nature,  would 
weigh  nearly  2,000,000  tuns. 

Of  the  date  of  its  erection  there  is  no  knowledge.  Without 
doubt,  however,  it  has  stood  for  ages ;  for  the  walls  are  nearly 
oovered  with  a  thick,  coarse,  and  stunted  moss — a  species  in- 

P 


338  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

dicative  of  age  on  the  Hawaiian  group.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  neighboring  village  have  traditions  of  many  of  the  scenes 
which  have  been  enacted  in  this  temple  during  the  reign  of 
some  of  their  ancient  kings,  but  the  date  of  its  origin  is  buried 
in  oblivion.  A  few  niches,  once  occupied  by  roughly-hewn 
idols,  were  still  visible  in  the  sides  of  the  walls.  In  the  north- 
east comer  of  the  interior  was  a  niche  more  perfectly  formed 
than  any  of  the  others :  it  is  said  to  have  been  the  place  occu- 
pied by  the  guardian  deity  of  the  temple.  Portions  of  the 
walls  were  in  a  state  of  ruin,  and  so  were  the  three  rugged 
altars. 

It  is  impossible  to  sit  on  the  walls  of  this  temple,  and  not 
indulge  thoughts  pecuUax  both  to  time  and  place.  On  one 
hand,  the  heart  sickens  at  the  remembrance  of  the  hellish 
atrocities ;  on  the  other,  a  liberal  mind  rejoices  that  these  deeds 
of  blood  have  fled  forever.  It  seemed  impossible  to  believe 
that  whole  hecatombs  of  human  beings  were  once  immolated 
here,  or  that  on  this  very  spol  the  dearest  family  ties  were 
severed  by  the  high-priests  of  paganism.  Yet  on  these  very 
altars  the  child  saw  its  father,  the  wife  her  husband,  and  pa- 
rents their  sons,  sacrificed  to  secure  the  favor  of  imaginary 
deities. 

The  immolation  of  human  beings  was  practiced  on  a  whole- 
sale principle.  Some  were  ofiered  to  gods  which  the  people 
feared — others  to  deities  which  they  professed  to  love.  If  an 
epidemic  swept  over  the  island — ^if  the  crops  were  not  so  abun- 
dant as  usual — ^if  the  king  of  the  district  was  going  to  war, 
or  if  he  had  returned  from  victory — ^if  he  was  sick — ^if  he  re- 
covered— or  if  he  died,  at  aU  and  every  one  of  these  instances 
men  were  needed  for  sacrifice.  Thousands  on  thousands, 
through  successive  generations,  have  been  thus  consigned  to  a 
bloody  death. 

When  I  visited  this  spot  there  were  persons  living  near  who 
had  witnessed  the  overthrow  of  their  idols  and  the  abolition 
of  idolatry.  One  of  them  was  a  white-headed  old  man,  who 
had  acted  as  sub-priest  at  the  very  time  of  pagan  worship  in 
this  temple.     He  said  he  had  witnessed  hundreds  c^  human 


OCULAR   DEMONSTRATION.  339 

sacrifices,  by  tens  at  once,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  and 
that  he  had  assisted  on  those  occasions.  The  victims  were 
permitted  to  remain  on  the  central  or  principal  altar  during 
two  whole  days.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  and  when 
putrefaction  had  commenced,  the  bodies  were  removed  to  a 
large  flat  stone  on  the  outside  of  the  temple.  This  stone  was 
placed  near  the  east  comer  of  the  north  wall.  Its  dimensions 
were  seven  feet  long  by  five  wide,  and  it  was  slightly  con- 
cave. It  was  sacred  to  the  purposes  of  immolation.  When 
the  victims  above  alluded  to  were  placed  on  it,  the  flesh  was 
stripped  from  the  bones,  and  the  bones  were  all  separated. 
Both  flesh  and  bones  were  then  carried  down  to  the  sea-side 
and  thoroughly  washed.  On  being  conveyed  back  to  the  tem* 
pie,  the  bones  were  tied  up  in  bundles,  and  the  flesh  was  con- 
sumed to  ashes  at  the  back  of  the  altars. 

There  were  men  selected  from  among  the  people  for  the 
performance  of  these  last  rites.  If  they  complied,  they  al- 
ways obtained  grants  of  land  from  the  king  or  chiefs,  through 
the  intercession  of  the  high-priest ;  but  if  they  refused,  directly 
the  contrary  was  the  result :  their  lands  and  personal  property 
(did  they  already  possess  any)  were  taken  from  them,  and  they 
were  marked  out  as  the  next  victims  for  immolation.  Doubt- 
less this  union  of  king  and  priest,  and  this  exaction  of  such 
bloody  servitude,  were  the  means  through  which  such  a  hell- 
ish oppression  was  maintained. 

When  this  old  priest  had  ended  his  narration,  he  pointed 
out  the  fire-place  at  the  back  of  the  central  altar,  in  which 
he  said  the  flesh  of  the  victims  was  consumed.  His  testimony 
was  fully  established  in  the  fact  that  the  stones  were  covered 
with  a  vitreous  coating — ^the  result  of  frequent  and  intense 
calcination.  And  it  is  altogether  improbable  that  this  fire- 
place could  have  been  used  for  any  other  purpose  than  the 
one  he  described.  He  then  assured  us  that  in  the  large  niche, 
and  under  the  stone- work  which  had  once  supported  the  prin- 
cipal idol,  there  were  bundles  of  human  bones.  We  employed 
three  or  £>ur  natives  to  remove  a  few  of  the  stones  and  some 
of  the  rubbish,  and  we  witnessed  a  verification  of  this  state- 


340  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ment  also.  There  were  human  remains  in  the  last  stage  of 
deoompofiition.  They  were  so  bnttle  that  they  broke  b^ieath 
the  touch,  and  th^  position  was  indicative  of  the  truth  of  all 
the  priest  had  said  in  relation  to  th^oa. 

But  over  this  earthly  pandemcniium  a  great  change  has 
swept.  The  life-blood  of  husband,  father,  brother,  £riend, 
shall  never  again  redden  these  altars.  The  red  right  hand 
of  the  sacerdotal  butcher  is  silent  in  the  grave.  The  sub- 
priest  who  gave  us  these  revelations  is  the  odIj  surviving 
member  of  the  fraternity ;  and  he  shuddered,  as  he  spoke,  at 
the  mere  remembrance  of  the  scenes,  the  agony,  the  honxns 
once  witnessed  here.  The  eager  crowds  who  once  pressed 
these  huge  walls  to  behold  pagan  rites,  and  knew  not  who  of 
themselves  would  be  the  next  victims,  and  dared  not  to  drop 
a  visible  tear  for  an  immolated  &iend — those  crowds,  too,  have 
passed  away.  All  now  was  silence,  and  solitude,  and  ruin. 
A  solitary  castor-cnl  plant  and  a  few  noble  stalks  of  tobacco 
clustered  around  those  ruined  altars ;  and  a  few  harmless  li2s- 
ards  were  the  only  living  t^iants  of  this  forsaken  temple,  which 
was  once  deemed  the  dwelling-place  of  gods.  Unless  these 
huge  walls  should  be  carried  away  for  purposes  inherent  in 
modem  improvement — and  such  a  step  is  not  at  all  probable 
under  the  presmit  system  of  government — they  wiU  stand  fas 
centuries  as  a  monument  of  the  diabolical  oppression  of  a  pa- 
gan hierarchy. 

But  these  huge  temples  were  not  the  oaly  public  works  in 
which  the  people  were  compelled  to  engage.  Two  miles 
southeast  of  the  Mission  Station  at  I0I6,  there  is  a  water-course 
of  no  ordinary  interest  to  an  explorer.  The  foimtain-head  of 
this  stream  is  at  the  termination  of  a  deep  ravine.  To  convey 
water  over  the  surrounding  district,  it  was  necessary  to  have 
it  brought  from  the  head  of  this  ravine,  and  thus  turn  it  from 
its  original  channel.  To  achieve  this  object,  an  embajakment 
seems  to  have  been  raised  from  the  bed  of  the  ravine  to  a 
height  of  nearly  two  hundred  feet.  Where  this  embankment 
terminates,  a  channel  has  been  hewn  in  the  sides  oi  the  solid 
rock  more  than  half  a  mile  in  kngth.     To  maayji  reader,  such 


GLANCES   AT   DEPOPULATION.  34I 

a  work  may  appear  altogether  insignificant ;  but  when  it  is 
remembered  that  the  qnly  tools  employed  in  this  excavation 
were  koiSj  or  stone  axes,  and  sticks  of  hard  wood  sharpened 
down  to  a  point,  the  success  of  the  workmen  is  as  astonish- 
ing to  a  tourist  as  are  the  sculptures  among  the  temples  of 
the  Nile  to  the  modem  traveler.  In  all  probabiHty^  this  may 
have  been  the  work  of  some  Hawaiian  Mehemet  Ali,  in  days 
when  thousands  of  men  could  be  levied  to  do  the  bidding  of 
their  despotic  master.  In  view  of  the  old  mode  of  Hawaiian 
labor,  and  of  the  physical  character  of  the  abyss  along  which 
this  stream  is  conducted,  it  may  be  considered  as  great  a  work 
for  rude  islanders  as  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt  were  for  the  min- 
ions of  the  Pharaohs.,  The  greatest  wonder  is  that  the  Ha- 
waii's ever  achieved  such  a  work  at  all. 

I  have  already  referred  to  numerous  landmarks  as  indica- 
tive of  the  existence  oi  a  past  race.  But  these  are  not  the 
only  evidences  of  ancient  population.  In  the-  northeast  por- 
tions of  lole,  on  the  favorite  grounds  of  Kamehameha  the  Con- 
queror, there  are  almost  countless  graves  which  look  genera- 
tions old.  The  stones  which  cover  the  dust  of  these  long-for- 
gotten dead  are  in  a  state  of  decomposition.  Many  of  these 
sepulchral  mounds  have  sunk  on  a  level  with  the  earth's  sur- 
face, and  are  discovered  firom  the  fact  that  upon  them  the  grass 
grows  tall^  and  more  verdant.  No  hand  guards  the  existence  - 
of  these  ancient  dead.  Nor  is  there  any  need  of  such  precau- 
tion, for  nothing  obtrudes  itself  timong  them  but  the  sighings 
of  the  winds  of  night,  and  they  alone  chant  the  requiems  over 
these  rude  resting-places  of  a  forgotten  race. 

There  is  every  evidence  that  not  only  Kohala,  but  every 
part  of  the  island  of  Hawaii  where  soil  and  water  may  be 
found,  has  been  densely  peopled.  Like  multitudes  of  the 
North  American  Indians,  myriads  have  passed  away  unknown 
and  unlamented  by  the  rest  of  the  world.  In  the  Sandwich 
Islands  history  is  only  of  modem  birth.  In  its  infant  dawn- 
ings  it  timidly  glances  at  the  depopulation  of  the  native  races. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  glance  at  this  theme  and  its 
causes. 


342  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

These  causes  may  come  mider  the  clistinctive  tenns  of  past 
dJuA.  present. 

Among  the  past  were  war,  human  sacrifices,^  oppressions 
by  kings,  priests,  and  chiefs,  and  drunkenness.  But  among 
the  principal  causes  were— 

1.  Indolence. — ^In  pursuing  this  theme,  I  prefer  using  the 
language  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  natiTe  historian  :t   ' 

**  Another  thing  that  tended  to  diminish  the  population  was 
indolence  {mclowa).  Neither  men  nor  women  had  any  de- 
sire to  work ;  therefore  some  lived  a  lazy,  wandering  life,  or 
attached  themselves  to  those  who  had  property  for  the  sake 
of  sustenance.  Many,  however,  died  in  the  wandering  state, 
for  laziness  is  attended  with  more  evils  than  can  ever  be 
named." 

But  this  evil  seems  to  have  been  constitutional.  It  grew 
out  of  the  nature  of  the  climate,  the  bounty  of  l^ature,  and  the 
uncertain  tenure  by  which  they  held  their  possessions.  This 
evil  is  fully  portrayed  by  a  late  missionary  authority  : 

*'  During  a  certain  eruption,  as  stated  by  Mr.  EUis,  one  of 
the  rents  or  chasms  made  by  it,  emitting  sulphurous  smoke 
and  fiame,  ran  directly  through  the  fioorless  and  thatched  hut 
of  a  native  hving  at  Kaimu.  All  the  notice  he  took  of  it  was 
merely  to  remove  his  sleeping  mat  a  little  distance  from  the 
chasm,  and  composed  himBelf  again  to  his  slumbers.  A  stu- 
pid insensibility  to  every  elevated  idea  and  every  elevated  emo- 
tion is  a  trait  of  heathenisnf .     If  you  wish  to  awaken  their 

*  "  In  the  days  of  ITmi,  they  said,  that  king,  after  having  been 
victorious  in  battle  over  the  kings  of  six  of  the  diyisions  of  Hawaii, 
"was  sacrificing  captives  at  Waipio,  when  the  voice  of  Euahiro,  his 
god,  was  heard  from  the  clouds,  requiring  more  men ;  the  king  kept  ^ 
sacrificing,  and  the  voice  continued  calling  for  more,  till  he  had  slain 
all  his  men  except  one,  whom,  as  he  was  a  great  favorite,  he  refused 
at  first  to  give  up;  but  the  god  being  urgent,  he  sacrificed  him  also, 
and  the  priest  and  himself  were  all  that  remained.  Upward  of 
eighty  victims,  they  added,  were  offered  at  that  time,  in  obedience 
to  the  audible  demands  of  the  insatiate  demon.** — Mli^s  Tour  through 
Hawaiiy  p.  SSY. 

t  See  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  il,  No.  ii.,  Art  1. 


GLANCES   AT   DEPOPULATION.  343 

attention,  present  a  calabash  ofpoi,  a  raw  fish— or  call  them 
to  some  low,  groveling,  and  sensual  sport.  To  them  the  per-* 
fection  of  enjoyment  is  fullness  of  bread  and  abundance  of 
idla[iess  ;  deep  by  night,  lounging  by  day,  filthy  songs  and 
sensual  sports."* 

2.  Pestilence. — ^This  occurred  while  Kamehameha  I.  was 
residing  at  Oahu.  It  spread  over  the  entire  group,  and  the 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  were  cut  down  by  it.  No  proper 
care  could  be  taken  of  the  sick.  Men  perfectly  well  in  the 
morning  were  dead  in  the  evening.  Persons  who  went  to  bury 
their  neighbors  were  seized  be£)re  this  last  office  of  friendship 
could  be  performed,  and  died  themselves,  without  even  return- 
ing to  their  homes.  Hence  many  corpses  remained  unbuned. 
This  sickness,  called  katwkuu,  greatly  diminished  the  popula- 
tion. 

3.  AAortion.-^There  were  various  reasons  for  the  practice 
of  this  evil.  One  was  a  fear,  on  the  part  of  the  mother,  that 
the  father  would  leave  her  and  seek  another  wife,  or  because 
neither  sustained  such  a  relation  to  the  chief  as  to  be  supported 
by  him,  and  in  that  case  the  relatives  of  the  parents  destroyed 
the  child.  On  this  account,  but  few  women  had  any  desire 
for  children,  and  many  had  the  contrary  desire  of  not  having 
th«[n,  and  therefore  drank  such  medicines  as  would  prevent 
their  becoming  enceinte.  Some  absolutely  denied. themselves 
the  conjugal  benefits  immediately  resulting  in  the  marriage 
state.  So,  also,  some  of  the  men  desired  children  and  some . 
did  not.  Hence  arose  the  sin  of  sodomy.  Numbers  of  cat- 
amites were  retained  for  unnatural  purposes,  and  thousands 
of  men  died  childless,  never  having  cherished  any  female  as- 
sociations. 

4.  Infanticide  was  another  means  of  decrease.  It  was  so 
common  that  it  had  a  parallel  in  no  other  country.  Mothers 
destroyed  their  own  children  both  before  and  after  they  were 
bom.  They  regarded  the  care  of  them  a  burden ;  they  fear- 
ed, too,  that  their  pleasures  would  be  diminished  and  their 
personal  beauty  impaired.     In  some  instances,  an  additional 

*  Dibble's  History,  p.  116. 


344  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOT£S. 

motive  was  found  in  illegitimacy,  and  the  consequent  jealousy 
of  their  husbands.  Hence  they  hardened  their  hearts,  and,  as 
if  destitute  of  natural  afiection,  killed  their  ofispring.  In  lan- 
guage vivid  as  the  light,  Dibble  portrays  this  horrible  method 
of  destroying  children : 

*'  The  child,  perhaps,  is  sick,  and  troubles  her  with  its  moans 
and  cries,  and,  instead  of  searching  into  the  causes  of  its  sor- 
row or  attempting  to  alleviate  its  pains,  she  stifles  its  cries  for 
a  moment  with  her  hand,  thrusts  it  into  the  grave  prepared, 
covers  it  with  a  little  earth,  and  tramples  it  down  while  strug- 
gling yet  in  the  agonies  of  death.  But  wait  and  look  around 
a  httle,  and  you  will  find  that  this  is  not  the  first  grave  she 
has  dug.  Perhaps  this  may  be  the  fifth  or  the  seventh  child 
that  she  has  disposed  of  in  the  same  way,  and  many  of  them, 
perhaps,  firom  no  better  motives  than  to  rid  herself  of  trouble, 
or  to  leave  herself  nu»:e  firee  for  sensual  pleasure  and  vicious 
indulgence."* 

5.  Xice72^i(n«5ness'wa8  another  cause  of  depopulation.  Hab- 
its of  iUicit  intercourse  were  deemed  necessary  to  the  preser- 
vation of  friendship  and  good  feeling  one  to  another.  "  These 
habits  were  often  commenced  at  the  age  of  twq  or  three  years, 
and  continued  in  such  a  manner  as  to  induce  genital.impoten- 
cy,  and  to  perpetuate  barrenness.  This  course  was  once  al- 
most imiversal  among  the  people."! 

6.  Syphilis  was  the  greatest  of  all  causes  of  this  decrease 
of  population.  The  deadly  virus  had  a  wide  and  rapid  circu- 
lation throughout  the  blood,  the  bones,  and  anews  oiihe  whole 
nation,  and  left  in  its  course  a  train  of  wretchedness  and  mis- 
ery which  the  very  pen  blushes  to  record.  In  the  lapse  of  a 
few  years,  a  dreadful  mortality,  heightened,  if  not  induced,  by 
their  unholy  intercourse,  swept  away  one  half  of  the  popula- 
tion, leaving  the  dead  unburied  for  want  of  those  able  to  per- 
form the  rites  of  sepulture !  ^ 

It  is  singular  that  so  many  writers  have  persevered  in  the 
affirmation  that  this  evil  was  introduced  by  the  crews  of  Cap- 
tain Cook's  vessels  in  1779.     It  is  a  fact,  established  on  the 

*  Dibble's  History,  p.  128.        f  "Answers  to  Questions,"  p.  47. 


GLANCES  AT  DEPOPULATION.  345 

highest  medical  authorities,  that,  in  thousands  of  instances, 
syphilis  has  been  generated,  de  novo,  by  impure  sexual  inter- 
course. In  view  of  the  unrestrained  Ucentiousness  of  the  Ha- 
waiians  from  time  immemorial,  is  there  any  r^ison  why  they 
should  not,  like  other  nations,  fall  victims  to  their  wholesale 
indulgences  ?  Had  Nature  thrown  around  them  an  impreg- 
nable defense  against  the  results  of  a  violation  of  physical  and 
moral  laws  ?  Such  an  anomaly  can  not  for  a  single  moment 
be  supposed.  The  rapid  decrease  of  population  since  the  visit 
of  GooK  may  more  properly  have  had  its  origin  in  a  reaction 
of  disease  generated,  de  novo,  in  the  early  history  of  the  na^ 
ti<m,  precisely  as  the  plague  in  any  country  may  slumber  for 
years,  and  then  open  yet  wider  its  jaws  of  destruction.  It  is 
to  a  combination  of  licentioiusness  and  disease,  and  not  to  the 
crews  of  Cook's  vessels,  nor  to  the  subsequent  visits  of  every 
£»reigner,  as  the  missionaries  doggedly  affirm,  that  the  main 
cause  of  depopulation  is  owing.  A  maintenance  of  that  af- 
firmation is  exceedingly  impolitic,  and  displays  a  total  igno- 
rance of  the  physical  organization  of  man.  It  may  be  sus- 
tained only  when  it  can  be  undeniably  proved  that  the  Ha- 
waiians,  throughout  all  their  previous  generations,  were  not 
actuated  in  the  same  manner  as  every  portion  of  the  human 
race. 

But  these  remarks  bring  us  to  the  present  causes  of  depop- 
ulation.    They  may  be  recognized  as  follows : 

1.  Indolence, — This  evil  is  as  rife  now  as  it  ever  was,  and 
has  already  been  noticed. 

2.  Dietetics. — ^In  their  habits  of  eating  and  drinking  they 
are  very  irregular.  Those  who  have  a  good  supply  offish  and 
poi  will  eat  six  or  eight  times  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  They 
will  sometimes  rise  in  the  night  to  eat.  When  they  have 
nothing  to  tempt  the  appetite,  such  is  their  indolence  that 
they  will  often  fast  for^days  together,  and  when  food  is  again 
procured,  they  will  eat  proportionably  more.  These  extremes 
not  unfrequently  tend  to  fevers  which  end  in  death. 

3.  Dress, — ^In  passing  firom  a  hardy  way  of  Hving  to  one 
more  conformed  to  the  rules  of  civilization,  requiring  clothing, 

P2 


346  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

and  leading  to  more  efieminate  habits.  Not  having  from  ear- 
ly life  been  accustomed  to  the  use  of  clothing,  they  at  first 
foimd  it  burdensome,  and  cast  it  off  imprudently,  often  when 
they  should  hsve  kept  it  on,  and  thus  exposed  themselves  to 
colds,  and  consequent  disease  and  death.  Those  who  had  ob- 
tained clothing  often  put  it  on  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  di- 
vested themselves  of  it  in  the  cool  of  the  day,  and  at  night  and 
in  the  wet  appeared  generally  in  their  native  costume,  which 
was  an  almost  entire  destitution  of  clothing.* 

4.  Parental  Neglect. — On  the  Sandwich  group  children 
are  Uterally  bom  to  an  inheritance  of  disease  and  misery  inde- 
scribable. It  is  a  matter  of  wonder  how  any  of  them  survive 
their  complaint&  When  contrasted  with  the  children  of  civ- 
ilized lands,  there  is  indeed  a  great  gulf  between.  Nurtured 
in  the  lap  of  maternal  love,  watched  over  by  day  and  night 
with  the  tenderest  soUcitude,  the  first  jrising  symptom  of  ill- 
ness detected,  and  the  best  medical  skill  obtained  which  is  in 
the  power  of  parental  anxiety  to  obtain,  most  of  the  latter  live 
to  bless  the  care  that  rears  them.  But  the  children  of  Ha- 
waiians  are  not  so  blessed.  With  all  the  predisposing  causes 
of  disease  fastened  upon  them,  having  no  suitable  diet  or  med- 
ical aid  when  sick,  destitute  of  careful  nurses,  having  only 
those  who  are  ignorant  and  heedless  of  their  duty,  they  pine 
away  till  exhausted  nature  sinks,  and  they  sleep  in  the  arms 
of  death. 

5.  Dwellings. — "  Though  the  Sandwich  Islanders  are  re- 
markably fond  of  the  water,  and  are  fastidiously  particular  in 
their  practices  of  washing  and  bathing,  they  are,  nevertheless, 
extremely  filthy  and  squaHd  in  many  of  their  habits  of  life. 
With  their  beasts  and  fowls  in  the  same  habitation,  and  not 
unfrequently  on  the  same  mats  with  themselves,  their  often- 
repeated  ablutions  will  be  regarded  as  timely.  The  kapa^  or 
native  cloth  iised  by  the  inhabitants,  is  worn  vdthout  cleans- 
ing, till,  having  become  foul  with  dirt  and  vermin,  and  too 
ragged  to  serve  longer  the  purposes  of  covering  or  protection, 
it  is  lain  aside.     Hence  diseases  induced  or  exacerbated  by 

*  "Answera  to  QueationB,"  p.  49. 


GLANCES   AT   DEPOPULATION.  347 

such  causes  have  at  those  islanids  a  fruitful  soil,  and  flourish 
hixuriantly." 

CntanecMs  diseases  and  scrofula  are  the  invariahle  results 
of  their  wretched  mode  of  domestics.  • 

6.  The  TherapeiUics  of  Hawaiian  Doctors, — Native  med- 
icines and  quacks  tend  to  injure  the  health  of  the  nation. 
Awa,  a  powerful  narcotic,  is  the  great  medicine,  when  all  oth- 
ers fail,  with  native  doctors,  and  this  produces  intoxication 
like  opiimi,  feehleness,  indigestion,  nervous  afiections,  and  ap- 
oplexy. Much  of  the  practice  of  native  doctors  is  Uttle  else 
than  mere  nuinslaughter,* 

'*  Many  of  these  evils  have  their  source  in  a  hlind  and  har- 
baious  practice  of  using  immoderately  the  most  powerful  and 
drastic  cathartics.  The  inside  of  the  calabash  {Cticurbita 
lagenaria),  triturated  seeds  of  the  castor  oil,  the  fruit  of  the 
candle-nut  {Aleurites  triloba),  two  or  three  species  of  the  Ipo- 
mecBy  and  some  other  drastic  articles,  are  given  in  such  doses 
as  sometimes  to  create  the  most  obstinate  and  dangerous  dys- 
enteries. I  have  known  a  case  in  which  the  average  opera- 
tions of  four  cathartics,  given  to  disperse  dropsy,  were  twenty- 
one,  the  aggregate  eighty-four ;  and  another  case,  in  which  a 
man,  from  a  fear  that  he  would  be  sick,  took  such  an  enor- 
mous dose  of  the  calabash  as  to  produce  a  hemorrhage,  which 
proved  fatal  within  a  few  hours."t 

"  Charms  and  incantations  have  a  conspicuous  place  in 
their  therapeutics,  and  often  lead  to  practices  the  most  shock- 
ing. Many  have  been  pounded  and  roasted  to  death  from  a 
belief  that  their  diseases  were  the  eflect  of  an  indwelling  spirit. 
Nor  is  it  in  all  cases  needfiil  that  the  patient  should  be  actu- 
ally suflering  with  disease ;  the  mere  apprehension  of  future 
fidckness  is  sufficient  reason  for  having  recourse  to  remediate 
measures,  and  truly  fortunate  is  he  who  has  sufficient  strength 
of  constitution  to  withstand  the  baneM  influence  of  their 
more  drastic  do6e8.''t 

8.  &yphilisy  in  its  worst  forms,  is  one  of  the  principal  mod- 

*  **  Answers  to  Questions,"  p.  48. 

f  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  i.,  p.  259.  %  Ibid.,  p.  262. 


348  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

em  causes  of  depopulatioQ.  Under  this  head  I  will  cite  one 
Trictim  as  described  by  a  recent  medical  authority  at  the  group. 
In  presenting  this  case,  he  says  :  "I  have  seen  more  than  one 
cas^  of  marasmus  induced  by  the  difficulty  of  mastication  and 
deglutition.  The  mouths  of  these  patients  were  ahnost  closed 
in  the  process  of  cicatrization,  and  the  gums  and  fauces  were 
destroyed  by  ulceration.  In  one  of  my  patients  sufiering  with 
the  secondary  symptoms  of  the  disease,  in  which  I  was  suo- 
cessM  in  stopping  its  progress  by  a  mercurial  course,  the  ex- 
ternal nose  had  entirely  disaj^peared,  and  its  place  was  occu- 
pied by  a  concavity  and  a  foramen  of  an  irregularly  oblong 
form.  The  left  eye  was  totally  blind,  and  both  so  disfigured 
by  ulceration  as  almost  to  lose  their  identity.  The  mouth  was 
shockingly  deformed ;  the  hps  and  alveolar  processes  mostly 
removed  by  absorption,  and  the  teeth,  having  their  necks  and 
a  portion  of  their  roots  divested  of  integuments,  were  irregu- 
lar in  their  distances  and  positions,  pointed  in  every  direction, 
and  but  slenderly  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  utility.  The 
whole  coimtenance  was  much  disfigured  by  deep  eschars,  and 
the  body  greatly  emaciated ;  no  food  could  be  masticated  by 
him,  so  bad  was  the  condition  of  his  mouth."^ 

Thus  far  I  have  been  tedious  on  the  causes  of  depopulation 
of  the  Hawaiian  race.  The  reader  will  immediately  perceive 
that  I  have  drawn  largely  from  materials  fiumished  both  by 
native  historians  and  missionary  authority.  In  doing  this  I 
have  followed  my  original  design,  for  I  was  anxious  that  they 
should  tell  their  own  story  of  facts  which  a  few  pseudo-phi- 
lanthropists might  carefully  undertake  to  dispute.  But  there 
is  a  cause— the  greatest  of  all  causes— for  modem  decrease  in 
the  numbers  of  this  dying  people,  that  they  have  studiously 
avoided,  or  cared  not  to  mention,  or  of  which  they  are  totally 
unconscious.     That  cause  is 

The  strictures  of  Missionary  Law  ! — Owing  to  the  uni- 
versal intercourse  between  the  sexes,  numbers  of  women  be- 
come enceinte.     The  ofispring  may  be  that  of  a  foreigner,  for 

*  **  Climate  and  Diseases  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  By  Alonzo 
Chapin,  "i/LDJ*    American  Journal  of  Medical  Sciences,  No. : 


GLANCES   AT   DEPOPULATION.  349 

to  this  class  of  men  the  native  women  are  strongly  attached, 
and  they  deem  such  an  intercourse  honorable.  It  will  never 
do  for  that  offspring  to  see  the  light.  As  a  natural  result,  it 
is  certain  to  be  a  half-caste.  It  would  detect  the  crime  of  the 
mother.  Ecclesiastical  inquisitors  would  faithfully  watch  her 
recovery  from  sickness,  and  then  they  would  not  fail  to  see 
that  she  was  faithfully  fined  and  imprisoned.  {See  Penal 
Code  for  1850,  chap,  xiii.,  sec.  4.)  If  an  unmarried  woman, 
it  will  certainly  lead  to  her  detection,  and  she  will  certainly 
be  punished  in  the  same  way.     {Ibid.,  chap,  xiii.,  sec.  5.) 

Such  is  the  method  of  argument  employed  by  the  Hawaiian 
women.  ^  And  is  it  ^ot  very  natural  ?  Can  their  law-givers 
be  so  blind  as  to  beUeve  that  their  minions  will  not  avail  them- 
selyes  of  the  means  which  will  aid  them  in  escaping  a  shame- 
fid  and  degrading  conviction  ?  If  they  are,  they  are  willfully 
blind.  To  escape  the  rigors  of  the  law,  the  women  emjjloy 
ahortiony  and,  in  some  cases,  infanticide.  The  former  of 
these  evils  is  very  common  among  the  younger  women  over 
aU  the  group,  and  the  latter  is  employed  in  extreme  cases, 
or  when  the  former  fails  to  reHeve  them ;  but  too  frequently 
it  destroys  the  mother  and  her  ofispring  at  the  same  time.  In 
this  way  hundreds  of  women  destroy  themselves,  and  thou- 
sands of  children,  perspectively,  are  prevented  from  entering 
upon  life's  stage.  Ten  thousand  times  better  would  it  have 
been  for  that  wronged  people  had  they  been  permitted  to  in- 
dulge a  restricted  concubinage,  on  their  old  plan,  than  to  have 
had  their  domestic  habits  so  suddenly  revolutionized.  Among 
a  people  possessing  such  whirlwind  passions,  it  would  have 
been  a  source  of  greater  virtue  than  can  ever  be  secured  by 
the  strictures  of  .law;  and  their  willingness  to  renounce  a 
plurality  of  wives  would  have  been  the  strongest  test,  in  case 
of  their  becoming  candidates  for  church-membership,  that  they 
wiUingly  acquiesced  in  the  just  and  righteous  demands  of  the 
Moral  Law  of  the  Bible. 

There  are  other  causes  of  decrease  which  might  be  enumer- 
ated, but  they  axe  of  minor  importance,  and  may  be  dismissed. 
The  rapidity  in  the  depopulation  of  the  Hawaiiaa  people  is 


350  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  human  race.  By  the  early 
navigators  in  these  seas,  the  inhahitants  of  the  several  islands 
of  this  group  were  estimated  at  not  less  than  £)ur  hundred 
thousand.  This  was  the  estimate  given  hy  the  scientific  gen- 
tlemen who  accompanied  Captain  Cook  in  his  voyage  of  dis- 
covery. Suheequent  voyagers  confirmed  the  correctness  of  the 
estimate.  The  accounts  of  the  older  and  more  intelligent  na- 
tives, as  well  as  the  indications  of  a  country  oace  extensively 
cultivated,  conohorate  the  prohalnlity  c^  its  truth,  and  prove 
the  &ct  that  there  was  once  a  teeming  population  flourishing 
throughout  the  whole  cluster  of  islands.  But  within  the  shcnrt 
space  of  seventy-four  years-^— allowing  for  the  scourge  of  the 
small-pox  during  the  year  1853 — ^the  population  has  dvnndled 
down  to  the  low  census  of  ahout  sixty-five  thousand.  Official 
documents*  show  the  immense  rapidity  of  its  decline  within 
a  few  years  past.  According  to  the  census  of  1 836,  it  amount- 
ed to  108,759.     The  census  of  1832  gave  130,313,  as  follows  : 

bUnds.  1833.  1836.     Deereaae  in  4  yetn. 

Hawau 46,792  89,364  6,428 

Maui 36,062  24,199  10,863 

Molpkai 6,000  6,000  • 

Lanai 1,600  1,200  400 

Eahoolawe 80                  80 

Oahu  29,766  27,809  1,946 

Kauai 10,977  8,934  2,043 

Niihau 1,047                 993  64 

130,313  108,679  21,734 

The  last  census,  taken  in  1848,  shows  the  following  result : 

Islands.                                     Population.  DeaUia.  Births. 

Hawaii 27,204  2,726  686 

Oahu 28,146  2,409  696 

Maui 18,671  1,619  267 

Kauai 6,941  686  164 

Molokai 8,429  412  62 

Niihau 723  44  18 

Lanai 628  47  6 

Total 80,641  7,943  1,478 

*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  i,  p.  426. 


CHARACTER  OF   MISSIONARIES.        35^ 

During  the  last  five  years^  disease  and  death  have  been  no 
less  active  than  formerly.  There  is  something  mournful  in 
the  thought  of  a  nation  thus  fading  away.  And  it  may  be 
said,  in  the  sorrowftd  language  of  a  native  historian,  **  On  ac- 
count of  the  magnitude  of  these  evils  which  have  come  upon 
the  kingdom,  the  kingdom  is  sick — ^it  is  reduced  to  a  skeleton, 
and  is  near  to  death ;  yea,  the  whole  Hawaiian  nation  is  near 
to  a  close."* 

I  can  not  leave  I0I6  without  briefly  referring  to  the  new 
mission  church  which  was  in  progress  of  erection  at  the 
time  of  my  visit.  This  was  the  third  edifice  which  had  been 
erected  there  by  the  regular  congregation  of  native  worship- 
ers. The  first  was  a  mere  thatched  building ;  the  second  was 
a  commodious  frame  house,  which  was  devastated  by  a  heavy 
wind  in  1 849.  The  one  now  in  progress  is  invested  with  some- 
thing at  once  permanent  and  novel.  The  walls  are  composed 
of  vesicular  lava,  which  was  procured  firam  a  neighboring  ra- 
vine. The  sand  was  brought  from  the  valley  of  Polulu  and 
the  beach  at  Kawaihae — ^the  former  place  six  miles  distant, 
the  latter  twenty-six.  There  were  no  roads  over  which  a 
team  could  travel ;  consequently,  the  materials  were  conveyed 
to  the  site  of  the  building  in  a  method  entirely  new,  and  each 
native  threw  in  a  share  of  labor.  Some  carried  sand  from  the 
place  just  mentioned  in  handkerchiefs,  others  in  their  imder- 
garments.  Others  very  ingeniously  connected  an  entire  suit 
together,  and  filled  it  with  the  same  material,  and  then  con- 
veyed it  to  I0I6.  The  lime  was  the  product  of  coral,  which  had 
been  procured  from  the  reefs  at  a  depth  of  one  to  four  fathoms 
below  the  surface  of  the  sea.  The  timbers  were  hewn  in  the 
mountains  several  miles  distant,  and  dragged  down  by  hand  to 
the  building.  In  this  way  the  Work  had  been  going  on  firom 
the  time  the  foundation  was  laid ;  and  when  finished,  it  will 
certainly  be  a  credit  to  the  architect  and  supervisor,  the  res- 
ident missionary,  Mr.  EHas  Bond. 

These  remarks  have  led  me  to  make  a  brief  review  of  mis- 
sionary character.  The  life  of  a  faithful  and  devoted  mission- 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  ii,  p.  180. 


352  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

axy  on  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  one  of  toil,  and  hard  toil,  too. 
A  good  deal  is  required,  and  much  must  be  perfcnrmed.  The. 
missionaiy  must  occupy  every  post  of  duty.  In  many  in- 
stances he  has  to  turn  carpenter,  blacksmith,  road-supervisor, 
land-surveyor,  surgeon,  and  physician.  He  must  necessarily 
become  versed  in  the  vernacular  language  of  the  group.  Aside 
from  all  these  duties,  he  has  to  attend  to  the  temporal,  moral, 
and  spiritual  claims  of  his  own  family  and  congregation.  He 
must  be  here,  there,  and  every  where,  so  to  speak,  at  the  same 
time.  He  may  be  a  Yaslbo  in  literature,  a  Cbestebfibld  in 
poUteness;  but,  unless  he  can  readily  adapt  himself  to  the 
multifarious  caUings  above  specified,  he  is  of  no  use  at  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  had  better  be  away.  Grood,  practical 
men — ^not  mere  theorists — men  of  true  philanthropy,  with 
large  hearts,  are  the  ani/y  sort  of  men  needed  there.  And  I 
wi^  to  be  understood  as  declaring  that,  although  there  are  men 
there  who  in  their  clerical  capacity  have  hindered  the  cause  of 
true  Christian  civilization,  there  are  those  who  have  done  their 
work  well  and  cheerfully ;  and  Mr.  £.  Bond,  at  I0I6,  is  one  of 
the  latter  number.  Their  object  is  to  elevate  a  pagan  race. 
No  herald  precedes  their  movements ;  no  triumphal  chariot 
bears  them  onward  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  They 
work  steadily,  quietly ;  yet  theirs 

"Are  deeds  which  shall  not  pass  away, 
'  And  names  that  wUl  not  wither,  though  the  earth 
Forgets  her  empires  with  a  just  decay. 
The  enslavers  and  the  enslaved,  their  death  and  birth : 
The  high,  the  mountain-majesty  of  worth 
Shall  be,  and  is,  survivor  of  its  woe, 
And  from  its  immortality  look  forth 
In  the  sun's  face,  like  to  the  Alpine  snow, 
Imperishably  pure,  beyond  all  things  below." 

Like  other  men,  these  missionaries  have  their  fiiends  and 
foes  around  them  and  far  away.  That  fidendship  and  that 
enmity  are  both  strong,  and  shrink  not  at  trifles,  and  both,  as 
a  general  thing,  are  very  extreme.  To  tread  a  medium  path, 
so  as  to  avoid  a  fulsome  flattery  or  a  sweeping  censorious- 
nesB,  is  extremely  difficult ;  yet  is  it  the  only  just  path,  and 


CHRISTIAN   LIBERALITY.  353 

few  have  found  it.  Feeling,  sympathy,  partiality,  have  often 
carried  away  the  judgment,  and  led  to  fiaital  mistakes  on  the 
part  of  their  eulogizers,  and  in  the  estimation  of  their  enter- 
prise hy  mere  spectators ;  and  vengeful  feelings,  counter  views, 
opposing  motives,  when  leagued  against  them,  have  produced 
residts  not  any  worse  on  the  side  of  the  opposing  party.  Could 
it  be  more  universally  understood  that  those  zealous  mission- 
aries of  whom  I  have  spoken  are  not  angels  nor  demi-gods, 
but  MEN,  and  that  they  have  their  virtues  not  less  than  their 
faults,  matters  would  be  viewed  wil^  more  justice  and  gen- 
erosity. 

In  this  relation,  it  is  absolutely  important  and  necessary  that 
^the  traveler  over  the  group  should  be  strictly  impartial.  In- 
temperate eulogy  has  done  more  injury  than  wholesale  invec- 
tive. Both  extremes  hold  up  things  in  a  flgdse  hght.  A  sen- 
sible writer,  himself  a  missionary  at  the  time,  reprehends  this 
extremity  of  eulogy  and  invective  in  language  too  plain  to  be 
mistaken : 

"  It  may  be  remarked  here  that  travelers  who  visit  mission- 
ary establishments  sometimes  contribute  to  existing  error.  If 
they  write  in  favor  of  them,  they  wish  to  do  it  to  some  pur- 
pose ;  they  wish,  of  course,  to  be  popular  in  an  age  which 
asks  for  new  and  exciting  matter  firom  the  press.  Hence  we 
have  seen  books  professing  to  give  the  state  of  things  at  the 
Society,  Sandwich,  and  even  Marquesas  Islands,  written  in  a 
style  of  extravagance  adapted  rather  to  gratify  than  to  in- 
form the  reader.  There  are  other  travelers  who  fall  into  the 
opposite  extreme.  They  have  a  point  to  establish,  namely, 
that  the  missionary  enterprise  does  no  good  ;  that  it  impover- 
ishes and  depopulates,  and  that  the  natives  who  survive  its 
pestilential  influence  are  more  idle,  filthy,  and  vicious."* 

While  he  refers  to  the  traveler,  he  is  not  afraid  to  correct 
the  wrong  inferences  sometimes  drawn  from  missionary  reports 
by  secretaries  of  societies.  In  referring  to  misapprehension  on 
this  theme,  he  says  : 

"  Certainly  this  may  be  affirmed  of  the  late  Rev.  William 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  L,  p.  99. 


354  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Orme,  foreign  secretary  to  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
Tet  in  a  discourse,*  for  the  most  part  excellent,  ddivered  by 
him  at  varioos  missionary  anniversaries  in  England,  he  di&w 
a  portrait  of  the  South  Sea  Missimi,  fi>r  which  there  is  no  ori- 
ginal in  the  Pacific,  and,  in  our  judgment,  will  not  be  fi>r  a  cenr 
tnry  to  come.  The  following  is  the  paragraph  to  which  ref- 
erence is  made : 

" '  See  those  smiling  children — Ibeir  father's  boast,  th^ 
mother's  pride — romping  in  all  the  joyousness  of  youth,  in  all 
the  conscious  security  of  home,  and  the  delights  of  parental 
fondness,  and  brotherly  and  sisterly  afiection. 

**  *  Behold  that  happy  family,  united,  endeared,  and  peace- 
ful! the  parents  bound  together  by  the  indissoluble  tie  of 
marriage,  and  the  still  more  sacred  bond  of  religion — the 
husband  loving  his  wife  even  as  himself,  and  the  wife  honor- 
ing and  obej^ing  her  husband — ^the  children  growing  up  like 
olive-plants  about  their  table — and  all  showing  how  good  and 
how  pleasant  a  thing  it  is  to  dwell  together  in  unity. 

"  *  Examine  that  cottage — I  describe  from  facts — ^it  rises  (»i 
the  outskirts  of  a  shady  wood,  through  which  a  winding  path 
conducts  the  traveler,  improving,  as  it  advances,  in  beauty. 
At  its  termination,  and  in  firont  of  the  dwelling,  appears  a 
beautiful  green  lawn.  The  cottage  is  constructed  with  neat- 
ness and  regularity,  and  tastefiilly  whitewashed.  Enter  its 
folding-doors.  It  has  a  boarded  floor,  covered  with  oil-cloth ; 
the  windows  are  furnished  with  Venitian  shutters,  to  render 
the  apartment  cool  and  refreshing ;  the  rooms  are  divided  by 
screens  of  kapa,  and  the  beds  covered  with  the  same  material, 
white  and  clean ;  the  apartments  are  furnished  with  chairs 
and  sofas  of  native  workmanship,  and  every  article  indicating 
at  once  the  taste  and  comfort  of  the  occupants.'  "t 

*  "  The  History  of  the  South  Sea  Mission  applied  to  the  Instmo- 
tion  and  Encouragement  of  the  Church.  A  Discourse  delivered  at 
various  Missionary  Anniversaries.  By  William  Orme,  Foreign  Secre- 
tary to  the  London  Missionary  Society."  London :  doldsworth  and 
Ball,  18  St  Paul's  Church-yard,  1829. 

f  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  i.»  p.  94. 


NATURE  AND  EXTENT  OF  HOSTILITIES.  355 

If  foreign  secretaries  are  intemperate  in  their  encomiums,  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  some  foreigners  residing  on  the  group 
are  not  more  careful  in  drawing  the  dividing  Hne  between 
those  missionaries  who  yet  faithftdly  discharge  their  duties, 
and  those  who  have  abandoned  them  for  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  and  pohtical  power.  That  these  two  classes  exist  will 
not  for  a  single  moment  be  questioned  by  men  who  are  prac- 
tically famihar  with  the  present  condition  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands. 

There  are  causes,  however,  for  the  exist^ice  of  some  hostil- 
ities, cherished  both  by  foreigners  residing  on  the  islands  and 
by  tourists  conversant  with  their  pohtical  and  religious  condi- 
tion, and  the  chief  of  these  causes  is  an  attempted  unity  be- 
tween the  two  elements  by  a  few  ex-missionaries  and  their 
partisans.  If  to  this  influence  laymen  should  stand  opposed, 
it  ought  to  a^rd  no  cause  for  surprise,  for  it  has  aheady  done 
much  injury  to  the  interests  of  the  nation,  as  well  as  to  the 
noble  cause  of  Christianity.  It  is  a  well-established  fact,  that 
theologians  never  did  become  Hberal  and  enHght^ied  poUti- 
cians ;  and  their  failure  has  always  been  owing  to  their  dogged 
determination  to  render  spiritual  power  superior  to  the  rights 
and  immunities  of  civil  institutions.  When  the  Nazabene 
was  arraigned  before  the  bar  of  Pilate,  he  said,  *'  My  kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world  !" 


356     •       SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 


CHAPTER  XXVm. 

FEOM  lOLE   TO   WADIEA. 

Solitude  of  Native  Dwellings. — ^Volcanic  Features. — Groves  of  the 
7%  Plant — ^Wild  Oats. — ^Plains  of  Waimea. — ^More  Evidences  of 
Depopulation. — ^Hawaiian  Catacombs. — ^Btbon's  Soliloquy  on  a 
SkulL — Former  Method  of  Interment  among  the  Hawaiians. — 
Abuse  of  the  Dead. — A  '*  Plague  of  Flies.'' — Comparison  of  Natives 
and  Foreignera — ^Foreigners  and  Native  Wives. — Agriculture. — 
Sugar  Plantations. — ^A  genuine  **  Yankee" — ^&aising  Stock  for  the 
Market 

As  I  left  I0I6  behind  me  on  my  way  to  "Waimea,  I  could 
not  help  bestowing  a  lingering  glance  on  the  graves  of  past 
generations  of  men.  Nor  could  I  avoid  cherishing  a  profound 
regret  that  the  last  vestige  of  the  race  in  the  district  of  Ko- 
hala  was  nearly  gone  to  the  "  land  of  silence.''  The  charac- 
ter of  my  journey  was  such  as  to  foster  these  impressions. 
My  path  lay  directly  across  the  mountains  separating, the  dis- 
tricts of  Kohala  and  Waimea.  It  was  nearly  an  unbroken 
solitude.  The  graves  of  the  earlier  generations  of  Hawaiians 
were  around.  Their  village  sites  were  on  every  hand.  The 
foot-paths  over  which  many  a  warrior  had  passed  from  his 
home  to  battle,  and  where  many  a  Hawaiian  Hebe  had  glided 
in  the  splendors  of  a  tropical  twilight,  were  stiU  there. 

As  I  continued  to  ascend  the  long  slopes,  I  passed  two  or 
three  native  huts.  What  induced  them  to  raise  their  habita- 
tions in  the  midst  of  such  a  solitude,  I  could  not  easily  guess. 
But,  as  the  equally  solitary  inmates  came  out  to  steal  a  glance 
at  me  while  passing,  I  almost  felt  an  intruder  on  their  fore- 
fiithers'  soil. 

The  geological  features  of  this  region  are  purely  volcanic. 
I  passed  several  cones  or  chimneys  several  hundred  feet  high. 
They  had  decomposed  into  a  very  soft  red  tufa,  and  their 
sides  w^re  covered  with  a  rough  mountain  grass,  interspersed 


WILD  OATS.  357 


with  a  few  stunted  trees.  The  soil  was  mostly  of  a  dark 
brown,  and  very  fertile. 

Inunense  groves  of  the  ti  plant  {Draccena  termincdis) 
flourish  on  these  upland  plains.  This  is  one  of  the  many  in- 
stances of  Dame  Nature's  hberality  toward  her  Polynesian 
children.  The  ti  plant  is  serviceable  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
The  long  dark  green  leaf  is  used  as  envelopes  for  certain  mar- 
ketable articles,  and  they  are  usually  wrapped  round  fishes, 
pigs,  and  fowls,  during  the  process  of  cooking.  The  root, 
which  closely  resembles  in  form  the  root  of  the  cochlearia,  is 
supphed  with  a  rich  saccharine  juice.  When  baked,  its  taste 
is  not  unlike  the  sugar*cane.  As  an  article  of  food,  it  is  much 
prized  by  the  inhabitants  of  mountain  regions  ;  and  in  times 
of  scarcity,  it  has  fed  multitudes  who  would  otherwise  have 
perished  with  famine. 

Halfway  between  I0I6  and  Waimea,  either  side  of  the  road 
was  skirted  for  miles  with  wild  oats,  that  served  as  food  for 
numerous  herds  of  wild  cattle.  It  is  said  they  were  originally 
sown  by  an  American  sailor  wh(»n  I  found  residing  in  this 
region.  Having  disposed  of  his  own  *^wild  oats"  in  his  more 
youthful  days,  and  becoming  weary  in  baffling  the  storms  of 
the  ocean,  he  forsook  his  nautical  employment,  took  to  his 
aims  a  dusky  daughter  of  Hawaii,  and  located  his  abode  on 
terra  jimui, 

Where  the  road  begins  to  descend  the  mountains  on  the 
south,  the  plains  of  Waimea  spread  before  the  eye  like  an  im- 
mense panorama.  When  fidrly  on  them,  their  appearance  is 
much  broken  by  low  volcanic  mounds  and  narrow  gulches,  or 
water-courses.  They  have  a  gradual  ascent  from  the  sea- 
shore at  Kawaihae  until  they  reach  the  district  of  Hamakua 
on  the  east,  and  the  base  of  Maima  Kea  on  the  south. 

These  plains  are  much  pierced  by  subterranean  chambers, 
many  of  which  are  accessible  fiom  their  roofe,  while  others, 
once  used  as  places  of  interment  for  the  dead,  are  hermetically 
sealed.  Nearly  midway  between  Waimea  and  Hanipoi  the 
load  leads  over  one  of  these  vast  chambers,  no  access  to  which 
has  yet  been  discovered.     In  riding  ovot  it,  the  hoxse's  feet 


358  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

produce  hoflow  reverberations,  which  carry  the  convictioii  to 
the  rider  that  the  roof  may  break  through  at  any  moment. 

Like  Kohala,  the  district  of  Waimea  displays  numerous  evi- 
dences of  extinct  population.  On  nearly  every  portion  of  the 
plains,  and  on  every  hill-side  to  the  north,  there  were  distinct 
traces  of  lands  that  had  once  been  well  cultivated,  and  of  vil- 
lages once  densely  peopled.  At  almost  every  step,  the  travel- 
er is  induced  to  stay  and  to  ask  himself, ''  What  has  become 
of  the  vast  multitudes  that  once  hved  and  progressed  in  this 
region?  and  where  have  they  been  scattered?'*  And  he 
pauses  and  reflects  until  Echo  answers  "  Where  ?** 

Let  us  pay  a  visit  to  the  principal  catacomb  at  Waimea. 
It  is  situated  about  three  miles  to  the  south  of  the  village.  A 
native  guide  is  a  very  necessary  accompaniment  to  the  travel- 
er, for  the  site  of  entrance  is  diflicult  to  find.  The  aperture 
is  small  and  pierces  the  roof.  Several  projecting  masses  of 
lava  rock  aid  in  the  descent,  which  is  accomplished  by  going 
down  feet  first,  and  some  care  is  required  to  prevent  a  stran- 
ger from  breaking  his  neck  by  falling  backward.  The  aid  of 
a  torch  is  also  required,  for  the  darkness  of  this  catacomb  is 
literally  "  thick  darkness."  The  chamber  has  no  regular  for- 
mati(m ;  the  sides  are  rugged,  and  seem  as  if  once  torn  by  a 
heavy  natural  convulsion  at  a  very  early  period.  The  bottom 
was  much  torn  in  pieces,  and  in  some  places  the  fissures  were 
filled  up  with  a  smooth  bed  of  black  lava  sand,  over  which  a 
stream  of  water  seems  to  have  passed  at  difierent  intervals, 
caused,  probably,  by  infiltration  during  the  rainy  seasons. 

Nothing  can  be  more  striking  than  the  dreary  and  solemn 
aspect  of  this  subterranean.  The  light  of  a  torch  hardly  scat- 
ters the  dense  darkness  beyond  its  own  radius,  but  casts  a  pale 
and  startling  hue  over  the  heaps  of  the  mouldering  dead.  The 
first  object  which  attracted  my  notice  was  a  skull,  against 
which  my  foot  came  in  contact  while  passing  over  the  bed  of 
sand.  I  picked  it  up,  looked  at  its  eyeless  sockets,  jcxamined 
its  loose  teetii.  The  interior  was  filled  with  sand,  fragments 
of  dried  grass,  and  pieces  of  native  cloth,  clearly  indicating  that 
in  this  very  cranium,  once  actuated  by  thoughts,  passions, 


BYRON'S   SOLILOQUY  ON  A  SKULL.     359 

hopes,  sorrows,  joys,  emanating  from  an  immortal  soul,  a  few 
mice  had  witnessed  the  progress  of  one  of  their  own  genera- 
tions. If  there  is  an  ohject  on  earth  that  will  produce  hene- 
ficial  meditation,  it  is  a  human  cranium,  in  a  catacomb  whose 
*  midnight  blackness  is  illumined  only  by  a  single  torch,  and  the 
being  to  whom  that  cranium  once  belonged  a  pagan  warrior. 
It  is  said  that  the  poet  Young  wrote  his  "Night  Thoughts'' 
with  a  skull  before  him,  lighted  up  with  a  candle  that  was 
placed  inside  it ;  and  the  melancholy  sounds  of  some  portions 
of  that  poem  Mly  establish  the  truth  of  the  assertion.  Re- 
flections on  this  sublime  wreck  of  hiunanity  have  many  a  time 
given  birth  to  some  of  the  purest  thoughts  and  the  most  sub- 
lime emotions.  The  colloquy  of  "  Hamlet"  over  the  crani- 
mn  of  his  deceased  friend  "  Yorick"  has  often  been  cited  as 
a  masterly  display  of  thought  and  reasoning.  To  this  decision 
I  humbly  bow.  But  it  may  be  questioned  if  any  thing  can 
surpass  the  musings  of  "  Ohilde  Habold"  as  he  stood  view- 
ing the  widowed  ruins  of  the  once  glorious  Athens : 

«  *  »  *  « 

"  Bemove  yon  skull  firom  oat  the  scattered  heaps. 

Is  this  a  temple  where  a  God  may  dwell  ? 
Why,  even  the  worm  at  last  disdains  her  shatter*d  celL 

Look  on  its  broken  arch,  its  mined  .wall, 
Its  chambers  desolate,  and  portals  foul : 
Yet  this  was  once  Ambition's  airy  hall, 
The  dome  of  Thought,  the  palace  of  the  Soul. 
Behold,  through  each  lack-lustre,  eyeless  hole^ 
The  gay  recess  of  Wisdom  and  of  Wit, 
And  Passion's  host  that  never  brook'd  control — 
Can  all  saint,  sage,  or  sophist  ever  writ. 
People  this  lonely  tower,  tins  tenement  refit  ?" 

At  an  early  period,  the  silent  tenants  of  this  catacomb  ap- 
pear to  have  been  disposed  of  with  some  degree  of  symmetry. 
At  the  time  of  interment  it  would  seem  that  the  ligaments 
were  severed,  so  as  to  give  the  deceased  a  sitting  posture,  with 
the  hands  placed  on  the  knees.  Their  former  method  of  inter- 
ring the  dead  of  rank,  as  described  by  a  recent  historian,  will 
lead  to  a  comparison  of  the  more  recent  method : 


360  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

''After  the  death  of  a  chief  or  the  king,  the  corpee  was  per- 
mitted to  lie  one  day,  during  which  time  the  royal  sorc^^ 
was  engaged  in  incantation  to  procure  the  death  of  some  per- 
son as  a  sacrifice  or  peace-ofiering  to  the  gods  fer  the  "proeper- 
ous  reign  of  the  new  king.  The  corpse  was  then  carried  to 
the  temple,  where  certain  ceremonies  were  performed.  It  was 
then  neatly  inclosed  in  leaves  of  the  native  ti  plant,  in  the 
same  manner  as  they  wrap  together  the  hody  of  a  hog  or  dog 
for  cooking.  The  body  was  then  placed  in  the  ground  and 
covered  to  the  depth  of  about  eight  inches.  A  slight  fire  was 
then  kindled  over  it,  so  as  to  keep  it  at  about  the  temperature 
of  the  hving  body.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  hasten- 
ing the  process  of  putrefaction.  As  soon  as  the  flesh  could  be 
easily  slipped  from  the  bones,  the  six  long  bones  of  the  arms  and 
the  six  long  bones  of  the  legs  were  taken  out,  and,  being  cleansed 
in  some  perfumed  water,  were  then  fast^ied  together,  the  hemes 
of  the  arms  standing  or  the  bones  of  the  legs.  The  head  was 
then  taken,  and,  having  been  cleansed  in  the  same  mann^, 
was  placed  on  the  top,  and  the  whole  wound  up  in  native 
bark  cloth,  and  deified.  But  if  they  were  merely  the  bones 
of  a  high  chief,  they  were  simply  preserved  in  some  depository. 
In  times  of  public  commotion,  the  bones  of  the  kings,  though 
thus  deified,  were  immediately  concealed  by  their  firiends,  lest 
they  shoiild  be  obtained  by  the  enemy  and  treated  with  disre- 
spect. Some  kings  gave  charge  during  Idieir  lifetime  to  have 
their  bones  concealed  at  once.  This,  we  have  seen,  was  the 
charge  of  Kamehameha."* 

It  was  evident,  however,  that  the  tenants  of  this  catacomb 
had  not  been  exposed  to  such  extreme  transformations  afi;er 
death ;  yet  this  was  the  burying-place  of  the  chiefii  of  more 
recent  timas.  They  seem  to  have  been  interred  with  their 
weapons  of  war,  and  all  their  domestic  implements,  such  as 
fishing-lines,  tobacco-pipes,  &c. ;  they  were  also  rolled  up  in 
sheets  of  native  cloth  manufactured  out  of  the  bark  of  the  na- 
tive waiite  {Moras  papyrifera),  and  laid  on  rude  firames  con- 
structed with  poles.  Some  of  the  skeletons  I  examined  were 
*  Dibble's  History,  p.  128. 


'      ANCIENT   MODE  OF  INTERMENT.       361 

between  six  and  seven  feet  in  length,  while  others  were  rather 
more  than  medium.  It  occurred  to  me  as  being  a  very  re- 
markable fact  that,  in  those  jaws  which  were  the  most  entire, 
the  teeth  were  perfect  in  their  enamel,  and  almost  in  number. 
Two  or  three  of  the  front  teeth,  however,  were  usually  defi- 
cient, both  in  the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  and  this  was  the  re- 
sult of  a  custom  which  always  followed  the  death  of  a  king  or 
chief,  and  was  formerly  considered  the  most  sincere  badge  of 
mourning.  This  singular  beauty  of  the  teeth  after  their  long 
interment  is  owing  solely  to  the  fact  that  the  Hawaiians  al- 
ways— ^then  as  now — ate  their  food  in  a  cold  state.  Some 
of  these  remains  were  in  a  state  of  remarkable  preservation. 
The  skin  was  merely  withered,  and  hung  loosely  around  its 
tenant,  like  a  piece  of  faded  parchment :  it  seemed  as  if  a 
mere  touch  would  awaken  the  sleepers  to  thought  and  action. 
Others,  again,  were  so  entire,  and  retained  so  quiet  an  aspect, 
that  I  could  hardly  persuade  myself  that  they  were  not  indulg- 
ing a  brief  and  refreshing  repose.  The  chambers  of  the  dead 
are  perfectly  dry,  and  every  fragment  of  rock,  together  with 
every  portion  of  human  remains,  was  covered  with  a  conglom- 
erate of  fine  dust ;  and  it  may  be  owing  to  the  perfect  aridity 
of  these  sepulchres  that  the  dead  have  so  long  retained  their 
entireness. 

It  was  evident  that  some  miscreant  hands  had  been  busily 
employed  in  violating  the  repose  of  these  silent  slumberers. 
Some  were  dislodged  from  their  horizontal  position,  and  placed 
in  an  erect  posture  against  the  walls  of  the  catacombs ;  a  part 
of  these  were  placed  on  their  feet,  while  others  were  fixed  di- 
rectly vice  versa.  I  founH  one  immense  skeleton  in  a  sitting 
posture,  with  an  old  tobacco-pipe  placed  in  its  ghastly  jaws  ; 
and  in  spite  of  that  mysterious  sanctity  which  ever  hovers 
around  the  last  vestiges  of  the  dead,  I  found  some  difficulty  in 
repressing  a  smile  at  the  very  ludicrous  appearance.  Others 
reposed  in  the  position  in  which  they  had  been  originally 
placed,  with  the  exception  that  the  same  sacrilegious  hands 
had  placed  an  empty  calabash  under  each  head.  There  were 
others  that  appeared  never  to  have  been  disturbed,  while  vast 

a 


3^  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTSS. 

numben  were  tumbled  about  in  every  conceivable  attitude. 
Others,  again,  were  robbed  of  the  domestic  impi^nents  that 
had  been  interred  with  them. 

Nothing  can  justify  these  wanton  outrages  upon  the  dead, 
and  that  man  is  not  to  be  envied  who  can  tread  the  realmaof 
the  **  king  of  terrors"  with  a  callous  heart.  Only  a  few  yeais 
before  my  visit,  a  large  catacomb  at  Kea-ni-^,  a  little  to  ^e 
eastward  of  Waimea  village,  was  burned  out.  Every  vestige 
of  the  long-buried  dead  was  destroyed.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  done  by  two  fiireigners ;  but  whether  by  accident  or  de- 
sign, it  is  not  known.  But  the  indignation  of  the  natives  who 
resided  near  the  spot  was  aroused  at  this  wholesale  destruc- 
tion of  the  bones  of  th^  fathers,  and  it  came  very  near  cost- 
ing these  travelers  and  their  native  guides  their  life.  Otiier 
catacombs  in  this  region  have  been  similarly  outraged ;  con- 
sequently, a  number  more  have  been  closely  sealed  by  the 
present  generaticm,  with  a  view  to  preserve  them  inviolate. 

Having  finished  my  explorations,  I  procured  a  fine  large 
cranium  belonging  to  a  skeleton  six  feet  seven  and  three fowrth 
inches  in  length,  and  once  more  eiperged  into  the  light  of  day. 

Waimea  is  a  pleasant  village,  and  has  in  full  view  the  sum- 
mits of  the  three  great  volcanic  mountains,  Mauna  Hualalai, 
Mauna  Kea,  and  Mauna  Loa ;  and  there  are  many  {feasant 
objects  to  attract  the  admiration  of  a  tourist.  But  almost  ev- 
ery thing  is  marred  by  the  eternal  buzzing  and  biting  of  count- 
less swarms  of  flies.  Whether  Idieir  existence  is  owing  to  the 
numerous  catacombs,  or  the  cattle-pens  which  are  located 
there,  or  to  both  of  these  causes,  I  am  unable  to  decide ;  but 
they  are  an  intolerable  nuisance.  They  are  up  the  first  thing 
in  a  morning,  and  that  man  must  be  a  sluggard  indeed  who 
can  slumber  amid  their  merciless  attacks.  It  is  impossible  to 
sit  down  to  a  single  meal  but  they  find  their  way  into  your 
food,  or  directly  into  your  mouth,  as^  if  they  would  dispute 
your  right  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  "  inner  man."  All 
day  long,  in  the  house  and  out  oi  doors,  in  the  sunlight  and 
in  the  shade,  you  are  beset  with  these  curses  of  Phabaoh,  ^lis 
plague  of  Egypt.     If  you  sit  down  to  converse,  your  very  aim 


NATIVES  AND  FOREIGNERS.  353 

wearies  in  its  attempts  to  drive  away  these  plagues ;  or,  if 
you  sit  down  to  read,  you  must  hold  a  bush  or  a  fly-brush  in 
one  hand,  with  your  book  in  the  other.  If  your  inclination 
leads  you  to  indulge  a  brief  siesta  after  dinner,  and  you  can 
not  enjoy  it  without  deeping  with  your  mouth  open,  that  un- 
finrtunate  member  serves  for  a  regular  fly-trap.  Eating,  drink- 
ing, sleeping,  waking,  riding,  or  walking,  doing  any  thing  or 
doing  nothing,  these  legions  surround  you ;  and  if  you  do  not 
latterly  curse  the  plague-stricken  Egyptian  king  for  not  keep- 
ing these  curses  in  his  own  granite  palaces,  it  is  because  you 
have  more  patience  than  Job,  or  because  you  never  knew  and 
never  will  know  what  patience  means. 

While  staying  at  Waimea,  I  had  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  study  the  comparative  diflerence  and  the  relations  between 
native  and  foreign  character.  Aware  that  I  am  treading  upon 
very  delicate  ground,  I  wish  distinctly  to  be  understood  as 
speaking  of  a  low  class  of  foreigners,  not  at  Waimea  only,  but 
wherever  they  reside  on  the  group.  More  especially,  how- 
ever, I  choose  to  refer  to  this  class  of  men  who  reside  on  the 
island  of  Hawaii,  for  there  they  most  plainly  reveal  their  true 
characteristics.  As  a  general  thing,  this  class  are  illiterate, 
sensual,  and  vicious ;  they  are  the  substratum  of  the  society, 
<x  canaille  of  other  nations,  and  possess  neither  the  inclina- 
tion nor  means  to  elevate  native  character.  To  elevate  abo- 
riginal races,  both  intelhgence,  virtue,  and  ambition  are  nec- 
essary. These  essentials  the  lower  class  of  foreigners  do  not 
possess,  and  they  never  will.  Having  spent  several  years  of 
their  life  among  the  natives  without  a  single  attempt  to  re- 
form them,  it  is  exceedingly  improbable  that  they  will  com- 
mence now.  I  have  met  with  many  foreigners  who,  in  point 
of  civilization,  are  far  below  thousands  of  the  tffcitive  race, 
and  I  have  many  a  time  questioned  myself  if  native  indolence 
and  stupidity  have  surpassed  their  own.  The  efiects  of  such 
examples  have  always  been  extremely  baneful  to  the  cause  of 
Hawaiian  civilization,  and  the  extent  to  which  the  cause  of 
native  virtue  has  been  hindered  will  never  be  known  until 
the  day  of  the  world's  final  judgm^it. 


364  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

So  also  the  relations  which  subsist  between  most  foreigners 
and  native  women — as  wives,  is  more  commonly  a  source  oi 
evil  than  good.  To  a  person  who  has  never  threaded  his  way 
over  the  Sandwich  group,  it  will  be  natural  to  suppose  that, 
when  a  foreigner  marries  a  native  woman,  he  will  exert  every 
eSbrt  to  raise  her  in  the  scale  of  civilization.  But  such  is  not 
the  case.  Almost,  as  a  general  thing,  this  union  is  but  a  li- 
cense to  indiscriminate  sensual  indulgence  and  horrible  bru- 
tality. When  a  foreigner  takes  to  his  arms  one  of  these  daugh- 
ters of  the  Pacific  Islands,  and  supposes  she  can  do  for  him 
what  a  woman  of  his  own  nation  could,  he  must  be  destitute 
of  the  first  rudiments  of  common  sense.  Yet  these  mistakes 
are  of  nearly  every-day  occurrence.  In  such  cases,  the  native 
women  are  regarded  more  as  matters  of  convenience  than  as 
immortal,  and  therefi)re  responsible  beings.  In  a  very  brief 
period  their  masculine  tyrants  ccmmience  their  brutality,  force 
their  unjust  exactions,  and  become  unfaithful  to  their  conjugal 
vows. 

In  point  of  civilization,  too,  Idiese  foreigners,  of  whom  I  am 
speaking,  are  as  much  below  their  wives  as  their  wives  are 
below  native  women  who  are  married  to  natives.  Justice 
compels  me  to  state  that  I  have  hwad  them  generous  to  a 
fault.  They  have  always  furnished  me  with  the  very  best 
they  had  in  their  possession,  and  would  never  receive  from  me 
any  compensation  for  their  hospitalities ;  but,  at  the  same  tim^ 
there  was  every  thing  wanting  which*  could  tend  to  fling 
around  their  habitations  what  we  understand  by  that  magical 
word,  that  mighty  talisman — **  HoifE  !"  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  picture  the  demoniacal  outrages  perpetrated  upon  some 
of  these  native  women  by  their  own  husbands  during  moments 
of  groundltfiss  jealousy.  However  a  woman  may  thus  sufier 
from  the  hands  of  a  foreigner,  there  is  no  redress.  Her  life 
becomes  a  scene  of  continued  slavery.  Her  spirit  is  broken, 
and  she  too  commonly  takes  that  license  which  a  groundless 
jealousy  only  siipposed  had  an  existence.  Under  such  circum- 
stances as  these,  it  is  no  longer  a  cause  for  surprise  that  so  many 
of  the  Hawaiians  never  see  the  light  of  a  true  civiHzation. 


A   GENUINE   "YANKEE."  355 

The  district  of  Waimea  can  not  strictly  be  termed  agricul- 
tural. This  is  owing  to  natural  causes,  not  less  than  to  the 
inattention  of  natives  and  foreigners  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  1850  and  1851,  vessels  from  California  took  away  large 
supplies  of  produce.  Since  then  there  has  been  a  great  reduc- 
tion in  native  enterprise. 

At  Lihue,  a  short  distance  to  the  southwest  of  Waimea,  I 
passed  over  a  ruined  sugar  estate.  Every  efibrt  that  ingenui- 
ty could  devise  had  been  vainly  expended  upon  it.  This  fail- 
ure was  owing  to  the  commercial  laws  emanating  from  that 
sublime  (»racle— the  body  pohtic  at  Honolulu ;  also  to  the  high 
duties  imposed  on  the  exported  sugars.  But  this  estate  is  not 
the  first,  nor  will  it  be  the  last — should  the  present  £)rm  of 
government  continue— that  will  be  a  mere  sinking-fund  to 
moneyed  men. 

But  the  planter  at  Lihue  was  of  that  singular  specimen  of 
the  genus  homo  usually  termed  a  "  genuine  Yankee."  As 
fast  as  the  government  and  its  one  or  two  "  Yankee''  sateUites 
tried  to  crush  him  in  one  comer,  he  always  managed  to  elude 
their  grasp — ^like  an  eel — and  crept  out  at  another.  He  was 
not  long  in  finding  out  that,  with  himself,  at  least,  sugar-mak- 
ing was  not  a  lucrative  business,  and,  fearing  he  might  be 
tempted  to  attempt  it  another  year,  he  tore  down  his  sugar- 
house,  and  turned  his  hogs  into  the  standing  cane  to  fatten' for 
the  market.  As  the  chameleon  is  said  to  change  his  hues,  so 
this  planter  changed  his  vocation.  He  at  once  commenced 
the  business  of  cabinet-making,  and  reserved  his  sugar-grind- 
mg  machinery  for  the  purpose  of  turning  his  saws  and  lathes. 
Ever  since  this  change  of  business,  his  success  has  been  all  he 
could  wish. 

While  staying  with  Idiis  enterprising  gentleman,  Lwas  at  a 
total  loss  to  decide  which  was  the  greatest  curiosity — ^his  per- 
sonal appearance,  or  the  multiform  character  of  his  unconquer- 
able bent  of  mind.  I  did  decide,  however,  that  a  thorough 
Yankee  is  the  "  eighth  wonder  of  tiie  world."  I  have  watch- 
ed his  movements  until  I  have  been  compelled  to  reUeve  my 
emotions  by  firequent  outbursts  of  laughter.     To  me  he'se^xi- 


366  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ed  to  be  a  sort  of  omnipiesence  on  his  estate.  In  his  shirt- 
sleeves, and  with  a  lumbering  apology  £)r  a  walking-cane,  I 
have  seen  him  start  up  a  group  of  indolent  natives  in  one 
place,  and  be£}re  I  could  realize  that  he  was  really  gone,  he 
would  be  rods  away,  giving  directions  in  another.  I  remain- 
ed with  him  several  days,  and  when  I  left  him  I  waa  compell- 
ed to  sustain  my  original  conclusioa,  that  a  genuine  Yankee 
is  the  **  eighth  wonder  of  the  world." 

The  whole  district  of  Waimea  is  best  suited  to  raising  stodc 
for  the  maiket.  Horses,  cattle,,  and  sheep  increase  at  a  rato 
of  three  per  cent,  faster  than  in  any  other  country  in  the 
world.  There  are  no  chilling  breezes.  The  lap  of  Nature  is 
never  frozen.  The  rains  are  frequent  and  fertilizing.  Yes- 
dure  is  perpetual.  Stock  of  every  kind  is  easily  fed  cm  these 
everlasting  pastures.  By  proper  care  and  enterprise,  snstainr 
ed  by  a  judicious  expenditure  of  captal,  this  business  may  be 
rendered  exceedingly  lucrative  both,  to  salesmen  and  pio- 
chasers. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

JOUENEY  TO  THE  SUMMIT  OF  MAUNA  KEA. 

CaYdmoTis  FormationB. — ^Interview  with  a  genuine  "  l^mrod.** — Saw- 
mills at  Hanipoi  — Singing  Birds.  — Power  of  Association.  — In- 
stances o£ — ^A  rough  bat  generous  Welcome. — ^A  strange  Woman. 
— ^Ascent  of  the  Mountain. — Forests. — ^Wild  Cattle. — ^Fruits  and 
Flowers. — ^Deceptions  in  climbing  a  volcanic  Mountain. — ^Reach 
the  Summit. — ^bitense  Fdtigue. — ^Exquisite  Sense  of  Cold- — ^Hills 
of  Snow. — ^A  Lunch  above  the  Clouds. — Bound. — ^Large  cratm- 
form  Lake. — ^Apparent  Formation  of  the  Mountain.-^£ztinotion 
of  its  Fires. — ^Absolute  Solitude. — ^View  from  the  Summit. — Solil- 
oquy of  Bybon*8  "  Jf<m/re<i"r-Descent  of  the  Mountain. — ^Proposed 
Penance. 

HATma  finished  my  rambles  over  the  district  of  Waimea,  I 
commenced  my  pr^arations  for  a  journey  to  the  summit  of 
Mauna  Kea.  I  felt  impatient  to  tread  its  snowSi  and  breathe 
the  atmosphere  at  so  sublime  an  altitude. 


A   GENUINE   "NIMROD."  867 

My  preparations  being  completed,  I  started  out  with  a  na,- 
tive  guide  to  the  forests  of  Hanipoi,  on  the  northeast  slope  of 
the  mountain.  For  several  miles  after  leaving  Waimea,  our 
path  lay  over  a  large  sur&ce  of  country,  which,  from  the  hol- 
low sounds  produced  by  the  horses'  feet,  was  evidently  pierced 
by  numercMis  volcanic  subterraneans. 

Noon  overtook  me  within  sight  of  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Pabker,  an  old  American,  who  had  resided  on  this  island  near- 
ly forty  years.  I  was  curious  to  see  him,  as  I  heard  much  of 
his  generous  and  excellent  character,  so  I  resolved  on  rn^\dvg 
a  short  stay  with  him.  In  his  eadier  life  he  had  wandered 
over  the  ocean  in  the  ci^cily  of  a  sailor.  His  last  voyage 
brought  him  to  this  island,  when  he  resolved  on  quitting  a  pur- 
suit so  precarious.  For  some  years  he  ranged  the  woods  afiber 
wild  bullocks,  and  became  a  8ec<«id  Nimkod,  "  a  mighty  himt- 
er  befere  the  Ixnrd."  He  showed  me  a  rifle  with  which  he 
had  shot  twelve  hundred  head  of  cattle. 

After  a  residence  of  several  years  on  the  idand,  be  married 
a  Hawaiian  wcmian.  Two  noble  half-caste  sons  were  the  re- 
sult of  that  union.  His  own  untiring  and  consistent  deport- 
ment toward  her  rewarded  him,  for  she  has  ev^  been  a 
faithful,  good  wife.  The  civilization  she  displayed  in  her  per- 
sonal i^peaxance  and  domestic  relations  entirely  surprised  me, 
and  established  a  firm  conviction  that,  with  manly  treatment, 
these  **  daughtexB  of  the  isles"  can  be  rendered  virtuous,  happy, 
andusefiil. 

From  this  old  veteran  I  gathered  much  useful  infermation 
which  I  have  interspersed  in  these  pages.  He  had  lived  on 
the  group  several  years  before  the  first  missionaries  landed. 
He  could  speak  of  the  "  times  of  Kamehameha  the  Gb^t," 
and  of  his  sijpcessor,  Kamehameha  H.  His  mind  was  well 
stored  with  facts  relating  to  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
Hawaiians,  all  of  which  were  deeply  interesting ;  and  he  lived 
on  this  island  wh^i  the  battle  was  feught  fer  the  overthrow 
of  idolatry,  on  the  plains  of  Kuamoo,  in  1819. 

On  the  following  day  I  took  leave  of  Mr.  Pabxer.  My  next 
stage  brought  me  to  Hanipoi.     At  this  plaoe  I  feund  several 


368  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

saw-mills  employed  in  cutting  lumber,  abundance  of  which 
was  supplied  by  the  extensive  forests  of  Acacia  that  flnnrwh 
in  this  region. 

Here,  too,  for  the  first  time  since  my  arrival  at  the  group,  I 
had  the  exquisite  jdeasure  of  listening  to  the  melody  of  birds, 
as  they  poured  forth  their  music  in  the  midst  of  the  rich  £>li- 
age,  as  if  in  honor  to  the  setting  sun.  And  that  melody,  so 
soft,  sweet,  and  unexpected,  imparted  an  intense  charm  to  the 
already  goigeous  robes  and  associations  of  nature. 

Such  an  association  as  this  can  not  fail  to  attract  the  no- 
tice of  the  tourist.  It  awakened  up  in  my  own  spirit  feelings 
and  memories  which  had  been  biiried  there  for  years.  I  could 
recall  the  hours  when,  a  school-boy,  I  loved  to  range  braiieath 
the  canopy  of  the  woods  and  groves,  and  play  by  the  side  of 
the  murmuring  brooks.  Then,  every  zephyr  had  its  music, 
every  flower  its  honey,  and  every  rose  was  thomless.  It  was 
the  singing  of  these  tiny  warblers  which  brought  bade  days 
of  innocence,  and  made  me  a  child  again.  And  who  has  not 
met  some  gentie  incident  which  has  awakened  within  him 
memories,  feelings,  thoughts,  and  sympathies  tiiat  may  have 
slumbered  for  years,  and  that  come  back  like  music  on  the 
surfiu^  of  the  streams,  or  like  the  glory  of  a  sun-ray  on  a  calm 
sea  ?  Man  is  the  creature  of  association.  It  was  thus  that 
the  wax-bow  of  the  brave  Ultsses  awoke  the  fountain  of 
Penelope's  tears.*  The  events  which  surrounded  the  youth- 
ful years  of  Cardinal  Richelieu  followed  him  through  life. 
And  when  he  built  his  splendid  palace  on  the  site  of  the  old 
fiunily  chateau  at  Richelieu,  he  even  sacrificed  its  symmetry 
to  preserve  the  room  in  which  he  was  bom.f 

I  spent  that  night  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  Mr.  Fat,  an 
old  Englishman,  and  proprietor  of  the  saw-mill^  to  which  al- 
lusion has  been  made.  The  same  hberaUty  which  usually 
characterizes  the  English  nation  in  their  reception  olf  visitors 
seemed  to  influence  him.  His  welcome  to  myself  was  rough 
and  uneeremonious,  but  imbounded  in  its  generosity.     Every 

*  Odjrssey,  xxi,  56. 

f  Mem*  de  Mll«.  de  Montpensier,  i.,  27. 


ASCENT  OF  THE   MOUNTAIN.  369 

thing  and  every  body  around  his  dwelling  were  laid  under  a 
tax  to  provide  for  my  comfort. 

I  slept  on  the  best  bed  in  the  house.  The  fatigues  of  the 
day  were  sufficient  to  render  slumber  a  welcome  companion. 
I  deferred  retiring  until  a  late  hour,  on  account  of  a  woman 
who  had  taken  up  her  abode  near  my  couch.  As  she  mani- 
fested no  intention  to  remove  her  station,  I  concluded  my  only 
pohcy  was  to  put  on  a  bold  face  and  disrobe  myself  at  <mce. 
With  a  piercing  eye,  she  watched  every  one  of  my  movements 
until  I  had  fairly  got  into  bed,  and  when  I  was  just  closing 
my  eyes  in  sleep,  she  sat  there  watching  me  still.  I  subse- 
quently ascertained  that  she  was  slightly  deranged. 

After  an  early  breakfast  next  morning,  in  company  with  a 
foreigner  who  acted  as  my  guide,  and  several  Kanakas,  I  com- 
menced the  ascent  of  Mauna  Kea.  Hanipcn  is  elevated  on  the 
foot  of  the  northeast  slope,  at  a  height  of  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  so  that  I  had  already  obtained  a 
certain  altitude  in  my  favor.  The  early  part  of  the  ascent  lay 
through  d^ise  forests  of  gigantic  koa  {A(XLciafalcata)y  covered 
with  delicate  creepers  and  species  of  TiUandsia.  There  were 
also  scmie  4ioble  specimens  of  the  tree-fern  (  Cibotium  chamis' 
sands),  whose  feathery  branches  were  swayed  by  the  morning 
breeze,  bearing  on  its  wings  the  melody  of  birds.  Just  above 
the  beginning  of  the  zone  of  forest,  the  banana  ceases  to  flour- 
ish, but  a  beautiful  species  of  the  Ruh^  may  be  found  among 
the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  The  vegetable  inhabitants  of  the 
mountain  are  of  a  highly  interesting  character.  Amcmg  these 
the  Ferns  are  conspicuoufr.  When  the  naturalist  Douglas 
visited  this  region  in  January,  1834,  he  counted  two  hundred 
varieties,  and  a  hundred  difierent  kinds  of  Mosses.  The  re- 
gion of  forest  reaches  an  ^evation  of  ^ht  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea.  At  this  point  the  atmosphere  is  usually  humid,  and 
fovorable  to  the  great  number  of  Felices,  which  can  not  fail 
to  attract  the  notice  of  the  lover  of  botanical  science.  At  the 
termination  of  the  woody  region,  a  species  of  Fragaria  carpet- 
ed immense  patches  of  the  volcanic  soil.  There  were  also 
specimens  of  ComposUcdt  some  Vaccmkmiy  and  other  Al^Mne 

a2 


370  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

flecks.  In  the  higfaetst  limit  of  the  soil,  I  noticed  a  very  fine 
Ranunculus^  and  far  above  every  other  vestige  of  vegeta- 
tion, there  were  hundreds  of  the  beautiful  silver  sword  (Ensis 
argentea). 

These  forests  form  a  retreat  for  hundreds  of  wild  cattle,  the 
descendants  of  those  introduced  by  Vancouver  in  1 793 .  They 
are  wild  as  prairie  horses.  Woe  to  th^  unlucky  traveler  w1m> 
may  meet  one  at  the  head  of  some  contracted  ravine,  or  fall 
into  one  of  the  pens  in  which  the  hunter  may  have  entrapped 
a  couple  or  more !  His  life  is  certain  to  be  fiir&ited.  The  in- 
trepid Douglas  lost  his  life  in  the  latter  way  when  traveling 
over  this  island  in  1834. 

These  forests  also  abound  with  immense  beds  of  strawber- 
ries. I  could  have  picked  bushels  in  a  i^ort  time,  ripe,  beau- 
tiful, and  blooming.  On  this  fruit  thousands  of  birds,  ducks, 
and  wild  geese  sustain  life,  and  it  renders  their  flesh  a  deli- 
cacy which  can  not  be  surpassed.  Whole  groves  of  immense- 
ly tall  raspberry-bushes  were  loaded  with  fiiiit  of  an  incredible 
size.  They  are  invaluable  to  quench  thirst ;  but  after  eating 
a  few,  their  flavor  seems  to  become  bitter  and  disagreeable. 

In  the  lower  regions  of  the  woodlands  the  traveler  crushes 
some  delicate  tropical  flower  at  nearly  every  step.  These 
gems  of  innocence  and  beauty  intersperse  the  grass  until  it  be- 
gins to  diminish. 

The  ascent  of  a  volcanic  mountain  is  usually  very  decep- 
tive. At  a  distance  Mauna  Kea  looks  very  smooth  and  easy 
to  climb ;  but  when  fairly  aa  its  mighty  slopes,  the  traveler 
is  soon  undeceived.  It  was  no  longer  the  sublime  illusion  I 
had  witnessed  firom  the  distant  waters  of  Kawaihae  Bay,  but 
regular  up-hill  work.  It  is  intensely  wearying  before  the 
zone  of  forests  is  passed,  but  after  that  the  labor  seems  to  in- 
crease Ai  every  step.  Now  the  traveler  knocks  his  knee 
against  a  sharp  projection  of  lava,  or  he  sinks  up  to  his  waist 
in  soft  sand  and  ashes.  Now  he  reaches  a  steep  cone,  a  ves- 
tige of  which  he  could  not  see  from  the  plain  below.  He 
must  pass  on  one  side  of  this,  for  he  is  too  tired  to  climb  it, 
•nd  the  eflbrt  would  not  be  repaid.     Again,  he  is  up  to  his 


ASCENT  OF  THE   MOUNTAIN.  37I 

middle  in  sand  and  ashes.  Just  above  his  head  there  is  a 
piece  of  rock  projecting  from  the  soft  and  abrupt  slope.  If  he 
can  but  reach  that^  he  will  sit  down  and  rest!  He  still 
climbs ;  his  right  hand  clutches  it,  and  he  gently  and  gladly 
puUs  himself  up  ;  but,  just  as  he  is  about  to  place  both  feet  on 
it,  the  treacherous  fragment  gives  way,  and  while  it  goes  roll- 
ing down  the  mountain  with  the  speed  of  an  avalanche,  he 
goes  sliding  down  several  rods  of  dry,  loose  sand.  It  is  nec- 
essary to  stay  a  while,  and  recover  both  breath  and  strength. 
What  would  he  not  give  for  a  single  drink  of  water !  But 
the  lazy  natives  are  far  below,  eating,  drinking,  and  taking 
their  ease.  Breath  is  recovered,  and  a  httle  strength  is  gain- 
ed, and  away  goes  the  traveler  again.  Every  step  lost  is 
more  embarrassing  than  the  efibrts  made  to  gain  twenty  in 
advance ;  so  it  is  a  succession  of  sHpping,  climbing,  panting» 
struggling,  and  perspiring,  hour  after  hour,  until  the  summit 
is  gained.  And  even  here  the  traveler  is  exposed  to  much 
disappointmeQt.  He  reaches  an  immense  ledge  of  lava,  which 
he  joyfully  hopes  may  be  the  last ;  but  there  is  another,  and 
yet  another,  until  he  is  almost  in  despair  of  reaching  the  end 
of  his  journey. 

After  toiling  upward  for  nearly  a  whole  day,  and  on  foot, 
I  reached  the  great  table  or  platform  of  the  mountain.  My 
guide  had  several  times  admonished  me  not  to  think  of  achiev- 
ing so  much  in  one  day ;  but  the  near^  I  approached  the 
summit,  the  greater  was  my  anxiety  to  reach  it.  It  was  on 
the  edge  of  night  when  I  attsnned  this  elevation — thirteen 
thousand  two  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  deep  shad- 
ows of  departed  day  were  rapidly  drawing  over  the  plain  be- 
low, shrouding  every  object  in  darkness.  The  exquisite  sense 
of  fatigue  that  crept  over  me  was  such  as  I  can  not  describe, 
and  wish  never  again  to  experience.  At  that  moment  I 
would  have  given  any  thing  for  a  drink  of  water.  But  the 
lazy  Kanakas  could  not  be  discovered  by  the  aid  of  my  tele- 
scope. In  spite  of  hunger,  thirsty  and  fatigue,  J  flung  myself 
down  on  a  block  of  lava  and  went  to  sleep. 
.    When  the  faithful  fellow  that  accompanied  me  bad  roused 


373  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

me  £n»n  my  brief  siesta,  I  £)llowed  bim  a  short  distaAce  down 
the  mountain  until  we  reached  a  cave,  where  he  had  kindled 
a  good  fire  with  a  pile  of  the  withered  silver-sword. 

After  waiting  th^e  mx  hours,  three  of  the  natives  made 
their  appearance,  bringing  our  eatables ;  a  great  portion  they 
had  consumed,  besides  having  used  two  calabashes  of  water. 
Nothing  now  remained  but  to  make  the  best  of  our  position ; 
so  we  cooked  some  beef-steaks  which  had  been  {nnwured  ficom 
a  young  bullock  we  shot  in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  By 
the  time  we  had  finished  our  supper,  the  fourth  native  came 
in.  The  blankets  which  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  carry  were  not 
with  him.  He  vowed  by  all  that  was  sacred  that  a  wild  bul- 
lock had  chased  him,  and  that,  in  his  flight,  he  had  drqyped 
the  blankets  and  lost  them.  He  sealed  these  vows  by  taking 
supper  enough  for  four  men,  and  by  Inreaking  the  only  cala- 
bash which  contained  our  last  supply  of  water.  Provoking  as 
this  piece  (rf^carelesmess  was»  angry  scolding  would  avail  noth- 
ing, nor  would  it  gather  up  the  pre^ous  fluid ;  so  I  smoked 
my  pipe  in  profound  silence.  Supper  being  ended,  we  con- 
soled ourselves  by  sleeping  for  the  rest  of  the  night  on  the 
hard  floor  of  the  cave. 

At  sunrise  next  morning  I  resumed  my  journey.  But  the 
cold  was  intense.  Although  the  thermometer  stood  at  23^, 
I  felt  the  cold  so  keenly  that  I  experienced  a  heavy  bleeding 
at  the  nose ;  and  such  was  the  aridity  and  rarefaction  of  the 
atmosphere,  that  it  produced  a  violent  pain  in  my  head,  my 
eyes  became  tnuch  bloodshotten,  and  my  hmbs,  fer  a  time, 
were  nearly  paralyzed.  The  guide  and  natives  all  shared  the 
same  fate.  A  brief  exercise,  however,  partially  removed  these 
difficulties. 

I  was  once  more  on  the  platform  of  the  mountain.  For 
the  first  four  miles  over  this  region,  it  was  easy  to  form  an 
idea-  of  the  terrible  havoc  which  had  been  produced  by  vol- 
canic fires.  The  enormous  masses  of  lava,  and  the  wide  fields 
of  sand,  scorisB,  and  ashes,  seemed  to  have  passed  through 
every  degree  of  calcination,  firom  the  mildest  to  the  most  in- 
tense.    Hot  rivers  of  sand  had  been  projected  over  this  fearfiil 


SNOW-COVERED   HILLS.  373 

waste,  bearing  on  their  bosom  huge  masses  of  vblcamc  rock, 
while  in  other  places  the  streams  of  lava  looked  as  fresh  as  if 
just  vomited  up  from  the  deep  womb  of  the  mountain. 

On  this  wide  platform  or  main  summit  stood  the  summit 
|»rqper.  It  is  composed  of  a  short  range  of  snow-covered  hills, 
forming  a  lengthened  ridge  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
yards^  running  nearly  in  a  direct  line  southeast  and  northwest. 
The  loftiest  of  these  hills  or  chimneys  was  five  hundred  and 
sixty-finir  feet  above  the  platform  of  the  mountain.  I  was  al* 
leady  sufioing  firom  the  efiects  of  intense  fatigue,  and,  on  reach- 
ing the  snow,  my  resolution  to  ascend  the  Grand  Peak  felt  a 
little  shaken.  It  only  remained  for  me  to  will  the  ascent,  and 
the  victcwry  was  won.  After  two  hours*  toiling  and  slipping, 
and  having  several  times  sunk  up  to  my  chin  in  snow,  I  at 
laagth.  gained  the  summit  of  the  highest  cone.  From  this  ele- 
▼aticm — ^thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet 
above  the  sea — I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  view  the  plain  on 
which  the  Grand  Peak  rested.  These  snow-covereid  hills, 
when  viewed  from  the  village  of  Waimea,  appeared  insig- 
nificant ;  but  now,  as  I  looked  down  their  slopes,  they  seemed 
mountains  in  themselves.  For  miles  around  stretched  a  vast 
plain  of  scorise,  sand,  and  ashes,  heavily  undulated,  like  tem- 
pest*t06sed  billows.  Sincerely  did  I  long  for  the  means  and  the 
possibihty  to  erect  a  lofty  flag-staff',  with  the  "  stars  and  stripes" 
nailed  to  it,  that  they  might  wave  over  the  group  as  high  as 
the  eagle  soars  on  his  broad  pinions  toward  the  sim. 

On  the  highest  snow-bank,  the  thermometer  stood  at  20^ 
when  suspended  by  hand. 

I  gave  a  signal  to  my  guide  to  pass  round  the  base  of  the 
Grand  Peak,  while  I  descended  on  the  southwest  mde.  Our 
eariy  excursion  had  given  us  a  good  appetite  for  refreshments, 
and  when  we  met  we  sat  down  fti  a  block  of  lava  to  take  a 
lunch.  The  weather,  although  in  June,  was  cold  and  bracing ; 
but  there  was  something  novel  and  agreeable  in  taking  a  lunch 
above  the  clouds,  and  we  washed  it  down  with  water  pro- 
Dored  fiom  snow. 

Commodore  Wn^KES  speaks  of  the  diminution  <^8omid  wfam 


374  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

a  gun  was  fired  off  bj  him  on  the  sammit  <^  Maiina  Loa.* 
This  gingnlar  phenomenon  may  have  been  caused  by  its  hay- 
ing been  fired  across  the  crater,  which  was  of  vast  depth,  and 
the  floor  of  which  was  rent  by  huge  fissures  which  coidd  not 
be  fathomed.  But  on  the  summit  of  Mauna  Kea  it  was  v^ 
diflerent.  There  the  non-diminution  of  sound  struck  me  as 
being  a  curious  fiact.  I  fired  off  a  brace  of  pistols,  and  my 
guide  fired  off  his  nfle,  and  their  noise  was  not  at  all  difl^rent 
to  the  efi^cts  of  their  discharge  on  the  foot  of  the  northern 
slope,  but  sent  a  thousand  echoes  through  the  spacioos  regi<xis 
around.  The  phenomenon  on  this  summit  may  be  owing  to 
the  peculiar  structure  of  the  summit  itself,  not  less  than  to  the 
mineral  character  of  the  upper  zone  of  the  mountain,  fi>r  snow 
is  doubtless  a  non-conductor  of  sound. 

Having  finished  our  lunch,  I  passed  toward  the  south  to  lode 
at  a  lake  which  I  had  discovered  firom  the  summit  of  the  Grand 
Peak.  An  hour's  difficult  walking  brought  me  to  the  near- 
est shore.  The  surface  of  the  lake  was  thirteen  thousand  and 
ninety-two  feet  above  the  sea,  and  surrounded  by  precipitous 
banks  composed  of  red  and  black  lava-sand.  This  sheet  of 
water  covered  nearly  two  hundred  acres.  It  was  skirted  with 
ice,  which  extended  several  yards  firom  the  shore ;  and  although 
it  seemed  to  have  been  much  thawed,  it  would  probably  have 
borne  the  weight  of  a  man.  Anxious  to  test  its  capacity,  I 
began  to  descend  the  bank,  but  I  soon  discovered  the  utter 
recklessness  of  the  attempt.  In  a  £ew  seconds  I  sank  up  to 
my  waist  in  sand  and  ashes,  and  was  rapidly  disappearing. 
Every  attempt  to  reascend  only  plunged  me  into  greater  diffi- 
culties. I  was  rescued,  however,  by  my  guide.  He  request- 
ed me  to  desist  iroia  all  further  eflbrts  until  he  could  aid  me. 
He  did  so  by  securing  his  pocket-handkerchief  to  the  end  of 
his  rifle,  which  he  lowered^iown  the  bank,  and  drew  me  up. 
By  this  time  I  was  sufficiently  warned  not  to  hazard  a  second 
expedition ;  and  yet,  if  I  had  been  in  possession  of  a  few  good 
ropes,  a  large  canoe,  and  hplf  a  dozen  trusty  natives,  together 
with  a  suitable  sounding-line,  I  should  have  tried  the  ei^ri* 
ment  of  sounding  that  lake. 

•  TJmUd  SUtm  Exploring  Expedition,  tvI.  ir.,  p.  16S. 


FORMATION   OF   MAUNA   KEA.  375 

As  it  was,  I  was  forced  to  content  myself  merely  by  gazing 
on  its  tranquil  bosom.  In  many  places  on  its  treacherous 
8h(»es,  and  on  the  desolate  plain  around  me,  the  bones  of  many 
a  wild  bullock  were  bleaching  in  the  cold  air.  During  the 
dry  season,  they  had  come  here  to  procure  water.  Those  in 
the  former  position  had  not  been  able  to  return ;  those  in  the 
latter  had  perished  firom  sheer  exhaustion. 

The  formative  process  of  Mauna  Kea  is  a  theme  of  profound 
interest  to  a  naturahst.  A  dose  study  of  its  geognostic  char- 
act^  can  not  fail  to  establish  the  ccmviction  that  it  has  been 
raised  up  firom  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  Like  the  other  large 
mountains  on  the  group,  it  may  be  classed  among  the  craters 
of  elevation.*    One  immense  layer  of  lava  succeeds  another, 

*  "  The  description  given  by  Strabo  and  Pausanius  of  this  eleva- 
tion led  one  of  the  Roman  poets,  most  celebrated  for  his  richness  of 
fancy,  to  develop  views  which  agree  in  a  remarkable  manner  with 
the  theory  of  modern  geognosy.  *  Near  Troszene  is  a  tumulus,  steep 
and  devoid  of  trees,  once  a  plain,  now  a  mountain — the  vapors,  in- 
closed in  dark  caverns,  in  vain  seeking  a  passage  by  which  they  may 
escape.  The  heaving  earth,  inflated  by  the  force  of  the  compressed 
vapors,  expand  like  a  bladder  filled  with  air,  or  like  a  goat-skin. 
The  ground  has  remained  thus  inflated,  and  the  high,  projecting  emr 
inence  has  been  solidified  by  time  into  a  naked  rock'  Thus  pictur- 
esquely, and,  as  analogous  phenomena  justify  us  in  believing,  thus 
truly  has  Ovid  described  that  great  natural  phenomenon  which  oc- 
curred two  hundred  and  eighty-two  years  before  our  era,  and,  con- 
sequently,-forty-fiv^e  years  before  the  volcanic  separation  of  Thera 
(Saotorino)  and  Therasia,  between  Troezene  and  Epidaurus,  on  the 
same  ^>ot  where  Russegoeb  has  found  veins  of  trachyte : 

*  Near  Troezene  stands  a  hill,  exposed  in  air 
To  winter  winds,  of  leafy  shadows  bare : 
This  once  was  level  ground,  but  (strange  to  tell) 
Th'  included  vapors  that  in  caverns  dwell, 
Laboring  with  colic  pangs,  and  close  confined, 
In  vain  sought  issue  for  the  rumbling  wind : 
Yet  still  they  heaved  for  vent,  and,  heaving  still, 
Enlarged  the  concave  and  shot  up  the  hill. 
As  breath  expands  a  bladder,  or  the  skins 
Of  goats  are  blown  t'  inclose  the  hoarded  wines — 
The  mountain  yet  retains  a  mountain's  fkce, 
And  gather'd  rubbish  heads  the  hollow  space.'  ^ 

— "Ovid's  Description  of  the  Eruption  of  Methom  {Metam.,  »r.,  p. 
20<^806X  J>ryden'9  trantlaium,'*    Ooimos^  vol  I,  p.  240,  241. 


376  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

each  one  beccnniiig  more  youthful  as  the  snimnit  is  approached. 
By  some  terrible  reaction,  the  crater  se^ns  suddenly  to  hav» 
become  extinct,  while  vents  have  been  formed  in  the  sides  of 
the  mountain,  and  the  Grand  Peak  or  ridge  of  coaea  superim- 
posed on  the  great  platform.  In  this  way  that  craterifcnrm 
lake  has  been  established.  It  is  supplied  by  the  action  of  the 
sun's  rays  on  perpetual  snow. 

Just  below  the  summit,  and  around  its  entire  circuit,  there 
are  no  fewer  than  forty-seven  high  conical  hills  of  lateral  Ibr- 
matiraL  When  the  main  crater  became  extinct,  these  cones 
or  chimneys  fonned  the  natural  outlets  of  gaseous  fluids  and 
volcanic  steam.  Through  these  same  vents  the  fires  expend- 
ed their  last  strength,  or  took  a  subterranean  course,  and  united 
with  those  of  Kilauea,  on  the  northeast  dope  of  Mauna  Loa, 
and  of  its  own  crater. 

The  solitude  of  the  summit  of  Mauna  Kea  is  almost  over^ 
whelming  and  absolute.  Not  a  vestige  of  vegetation  is  to  be 
seen.  Nothing  indicates  the  existence  of  man.  The  desola- 
tion was  such  as  I  had  never  before  witnessed,  and  may  never 
witness  again.  Forcibly  did  it  recall  to  my  mind  the  lan- 
guage of  Milton's  archangel  when  he  addressed  his  fallen 
compeers: 

'*  Ib  this  the  region,  this  the  soil,  the  clime, 
•  •  *  •        this  the  seat 

That  we  must  change  for  heaven  f '' 

The  entire  surface  of  the  plain  looked 

"  As  if  it  were  a  land  that  ever  bum'd 
With  solid,  as  the  lake  with  liquid  fire: 
And  such  appeared  in  hue,  as  when  the  force 
Of  subterranean  winds  transports  a  hill 
Tom  from  Pelorus,  or  with  t^atter^d  side 
Of  thundering  ^tna,  whose  combustibles 
And  fuel'd  entrails  thence  conceiving  fire, 
Sublimed  with  mineral  fury,  aid  the  winds^ 
And  leave  a  singed  bottom." 

B\}t  the  view  from  the  summit  was  surpassingly  grand  and 
impressive.     The  sunlight  shed  such  a  sea  of  glory  on  the 


VIEW  FROM  THE   SUMMIT.  377 

clouds  which  girded  the  sides  of  the  mountain  as  to  give  them 
an  apj^arance  ahnost  supernatural.  The  *'  Aurora"  of  Gumo, 
with  all  its  soft  and  heautiful  touches,  was  infinitely  surpass- 
ed here.  In  the  distance,  the  island  of  Maui  rose  up  out  of 
the  deep  as  if  hy  enchantment.  The  mountains  on  the  north- 
west, that  separated  Kohala  from  Waimea,  were  enveloped 
with  fleecy  clouds  that  seemed  permanent,  like  oceans  of  sil- 
ver suspended  in  the  atmosphere.  To  the  west,  Mauna  Hua- 
lalai,  the  third  great  mountain  on  the  island,  rose  up  like  a 
huge  giant  from  the  plain  helow.  On  the  south  towered  the 
mighty  Mauna  Lioa,  leaving  its  throne  of  clouds  beneath  its 
snowy  brow,  as  if  disdaining  to  notice*  them.  I  looked  up  to 
the  snow-covered  hills  close  to  where  I  stood,  and  as  the  sun 
shed  on  them  his  ddl  and  unobscured  light,  it  seemed  as 
though  they  almost  held  converse  with  the  eternity  which 
hung  over  them.  The  vast  variety  of  objects,  so  mysteriously 
and  beautiMly  blended  together,  have  a  tendency  to  oppress 
the  spirit.  It  was  with  great  force  and  eloquence  that  Douo- 
.  LAS  said,  when  standing  on  this  very  spot,  no  longer  than 
twenty  years  ago, 

*<  Were  the  traveler  permitted  to  express  the  emotions  he 
feels  when  placed  on  such  an  astonishing  part  of  the  earth's 
surface,  cold  indeed  must  his  heart  be  to  the  great  operations 
of  Nature,  and  stiU  colder  toward  Nature's  God,  by  whose 
wisdom  and  power  such  wonderful  scenes  were  created,  if  he 
could  behold  them  without  deep  humility  and  reverential  awe. 
Man  feels  himself  as  nothing — as  if  standing  on  the  verge  of 
another  world.  A  death-like  stillness  of  the  place,  not  an 
animal  nor  an  insect  to  be  seen — far  removed  £rom  the  din 
and  bustle  of  the  world — ^impresses  on  his  mind  with  double 
£)roe  the  extreme  helplessness  of  his  condition,  an  object  of 
pity  and  compassion,  utterly  unworthy  to  stand  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  great  and  good,  and  wise  and  holy  God,  and  to  con- 
template the  diversified  works  of  his  hands." 

But  the  sun  was  the  most  glorious  of  all  objects,  as  it  shed 
its  flood  of  light  firom  the  bosom  of  the  sky,  and  it  has  been 
ivell  portrayed  in  the  soliloquy  of  Byron's  '^Manfred:'' 


378  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

"Glorious  orb!  the  idol 
Of  early  Nature,  and  the  vigorouB  race 
^      Of  undiseased  mankind,  the  giant  sons 
Of  the  embrace  of  angels,  with  a  sex 
More  beautiful  than  they,  which  did  draw  down 
The  erring  ^irits  who  can  ne'er  return. 
Most  glorious  orbl  thou  wert  a  worship,  ere 
The  mystery  of  thy  making  was  revealed ! 
Thou  earliest  minister  of  the  Almighty, 
Which  gladdened,  on  their  mountain-tops,  the  hearts 
Of  the  Chaldean  shepherds,  till  they  poured 
Themselyes  in  orisons  I    Thou  material  God,  * 
And  representative  of  the  Unknown-^ 
Who  chose  thee  for  his  shadow !    Thou  chief  star ! 
Centre  of  many  stars !  which  mak'st  our  earth 
Endurable,  and  temperest  the  hues 
And  hearts  of  all  who  walk  within  tliy  rays ! 
Sire  of  the  seasons  I    Monarch  of  the  climes  1 
And  those  who  dwell  in  them  I  for  near  or  far. 
Our  inborn  spirits  have  a  tint  of  thee. 
Even  as  our  outward  aspects:  thou  dost  rise^ 
And  shine^  and  set  in  glory." 

After  lingering  on  and  around  the  summit  of  this  giant  of 
the  Pacific,  I  made  preparations  to  descend.  It  really  was  a 
relief  to  call  back  the  mind  from  a  contem];^&tion  of  scenes 
▼iewed  from  the  summit  of  a  mountain  nearly  three  miles  in 
height ;  and  yet  I  left  with  them  a  rductant  &jrewell. 

The  descent  I  found  to  be  more  fatiguing  than  the  ascent 
had  been.  The  downward  course,  fas  miles  and  hours  in  suc- 
cession, down  slopes  seventeen  miles  in  length,  makes  a  strcu^ 
man  feel  as  thou^  Jbis  limbs  were  about  to  be  dismembered. 
As  we  approached  the  woody  legion,^  we  casually  struck  inta 
the  same  path  of  our  ascoit,  and  on  sitting  down  upon  a  ledge 
of  rock  to  rest  for  a  while,  we  discovered  the  nussiiig  Uankets 
very  carefuUy  tucked  away  under  it !  Aided  by  the. beauli&l 
moonlight,  we  continued  our  descent.  At  a  late  hour  in  the 
night  we  arrived  onee  taose  at  the  hospitable  dwelling  of  Mr. 
Fat,  where  we  regaled  ourselves  oa  substantial  &re. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  anguish  which  emanaton 
fromthekbiMrofolimbingMauBalLea.     I  had  w^nni  out  thcef^ 


A  HAWAIIAN   FEAST.  379 

pairs  of  shoes  in  as  many  days.  On  returning  to  a  place  of 
repose,  it  was  some  time  before  even  my  sleep  became  a  source 
of  invigoration.  I  was  highly  gratified  with  what  I  had 
accomplished,  but  nothing  would  have  induced  me  to  reat- 
tempt  it. 

In  concluding  this  chapter,  I  have  only  to  add,  that  if  there 
is  a  devotee  in  the  world  who  is  looking  to  the  genius  of  hu- 
man creeds  for  consolation,  and  is  passing  through  a  sea  of 
penance  to  secure  it,  let  him  once  climb  this  enormous  volcanio 
cone,  and  if  his  sense  of  fatigue  does  not  enlighten  him  as  to 
the  accursed  impositions  of  his  spiritual  tyrants,  nothing  ever 
wiU.       . 


.      CHAPTER  XXX. 

JOITRNEY   TO  WAI-PIO. 

Forests  of  Acacia. — Gigantic  Ferns. — Swamps. — ^An  Instance  of  na- 
tive Cruelty. — ^Valley  of  Wai-pio. — ^Descent — ^Primitiye  Character 
of  the  Inhabitants. — ^Explorations. — Cascades. — ^A  Bullock  carried 
over  the  Falls. — ^Fastidiousness  of  native  Appetite. — Population. 
— ^Agricnltare. — Curious  Instance  of  Cupidity. — Real  Changea< — 
Scenes  at  an  Evening  Repast 

The  journey  firom  Hanipoi  to  Wai-pio  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting and  difficult  of  any  over  the  Sandwich  group.  The 
"  rainy  season"  was  over,  but  its  departure  did  not  preclude 
ihe  coming  of  frequent  and  fertilizing  showers.  My  guide  and 
myself  were  wet  to  our  boots.  The  nearer  we  approached 
Wai-jno,  the  more  embarrassing  was  the  condifion  of  the  roads. 
The  horses  sunk  up  to  the  skirts  of  their  saddles  in  soft  mud, 
and  sometimei  it  cost  hours  of  patient  t<Hl  befi>re  they  could 
Bgtan  set  their  feet  on  terra  firma. 

But,  in  spite  of  mud  and  rain,  the  scenery  was  grand.  Our 
route  lay  directly  through  immense  forests  of  koa  {Acaciafal- 
ccUa\  liie  strong  limbs  and  forks  of  which  were  profUsely 
adorned  with  creepers  of  various  sizes,  pending  in  a  perpen- 
dioolar  line  firom  the  lofty  foUage  down  to  the  floor  of  the  Ibr- 


380  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

est.  Parasites  ^jA,  Epiphytes,  of  the  most  delicate  species, 
clung  to  many  of  these  huge  koa-tiees  with  as  much  gentle- 
ness and  dependence  as  *'  Desdemona"  clung  to  the  Yenitian 
"Moor." 

But  the  most  stately  ohjects  which  hordeied  our  pathway, 
or  occupied  the  remoter  regions  of  these  woods,  were  gigantic 
tree-ferns  {Cibotitim  cha/ndssoms).  Many  of  them  ranged 
firom  twenty  to  seventy  feet  in  height,  and  the  £>hage  of  the 
most  perfect  of  them,  as  it  waved  in  the  halmy  winds,  had  a 
close  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Oriental  palm-tree.  From 
this  noble  fern  the  natives  gather  a  soft,  silky  substance,  that 
much  resembles  the  best  merino  wool.  This  they  call  pulut 
and  it  is  used  for  stuffing  beds  and  pillows. 

To  the  left  of  the  path  lay  treacherous  and  impassable 
swamps.  In  endeavoring  to  efiect  a  nearer  journey  to  Wai- 
pio,  many  a  native,  when  he  supposed  he  Was  passing  over 
soUd  ground,  has  suddenly  disappeared  and  been  seen  no  more. 

While  following  the  path  through  this  forest  region,  my  at- 
tention was  attracted  toward  a  prostrate  bullock.  It  needed 
but  a  single  glance  to  convince  me  that  his  brutal  owners  had 
overloaded  him,  and  goaded  him  through  the  sea  of  mud  I 
had  just  crossed  with  an  unbroken  neck.  In  all  probabiUty, 
he  was  but  a  year  old ;  but  the  poor  creature  lay  there  in  the 
agonies  of  death.  Although  the  mud  was  still  up  to  my 
horse's  knees,  I  dismounted,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  my  na- 
tive guide,  endeavored  to  assist  the  prostrate  brute  to  his  feet. 
But  it  was  all  in  vain.  My  guide  filled  his  old  palm-leaf  hat 
with  water,  and  gave  to  him,  but  with  no  e^t.  There  is 
something  in  the  agony  of  a  dying  camel,  as  he  breathes  his 
last  in  the  wide  solitudes  of  the  Sahara,  that  can  not  feil  to 
touch  the  deepest  sympathies  of  a  beholder,  and  there  was 
something  in  the  long  sighs  of  that  poor  bullock  that  touched 
mine.  His  very  eyes,  because  his  tongue  was  dumb,  were 
eloquent  in  their  agony,  and  he  turned  them  upon  me  with 
imploring  glances.  Feeling  persuaded  that  I  should  do  him 
an  act  of  mercy,  I  terminated  his  sufferings  with  a  pistol- 
shot. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR^  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


DESCENT  INTO  THE   VALLEY.  393 

The  Valley  of  Wai-pio  may  justly  be  tenned  the  Eden  of 
the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Long  befi)re  I  saw  it,  I  had  heard  it 
frequently  spoken  of  in  t^rms  of  the  wannest  admiration,  and 
had  prepared  my  mind  for  something  beyond  the  usual  char" 
acter  of  the  scenery  so  profusely  scattered  over  the  group.  On 
reaching  the  brink  of  the  tremendous  bank  by  which  its  south- 
em  limit  was  bounded,  the  scene  was  truly  magnificent.  The 
bed  of  the  valley  reposed  at  a  depth  of  two  thousand  feet  be- 
low. The  dwellings  of  the  natives  dwindled  away  nearly  to 
the  mze  of  ant-hills.  The  numerous  herds  of  cattle  which 
were  quietly  grazing  in  the  everlasting  pastures  were  hardly 
discernible.  On  the  opposite  bank — ^much  higher  than  the 
one  on  which  I  stood — glittering  cascades,  broken  in  thirty 
abrupt  falls,  were  tumbling  firom  rock  to  rock,  half  sport- 
ively, half  angrily.  The  centre  of  the  valley  was  enhvened 
with  two  crystal  rivers,  winding  theijc  tortuous  path  to  meet 
the  foaming  surge  that  broke  on  the  fair  sand-beach  at  its 
mouth.  There  was  something  about  that  valley  so  lovely  and 
imdisturbed,  that  it  pictured  to  the  imagination  the  paradise 
in  which  the  first  man  wandered  with  the  first  woman.  It 
seemed  to  belong  to  another  world,  or  to  be  a  portion  of  this 
into  which  sorrow  and  death  had  never  entered. 

The  descent  into  this  lovely  valley  is  comparatively  easy. 
The  tourist  may  assume  a  sitting  posture,  and  slide  dovm  the 
smooth  grassy  bank  for  rods  in  succession.  If  he  finds,  himself 
gUding  too  rapidly,  he  may  arrest  his  speed  by  an  occasional 
clutch  at  a  pandanus-tree,  or  a  strong  fern.  In  twenty  min- 
utes he  wiil  find  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  spur,  where 
he  may  lave  his  heated  limbs  in  the  quiet  stream  that  ghdes 
gently  past. 

On  reaching  the  bed  of  the  valley,  and  entering  a  native 
liouse,  I  was  much  impressed  with  the  primitive  character  of 
the  inhabitants.  The  arrival  of  a  "  hadi'*  (foreigner)  was, 
as  usual,  the  signal  for  a  numerous  gathering  of  curious 
natives.  For  a  time  the  doors — ^there  were  no  windows — 
were  to  crowded,  that  it  was  impossible  to  procure  a  breath 
of  atmosphere.     Observing  that  I  was  a  good  deal  heated  firom 


384  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

the  labor  of  descending  the  wall  of  the  valley,  one  woman  pro- 
cured me  a  drink  of  water ;  another  commenced  fanning  my 
&oe  with  an  old  palm-leaf  hat ;  while  a  third  procured   a: 
kUUli  (fly-brush)  to  keep  off  the  flies ;  and  a  fourth,  a  good- 
looking  woman  about  twenty  years  of  age,  procured  an  enor- 
mous wooden  pipe,  filled  and  lighted  it  with  her  own  hps,  and 
handed  it  to  me  to  smoke.     I  was  compelled,  however,  to  de- 
cline this  last  attention.     I  had  seen  so  much  of  syphilis  among 
the  Hawaiians,  both  men  and  women,  that  I  had  grown  some- 
what fastidious.    And  there  sat  before  me  a  woman,  apparently 
much  interested  in  my  wel&re,  who  had  lost  a  part  of  her  nose 
and  one  eye  finom  the  eflects  of  the  same  disease.     As  I  had 
no  strong  inclination  to  lose  my  own  members  of  that  class,  I 
concluded  I  had  better  let  that  pipe  alone,  for  it  certainly  had 
a  contagious  look  about  it.     Mistaking  my  real  motive  in  this 
refusal,  they  even  weni  farther.     I  had  acquired  a  sufficient 
smattering  of  the  Hawaiian  language  to  understand  certain 
private  forms  of  expression,  and  I  understood  that,  to  remedy 
the  refusal  I  had  just  made,  I  might,  if  I  would,  pay  my  pri- 
vate respects  to  a  dark-eyed  girl  who  had  just  squatted  down 
on  the  mat  by  my  side.     To  this  ofier,  so  indigenous  to  Ha- 
waiian character,  I  replied  by  taking  out  a  cigar  and  smoking 
it.     It  is  almost  needless  for  me  to  state  that  this  cluster  of 
circumstances  abnegated  an  assurance  I  had  previou^y  re- 
ceived, that  "  the  inhabitants  of  Wai-pio  were  a  moral  set  of 
people  merely  because  they  had  not  become  contaminated  by 
foreigners !" 

My  explorations  in  this  valley  convinced  me  that  it  once 
teemed  with  a  large  and  busy  population.  The  boundaries  of 
ancient  fish-ponds,  toro-beds,  and  village-sites  were  very  numer- 
ous. At  diflerent  periods  in  its  history,  there  was  not  a  single 
square  rod  which  does  not  seem  to  have  been  well  cultivated. 
The  population  is  rapidly  decreasing ;  in  fact,  it  is  nearly  ex- 
tinct. In  1823,  when  the  white  man's  face  was  seldom  seen 
here,  there  were  several  hundred  habitations,  and  thousands 
of  inhabitants.  There  were  also  several  pagan  temples  stand- 
ing, and  an  immense  stone  indosure,  or  city  of  refuge,  into 


AGRICULTURE.  385 

which  persons  might  flee  in  times  of  war  and  danger.*  From 
that  day  to  this,  depopulation  has  been  in  active  progress. 
The  present  population  does  not  exceed  two  himdred  and  sixty. 
This  fearful  decrease  is  owing  to  causes  already  enumerated, 
especially  the  restrictions  of  ecclesiastical  law.  A  small  stone 
chapel  or  school-house  acconunodates  the  entire  population. 
Unless  some  unlooked-for  interposition  takes  place,  it  will  be 
but  a  short  time  before  this  terrestrial  paradise  will  be  as  des- 
olate and  forsaken  as  was  Eden  of  dd  after  the  expulsion  of 
its  first  tenants. 

In  this  vaUey  there  is  some  attention  paid  to  agriculture, 
if  the  mere  cultivation  of  the  taro  can  be  dignified  by  such 
a  term.  For  agricultural  purposes,  it  possesses  great  and  nu- 
merous facilities ;  and  yet  the  taro  is  the  only  plant  of  any 
importance  that  is  cultivated.  This  article  is  the  bread,  the 
staff*  of  life  to  the  Hawaiian  race.  Its  cultivation  is  a  source 
of  wealth  to  the  occupants  of  this  valley.  Every  day,  and 
during  all  sorts  of  weather  to  which  this  climate  is  subjected, 
loads  of  this  food  are  conveyed  on  the  backs  of  buUocks  and 
the  shoulders  of  natives  from  this  spot  to  Kawaihae— over 
roads  almost  impassable — a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  where  it 
finds  an  immediate  sale. 

There  is  no  vaUey  on  the  whole  group  which  has  a  soil  so 
rich,  or  is  so  WeU  located  as  Wai-pio.  Coffee,  rice,  tobacco, 
and  many  other  articles  could  be  here  cultivated  with  im- 
mense success.  The  soil  is  composed  of  a  rich  debris  of  sev- 
eral feet  in  depth,  and  rests  on  a  stratum  of  alluvial  washed 
up  generations  ago  by  the  restless  ocean.  This  debris  is  con- 
stantly accumulating.  Sheltered  from  the  trade-winds,  the 
vine  would  flourish  extensively  beneath  the  hills  that  form 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  vaUey. 

Wai-pio  Valley  is  nearly  two  miles  wide  at  its  mouth,  •nd 
terminates  in  a  deep  and  awfully  grand  ravine,  seven  miles 
from  the  sea-shore,,  where  the  almost  perpendicular  walls  at- 
tain an  altitude  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet.  The  en- 
tire valley  is  crateriform,  and  its  origin  is  closely  allied  to  the 
*  Ellis's  Tour  through  Hawaii,  p.  202-8. 
R 


386  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

valley  of  Halawa  on  Molokai.  To  enjoy  a  perfect  view  of 
this  Hawaiian  Eden,  it  should  be  seen  and  studied  at  early 
sunrise,  at  noon,  at  the  hour  of  evening  twilight,  and  at  night 
under  the  brightness  of  the  full-orbed  moon.  It  surpasses  in 
grandeur  all  that  Johnson  has  said  of  the  valley  in  which 
he  introduces  his  readers  to  "  Rassdas"  the  "  Prince  of  Abys- 
sinia." Nor  is  it  any  cause  for  surprise  that  it  should  be  re- 
tained as  the  favorite  possession  of  Kamehambha  III. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  magnificent  cascades  in  this 
valley.  There  is  one,  however,  which  can  not  be  seen  until 
the  lofty  banks  are  descended.  It  is  located  between  the 
"spur"  to  which  I  have  alluded,  and  the  southern  wall  or 
boundary.  It  has  its  origin  in  a  river  that  sweeps  down  a 
ravine  terminating  on  the  brow  of  a  precipice  one  thousand 
two  hundred  feet  high.  On  the  brink  of  this  tremendous 
abyss,  the  river  is  a  foaming  torrent ;  but  before  it  reaches 
the  deep  basin  into  which  it  falls,  it  is  resolved  into  a  heavy 
shower  of  spray,  reflecting  a  cluster  of  the  most  magnificent 
rainbows  which  the  eye  can  rest  on,  and  giving  life  and  beauty 
to  a  large  variety  of  Ferns  which  grow  out  of  the  face  of  the 
lofty  precipice.  The  whole  scene  is  one  of  Nature's  subhmest 
footsteps,  which  the  tourist  is  compelled  to  stand  and  admire. 

A  few  weeks  prior  to  my  visit,  a  bullock  was  carried  over 
the  brow  of  this  frightful  abyss.  His  owner,  a  foreigner,  whom 
I  found  residing  near  the  place  of  descent,  had  missed  him. 
Supposing  he  might  have  been  carried  down  by  the  torrent, 
he  searched  the  ravine,  and  discovered  footprints  where  the 
animal  had  exerted  himself  to  climb  the  banks.  On  tracing 
these  marks  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  cataract,  he  concluded 
that  the  bullock  had  been  carried  over,  and  dismissed  the  sub- 
ject from  his  mind. 

]fL  a  few  days  subsequent  to  this  event,  he  was  called  upon 
by  a  few  natives,  who  informed  him  that  they  had  found  a  bul- 
lock at  the  foot  of  the  falls  which  they  supposed  to  be  his,  and 
requested  the  favor  to  dress  and  eat  it !  The  foreigner  gave 
his  cordial  assent,  and  away  they  started  down  the  "  spur" 
mto  the  valley  below  to  commence  preparations  for  their  feast. 


EVENING   REPAST  — REAL   CHANGES.   387 

The  mangled  and  bloated  bullock  was  dragged  ashore.  Some 
undertook  the  task  of  dressing  him,  while  others  began  to  heat 
stones  in  a  concave  formed  in  the  earth,  where  it  was  their  in- 
tention to  bake  him.  This  process  is  called  huiu.  Just  be- 
fore dusk,  the  former  owner  of  the  animal  went  down  into  the 
valley  to  look  after  his  final  disposition.  He  soon  saw  that 
they  were  cooking  him  I  He  waited  a  while  longer.  The 
natives  spread  their  mats,  put  on  theji  viands,  brought  along 
their  Zi^e^^  bullock,  and  conunenced  their  feast.  The  for- 
eigner had  hved  in  that  regicm  several  years,  and  had  lost 
much  of  his  former  niceness  of  appetite,  but  he  speedily  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  best  to  absent  himself  from  this  semi- 
cannibalism,  and  leave  the  group  to  finish  their  repast  in  theii 
own  way. 

These  statements  may  naturally  lead  to  the  remark  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Wai-pio  have  made  but  Uttle  progress  in  civili- 
zation. The  conclusion  is,  alas  !  too  true.  I  sought  for  the 
jpuhorma  (city  of  refiige)  which  once  existed  there,  and  also 
for  the  heiatiSi  on  whose  bloody  altars  so  many  human  vic- 
tims had  perished,  but  found  them  not.  The  bloody  rites  no 
longer  existed.  The  conch  was  no  longer  sounded  to  summon 
warriors  to  battle.  Life  and  property  were  now  sacred,  and 
every  man  was  protected  in  the  freedom  of  his  rehgious  wor- 
ship. The  huge  walls  of  their  pagan  temples  and  "  city  of 
refuge"  had  been  torn  down,  and  now  stood  as  inclosures  to 
Several  cottages  and  fish-ponds.  These  are  some  of  the  real 
changes  that  have  come  over  this  valley  and  its  people.  But 
when  the  question  of  Christian  civifization  is  tested,  it  must 
meet  with  a  very  unsatisfactory  response. 

At  the  close  of  my  second  day's  visit  in  this  valley,  I  was 
about  starting  back  up  the  "  spur"  which  led  out  of  it,  when 
the  owner  of  the  house  I  first  entered  on  my  arrival  informed 
me,  if  I  would  spend  the  nigh>  with  him,  he  would  give  me 
a  good  reception.  The  sound  of  the  English  language — ^lor 
he  spoke  Enghsh  well — ^was  a  sufiicient  inducement  for  me  to 
remain  with  him.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  a  fire  was  kin- 
dled on  the  outside  of  the  house,  and  preparations  were  made 


3g8  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

fi)r  cookiiig  sapper.  When  oar  repast  was  brouglit  in,  it  con- 
sisted  of  a  roasted  fowl,  some  beef-steak,  a  mess  ofpoi,  some 
boiled  taro,  and  a  bowl  of  milk  for  myself.  The  form^  was 
all  very  well,  but  the  latter  I  raised  to  touch ;  &r  reasons  the 
same  that  induced  me  to  refuse  the  pipe  and  tobacco  on  a  pre- 
vious occasion  had  no  small  influence  upon  me  at  this  supper- 
hour.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  procure  my  "  mess"  in  a 
separate  dish,  and  the  family  group  denned  themselves  equal- 
ly fortunate  in  dipping  their  fingers  in  the  food  without  dis- 
cnminaticHi.  Men,  wom^,  children,  dogs,  and  cats,  all  ate 
together. 

The  supper  was  finished  and  the  mats  were  cleared.  The 
next  movement  of ''  mine  host"  was  to  procure  several  copies 
of  the  Bible  and  as  many  hymn-books,  for  the  purpose  of  con^ 
ducting  &mily  devotions.  Inwardly  I  r^roved  myself  for  the 
hasty  conclusion  I  had  formed  in  relation  to  the  private  mor< 
als  of  this  people.  The  devotions  were  conducted  with  a 
grace  and  solemnity  that  would  have  honored  any  civilized 
&mily. 

These  devotions  having  terminated,  I  retired  to  the  outside 
of  the  house  to  smoke  a  c»gar,  and  contemplate  the  aspect  of 
the  valley  under  the  moonlight.  As  I  sat  smoking  on  the  low 
stone  wall  which  surrounded  the  dwelling,  my  ^itertainer,  who 
was  a  young  man,  came  out  and  joined  me.  He  was  a  good 
specimen  of  a  Hawaiian,  both  in  personal  appearance  and 
mental  structure.  After  making  some  remarks  on  the  weath- 
er, the  valley,  the  people,  and  myself,  he  wished  to  know  if 
"  I  was  attached  to  the  sex." 

I  told  him  I  respected  ihexa. 

Placing  a  wrong  construction  upon  my  reply,  he  assured  me 
he  was  very  poor,  and  must  adopt  some  means  to  raise  money. 
He  had  a  mother,  a  sister,  and  a  wife ;  and  each  and  all  were 
at^my  entire  diqwsal,  pro  teifi.y  for  one  silver  dollar  !  The 
wife,  sister,  and  mother  were  all  present  at,  and  took  a  part 
in,  the  religious  devotions  of  the  evBning ;  and  the  mother  was 
the  same  woman  whom  I  have  already  referred  to  as  having 
lost  h^  nose  and  (me  eye' from  l^e  efilects  of  disease. 


VILLAGE    OF   KA-WAI-HAE.  399 

I  have  but  a  single  comment  to  make  on  this  human  fiend. 
He  had  studied  and  graduated  at  Lahainakma  a  few  years 
since,  and  in  1852  he  was  judge  of  the  very  district  in  which 
he  now  lived. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

•       FBOM   WAI-PIO  TO   KA-WA|(HA£« 

Village  of  Ka-wai-hae. — ^Another  Pagan  Temple. — Cause  of  its  Erec- 
tiofl. — ^False  Predictions. — ^Moral  taught  by  Paganism. — ^Ravages 
of  the  Small-pox. — Solitary  Village. — Outrageous  Mode  of  Vac- 
cination.— ^Preposterous  Conduct  of  the  "  Board  of  Heahh.'' — ^In- 
dignation of  the  Foreign  Population. — ^Testimony  of  Physicians. — 
Native  Quackery. — ^Terrible  Influences  of  a  certain  Superstition. 
— ^Total<Defeat  of  a  long-cherished  Enterprise. 

Ea-wai-ha£  is  a  small,  dreary  village,  on  the  shores  of  Ka^ 
wai-hiae  Bay,  without  the  least  object  to  attract  a  resident  to 
it.  Excepting  a  few  sickly-loddng  cocoa-nut-trees,  which 
stood  near  the  tide^mark,  I  &und  scarcely  a  piece  of  fdiage  in 
the  entire  re^on.  Hot,  dry,  and  dusty,  it  is  a  perfect  Sar 
hara  ;  yet  this  is  a  port  of  entry,  and  vessels  have  to  pay  for 
the  privilege  of  anchoring  in  the  unsafe  waters. 

It  really  seems  a  mystery  why  any  living  thing  should  have 
concluded  to  reside  in  this  desolate  region.  The.  fi)od  used  by 
the  natives  is  brought  all  the  way  from  the  Valley  of  Wai-pio« 
There  is  a  Custom-house  and  Post-office,  and  both  are  con- 
ducted in  a  miserable  native  house.  The  house  built  many 
years  ago  by  Jcoin  Young,  the  firiend  and  counselor  of  Kame- 
HAMEHA  the  Great,  I  found  yet  standing ;  but  the  old  Eng- 
lishman had  g<me  to  the  grave,  and  the  house  was  tenanted 
by  the  former  teacher  of  the  Oahu  Charity-school,  now  y'clept 
District  Judge. 

A  short  distance  to  the  south  of  this  forlorn  village  I  found 
another  heiaUy  as  perfect  as  when  it  was  erected.  It  stands 
on  the  seaward  side  of  a  sloping  hill,  near  the  sea-shore.  The 
massive  walls  are  composed  of  lava  stones ;  and  there  stood 


390  SANDWICH  IdLAND  NOTES. 

the  rude  altars  which  had  once  heen  haptized  with  hiunan 
blood.  There  were  also  the  niches  in  which  grim  idols. once 
stood,  while  assembled  thousands  paid  th^n  a  soul-felt  homage. 

This  heUiu  is  called  Puukohala.  It  was  built  at  the  insti- 
gation of  a  priest  during  the  reign  of  Kamehameha  I.,  and 
under  the  assurance  that  it  would  be  a  safeguard  against  all 
the  perils  of  war. 

But  the  prophet  was  false.  The  walls  were  not  completed 
when  hostilities  ad^udly  commenced.  The  war^hiefe  of  the 
old  conqueror  assembled  a  powerM  army,  and  marched  to 
Ka'u  to  exterminate  Keoua,  Iheir  recent  antagonist  Keoua's 
course  lay  by  the  great  crater  of  Kilauea.  An  eruption  an- 
ticipated the  carnage  of  battle,  and  his  troops,  exposed  to  a 
heavy  shower  of  stones,  cinders,  ashes,  sand,  and  blasts  of  sul- 
phurous gas,  were  nearly  all  overwhelmed.  With  the  wreck 
of  his  army  he  met  Kamehameha  and  his  warriors  a  few 
days  afterward,  and  a  fiery  contest  commenced.  For  a  long 
time  the  struggle  was  doubtful.  At  length,  one  of  Kame- 
hameha's  warriors,  disguised  as  a  Mend,  went  over  to  Kjboua 
and  advised  him  personally  to  seek  the  favor  of  the  kii^,  then 
at  Ka-wai-hae.  Retreating  by  the  way  he  came,  Keoua  led 
off  his  warriors,  and  proceeded  by  water  to  obtain  an  interview 
with  the  monarch.  On  arriving  at  Ka-wai-hae,  he  received 
the  most  solemn  assurances  of  royal  clem^u^y.  But  the  very 
m(»nent  he  and  his  followers  landed  on  the  beach,  they  were 
seized,  treacherously  slaughtered,  and  their  mangled  remains 
were  laid  upon  the  altars  of  the  unfinished  temple,  and  sacri- 
ficed to  the  gods ! 

Such  was  the  mercy  shown  to  warriors  who  had  reposed 
implicit  confid^ice  in  ^e  word  of  a  pagan  king !  Such  was 
the  spirit  which  paganism  inculcated  into  the  bosoms  of  its 
votaries ! 

But  there  is  a  moral  in  paganism  which  ought  never  io  be 
£)rgotten.  A  man  may  stand  on  those  altars  where  hundreds 
have  been  immolated,  and  shudder  at  the  mere  remembrance 
that  human  blood  flowed  from  them  like  water,  and  that  the 
very  men  who  toiled  to  raise  these  walls  were  the  first  who 


RAVAGES    OF   THE   SMALL-POX.  39X 

fell  victims  to  the  accursed  despotisms  of  priests.  But  the 
moral  of  these  helUsh  orgies  is  this — ^that  these  debased  isl- 
anders fdt  their  immortality,-  and  deemed  these  immolations 
the  nearest  way  to  secure  it. 

This  was  the  last  pagan  temple  ever  built  on  the  group, 
and  it  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  in  Hawaiian  history,  that, 
while  it  was  bmlt  at  Ka-wai-hae,  the  first  blow  which  eventu- 
ally laid  the  tabu  system  in  the  dust  was  struck  in  the  same 
place,  and  at  a  time,  too,  when  human  victims  were  piled  on 
the  bloody  altars  of  that  temple  to  insure  its  consecration. 

On  my  return  to  Ka-wai-hae,  I  found  the  village  almost  des- 
olated by  the  small-pox.  Out  of  a  population  of  about  fifty, 
twenty-three  had  already  gone  to  the  graves  of  their  fathers. 
It  was  mournful  to  take  a  glance  over  that  afflicted  village. 
A  few  dwellings  had  already  been  consumed  by  fire.  At 
nearly  every  door  of  the  few  houses  that  yet  stood,  a  small  yel- 
low flag  was  flying,  to  indicate  that  none  but  physicians  were 
permitted  to  enter,  under  pain  of  fines  and  imprisonment.  In 
the  shades  of  their  homes  sat  women  and  children,  nearly  as 
still  as  statues,  and  as  desolate  as  lepers  among  the  ancient 
Hebrews.  It  seemed  as  though  a  wave  firom  Lethe  had  swept 
over  that  village.  Not  to  this  dreary  spot  only  was  the  epi- 
demic confined.  The  following  rejfft)rt  of  the  Conunissioners 
of  Public  Health  in  Honolulu,  for  the  week  ending  July  22d, 
1853,  shows  its  ravages  oh  the  island  of  Oahu  : 

"  The  number  of  new  cases  of  smaU-pox  which  have  been 
reported  during  the  past  week  for  the  island  of  Oahu,  is  626 ; 
deaths  reported  are  216.  From  the  other  islands,  the  new 
cases  reported  are  40 ;  deaths  reported,  19.  Total  number 
of  cases  reported,  2342.   Total  number  of  deaths  reported,  808. 

"  Whole  number  of  cases  reported  during  the  week  ending 
July  28th,  for  the  island  of  Oahu,  is  480 ;  the  number  of  deaths 
reported  in  the  same  time  is  219. 

"  From  the  other  islands  the  new  cases  are  54  ;  deaths,  26. 
The  total  nimiber  of  cases  reported  is  2886  ;  deaths  reported, 
1027. 

"  The  total  number  of  burials  under  the  direction  of  the 


392  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

commissioners,  by  the  police  and  otheis,  in  Honolulu  and  viciiir 
ity,  since  June  26th,  is  663. 

''  Forty  houses  at  Waikiki,  and  thirty  on  the  Ewa  side  of 
Honolulu,  more  than  two  miles  £rom  the  market,  are  being* 
erected  by  the  commissioners,  under  the  direction  of  the  dedc 
of  the  Bureau  of  Public  Improvements." 

Accounts  which  have  come  to  hand  since  I  left  the  group 
give  the  following  information : 

''The  small-pox  is  still  raging.  At  Honolulu  there  are 
only  nineteen  cases,  but  in  other  parts  of  Oahu  it  is  still  de- 
structive. The  total  number  of  cases  till  the  9th  of  S^tem- 
ber  was  5049  ;  total  deaths,  1805.  The  number  of  new  cases 
fi>r  the  week  ending  September  9th  was  214 ;  the  previous 
week,  295.  There  are  no  authentic  reports  firom  other  isl- 
ands, but  rumor  said  that  the  disease  was  increasing  at  La- 
haina. 

^'Office  of  the  Commissioners  qfPtdlic  Health  Report, — 
The  number  of  new  cases  of  small-pox  which  have  been  re- 
ported during  the  past  week,  fox  the  island  of  Oahu,  are  214 ; 
the  number  of  deaths  reported  in  the  same  time  are  68. 

"  From  the  other  islands,  the  new  cases  reported  are  4 ; 
deaths,  2. 

"  Total  number  of  cases  reported,  5049 ;  total  deaths,  1805. 

'*  Nimiber  of  cases  remaining  in  Honolulu  this  day  are  13. 

*'  LmoLmo,  Chairman. 

"Honolulu,  September  9, 1853." 

When  this  terrible  scourge  first  appeared  in  Honolulu,  it 
naturally  created  an  intense  excitement.  Vaccination  be- 
came the  order  of  the  day.  Physicians,  native  and  foreign, . 
and  persons  who  boasted  of  their  ignorance  of  Materia  Med- 
ica^  were  induced  to  enter  the  lists  as  "  knights  of  the  lance." 
A  Board  of  Health  was  established,  under  the  specious  guise 
of  aiding  the  sick.  The  disease  spread  like  a  whirlwind  far 
and  near,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  arrest  its  progress. 
Consummate  quacks,  both  native  and  foreign,  followed  or  su- 
perseded the  movements  of  skillful  physicians.  This  prostitu- 
tion of  the  calamity  drew  from  two  of  the  most  skill&l  med- 


MODE  OF  VACCINATION.  393 

ical  men  in  town  a  bitter  censure,  wMch  was  published  in  one 
of  the  town  journals.*  The  "  constituted  authorities"  had 
appointed  ^eo^t-professional  men  to  vaccinate  the  natives. 
Thus  armed  with  a  "little  brief  authority,''  they  sallied  forth 
on  their  mission;  and  their  doings  were  portrayed  by  the 
medical  men  just  alluded  to.  "  Old  scabs,  sometimes  of  doubt* 
ful  character,  taken  indiscriminately  £rom  children  or  grown 
persons,  were  mixed,  on  homeopathic  principles,  with  a  suf* 
ficient  quantity  of  afpm  fontana  to  set  any  therein  supposed 
to  be  donnant  spirits  at  hberty,  and  inserted  faithfiiUy  into 
the  skin  by  means  of  half  a  dozen  crossK^uts,  which  at  times 
would  produce  such  a  gush  of  blood  as  to  be  alone  a  suffici^it 
safeguard  against  the  introduction  of  the  pretended  regenera- 
tor." Much  of  this  labor  was  entirely  lost,  but  where  it  took, 
it  produced  in  some  cases  '^  a  broad,  dirty-looking,  pustule-like 
mass,  which  might  have  been  taken  by  an  inadvertent  exam- 
iner for  what  is  called  ecthyma  or  rupia ;"  in  others  it  pro- 
duced **  large  festering  sores  of  an  undeteiminable  character, 
spreading  into  real  ulcers,  and  surrounded  by  a  secondary 
eruption." 

One  of  these  educated  physicians  remarked,  " '  Excellent 
vaccine'  (?)  is  daily  shown  me,  that  is  so  active  that  in  a  day 
or  two  it  has  formed  a  large  pustule ;  and  hundreds  of  arms  I 
have  seen  with  horrible  ulcers,  which  can  not  be  cured  for 
months,  many  of  them  presenting  piles  of  scab  very  much  re- 
sembling the  rough  piles  of  rock  upon  the  moimtain  top.  * 
*  *  *  Verily  the  poor  natives  are  sorely  beset.  It  does 
seem  as  if  their  condition  was  bad  enough,  even  though  these 
newly-fledged  knights  of  the  lancet  should  desist  from  so  ac- 
tively propagating  the  most  loathsome  ulcers  from  arm  to  arm. 
Humanity  demands  that  they  should  let  alone  what  they  do 
not  understand,  and  occupy  themselves  in  some  more  harm- 
less amusement  suited  to  their  capacities.'* 

Nor  is  this  all.     The  ''vaccine  mrv£'  (?)  employed  by 

some  of  these  disciples  of  Hippocrates  has,  in  some  cases,  been 

productive  of  syphilitic  disease,  for  it  was  procured  from  per- 

*  The  ^Weekly  Argut,"*  June  16, 1868. 

R2 


394  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

sons  who  were  similarly  afflicted ;  and  many  of  the  natives, 
overwhelmed  with  superstitious  fears,  tried  to  vaccinate  them- 
selves. 

But  vaccination  did  not  save  multitudes ;  there  is  evidence 
that  it  procured  their  death.  The  '' Pclynesian''  of  the  13th 
of  August  remarks : 

"  It  appears  that  even  vaccination  will  not  protect  the  en- 
ervated Kanakas  firom  disease.  The  marshal  of  Honolulu  re- 
ports that  he  had  found  ahout  seven  eighths  of  those  attacked 
had  heen  vaccinated.  He  then  presented  a  pap^,  gi'^^ing  the 
numh^  of  persons  taken  with  the  disease  who  had  been  vac- 
cinated, and  the  number  cured.  We  give  only  a  summary : 
whole  number  vaccinated  taken  sick,  477 ;  whole  number 
cured,  209." 

And  what  was  the  "  Board  of  Health"  doing  all  this  time  ? 
While  the  epidemic  was  sweeping  over  Oahu,  and  laying  mul- 
titudes in  their  graves,  Messrs.  Judd  and  Armstrong — ^who 
were  the  leading  spirits  of  this  "  Board" — ^permitted  vessels  to 
leave  Honolulu,  and  carry  the  disease  to  the  other  islands  in 
the  group.  This  was  scientific  and  philanthropic,  was  it  not  ? 
But  this  was  the  way  in  which  the  small-pox  was  conveyed 
to  Ka-wai-hae,  and  tiience  over  the  island  of  Hawaii.  And 
while  the  foreign  residents  of  Honolulu  were  spendmg  their 
time  and  money  to  stay  the  march  of  this  fearful  pestilence, 
which  was  threatening  to  annihilate  the  people  and  sweep  off 
their  commerce,  and  while  the  small  sum  of  "  two  thousand 
dollars"  would  have  caused  every  native  on  the  group  to  be 
properly  vaccinated,  and  thereby  have  saved  thoussuids  of 
hves,  these  tioo  philanthropic  gentlemen  controlled  the  treas- 
ury, and  the  Aitreaties  and  anxieties  of  true  philanthropists 
were  trodden  imder  foot  by  them.  It  was  not  until  the  de- 
stroying angel  had  swept  past  that  their  superior  wisdom  un- 
dertook to  devise  means  for  the  pubhc  safety. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  the  foreign  population  could 
pass  by  these  outrages  and  say  nothing.  Neither  did  they. 
A  storm  of  pubhc  indignation  burst  forth.  On  the  20th  of 
July,  1853,  a  pubUc  notice  was  sent  forth,  calling  upon  every 


^•COMMITTEE   OF   THIRTEEN."  395 

friend  of  justice  to  petition  for  the  final  removal  of  the  Minis- 
ters of  Finance  and  PubUc  Instruction.  That  was  the  most 
important  event  that  has  ever  occurred  in  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands since  the  overthrow  of  idolatry  in  1819.  It  was  the 
daivn  of  freedom's  birth-day  to  the  native  and  foreign  popula- 
tion. It  was  the  means  of  convening  three  pubHc  meetings 
for  free  discussion  of  individual  rights  and  opinions  by  the  best 
citizens  on  the  group.  As  that  third  meeting  of  independent 
citizens  seriously  concerns  the  United  States  not  less  than  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  I  give  an  outline  of  its  proceedings  in  this 
connection : 

"At  a  pubhc  meeting  of  the  foreign  residents,  called  by  the 
"  Committee  of  Thirteen,"  to  be  held  in  the  court-house  in  this 
city  on  the  evening  of  August  15,  the  following  officers  were 
elected :  John  Montgomery,  President ;  Frank  Spencer  and 
Pierce  Haggerty,  Vice-presidents ;  and  William  Ladd  and 
J.  M.  Smith,  Secretaries. 

"  The  chairman  of  the  committee  of  five,  to  present  the  peti- 
tion to  the  king,  reported  that  they  had  discharged  that  duty. 

"  J.  D.  Blair,  Esq.,  then  moved  the  adoption  of  the  follow- 
ing resolutions : 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  independent  party,  continue  our 
organization,  and  the  committee  of  thirteen  continue  to  act 
until  the  purposes  of  this  party  are  attained. 

"Resolved,  That  the  appointments  heretofore  made  by  the 
committee  of  thirteen  to  fill  vacancies  are  hereby  ratified,  and 
that  the  committee  be  empowered  to  fiill  all  vacancies  that 
may  hereafter  occur. 

"Resohedy  That  we  will  sustain  the  committee  of  thirteen 
in  all  measures  it  may  deem  expedient  for  accomplishing  the 
object  of  this  party. 

"  J.  Montgomery,  Esq.,  being  called,  addressed  the  meet- 
.  ing  in  earnest  support  of  the  resolutions. 

"  Dr.  Newcombe  then  followed  in  a  detailed  and  successful 
review  of  statements  which  appeared  in  the  last  issue  of  the 
Polynesian,  and  boldly  challenged  a  contradiction  of  his  state- 
ment offsets  as  opposed  toG.  P.  Judd  and  Rich'd  Armstrong. 


396  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOT£S. 

"  C.  C.  Harris,  Police  Justice,  addreeeed  the  meetiiig  in  op- 
position to  the  proceedings  and  purpose  of  the  independent 
party.  Mr.  Harris  read  an  extract  from  the  petition,  to  which 
he  ohtained  access  in  the  office  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
and  then  intimated  that  an  idea  of  teason  or  rerohition  was 
involved  in  those  proceedings. 

'*  Mr.  Blair  replied  with  much  ei&ct  to  Mr.  Harris,  and 
charged  him  with  heing  the  first  to  iatroduce  revolutionary  or 
treasonable  ideas  or  designs,  and  also  of  having  improper  pos- 
session of  an  extract  from  the  petition. 

"A.  B.  Bates,  District  Attorney  (and  brother-in-law  of  G. 
P.  Judd),  during  a  period  of  thirty-five  minutes,  made  a  variety 
of  remarks,  design^  to  screen  and  defend  the  obnoxious  min- 
isters, to  divert  the  attention  and  purposes  of  the  party,  and  to 
prevent  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions.  He  then  descended 
to  indulge  in  some  ungentlemanly  personal  remarks  respecting 
all  the  officers  of  the  meeting,  and  also  some  of  the  speakers 
and  members  of  the  committee  of  thirteen. 

"  J.  M.  Smith  being  then  called  upon,  in  the  course  of  his 
pungent  observations,  charged  home  upcm  certain  ministers 
certain  ofiensive  acts  which  came  to  his  knowledge  while  act- 
ing in  the  last  Legislature. 

"  The  resolutions  having  been  duly  seconded  and  ably  sup- 
ported, were  enthusiastically  adopted,  upon  which  the  meet- 
ing adjourned." 

I  shall  enter  more  fully  into  this  subject  on  a  subsequent 
page.  I  have  already  referred  to  the  testimony  of  competent 
physicians  as  to  the  sufierings  inflicted  upon  the  people  by  in- 
competent men ;  but,  in  aU  probability,  the  most  prominent 
evil  has  resulted  in  the  quackery  of  native  doctors,  if  they  may 
i)e  dignified  by  such  an  appellation.  With  their  charms  and 
incantations,  together  with  their  powerful  medicines,  it  is  un- 
doubtedly true  that  they  have  destroyed  more  lives  than  they 
have  saved. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  common  "  neglect  of  the  proper 
means  to  preserve  life  are  the  remains  of  superstition  among 
the  people.     They  appear  to  have  but  little  sense  of  the  value 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDERS.  397 

of  life. ,  They  can  lie  down  and  die  the  easiest  of  any  people 
with  which  I  am  acquainted.  I  have  pretty  good  reason  for 
the  hehef  that  they  sometimes  die  through  fear,  heUeving  that 
some  person  having  the  power  to  pray  them  to  death  is  in  the 
act  of  doing  so,  and  the  imagination  is  so  wrought  up  that  life 
yields  to  intense  fear."* 

The  existence  of  this  epidemic  was  an  efiectual  harrier  to 
my  farther  progress  over  Hawaii.  I  had  purposed  to  continue 
my  ramhles  £rom  Ka-wai-hae  to  Kealakekua  Bay — ^the  death- 
place  of  Cook  ;  from  thence  across  the  spur  of  Mauna  Loa  to 
Kilauea  and  to  Hilo.  This  was  a  plan  I  had  long  cherished, 
but  the  natives  were  falling  around  me  like  withered  leaves 
in  the  forest ;  I  could  get  nothing  done  at  any  cost,  and  I  could 
not  finish  my  journey  alone.  Keenly  did  I  feel  the  disappoint- 
ment, hut  there  was  no  remedy ;  so  I  resolved  on  finishing  my 
tour  by  a  few  concljiding  observations. 


'       CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Origin  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders. — ^The  Theory  sustained  by  Tradi- 
tion.— ^Hahits  and  Customs^  Physical  Organization  and  Language. 
— ^Their  Past  and  Present  Condition:  Social,  Political,  and  Relig- 
ious.— Probable  Destiny  of  the  Race. — Prospective  History  of 
Christian  Institutions. — -Cause  for  Congratulation. — One  Cause  of 
a  grand  Failure. — ^The  English  Language  the  only  best  Channel 
of  Civilization. 

There  is  a  sort  of  melancholy  pleasure  in  a  patient  investi- 
gation of  the  origin  of  ancient  races.  When  there  are  well- 
defined  landmarks  to  aid  the  researches  of  the  antiquary,  his 
task  is  easy  ;  otherwise  it  is  like  threading  his  way  along  the 
galleries  of  buried  nations  in  search  of  some  one  whose  rest- 
ing-place is  marked  by  no  monumental  marble. 

Such  is  the  position  of  a  tourist  over  the  Sandwich  group. 
"Answers  to  Questionsj"  p.  49. 


398  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

There  are  no  Giant  Causeways  or  Gothic  turrets  to  mark  the 
footsteps  of  a  great  and  ancient  race,  or  to  indicate  that  the 
arts  and  sciences  ever  floiuished  there.  The  tourist  knows 
that  he  is  in  a  land  where  battles  have  been  fought,  and  hu- 
man victims  offered  to  imaginary  gods,  and  where  the  very 
genius  of  despotism  has  swayed  its  sceptre— a  land  of  song  in 
old  times,  and  of  ancient  poets  and  minstrels,  who  wandered 
over  their  mountains  in  the  train  of  warlike  monarchs,  in  the 
same  way  as  did  the  heroes  of  Ossian.  He  passes  over  the 
silent  graves  of  extinct  generations,  that  repose  where  every 
stream,  crag,  hill,  valley,  and  object  has  its  associational  le- 
gends, and  his  very  soul  overflows  with  a  poetry  of  romance, 
with  a  torrent  of  impulses  that  language  is  too  poor  to  clothe 
in  words.  There  are  no  histories  carefully  treasured  up  from 
past  ages  to  tell  him  how  multitudes  have  lived  and  died,  and 
passed  away  forever,  and  how  mighty  earthquakes  have  rent 
the  huge  mountains  asunder,  when  rivers  of  lava  spread  deso- 
lation and  death  in  their  pathway,  and  volcanic  hghtnings 
painted  a  miniature  hell  on  the  bosom  of  the  midnight  sky. 
There  are  none  of  these  records  to  guide  the  traveler.  He  is 
placed  amid  the  giant  landmarks  of  Nature,  and  they,  and 
tradition,  and  philosophical  analogy  must  guide  his  decisions. 

Unlettered  as  the  Hawaiians  have  always  been,  there  is  a 
very  striking  coincidence  between  their  rugged  traditions  and 
the  operations  of  natural  causes  and  effects.  The  old  Hawaii- 
ans attributed  their  own  origin,  as  also  that  of  their  islands,  to 
the  direct  interposition  of  their  gods. 

Native  historians  affirm  that  "  the  name  of  the  first  man 
was  Kahiko  (ancient),  and  the  name  of  the  first  woman  was 
Kupulanakahau.  Their  son's  name  was  Wakea.  Among  the 
first  settlers  from  abroad  were  Kukalaniehu  and  his  wife  Ka- 
hakauakoko,  who  had  a  daughter  by  the  name  of  Papa.  Wa- 
kea and  Papa  were  the  first  progenitors  of  the  Hawaiian  race, 
both  of  the  chiefs  and  common  people."* 

*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  il,  p.  211,  212. 

There  are  many  fabulous  things  related  of  Papa.  One  is,  that  she 
was  the  mother  of  these  islands.     Another,  that  Kuhanakahi  was 


ORIGIN  OF  THE   SANDWICH  ISLANDERS.   399 

All  this  is,  of  course,  fabulous.  By  pursuing  the  mythical 
thread  of  Hawaiian  tradition,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  looked 
upon  their  gods  as  possessing  the  attributes  and  the  persons 
of  both  gods  and  men. 

Nearly  three  centuries  have  elapsed  since  philosophy  com- 
menced its  speculations  on  the  origin  of  our  North  American 
tribes  and  the  tenants  of  the  numerous  islands  composing  Poly- 
nesia. Conjectures  at  once  vague  and  absurd  have  thrown 
around  this  theme  much  perplexity  and  doubt.  Some  Deisti- 
cal  writers,  among  whom  may  be  reckoned  the  German,  Dr. 
Von  MARxms,  have  asserted  that  the  Indo- Americans  are  "  in- 
digenous," or  produced  on  the  very  soil  which  they  inhabit ; 
a  professed  Christian  writer  also,  Mr.  Whiston,  advanced  the 
absurd  and  unscriptural  notion  of  the  first  inhabitants  of 
America  being  CainiteSy  the  descendants  of  the  first  known 
polygamist,  Lamech,  who  by  some  means  had  escaped  the  gen- 
eral deluge.  The  Jewish  Rabbi,  Manasseh  ben  Israel,  being 
imposed  upon  by  one  Antonio  Montesino,  wrote  a  book  en- 
titled La  Esperan^a  di  Israely  or  the  Hope  of  Israel,  in 
which  he  attempts  to  prove  that  America  had  been  peopled, 
at  least  in  part,  by  the  descendants  of  the  ten  long  lost  tribes 
of  Israel.  This  book  was  dedicated  to  the  Enghsh  ParUa- 
ment  about  the  year  1650.  William  Penn,  also,  was  per- 
suaded that  the  American  Indians  were  derived  from  the  He- 
brews, and  a  work  has  lately  been  pubhshed  in  England  with 
the  title,  "  The  Ten  Tribes  Historically  Identified  with  the 
Aborigines  of  the  Western  Hemisphere." 

The  philosophical  theory  that  the  Polynesians  have  come 
from  the  Orient  is  based  on  a  more  than  hypothetical  foimdation. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  chances  or  designs  that  brought 

born  from  her  head  and  became  a  god.  Furthermore,  that  Wakea 
and  Papa  had  a  deformed  child,  which  they  buried  at  the  end  of 
their  house,  where  it  sprouted  and  grew,  and  became  a  taro  {Arum 
esculentum),  and  hence  the  origin  of  the  taro  plant,  the  Hawaiian 
staflf  of  Ufe.  The  leaf  of  this  plant  was  denominated  laukapaliliy  and 
the  lower  part  of  its  stalk  hcdoay  from  which  Haloa,  one  of  the  kings, 
derived  his  name.  It  would  not  be  easy  to  mention  all' the  marvel- 
ous statements  made  concerning  this  Papa. 


400  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

such  vast  numbers  of  inhabitants  to  the  two  great  continents 
of  the  West,  as  well  as  to  the  Pacific  Islands,  it  is  certain  that, 
in  the  main,  the  races  of  the  Continental  regions  were  widely 
difierent  from  the  Polynesians  in  language,  habits,  customs, 
and  religion.  When  Cortes  demolished  the  sovereignty  of 
the  MoNTEZUMAS,  and  when  Pizarro  dethroned  the  last  of  the 
Incas,  the  warriors  of  these  CathoUc  heroes  were  astonished 
at  the  magnificence  and  civilization  of  the  old  Aztec  and  Pe- 
ruvian kings.  At  the  discovery  of  the  Polynesian  Islands, 
nothing  of  this  sort  was  seen  among  the  rude  inhabitants. 

The  Oriental  origin  of  the  islanders  of  the  Pacific  is  more 
than  merely  theoretic.  The  American  Journal  of  Science 
remarks  :  **  That  the  Polynesians  belong  to  the  same  race  as 
that  which  peoples  the  East  Indian  Islands,  is  at  present  imi- 
versally  admitted.  If  any  doubt  had  remained  on  this  point, 
the  labors  of  William  Von  Humboldt  and  Professor  Busch- 
MAN  would  have  been  sufficient  to  set  it  at  rest.  Having 
traced  all  the  principal  tribes  of  Polynesia  back  to  the  Samo- 
an  and  Tongan  group,  it  next  becomes  a  question  of  interest 
how  far  the  information  which  we  now  possess  will  enable  us 
to  verify  the  supposed  emigration  of  the  first  settlers  in  these 
groups  from  some  point  in  the  Malaisian  Archipelago." 

Coming  now  to  the  Sandwich  Islanders,  it  is  certain  that 
they  have  derived  their  origin  from  the  same  great  family,  but 
more  immediately  from  some  group  or  groups  of  islands  in  the 
South  Pacific.  No  theory,  however  plausible,  is  sufficient  to 
invest  them  with  a  western  continental  orig^l.  It  is  an  un- 
doubted fact  that  "they  are  evidently  of  the  same  race  with 
the  inhabitants  of  most  of  the  groups  of  islands  in  the  East 
Pacific.  The  people  of  New  Zealand,  the  Society  and  Tahiti 
Islands,  the  Harvey  Islands,  the  Friendly  Islands,  the  Naviga- 
tor's Islands,  the  Marquesas  Islands,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and 
some  others  of  the  same  range,  exhibit  the  same  features,  the 
same  manners  and  customs,  and  speak  substantially  the  same 
language.  The  sameness  of  language  is  a  fact  so  weU  under- 
stood that  there  is  no  need  of  quoting  authorities  to  confirm  it*'* 
*  Dibble's  History,  p.  6. 


ORIGIN   OF  THE  SANDWICH  ISLANDERS.   ^Ql 

The  peopling  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  afibrds  no  more  dif- 
ficulty than  the  peopling  of  any  other  group  in  the  Pacific. 
It  is  well  understood  that  the  habits  of  the  Polynesians  were 
migratory.  On  this  topic,  the  Sa/moan  Reporter  of  March, 
1848,  contains  an  article  which,  in  this  connection,  is  at  once 
curious  and  invaluable,  and  well  deserves  a  very  careful  pe- 
rusal by  the  reader : 

To  the  Editors  of  the  Samoan  Reporter. 

"  Gentlemen, — I  have  much  pleasure  in  forwarding  to  you 
the  following  facts,  which  have  lately  come  under  my  notice, 
and  if  you  think  they  will  in  any  way  prove  interesting  as 
connected  with  the  migration  and  population  of  the  South 
Sea  Islands,  you  are  quite  at  liberty  to  pubUsh  them. 

"  In  the  month  of  October  last  I  sent  my  vessel  to  duiros' 
Island,  a  low,  uninhabited  coral  island,  about  one  himdred  and 
filly  miles  to  the  north  of  Samoa,  and  on  her  arrival  there, 
the  captain  found  two  natives  on  shore,  who,  it  a^^ars,  had 
been  drifted  to  that  spot  about  seven  months  before.  They 
were  brought  to  Samoa,  and  I  took  them  in  my  charge,  and 
soon  £)und  that,  with  the  aid  of  the  Samoan,  Tahitian,  and 
Rarotongan  languages,  I  could  converse  with  them  quite  freely. 
One  of  them  is  named  Koteka,  and  is  a  native  of  Manahiki ; 
the  other  is  from  Fakaaho,  and  firom  the  former  I  learned  the 
following  particulars.  About  the  time  the  last  great  comet 
appeared,  Koteka,  with  several  others  of  his  countrymen,  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  a  voyage  of  discovery,  and  accordingly  put 
to  sea  in  one  of  their  large  double  canoes ;  the  party  journey- 
ed for  three  days,  but,  not  finding  any  land,  they  determined 
on  returning  to  Manahiki ;  the  canoe  was  put  about,  and  they 
steered,  as  they  imagined,  for  the  land ;  but,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  second  day,  they  again  altered  their  minds,  and  still 
wished  to  follow  out  their  first  intentions.  They  then  alter- 
ed their  course,  and  continued  sailing  for  seven  days,  when 
they  saw  land-birds,  which  led  them  to  hope  that  some  land 
was  near,  and  which  they  expected  shortly  to  reach  ;  but,  to 
their  disappointment,  a  strong  southwest  wind  sprung  up,  and 


402  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

as  they  were  unable  to  contend  against  it,  they  were  compel- 
led again  to  steer  for  Manahiki.  On  the  evening  of  the  sixth 
day  they  perceived  the  smell  of  fire,  which  induced  them  to 
lay  to  for  the  night,  and  at  day-break,  to  their  joy,  found  them- 
selves near  to  their  own  land,  but  soon  discovering  they  were, 
unfortunately,  to  leeward  of  the  island,  they  pulled  hard  for 
the  shore ;  but  the  wind  veering  to  the  northeast,  they  were 
blown  off,  and  for  sixteen  days  were  drifted  about  at  the  mer- 
cy of  the  winds  and  waves,  and  had  but  little  or  nothing  to 
eat.  Despondency  reigned  in  their  bosoms,  and  several  of 
them  lay  down  in  the  canoe,  shortly  expecting  to  die,  when 
one  espied  land  in  the  distance,  which  they  providentially 
reached  in  about  two  hoiurs.  It  proved  to  be  Cluiros'  Island. 
When  they  had  been  there  about  three  months,  an  American 
whaler  called,  and  the  captain  agreed  to  take  them  back  to 
their  own  land  ;  but  after  some  detention,  and  not  being  able 
to  find  Manahiki,  they  were  landed  at  Fakaaho,  one  of  the 
Union  Groilp. 

"  Some  time  after  this,  when  Koteka,  with  nine  others, 
were  going  from  Fakaaho  to  Nukunonu,  a  gale  of  wind  sprung 
up  and  blew  them  out  of  sight  of  land.  They  were  now  quite 
at  a  loss  in  what  direction  to  steer,  and  were  tossed  to  and  firo 
on  the  wide  Pacific  for  thirty-six  days — ^nine  of  which  they 
lived  on  cocoa-nuts,  and  the  remaining  twenty-seven  they  sub- 
sisted by  eating  parts  of  their  clothing  soaked  in  rain-water. 
Eight  of  their  companions  died,  and  their  bodies  were  com- 
mitted to  the  deep.  On  the  morning  of  the  thirty-sixth  day, 
Koteka  saw  land  near,  but  was  too  weak  to  steer  for  it ;  but 
a  kind  Providence  conveyed  their  frail  canoe  in  safety  over 
the  reef,  and  it  was  washed  on  the  shore  of  the  very  island  to 
which  they  had  been  formerly  drifted.  They  had  been  there 
seven  months  when  my  vessel  called  and  brought  them  to 
Samoa. 

"  It  is  my  intention  shortly  to  convey  them  to  their  own 
land,  and  I  sincerely  hope,  as  they  have  embraced  the  Chris- 
tian religion  themselves,  they  will,  on  their  return  to  their  na- 
tive shore,  be  able  to  induce  their  fellow-countrymen  to  do  the 


ORIGIN    OF   THE    SANDWICH   ISLANDERS.   493 

same,  and  then  it  will  be  found  that  the  privations  and  dan- 
gers they  experienced  have  not  been  in  vain. 

**  J.  C.  Williams,  U.  S.  Consul. 
"  Vailele,  Feb.  18th,  1848." 

These  migratory  habits  of  the  Polynesians  afford  a  clew  to 
the  long-disputed  method  by  which  their  isjands  were  tenant- 
ed. This  method  is  clearly  shown  in  the  discriminating  lan- 
guage of  the  justly-lamented  Williams  : 

**  Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  the  distance  from  the  Malay 
coast  to  Tahiti,  the  Sandwich  and  other  islands.  That  dis- 
tance is  about  a  hundred  degrees,  or  seven  thousand  miles ; 
and  it  is  thought  to  have  been  impossible  for  the  natives  to 
perform  such  a  voyage  with  their  vessels  and  imperfect  knowl- 
edge of  navigation.  If  no  islands  intervened,  I  should  admit 
the  conclusiveness  of  this  objection ;  or,  if  we  were  to  assert 
that  they  came  direct  from  the  Malay  coast  to  islands  so  far 
east,  the  assertion  could  not  be  maintained.  But  if  we  can 
show  that  such  a  voyage  may  be  performed  by  very  short 
stages,  the  diflSculty  will  disappear. 

"  Suppose,  then,  that  the  progenitors  of  the  present  islanders 
had  started  from  the  Malay  coast  or  Sumatra,  what  would 
have  been  their  rout*  ?  By  sailing  five  degrees,  or  three  hun- 
dred miles,  they  would  reach  Borneo ;  then,  by  crossing  the 
Straits  of  Macassar,  which  are  only  about  two  hundred  miles 
wide,  they  would  arrive  at  the  Celebes.  These  are  eight  de- 
grees from  New  Guinea ;  but  the  large  islands  of  Bessey  and 
Coram  intervene.  The  distance  from  New  Guinea  to^  the 
New  Hebrides  is  twelve  hundred  miles,  but  the  islands  be- 
tween them  are  so  numerous  that  the  voyage  may  be  made 
by  short  and  easy  Stages.  Five  hundred  miles  from  the  New 
Hebrides  are  the  Fijis  ;  and  about  three  hundred  miles  farther 
on,  the  Friendly  Islands.  Another  stage  of  five  hundred  miles 
brings  you  to  the  Navigators ;  but  between  these  two  points 
three  other  groups  intervene.  From  the  Navigators  to  the 
Hervey  Islands  the  distance  is  about  seven  hundred  miles, 
and  fi:om  thence  to  the  Society  Group  about  four  hundred 


404  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

more.  Thus,  I  think,  every  difficulty  vanishes,  for  the  longest 
stage  in  the  voyage  from-  Sumatra  to  Tahiti  would  be  from 
the  Navigators  to  the  Hervey  group,  seven  hundred  miles ; 
and  the  Earotongans  themselves  say  that  their  progenitor, 
Elakira,  came  from  thence."* 

But  there  is  undoubted  testimony  that  mere  accident  has 
introduced  many  of  these  islanders  to  unknown  islands,  where 
they  lived  and  died,  and  have  given  place  to  their  own  descend- 
ants. Sometimes,  in  passing  from  one  island  to  another,  canoes 
filled  with  men  and  women  are  blown  out  to  sea  and  from  sight 
of  land.  Under  such  circumstances,  they  are  liable  to  wander 
about  on  the  bosom  of  the  deep,  and  either  perish  or  fall  in 
with  some  other  group  of  islands.  Numerous  instances  of 
this  kind  have  occurred  within  a  few  years  past.  Some  of 
them  have  been  compelled  to  forsake  their  homes  during  pe- 
riods of  savage  warfare.  Vessels,  having  lost  their  reckoning 
at  sea,  and  drifting  into  unknown  curronts,  have  been  carried 
into  unknown  seas,  and  wrecked  on  these  distant  islands,  or 
been  spoken  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 

In  1832,  a  Japanese  junk  came  ashore  on  the  island  of 
Oahu.  A  responsible  witness  of  this  event  says :  *'  The  Jap- 
anese of  whom  I  am  now  to  speak  made  the  shore  of  Oaliu 
in  a  junk,  and  anchored  near  the  harbcn:  at  Waialua,  on  the 
last  Sabbath  in  December,  1832.  They  cast  anchor  about 
mid-day,  and  were  soon  visited  by  a  canoe,  as  the  position  of 
the  junk,  being  anchored  near  a  reef  of  rocks,  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, indicated  distress.  Four  individuals  were  found 
on  board,  all  but  one  severely  afHicted  with  the  scurvy ;  two 
of  them  incapable  of  walking,  and  a  third  nearly  so.  The 
fourth  was  in  good  health,  and  had  the  almost  entire  manage- 
ment of  the  vessel.  This  distressed  company  had  been  out  at 
sea  ten  or  eleven  months,  without  water,  except  as  they  now 
and  then  obtained  rain  water  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel. 
Their  containers  for  water  were  few,  adapted  to  a  voyage  of 

*  ''A  Narrative  of  Missionary  Enterprise  in  the  South  Sea  Islands. 
By  John  Williams.'*  First  American  edition:  Appleton  and  Ca; 
New  York,  1887,  p.  50^  605. 


ORIGIN   OF   THE    SANDWICH  ISLANDERS.  495 

not  more  than  two  or  three  weeks.  The  junk  was  bound  from 
one  of  the  southern  islands  of  the  Japanese  group  to  Jeddo, 
laden  with  fish,  when  it  encountered  a  typhoon,  and  was  driven 
<mt  into  seas  altoge^er  unknown  to  those  on  board,  and,  after 
wandering  almost  a  year,  made  the  idand  of  Oahu. 

"  The  original  number  on  board  the  junk  was  nine ;  these 
were  reduced  by  disease  and  death,  induced  probably  by  want 
of  water  and  food,  to  four  only. 

#         #         #        ^#  #         #  #  # 

"  When  the  people  saw  the  junk,  and  learned  from  whence 
it  came,  they  said  it  was  plain  now  from  whence  they  them- 
selves originated.  They  had  supposed  before  that  they  could 
not  have  come  from  either  of  the  continents ;  but  now  they 
saw  a  people  much  resembling  themselves  in  person,  sfiid  in 
many  df  their  habits — a  people,  too,  who  came  to  their  islands 
without  designing  to  come.  They  said,  *  It  is  plain  now  that 
we  came  firom  Asia.'  "* 

"Later  still,  the  6th  of  June,  1839,  the  whale  ship  James 
Loper,  Captain  Cathcart,  fell  in  with  the  wreck  of  a  Japanese 
junk  in  lat.  30^  N.,  and  long.  174°  E.  from  Greenwich,  abqut 
midway  between  the  islands  of  Japan  and  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands. Seven  of  the  crew  were  rescued,  and  brought  to  these 
islands  the  ensuing  fall. 

*'  Again,  three  Japanese  sailors  were  rescued  from  a  wreck 
in  the  North  Pacific  (June  9th,  1840),  in  lat.  34°  N.,  long. 
174°  30^  E.,  more  than  2500  miles  from  their  homes.  They 
were  boimd  to  Jeddo,  and,  driven  beyond  their  port  by  a  west- 
erly gale,  had  been  drifting  about  for  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
cfne  days  when  found. "t 

The  antiquity  and  origin  of  the  Hawaiians,  in  common  with 
that  of  other  Polynesians,  are  confirmed  by  traditions  which  are 
peculiarly  Oriental  in  their  character.  They  have  a  tradition 
that  Mauiakalana,  one  of  their  gods,  went  to  the  sun,  and 
chased  his  beams  because  they  flew  so  rapidly ;  also,  that  he 
dragged  with  a  hook  these  islands  from  Maui  to  Kaula,  tow- 

*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  i,  p.  297,  299. 
f  Dibble's  History,  pp.  12, 18. 


406  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

ing  them  afler  a  canoe,  and  had  those  in  the  canoe  landed 
safe  at  Hilo,  Hawaii,  then  all  the  islands  of  the  gioup  would 
have  been  united  in  one ;  but  one  of  the  company  looking  be- 
hind him,  the  hook  broke,  and  the  expected  union  &iled  of  its 
consummation.  It  is  said,  also,  that  he  searched  for  fiie,  and 
fi)und  it  in  the  aloe  (burning  forehead,  the  name  of  a  bird  whoee 
upper  mandible  is  of  broad  expansion,  and  a  bright  red  color). 

The  cosmogony  of  other  Polynesians  is  acknowledged  to 
have  had  its  origin  in  the  will  and«  actions  of  beings  whom 
they  denominated  gods. 

''  As  to  the  mythology  of  the  Fijians,  it  is  a  tradition  amcHig 
them  that  the  world  was  made  by  Ndegei  or  Tenge,  the  chief 
of  the  gods.  He  is  partly  a  serpent  and  partly  a  stone,  and 
dwells  in  one  of  their  high  mountains.  He  has  a  son  who  is 
mediator  between  his  &ther  and  inferior  spirits.  The  Sons  of 
the  gods  in  Samoa  also  formerly  acted  as  mediators."* 

The  Hawaiians  have  a  tradition  of  the  flood,  in  which  dis- 
tinct allusion  is  made  to  the  ark,  a  laau — not  a  canoe  or  ship, 
but  something  that  floated — ^the  height,  and  length,  and 
breadth  of  which  were  equal,  containing  men,  and  also  an- 
imals, and  food  in  great  abundance.  The  name  of  Noah  fre- 
quently occurs  in  their  traditions. 

The  Fijians  refer  to  the  same  catastrophe.  They  have  a 
tradition  of  a  flood  in  which  the  natives  were  saved  in  two 
canoes  made  by  the  carpenters'  god. 

Hawaiian  tradition  says  that  man  was  originally  made  of 
the  dust  of  the  earth  by  Kane  and  Kanaloa,  two  of  their  prin- 
cipal deities. 

A  very  singular  tradition  exists  among  the  Fijians.  They 
firmly  believe  that  Mautu,  the  son  of  Ndegei,  and  the  medi- 
ator above  mentioned,  first  made  a  human  figure  of  clay ;  but 
the  female  was  made  first.  By  this  pair  the  islands  were 
peopled.  The  Samoan  tradition  is,  that  the  son  of  their  great 
god  Tangaloa,  by  his  father's  order,  formed  the  first  human 
pair  out  of  the  bodies  of  two  worms,  and  took  life  for  them 
down  from  heaven. 

*  Samoan  Reporter,  March,  1848. 


^THEORY  SUSTAINED  BY  CUSTOMS.  407 

The  Oriental  origin  of  the  Hawaiians  is  plainly  seen  in  their 
liabits  and  customs. 

They  ofiered  their  first-fruits  to  the  gods. 

The  Samoans  did  the  same. 

Among  the  Hawaiians,  till  the  arrival  of  the  missionaries, 
the  practice  of  circumcision  was  common.  The  act  was  at- 
tended with  religious  ceremonies,  and  performed  by  a  priest. 
An  uncircumcised  person  was  considered  mean  and  despicable. 
The  practice  did  not  cease  till  formally  prohibited  by  Kaahu- 

MANU. 

The  Samoans  have  a  practice  answering  the  same  purpose. 

Every  person  and  thing  that  touched  a  dead  body  was  con- 
sidered unclean,  and  continued  so  a  certain  season,  and  till 
purified  by  rehgious  ceremonies. 

The  same  purifications  were  enjoined  upon  the  Jews  under 
the  Levitical  priesthood. 

Females  after  child-birth,  and  after  other  periods  of  infirm- 
ity, were  enjoined  strict  separation,  and  were  subjected  to  cer- 
emonies of  purification,  similar  to  those  of  the  Jews,  on  pen- 
alty of  death. 

The  Hawaiians  had  eities  of  refuge  for  the  same  purpose, 
and  imder  similar  regulations  with  those  of  the  Jews. 

In  referring  to  Simiatra,  Marsden  says : 

"  Mothers  carry  the  children,  not  on  the  arm,  as  our  nurses 
do,  but  straddling  on  the  hip.  #  #  #  *  * 
This  practice,  I  have  been  told,  is  common  in  some  parts  of 
Wales.  It  is  much  safer  than  the  other  method,  less  tiresome 
to  the  nurse,  and  the  child  has  the  advantage  of  sitting  in  a 
less  constrained  posture.  But  the  defedsive  armor  of  stays, 
and  ofiensive  weapons  called  pins,  might  be  some  objection  to 
the  general  introduction  of  the  fisLshion  in  England.  The  chil- 
dren are  nursed  but  Httle ;  not  confined  by  any  swathing  or 
bandages ;  and  being  sufiered  to  roll  about  the  floor,  soon  learn 
to  walk  and  shift  for  themselves." — History  of  Svmatra,  3d 
edition,  p.  285. 

Precisely  the  same  custom  applies  to  the  Hawaiian  women 
at  this  day. 


408  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

The  physical  oiganization  of  the  Sandwich  IslanderB  proves 
them  to  belong  to  the  great  Malayan  family,  so  widely  scat- 
tered over  the  vast  Pacific.  They  are  of  a  Gipsy,  or  brown 
color,  tall,  as  a  general  thing,  and  well  made,  having  agreea- 
able  features.  In  disposition  they  are  cheerful,  good-hmnor- 
ed,  and  hospitable,  bat  fickle,  and  often  acting  wi^  petty  cun- 
ning, hypocrisy,  or  selfishness  to  gain  their  purposes.  In  these 
traits  there  is  a  close  afi^ty  with  other  grou{)s,  but  in  hon- 
esty they  are  certainly  sup^or  to  most.  The  afiinity  and 
derivation  of  natives  are  ascertained  chiefly  by  resemblances 
in  person,  language,  manners,  custcmis,  and  religion. 

But  language  is  the  chief  medium  through  which  it  may 
be  decided,  not  only  that  the  groups  stretching  fiiom  Easter 
Island  in  the  east,  to  the  borders  of  the  Papuan  tribes  of  the 
New  Hebrides,  &c.,  in  the  west,  and  finam  New  Zealand  in 
the  south,  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  north,  are  peopled 
by  jBjces  having  a  common  parentage,  but  that  all  these  races 
have  also  a  common  origin  with  the  Malays. 

"  Languages,  as  intellectual  creations  of  man,  and  as  close- 
ly interwoven  with  the  development  of  mind,  are,  independ- 
ently of  the  national  £mn  which  they  exhibit,  of  the  greatest 
importance  in  the  recognition  of  similarities  or  difierences  in 
races.  This  importance  is  especially  owing  to  the  clew  which 
a  community  of  descent  aflbrds  in  treading  that  mysterious  lab- 
yrinth in  which  the  connection  of  physical  powers  and  intel- 
lectual forces  manifests  itself  in  a  thousand  difierent  forms."* 
Language  can  not  utter  falsehoods,  therefore  it  is  the  best 
guide  to  the  primitive  traduction  of  tribes  and  nations. 

One  of  the  ablest  works  ever  published,  describing  the  hab- 
its, customs,  origin,  and  language  of  the  Polynesians,  was 
written  by  Dr.  J.  D.  Lang,  when  Principal  of  the  Australian 
College,  Sydney.  In  discussing  the  theme  of  language,  he 
says: 

"  The  Polynesian  branches  of  that  ancient  language  doubt- 
less bear  a  closer  resemblance  to  each  other  than  to  the  dia- 
lects of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  but  this  is  just  what  might 
*  "CosmoB,"  voL  i,  p.  867. 


•    EVIDENCE   OF  THEIR  ORIGIN.  499 

have  been  expected  from  the  comparative  isolation  of  the 
South  Sea  Islands  on  the  one  hand,  and  from  the  vicinity  of 
the  Indian  Archipelago  to  the  vast  continent  of  Asia  on  the 
other. 

"  The  modem  language  of  the  Malays  abounds  in  Arabic 
words,  introduced,  along  with  the  Mohammedan  delusion,  by 
the  Moors  of  the  Mogul  empire.  It  abounds  also  in  Sanscrit 
vocables — ^the  evidences  and  remains  of  the  ancient  inter- 
course of  the  nation  with  the  Hindoos  of  Western  India.  The 
former  or  more  recent  of  these  foreign  admixtures,  compared 
with  the  rest  of  the  language,  presents  the  appearance  of  a 
number  of  quartz  pebbles  imbedded  in  a  sheet  of  ice,  their 
edges  rough  and  broken,  and  their  general  aspect  exhibiting 
nothing  in  common  with  the  homogeneous  mass  into  which 
they  have  been  frozen.  The  result  of  the  latter  or  more  an- 
cient of  these  admixtures,  in  consequence  of  the  more  liquid 
character  of  the  Sanscrit  language,  resembles  a  compound 
fluid,  homogeneous  in  appearance,  but  differing  essentially, 
however,  from  each  of  the  simple  ingredients  of  which  it  is 
composed.  But  the  skeleton  of  the  language — ^its  bones  and 
sinews,  so  to  speak— consists  of  the  ancient  Malayan  or  Poly- 
nesian tongue."* 

As  an  iUiistration  of  his  arguments,  the  same  author  brings 
forward  a  comparative  vocabulary,  from  which  a  few  exam- 
ples will  be  sufficient.  Some  of  the  words  are  identical,  while 
the  difference  in  others  is  so  slight  that  their  identity  can  be 
easily  traced : 


EngUsh. 

Polynesian. 

Malay. 

The  eye. 

Mata  (universally), 

Mata  (universally). 

Toeat^ 

Maa  (strong  guttural), 

Macan  (Javanese,  Man- 
gan> 

To  kill, 

Mate,     ' 

Mate. 

A  bird. 

Manu, 

Manuck). 

Fiflh, 

Tka, 

Ika  (Javanese,  Iwa). 

"  View  of  the  Origin  and  Migrations  of  the  Polynesian  Nation. 
By  John  Dunmore  Lan^,  D.D."  London:  James  Ooohran  <&  Ca, 
18H  P*  23-25. 

S 


410 


SANDWICH  ISLANP  NOTES. 


En^iah. 

Polynesian. 

Malay. 

A  louse, 

Outou, 

Coutou. 

Kain, 

Euwa, 

Udian. 

Water, 

Wai  or  Vai, 

Vai  (Ambronese). 

The  foot. 

Tapao, 

Tapaan. 

Anmsqtiitov 

Kammon, 

Gnammnck. 

To  scratch. 

Heam, 

GariL 

CoccoB  roots, 

Taro  and  Talc, 

TaUas, 

Hog, 

Buaa, 

Buia  (Achinese). 

Inland, 

Uta, 

Ftan. 

Name, 

Ingoa, 

Ingoa. 

Hair, 

Hnra, 

Bu  (Island  of  Savii). 

Rre, 

Auai,  obsolete  Apoaia 
(TahitianX 

Apuai  (Achinese). 

Man, 

Ora  (guttural,  Tab.), 

•  Orang.* 

Gentleman, 

Rangatira  (K  ZealU), 

Belationghip  is  clearly  expressed,  and  ccnnpoimd  words  or 
ideas  are  farmed  in  the  Chinese  and  Malayan  languages  m^oely 
by  the  contiguous  arrangement  of  certain  primitive  words,  thus : 


Chinese. 
Tao,              Head. 

Ka-too,          Head(LSav.). 

Tao-faa,        Hair  of  the  head. 

Ru-katoo,       Hair  of  the  head. 

Sao,               Hand. 
Sao-tchee,     Finger. 

Mata,             Eye. 
Mata  orang,  Man's  eye. 

In  some  instances  there  is  a  similarity  of  use  of  the  parti- 

cles in  both  languages,  in  others  they  are  identical,  thus : 

Chinese. 
Y  ko  nyan,            A  man. 

Polynesian. 
E  manu,-              A  bicd. 

Y  ko  chu,               A  tree. 

E  ko  nai.              The  chin. 

Ko  tyan.                The  heeL 

Kotiro,                 A  girL 

Sounds  both  similar  and  peculiar  abound  in  both  languages : 

Chinese. 

Thai,                     Sea. 

Polynesitti. 
Tai,                      The  sea. 

Yu,                         Eain. 

Ua,                       Rain. 

Tong,                     East 
Ngau,                     Bite. 
Ko  tsau.                 Blood. 

Tonga,                 East 
Kgau,                   Bite. 
Toto,                    Blo^t 

*  "  View  of  the  Origin  and  Migrations  of  the  Polynesian  Nation. 
By  John  Dunmore  Lang,  D.D."  London :  James  Cochran  A  Ca, 
1884,  p.  22.  f  Ibid,  p.  47. 


THEIR  PAST  AND  PRESENT   CONDITION.  411 

But  not  only  does  the  Polynesian  manifest  a  close  affinity 
i^th  the  Oriental,  it  is  similar  in  all  its  hranches  : 

"  To  a  person  famihar  with  any  one  of  the  dialects,  it  he- 
comes  apparent  at  once,  on  a  very  slight  acquaintance  with 
the  other,  that  they  all  have  the  same  root.  As  the  voyager, 
acquainted  with  any  one  of  the  dialects,  passes  from  one  group 
of  islands  to  another,  though  thousands  of  miles  of  unhroken 
-waters  he  between,  he  feels  that  he  is  still  among  a  people  of 
gubstantially  the  same  tongue ;  being  able  to  converse  with 
one  branch  of  the  numerous  £unily,  he  finds  httle  difficulty  in 
introdudng  himself  to  all  the  rest.  Some  of  the  South  Sea 
missionaries,  being  well  acquainted  with  the  language  of  Ta- 
hiti, can  converse  with  considerable  ease  with  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Friendly,  Navigator,  Austral,  Permotu,  Marquesan,  and 
Sandwich  groups,  although  their  only  opportunity  for  acquiring 
a  knowledge  of  these  several  dialects  is  an  occasional  visit  to 
their  shores,  and  an  interview  now  and  then  with  a  wander- 
ing native."* 

After  glancing  at  the  origin  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders,  it 
becomes  an  interesting  duty  to  examine  their  social,  pohtical, 
and  religious  condition,  past  and  present. 

The  first  feature  that  calls  the  attention  to  the  past  is  tkeir 
sodai  condition,  and  a  darker  picture  can  hardly  be  present- 
ed to  the  contemplation  of  man.  They  had  their  firequent 
boxing-matches  on  a  pubhc  arena,  and  it  was  nothing  uncom- 
mon to  see  thirty  or  forty  left  dead  on  the  field  of  contest. 

As  gamhUrSy  they  were  inveterate.  The*  game  was  in- 
dulged in  by  every  person,  firom  the  king  of  each  island  to  the 
meanest  of  his  subjects.  The  wager  accompanied  every  scene 
of  pubhc  amusement.  They  gambled  away  their  property  to 
the  last  vestige  of  all  they  possessed.  They  staked  every  ar- 
ticle of  food,  their  growing  orops,  the  clothes  they  wore,  their 
lands,  wives,  daughters,  and  even  the  very  bones  of  their  arms 
and  legs — ^to  be  made  into  fish-hooks  ailer  they  were  dead. 
These  steps  led  to  the  most  absolute  and  crushing  poverty. 

They  had  their  dances,  which  were  of  such  a  character  a« 
*  Hawaiiaii  Speetaetor,  vol !.,  p  289. 


412  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

not  to  be  conceived  of  by  a  civilized  mind,  and  were  accom- 
panied by  scenes  which  would  have  disgraced  even  Neeo's 
revels.  Nearly  every  night,  with  the  gathering  darkness, 
crowds  would  retire  to  some  favorite  spot,  where,  amid  every 
species  of  sensual  indulgence,  they  would  revel  until  the  mean- 
ing twilight.  At  such  times  the  chiefs  would  lay  aside  their 
authority,  and  mingle  with  the  lowest  courtesan  in  every  de- 
gree of  debauchery. 

Thefts,  robberies,  murders,  infanticide,  licentiousness  of  the 
most  debased  and  debasing  character,  burying  their  infirm  and 
aged  parents  alive,  desertion  of  the  sick,  revolting  crueltieB  to 
the  unfortunate  maniac,  cannibalism,  and  drunkenness,  form  a 
list  of  some  of  the  traits  in  social  life  among  the  Hawaiians  in 
past  days. 

Their  drunkenness  was  intense.  They  could  prepare  a 
drink,  deadly  intoxicating  in  its  nature,  &om  a  mountain  plant 
called  the  dvxi  {Piper  methysticum),  A  bowl  of  this  disgust- 
ing hquid  was  always  pxepared  and  served  out  just  as  a  party 
of  chiefs  were  sitting  down  to  their  meals.  It  would  some- 
times send  the  victim  into  a  slumber  from  which  he  never 
awoke.  The  confirmed  atoa  drinker  could  be  immediately 
recognized  by  his  leprous  appearance. 

But  by  far  the  darkest  feature  in  their  social  condition  was 
seen  in  the  family  relation.  Society y  however,  is  only  a  word 
of  mere  accommodation,  designed  to  express  domestic  relations 
as  they  then  existed. 

"  Society  was,  indeed,  siich  a  sea  of  pollution  as  can  not 
well  be  described.  Marriage  was  unknown,  and  all  the  sa- 
cred feelings  which  are  suggested  to  our  minds  on  mention  of 
the  various  social  relations,  such  as  husband  and  wife,  parent 
and  child,  brother  and  sister,  were  to  than,  indeed,  as  lliough 
they  had  no  existence.  There  was,  indeed,  in  this  respect,  a 
dreary  blank — a  dark  chasm  from  which  the  soul  instinctive- 
ly recoils.  There  were,  perhaps,  some  customs  which  imposed 
some  httle  restraint  upon  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes,  but  those 
customs  were  easily  dispensed  with,  and  had  nothing  of  the 
force  of  established  rules.     It  was  common  for  a  husband  to 


THEIR   PAST  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION.  413 

have  many  wives,  and  for  a  wife  also  to  have  many  husbands. 
The  nearest  ties  of  consanguinity  were  but  little  regarded, 
and,  among  the  chiefs  especially,  the  connection  of  brotllfer 
with  sister,  and  parent  with  child,  were  very  common.  For 
husbands  to  interchange  wives,  and  for  wives  to  interchange 
husbands,  was  a  common  act  of  friendship,  and  persons  who 
would  not  do  this  were  not  considered  on  good  terms  of  socia- 
biUty.  For  a  man  or  woman  to  refuse  a  sohcitation  fi)r  iUicit 
intercourse  was  considered  an  act  of  meanness ;  and  so  thor- 
oughly was  this  sentiment  wrought  into  their  minds,  that,  even 
to  the  present  day,  they  seem  not  to  rid  themselves  of  the  feel- 
ing of  meanness  in  making  a  refusal.  When  a  solicitation  is 
made,  th^  seem  to  imagine,  or,  at  least,  to  feel,  notwithstand- 
ing their  better  knowledge,  that  to  comply  is  generous,  Uberal, 
and  social,  and  that  to  refuse  is  reproachful  and  niggardly.""*^ 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  or  specify  the  crimes 
which  emanated  from  this  state  of  afiairs. 

Their  pohtical  condition  was  the  very  genius  of  despotism, 
systematically  and  deliberately  conducted.  Kinga  and  chiefe 
were  extremely  jealous  of  their  succession,  and  the  more  noble 
their  blood,  the  more  they  were  venerated  by  the  common  peo- 
ple. The  Egyptian  Pharaohs  and  the  Eoman  0  jeisars  never 
employed  more  studied  precautions  to  compel  the  entire  sub- 
mission of  their  subjects,  than  the  kings  and  chiefs  of  Hawaii 
did  to  secure  the  unreserved  obedience  of  their  own  people. 
The  will  of  the  high  chief  was  a  law  firom  which  there  was 
no  appeal.  He  could  decide  all  cases  of  disputation,  levy  tax- 
es, and  proclaim  war,  just  as  best  suited  his  purposes,  and  none 
but  the  royal  counselors  were  permitted  to  take  the  least  ex- 
ception. During  their  life,  they  were  approached  with  the 
most  absolute  veneration ;  and  after  death,  they  were  dei- 
fied and  worshiped. 

But  the  condition  of  afiairs  could  not  be  difierent,  for  the 

character  of  the  govemriient  was  strictly  feu^Ud.     A  system 

of  landlordism  existed,  decreasing  in  subserviency  until  it 

reached  the  monarch,  whom  it  left  an  absolute  lord.     This 

*  Dibble's  History,  p.  126»  127. 


414  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

syBtem  was  originated  and  sustained  by  war.  The  victors  al- 
ways seized  the  lands  of  the  vanquished,  and  then  gave  them 
ti^their  fbUowers.  If  a  king,  or  chief^  or  sub-landlord,  when 
passing  through  his  district,  happened  to  see  a  fine  £a7%>-patch, 
a  hog,  a  mat,  or  a  calabash,  that  suited  his  ideas,  he  had  only 
to  claim  it,  and  it  became  his  own.  If  they  wished  to  build 
a  house,  cultivate  a  tract  of  land,  turn  a  water-course,  or  ^neet 
a  tem^  £>r  the  gods,  they  had  only  to  snnwnon  die  people 
firom  a  district,  the  entire  island,  or  a  neighboring  island,  aad 
the  work  was  speedily  accomplished.  To  refuse  to  obey  Hie 
summons  was  to  insure  instant  death.  There  were  no  courts 
of  justice,  no  trials  by  jury,  no  fixed  laws,  either  oral  or  writ- 
ten. The  property,  tl^  services,  the  life,  and  almost  the  souls 
of  the  people,  were  claimed  by  their  rulers. 

But  the  broadest  and  most  gloomy  page  of  their  past  histor 
ry  is  that  which  records  their  religious  condition.  It  was  a 
imity  of  Church  and  State.  The  two  heads  of  the  nation 
were  the  king  and  priest,  but  the  hierarch  was  paramount. 
There  was  a  reciprocity  of  sacerdotal  and  kingly  power :  the 
first  i«omised  the  fiwor  of  the  gods,  the  latter  the  suj^Kirt  of 
the  spears  hurled  by  banded  warriors.  The  paramount  claims 
of  the  hierarch  soon  found  a  solid  suj^rt  in  the  foimdatioii 
of  the  most  hellish  system — the  Inquisitioii  of  the  "  Hdy  (?) 
See''  exc^yted ! — ^that  has  ever  cursed  fisdlen  humanity.  This 
was  the  U^  system.*  It  had  its  oaigin  in  hist.  Its  subse- 
quent support  was  in  the  shedding  of  human  blood.  Sadly 
and  darkly  the  tale  is  told  by  their  own  historians. 

**  When  HooHOKUKALANi  had  become  large  and  fidr,  and 
her  father  pero^ved  that  she  was  a  beauty,. he  cbsired  to  &ar 
joy  her  society  unobserved  by  his  wife ;  Imt  his  plans  £»  this 
purpose  proving  unsuccessful,  he  inquired  of  his  priest  how  he 
might  elude  observation,  at  the  same  time  aj^rising  him  c^ 
his  reasons  £ot  wishing  to  do  so.  The  priest  readied, '  If  it 
would  gratify  you  to  comxmt  incest,  we  will  appoint  certain 
nights  to  be  consecrated  for  you,  in  which  you  must  dwell 
separate  firom  Papa  ;  and  other  nights  must  be  appropriated 
^  Bettricti&ii  or  proh^ithn. 


THEIR  PAST  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION.  415 

to  her  also,  whea  it  shall  not  be  proper  even  for  her  husband 
to  appear  in  her  presence. 

*  *  #  «  *  * 

'* '  I  win  announce  to  you  both  that  this  is  by  divine  ap- 
pointm^it,  and  when  Papa  hears  that  such  is  the  pleasure  of 
the  gods,  she  will  readily  acquiesce.  This  is  one  step — ^with- 
draw yourself,  and  eat  not  with  her.  This  is  another— con- 
secrate as  sacred  to  the  gods  a  part  of  the  fish,  and  food,  and 
beasts.  Furthermore,  let  temples  be  built  foi  the  deities — &i 
Ku,  for  Lono,  £)r  Kane,  and  Kanaloa ;  also  £)r  the  Hbrty  thou- 
sand of  gods,  and  £>r  the  four  hundred  thousands ;  and,  lastly, 
of  every  thing  obtained  by  the  hand  of  man,  let  the  fjcst-firuits 
be  devoted  to  the  deities.' 

"  When  the  preceding  outline  was  well  digested  in  their 
minds,  Wakea  visited  Papa,  and  related  it  fiilly  to  her,  giving 
her  to  understand  that  it  was  wholly  the  revelation  of  a  priest 
to  him-— concealing  his  own  part  in  the  afiair — ^to  all  which 
Papa  cordially  assented  ;  whereupon  her  husband  returned  to 
hk  confederate  to  in£)rm  him  of  her  acquiescence. 

#  #  *  #  #  * 

'*'  On  the  second  of  the  tabu  nights,  Wakea  accomplished 
his  desire  with  HooHCMroKALANi. 

"  The  priest  agreed  that  in  the  course  of  his  prayers  the 
next  morning  he  would  wake  up  Wakea.  So,  when  he  saw 
the  day  breaking,  he  commenced  his  devotions,  and  on  pro- 
nouncing that  part  of  the  service  which  was  designed  to  arouse 
Wakea,  he  did  not  hear,  fi)r  he  slept  very  soundly.  The  sun 
hastened  up,  the  sleeper  awoke,  covered  his  head  with  kapa, 
saUied  forth,  and  walked  rapidly  that  Papa  might  not  see  him. 
But  she  did  see  him,  and  knew  what  he  had  done,  and  was 
angry,  and  wait  to  him  and  beat  him.  Wakea  took  hold  of 
her  and  led  her  gently  our  of  doors ;  but  she  would  not  be 
pacified.  He  then  dragged  her  to  another  place,  where  they 
discussed  the  question  of  their  separation,  an  event  which  ac- 
tually followed.  That  day  Wakea  prohibited  Papa  from  eat- 
ing pork,  and  bananas,  and  cocoa-nuts ;  also  certain  kinds  of 
fish ;  also  the  turtle  and  tortoise.''* 

•  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  i,  p.  216,  217. 


416  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

Ab  the  tabu  system  expanded  and  strengthened,  it  imposed 
restrictions  on  every  act,  word,  and  thought ;  it  covered  every 
article  of  food,  and  related  to  every  act  of  religious  worship ; 
it  was  so  ficamed,  that  it  was  ahsolutely  impossihle  not  to  vio- 
late its  bloody  requirements ;  its  mandates  even  entered  the 
sanctuaries  of  families,  and  imposed  a  heavy  restriction  upcm 
the  rights  of  men  and  women.  When  a  couple  entered  the 
marriage  state,  the  man  must  build  an  eating-house  for  him- 
self) another  for  his  god,  another  for  a  dormitory,  another  for 
his  wife  to  eat  in,  and  another  in  which  to  beat  kapa :  these 
fi>ur  the  men  had  to  build.  In  addition  to  this,  he  had  food 
to  provide ;  then  he  heated  the  oven  and  baked  for  his  wife ; 
then  he  heated  the  oven  and  baked  for  himself;  then  he  open- 
ed the  oven  containing  his  wife's  tarOy  and  pounded  it ;  then 
he  performed  the  same  operation  on  his  own.  The  husband 
ate  in  his  house,  and  the  wife  ate  in  hers.  They  did  not  eat 
together,  lest  they  should  be  slain  lor  violating  the  tabu. 

A  tabu  existed  in  relation  to  idols.  The  gods  of "  the  chiefi 
and  common  people  were  of  wood.  If  one  made  his  idol  of 
an  apple-tree,  the  apple-tree  was  afterward  tabu  to  him.  So 
of  all  the  trees  of  which  idols  were  made.  So,  too,  of  articles 
of  food.  K  one  employed  taro  as  an  object  of  his  idolatry,  to 
him  the  taro  became  sacred,  and  might  not  be  eaten  by  him. 
Thus  it  was  with  every  object  of  which  a  god  was  made. 
Birds  were  objects  of  worship.  If  a  hen,  the  hen  was  to  him 
sacred.  So  of  all  the  birds  which  were  deified.  Beasts  were 
objects  of  worship.  If  a  hog,  the  hog  was  sacred  to  him  who 
chose  it  for  his  god.  So,  too,  of  all  quadrupeds  of  which  gods 
were  made.  Stones  were  objects  of  worship,  and  tabUy  so 
that  one  might  not  sit  on  them.  Fish  were  idoHzed.  If  one 
adopted  the  shark  as  his  god,  to  him  the  shark  was  sacred. 
So,  also,  of  all  fish ;  so  of  all  things  in  heaven  and  earth :  even 
the  bones  of  men  were  transformed  into  objects  of  worship." 

A  tabu  was  imposed  on  such  accidental  events  as  it  was 
impossible  for  the  common  people  to  avoid.  Hence,  if  the 
shadow  of  a  common  man  fell  on  a  chief — ^if  he  went  into  a 
chief's  yard — ^if  he  put  on  a  kapa  or  malo  of  the  chief,  or 


THEIR  PAST  AND   PRESENT  CONDITION.  4I7 

wore  the  chief's  consecrated  mat,  or  if  he  went  upon  the 
chief's  house,  it  was  death  !  So,  if  he  stood  when  the  king's 
hathing-water,  or  ka'pa^  or  mcdo  were  carried  along,  or  when 
the  king's  name  were  mentioned  in  song,  or  if  he  walked  in 
the  shade  of  a  chief's  housa  with  his  head  hesmeared  with 
clay,  or  with  a  wreath  round  it,  or  wearing  a  kwpa  mantle, 
or  with  his  head  wet,  it  was  certain  death ! 

There  were  many  other  ofienses  of  the  people  which  were 
made  capital  hy  the  chiefs  and  priests.  Ka  woman  ate  pork,  co- 
coa-nuts, bananas,  a  eertain  kind  offish,  or  lobster,  it  was  death. 
To  be  found  in  a  canoe  on  a  tcHm  day  was  death.  If  a  man 
committed  a  crime,  he  died ;  if  he  was  irreligious,  he  died ;  if 
he  indulged  in  connubial  pleasures  on  a  tolm  day,  or  if  he  made 
the  slightest  noise  while  prayers  were  saying,  he  had  to  die. 

While  the  common  people  could  commit  no  crime  under 
penalty  of  death,  the  priests  did  as  they  pleased. 

"  When  one  deemed  it  desirable  that  a  temple  should  be 
built,  he  applied  to  the  king,  who  commanded  the  natives  to 
construct  it ;  which  being  done,  the  king  and  priest  were  sa- 
cred ;  and  on  the  day  when  a  log  of  wood  was  obtained  for  a 
god,  a  man  was  sacnrificed  in  order  to  impart  power  to  the 
wooden  deity.  When  sacrifices  were  ofiered,  men  were  slain 
and  laid  upon  the  altar  with  swine ;  if  a  fish  proper  for  an 
ofiering  could  not  be  obtained,  a  man  was  sacrificed  in  its 
stead ;  and  human  victims  were  required  on  other  occasions." 

The  king  and  the  priest  were  much  alike,  and  they  consti- 
tuted the  main  burden  of  the  nation.  If  a  temple  had  to  be 
built,  the  entire  burden  fell  on  the  people ;  and  when  it  was 
erected,  they  had  to  find  levies  of  firuits,  fish,  hogs,  fowls,  Tear 
faSy  and  other  articles  for  sustaining  the  service  ofiered  to  the 
gods.  When  human  sacrifices  were  needed,  the  priest  had 
only  to  look  at  the  king,  and  say,  "  Let  there  be  men  for  the 
god."  The  king  consented.  "  Let  there  be  land  for  the  god." 
The  king  consented.  "  Let  there  be  a  house  for  the  god." 
The  king  consented.  Then  the  priest  addressed  the  king 
again,  "  Let  a  hog  be  hung  up  for  the  god ;  the  thigh  for  the 
god,  the  head  for  the  god ;  let  there  be  certain  fish  for  the 

S2 


418  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES, 

god — the  fiiBt  fish  for  the  god."  The  king  conseEted.  Then 
the  priest  proceeded,  •*  Let  the  land  ef  the  priest  be  sacred — 
firee  firom  taxes ;  let  the  wife  of  the  priest  be  sacred — ^no  erne 
using  fireedom  with  her ;  let  the  house  of  the  priest  be  sacred — 
no  one  wantonly  entering  it ;  in  short,  let  all  that  belongs  to 
the  priest  be  in  safety."  * 

The  time  would  fail,  and  so  would  the  ready's  patience, 
under  a  third  of  what  could  be  ^oiumerated  relative  to  the 
withering  curses,  the  crushing  despotisms,  which  emanated 
fiKHU  this  union  of  pagan  kings  and  pagttn  priests.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  wrongs  are  forgotten,  or  they  repose  in  Hie 
graves  of  past  generatimis. 

But  it  is  time  we  turned  fix>m  thesd  dark  reahties  to  exam- 
ine the  conditkm  of  the  Hawaiian  people  in  1853.  Of  this 
condition  the  reader  will  be  able  to  form  his  own  conclusions 
from  what  has  been  s^d  in  the  previous  pagea  of  this  volume; 
Although  ecclesiastical  law  is  paramount  at  this  day,  as  it 
was  in  the  days  of  old,  still  no  man  can  sustain  the  assertion, 
80  firequently  made,  '*  that  the  people  are  worse  off  than  for- 
merly they  were,  and  that  no  good  has  been  achieved."  This 
language  is  utterly  Utopian,  and  will  not  staled  the  stem  test 
of  truth.  If  I  may  be  permitted  to  advance  my  own  feeble 
testimony,  I  am  bold  to  say  that  there  has  been  a  change,  and 
that  change  has  heenfar  the  best/  I  have  stood  on  the  very 
altars  where  men,  as  good  as  mysdf,  were  once  immolated  to 
imaginary  gods;  I  have  climbed  the  ruined  walls  of  temples 
which  once  c<»itained  thousands  of  superstitiGUS  devotees ;  I 
have  handled  some  of  the  dust  of  human  bones  that  were  once 
burned  at  the  back  of  those  time-w(»ni  altars.  In  such  po- 
sitions, I  have  pondered  over  the  scenes  of  by-gone  years,  and 
have  thought  of  the  joabm^its  whidi  then  suiix)unded  me-— the 
ever-glorious  sunlight,  the  vacated  temples,  the  victimless  al- 
tars, the  grave-like  silence,  the  departed  priests,  the  dispersed 
worshipers — and  it  seemed  as  though  I  could  hear,  in  loud 
trumpet-tones,  speeding  over  the  entire  aichipdago,  the  spirit 
of  what  had  occurred  ^^^e  the  first  Protestant  missionary  set 
his  feot  on  their  shores ; 


THEIR  PAST  AND  PRESENT  CONDITION.  419 
"  LmoLmo  is  king,  the  islands  aee  at  peace,  the  tabu 

SYSTEM  IS  NO  MORE,  THE  GODS  ARE   DESTKOTED,  AND  THE  TEM- 
PLES ARE  DEMOLISHED.'' 

Yenly  there  has  been  a  change !  and  that  change  has  been 
great,  and  he  who  denies  it  insults  his  own  intelligence  and 
ignores  the  evidence  of  common  sense.  In  this  connection,  the 
opinion  of  such  a  man  as  Hon.  B.  0.  Wyllie  can  not  fail  to 
be  respected.  After  a  residence  of  several  years  at  the  isl- 
ands, he  j&ankly  expressed  himself  thus : 

"  Whatever  faults  may  attach  to  the  government  (and  I 
would  not  deny  that  it  may  have  many),  the  experience  of  the 
last  thirty-two  years  shows  that  it  possesses  within  itself  the 
means  of  self-improvement,  and  that  in  the  aboHtion  of  idola- 
try, the  reformation  of  immoral  and  superstitious  usages,  the 
extinction  of  feudal  privileges  oppressive  to  the  poor,  the  dif- 
fusion of  religion  and  education ;  the  establishment  of  a  free 
religious  toleration,  the  consoUdation  of  a  free  Constitution  of 
king,  nobles,  and  representatives  of  the  people,  and  the  cod- 
ification of  useful  laws,  the  Hawaiian  people  have  made  more 
progress  as  a  nation  than  what  ancient  or  modem  history  re- 
cords of  any  pec^le  beginning  their  career  in  absolute  barbar- 
ism."* 

In  all  probabiHty,  the  genius  of  the  Constitution  is  the  best 
comment  on  national  progress.  Those  sections  which  relate 
to  hberty  of  conscience  are  worthy  of  the  most  enlightened 
nation.  The  first  Constitution  of  tiie  Hawaiian  kingdom  was 
adopted  on  the  8th  of  October,  1840.  The  second  article  sol- 
emnly declares  that  "  all  men,  of  every  religion,  shall  be  pro- 
tected in  worshiping  Jehovah,  and  serving  him  according  to 
their  own  understanding,  but  no  man  shall  ever  be  punished 
for  neglect  of  God,  unless  he  injures  his  neighbor  or  brings 
evil  on  the  kingdom." 

The  new  laws  of  Kamehameha  IH.,  §  6  of  Part  IV.,  second 
act,  provides  as  follows : 

"  All  men  residing  in  this  kingdom  shall  be  allowed  freely 
to  worship  the  God  of  the  Christian  Bible  according  to  the  die- 
*  Aimual  Report  of  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations^  1851. 


420  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

tates  of  their  own  consciences,  and  this  sacied  privilege  shall 
never  be  infringed  upon.  Any  disturbance  of  religious  assem* 
blies,  or  hinderance  of  the  free  and  unconstrained  worship  c^ 
God,  unless  such  worship  be  connected  with  indecent  or  iia- 
proper  conduct,  shall  be  considered  a  misdemeanor,  and  pun- 
ished  as  in  and  by  the  Criminal  Code  prescribed." 

So  far  the  Constitution  and  laws  were  correct.  Their  se- 
curity of  liberty  of  conscience  was  nothing  more  than  a  mere 
recognition  of  ike  legitimate  and  eternal  rights  which  Grod  has 
bestowed  alike  on  all  men,  firom  the  mightiest  potentate  to  the 
meanest  slave.  Had  the  spirit  of  that  Constitution  and  those 
laws  been  liberally  carried  out  by  the  religious  teachers  of  the 
people,  and  had  not  many  of  those  teachers  taken  upon  them- 
selves the  responsibility  to  adopt  and  enforce  a  species  of  eccle- 
siastical legislation,  the  changes  efiected  by  Christianity  would 
have  been  yet  greater  and  far  more  beneficial.  At  a  general 
meeting  in  June,  1837,  of  the  Protestant  missionaries,  it  was 

**Itesolved,  That  though  the  system  of  government  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands  has,  since  the  conmiencement  of  the  reign 
of  LraoLmo,  been  greatly  improved,  through  the  influence  of 
Christianity  and  the  introduction  of  written  and  printed  laws, 
and  the  salutary  agency  of  Christian  chiefe  has  proved  a  great 
blessing  to  the  people,  still,  the  system  is  so  very  imperfect  for 
the  management  of  the  affairs  of  a  civilized  and  virtuous  na- 
tion as  to  render  it  of  great  importance  that  correct  views  of 
the  rights  and  duties  of  rulers  and  subjects,  and  of  the  princi- 
ples of  jurisprudence  and  political  economy,  should  be  held  up 
before  the  king  and  the  members  of  the  national  council.'' 

A  rigid  adherence  by  them  to  the  latter  portion  of  this  res- 
olution has  been  a  source  of  vast  disadvantage  to  the  nation, 
and  a  palpable  violation  of  their  instructions. 

The  pioneers  of  the  mission  to  these  islands  were  instructed 
**  to  aim  at  nothing  short  of  covering  these  islands,  with  firuit- 
fiil  fields,  and  pleasant  dwellings,  and  schools  and  churches, 
and  raising  up  the  whole  people  to  an  elevated  state  of  Chris- 
tian civilization."*  They  were  fiirther  charged  by  their  diieo- 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  vol  i,  p.  86, 


PROBABLE   DESTINY  OF  THE   RACE.  421 

rectors  that,  as  "  the  kmgdom  of  Christ  is  not  of  this  world," 
tiiey  are  "  to  abstain  from  all  interference  with  the  local  and 
poUtical  interests  of  the  people."* 

How  far  these  "  directions"  have  been  compUed  with,  the 
reader  will  easily  perceive  by  a  careM  perusal  of  these  pages. 
On  this  theme,  it  only  remains  to  remark,  that  if  Dr.  Judd  had 
never  been  appointed  Minister  of  Finance,  and  Mr.  Armstrong 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction — ^if  ecclesiastical  law  had  not 
predominated  over  civil  institutions  to  such  an  extent  that 
religious  enactmoits  are  far  in  advance  of  morals,  and  morals 
far  subservient  to  penal  requirements — ^if  the  people  had  been 
taught  generally  to  respect  Christianity  finom  love  rather  than 
a  slavish  fear,  or  had  they  been  taught  the  importance  of 
maintaining  a  profoimd  regard  for  the  preservation  and  in- 
crease of  domestic  commerce  rather  than  have  had  their  hopes 
and  sympathies  raised  through  a  medium  too  exclusively  spir- 
itual, their  present  condition  would  have  been  vastly  supe- 
rior, both  in  its  social,  political,  and  religious  aspects,  and  the 
shrine  before  which  they  knelt  would  yet  have  retained  its 
sanctity  and  life. 

These  views  naturally  lead  to  the  inquiry,  "  What  is  to  be- 
come of  the  race  ?"  I  have  already  examined  the  past  and 
present  causes,  and  the  extent,  of  depopulation.  The  answer 
to  this  inquiry  is,  therefore,  necessarily  brief  in  its  outline,  and 
sad  in  its  finale.  The  Hawaiians,  as  a  race,  are  physically 
and  morally  doomed  to  pass  away.  In  the  short  period  of 
about  seventy-four  years,  more  than  325,000  of  them  have 
passed  away  from  the  earth.  The  probabihty  is,  that,  if 
brought  exclusively  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  American 
people,  a  wreck  of  the  people  may  be  saved ;  otherwise,  no 
legislation,  civil  or  religious,  can  long  perpetuate  their  exist- 
ence. In  a  few  years,  the  last  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders, 
with  silvered  locks  and  tottering  steps,  will  be  passing  over 
the  sunny  plains  or  the  romantic  valleys,  and  as  he  looks 
through  his  tears  of  sorrow  and  despair,  he  will  exclaim,  in 
the  language  of  the  Arabian,  "  I  came  back  to  the  land  of  my 
*  Hawaiian  Spectator,  voL  iL,  p.  846. 


422  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

fathers,  to  the  home  of  my  youth,  and  said,  '  The  friends  o£ 
my  youth  !  where  are  they  ?'  and  an  echo  answered, '  Where 
are  they  ?» " 

The  race  may  pass  away  ;*  hut  the  Christian  institutions, 
which  have  been  reared,  at  so  great  a  cost,*  for  their  ji^hysical, 
and  religious,  and  social  improvement,  will  Uve  on,  to  be  a 
benefit  to  foreigners  and  their  descendants.  To  the  faithM 
and  zealous  missionary — and  there  are  several  of  that  class — 
it  ii  a  source  of  sorrowful  disappointment  that  there  is  no 
prospect  of  their  rdigious  instituticms  being  perpetuated  by  the 
Hawaiian  people. 

There  is  one  cause  for  congratulation  on  the  part  of  the 
American  Board  of  Misaons  and  \\Bfaithfid  servants  on  the 
Hawaiian  group,  and  that  is,  their  effi>rt9  have  not  all  been  in 
vain  to  snatch  that  race  from  the  gulf  of  barbarism  in  which 
they  were  once  sunk.  A  close  observer,  who  threads  his  way 
over  those  islands,  will  not  and  can  not  agree  with  the  decis- 
ion passed  by  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American 
Boards  at  its  meeting  in  Cincinnati,  October  7th,  1853,  that 
"  the  Sandwich  Islands,  having  been  Christianized,  could  no 
longer  receive  aid  &om  the  Board."  There  is  a  species  of 
logic  in  the  New  Testament,  however,  which  surpasses  all 
others,  and  it  announces  the  most  sublime  truth  that  the 
world  has  ever  heard :  its  genius  is,  that  the  soul  of  the  most 
despised  man  or  woman  is  worth  more  in  the  estimation  of 
its  Maker  than  the  whole  material  universe !  A  reasonable 
doubt  can  not  be  cherished,  that  thousands  of  the  Hawaiian 
race  have  passed  away  from  earth  to  heaven.  If,  then,  the 
American  Board  have  been  the  means  of  redeeming  but  one 
idolater  (!),  they  have  conferred  upon  liim  a  prize  which  the 
wealth  of  a  million  worlds  could  not  purchase ! 

If,  however,  there  is  cause  for  congratulation  that  good  has 
been  achieved,  there  remains  one  cause  erf"  a  grand  failure  in 
missionary  enterprise  to  those  islands,  and  that  cause  is  the 
almost  universal  rejection  of  the  English  language  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  the  imiversal  use  of  the  Hawaiian  in  all  cler- 
•  See  Appendix  YII 


CAUSE  OF  A  GRAND  FAILURE.  433 

ical  instruction  of  a  public  and  private  nature.  Not  to  say 
any  thing  of  the  absolute  vileness  of  the  native  language,*  its 
extreme  poverty  is  a  sufficient  argument  against  its  use.  On 
this  subject  a  highly  respectable  missionary  authority  says, 

"  Another  obstacle  may  be  imperfectly  termed  a  destitution 
of  ideas,  and  a  consequent  destitution  of  w^ords  on  the  subject 
of  true  religion.  Centuries  of  heathenism  had  done  the  work 
of  devastatioik  most  efficiently.  They  had  sw^ept  away  the 
idea  of  the  true  God,  and  buried  all  his  attributes  in  oblivion. 

"The  Sandwich  Islanders  and  Society  Islanders  had  no 
name  for  a  superhuman  being  too  high  to  be  appHed  to  the 
departed  ghosts  of  setisual  and  blood-stained  chiefe.  Many 
heathen  nations  have  "no  term  expressive  of  a  higher  being 
than  deified  warriors.  To  these  gods,  of  course,  they  attach 
the  same  attributes  which  pertain  to  them  here  on  earth.  K 
a  missionary,  then,  wishes  to  speak  of  the  high  and  holy  God, 
what  terms  shall  he  use  ?  There  is  no  term  in  the  language. 
If  he  uses  the  name  applied  to  their  low  and  vile  gods,  it  will 
mislead.  K  he  use  an  English,  Hebrew,  or  Greek  word,  it 
will  not  be  understood. 

"  He  wishes  to  say  gracious  and  merciful,  and  here,  too,  he 
is  perplexed.  The  highest  idea  they  had  of  a  merciful  man 
was  what  we  term  a  good-natured  man. 

"  Such  ideas  having  been  obliterated  for  ages ;  the  terms, 
also,  expressing  such  ideas,  having  long  been  lost ;  and,  in  con- 
sequence of  this  destitution  of  terms,  missionaries  are  obliged, 
in  their  conversation,  their  preaching,  and  in  their  translations 
of  the  Scriptures  too,  to  use  words  nearest  aUied  to  the  sense 
they  would  express,  though  far  from  conveying  the  precise  idea 
at  first,  or  till  the  meaning  has  become  fixed  by  frequent  use 
and  frequent  explanation."! 

With  these  fects  before  them,  it  is  truly  surprising  that,  for 
thirty-three  years,  the  native  language  should  have  been  the 
•  Dibble's  History,  p.  111.  f  Ibid.,  p.  26»-260. 


424  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

vehicle  of  public  instruction  not  less  than  of  political  power. 
It  is  thoroughly  understood  that  the  English  language  is  the 
best  medium,  not  only  of  conmierce,  but  of  civilization.  The 
Hawaiians  readily  learn  English,  and  its  universal  exclusion 
£rom  their  pubUc  instructions  has  caused  them*  to  experience 
a  great  public  and  private  loss. 

In  closing  this  abready  long  chapter,  I  can  not,  with  pro- 
priety, omit  some  remarks  once  made  by  the  l^jinister  of  For- 
eign ^lations.  In  referring  to  the  English  language  as  it  re- 
lates to  French  diplomacy  and  to  commerce  generally  at  the 
islands,  he  says : 

"  The  misunderstanding  of  the  French  government  upon 
the  subject  of  language  is,  if  possible,  greater.  Had  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands  been  discovered  by  the  celebrated  La  Perouse, 
and  had  French  ships  and  merchants  exclusively  visited  and 
conducted  the  trade  of  the  islands  for  many  years  afterward, 
the  French  language  would  have  been,  in  all  probability,  as 
current  in  the  islands  as  the  English  has  been,  in  aU  opera- 
tions of  trade,  for  the  last  fifty  years ;  but  Providence  other- 
wise ordained.  The  islands  were  discovered  by  the  famous 
Cook  nearly  seventy-three  years  ago.'  Up  to  the  visit  of  Van- 
couver, fourteen  years  aJfterward,  the  English  and  Americans 
were  the  only  foreigners  having  relations  with  the  islands ;  it 
80  continued  for  many  succeeding  years,  during  the  existence 
of  the  fiir-trade  on  the  Northwest  Coast.  The  islands  after- 
ward became  the  resort  of  American  and  English  whale  ships, 
and  from  aU  these  natural  causes  the  English  language  had 
gained  such  an  ascendency,  that  both  the  Spaniard^  Don 
Francisco  de  Paula  Marin,  and  the  Frenchman,  M.  Jean 
B.  KiVES,  the  earliest  regular  interpreters  employed  by  Kame- 
HAMEHA  I.  and  Kamehameha  II.,  had  to  exercise  their  func- 
tions through  the  medium  of  that  language. 

"  So  far  as  language  goes,  the  United  States  and  Great  Brit- 
ain are  to  be  taken  together.  In  this  sense,  the  English  lan- 
guage may  be  said  to  represent  eight  hundred  and  forty-five 
persons  on  the  islands,  and  the  Frpnch  thirty-three— dbort  of 
a  proportion  of  four  per  cent. 


INFLUENCE  OF  TUB  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE.  435 

» 

'*  Li  the  trade  of  the  islands,  in  the  same  sense,  .taking  last 
year  as  a  hasis  of  calculation,  and  leaving  out  importations 
firom  California  entirely,  the  English  language  represents  an 
amount  of  $461,807,  and  the  French  an  amount  of  $7633 — 
short  of  a  proportion  of  two  per  cent. 

t  "  Owing  to  the  natural  and  inevitahle  result  of  the  circum- 
stances he&re  mentioned,  the  English  language  is  so  indis- 
pensahle  to  the  transactions  of  all  matters  of  husiness  in  the 
islands,  that  Chinese,  Chihans,  Columhians,  Danes,  Germans, 
Hawaiians,  Itahans,  Japanese,  Mexicans,  all  Polynesians, 
Portuguese,  Prussians,  Russians,  Spaniards,  Swedes,  and  even 
the  French  them^lves,  speak  it — advertise  their  goods  and 
wares,  and  send  in  their  invoices,  bills,  &c.,  in  that  language. 
There  is  not  one  of  you  to  whom  aU  this  is  not  notorious,  but 
nothing  of  this  kind  seems  to  be  known  or  beUeved  in  France. 
She  considers  that,  under  the  second  article  of  the  treaty  of 
the  26th  of  March,  1846,  she  has  a  right  that  her  language 
should  be  as  current  here  as  the  English,  and  hence  the  fourth 
article  of  the  Declaration  signed  by  M.  Pebein  and  myself 
on  the  25th  of  March,  published  in  the  Fdynesian  on  the 
29th."* 


'     CHAPTER  XXXin. 

ANNEXATION   OP   THE   GROUP. 

Geographical  Position  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. — Their  Value  argued 
firom  their  Position. — Climate. — ^Diseases. — Capacity  of  the  SoiL^ — 
Importance  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment— Objections  considered. — ^Recent  Movements  at  the  Islands. 
— ^Remonstrance  of  the  British  and  French  Consuls.— Reply  of  the 
IJnited  States  Commissioner. — ^British  and  French  Diplomacy. — 
British  and  French  Dominion.  ^ — Faith  of  European  ^Nations. — 
Reasons  for  "  Annjxation." — ^Its  Necessity. 

In  the  preceding  pages  I  have  attempted  to  sketch  the 
physical  character,  the  scenery,  and  the  commerce  of  the 
*  Annual  Report  of  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations^  1861. 


426  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

group;  I  have  portrayed  a  variety  of  scenes  and  incidents 
which  will  tend  to  illustrate  the  pohtical,  moral,  social,  aad 
religious  condition  of  the  people ;  I  have  glanced  at  the  causes 
and  extent  of  depopulation  of  the  native  races ;  and  I  have 
endeavored  to  show  what  that  group  may  be  rendered,  and 
how  that  dying  pec^le  may  be  brought  back  to  life  and  ac- 
tivity by  Ihe  mild  sway  of  just  and  righteous  laws,  emanating 
£rom  a  good  government.  I  have  done  this,  not  only  as  a 
record  of  -^^at  I  have  seen,  but  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  few 
remarks  on  the  "  Annexation"  of  that  important  group  of 
islands  to  the  United  States  of  America. 

In  pursuing  this  theme,  it  may  be  proper  to  lay  down  a  few 
general  premises. 

A  mere  glance  at  the  map  of  the  Western  Hemisphere  will 
show  that  the  Sandwich  or  Hawaiian  Islands — as  they  are 
officially  termed — are  situated  in  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,  be- 
tween latitude  18o  50''  and  22^  20^  N.,  and  longitude  154^ 
53^  and  160^  16^  W.  They  are  nearly  equidistant  from  Cen- 
tral America,  Mexico,  California,  and  the  Northwest  Coast  <mi 
the  one  side,  and  the  Russian  dominions,  Japan,  China,  and 
the  Phihppine  Islands  on  the  other.  From  their  relative 
position  to  the  above  countries  and  Australia  on  the  south, 
they  have  been  termed  the  "  Half-way  House,"  or  the  "  Great 
Crossings  of  the  Pacific."  Vessels  bound  from  San  Francisco 
to  China  or  Austraha,  stop  at  these  islands,  or  pass  within  sight 
of  them  on  their  outward  and  return  voyages. 

The  group  consists  of  twelve  islands,  eight  only  of  which 
are  inhabited,  the  other  being  but  barren  rocks.  Those  in- 
habited are  as  follows : 

Names.  Miles  Wide.    Miles  Long.      Square  Miles. 

Hawaii 88  73  4000 

Maui 48  80  620 

Oahu 46  26  630 

Kauai 42  26  600 

Molokai .40  1  190 

Lanai 17  9  100 

Niihau 20  7                     90 

Kahoolawe 11  8                    60 


THEIR  VALUE   AND   POSITION.  427 

The  whole  embrace  a  superficial  area  of  about  6100  square 
miles. 

The  value  of  the  group  may  be  argued  chiefly  from  their 
geographical  position.  Their  equidistance  from  the  chief 
ports — and  especially  San  Francisco— on  the  western  shores 
of  the  two  continents  of  America,  places  them  in  a  natural 
position  to  command  the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  Gibraltar  is 
not  more  the  key  to  the  Gates  of  Hercules,  nor  the  island  of 
Cuba  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  than  the  Sandwich  Islands  are  the 
natural  defense  of  the  Nofth  Pacific.  Civilization  points  to 
them  as  the  island-empire  of  that  great  ocean.  A  few  years 
ago,  that  world  of  waters  was  rarely  whitened  by  the  track  of 
a  vessel.  The  trade-winds  were  almost  the  only  messengers 
that  sped  among  their  innumerable  islands,  reposing  beneath 
the  soft  smile  of  an  et^nal  summer.  Those  lovely  gems  on 
the  bosom  of  the  deep  remain  unchanged ;  but  not  so  the 
spirit  of  the  times  in  which  we  five.  The  western  shores  o£ 
our  continent  have  experienced  the  greatest  transformation, 
ever  known  in  the  history  of  the  world,  and  that  change  can 
no  more  be  chained  to  a  single  spot  than  the  chariot  of  the 
sun  can  be  stayed  by  a  passing  cloud.  In  times  but  just  gone 
by,  "  our  ships  visited  the  Pacific  to  harpoon  the  whale ;  now 
ships  can  not  be  found  to  transact  the  business  which  calls 
them  to  its  basin.  America  has  already  ccmmienced  the  col- 
onization of  these  shores,  and  the  dark  blue  Pacific  will  soon 
be  traversed  by  the  keels  of  white-winged  cUppers,  and  plowed 
by  the  wheels  of  the  steam-ship.  The  times  hurry  us  along 
very  fast,  and  the  patriot  and  the  statesman  are  called  on  im- 
peratively to  provide  for  the  interests  of  the  country,  of  com- 
merce, and  humanity  on  the  Pacific.  We  can  not  pass  these 
duties  by,  or  leave  them  to  chance,  for  we  are  in  trust  for 
human  nature." 

The  famihar  line  of  the  poet, 

"  "Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  its  way,** 

is  not  unfirequently  cited  without  remembering  the  splendid 
destinies  to  which  it  points.     But  it  is  the  very  genius  of  his- 


428  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

tory,  the  epitome  of  national  grandeur,  a  just  and  impartial 
recognition  of  the  true  progress  of  man.  To  no  nation,  how- 
ever, does  this  sentiment  so  fully  apply  as  the  new  State  of 
Califomia.  Its  commerce,  and  the  commerce  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, and  of  the  western  coast  of  South  America,  are  but  yet  in 
their  infancy.  "What  Spanish  wealth  and  Spanish  Christian- 
ity failed  to  per&rm,  after  a  fair  trial,  during  nearly  three  hund- 
red years,  American  activity  and  enterprise  have  accomplished 
in  five  times  that  number  of  days!  When  the  contemplated 
thoroughfares  shall  have  been  constructed  across  the  Continent, 
80  as  to  bring  the  east  and  west  nearer  together  by  a  more 
rapid  communication,  such  a  revolution  in  commerce  will  be 
efiected  as  the  world  has  never  before  seen.  With  the  rapid 
increase  of  merchant- vessels,  whose  wealth  shall  be  wafted 
over  every  part  of  Polynesia,  a  sort  of  commercial  depot  will 
be  needed  between  the  East  and  West.  Of  this  increase  of 
c(»nmercial  wealth,  the  United  States  will  possess  at  least  fif- 
teen twentieths.  This  ratio  they  ahready  possess.  The  ccan- 
merce  of  the  Western  United  States  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  It 
will  not  be  long  before  such  a  mighty  tide  of  wealth  will  roll 
between  Califomia  and  the  Orient  as  shall  render  the  Pacific 
the  **  highway  ef  nations"  on  a  grander  scale  than  the  Atlan- 
tic now  is.  Califomia  will  then  sit  empress  over  the  Pacific. 
She  will  be  the  great  outlet  through  which  America  shall  send 
forth  her  arts,  sciences,  Christianity,  and  civil  liberty  to  the 
remotest  regions  of  the  earth,  teaching  mankind  their  imiver- 
sality  and  unity,  their  mutual  duty  one  to  another,  and  their 
legitimate  allegiance  to  national  councils  and  properly  organ- 
ized governments.  These  splendid  destinies  once  realized,  it 
can  not  but  be  seen  .that  Americans  will  need  a  sort  of  half- 
way house,  a  commercial  depot,  in  the  North  Pacific,  precisely 
on  the  same  principles  as  those  by  whicfi  Pahnyra  wa«  long 
recognized  as  a  stopping-place  of  the  old  Syrian  merchants. 
Just  such  a  place  the  Sandvidch  Islands  may  and  must  be 
rendered,  subjected,  at  the  same  time,  to  American  laws  and 
protection ;  and  for  such  a  purpose  they  are  eminently  fitted 
by  their  great  natural  advantages. 


CLIMATE.  429 


The  climate  is  the  most  uniform  and  salubrious  of  any  in 
the  world.  Situated  in  the  very  midst  of  the  vast  Pacific, 
without  any  extensive  inland  causes  to  affect  the  temperature, 
and  remote  from  the  cold,  chilling  winds  of  the  temperate  and 
frigid  zones,  the  Sandwich  Islands  possess  a  remarkable  even- 
ness in  the  degree  of  atmospheric  temperature.  Cool  breezes, 
l^  day  from  the  sea,  and  by  night  from  the  mountains,  serve 
to  mitigate  the  burning  heat  produced  by  a  vertical  sun,  and 
to  render  the  climate  pleasant.  The  thermometer  varies  but 
httle  from  day  to  day,  and  even  from  month  to  month ;  and 
what  is  particularly  to  be  remarked,  all  portions  of  the  islands, 
along  the  shores,  are  alike  in  this  respect.  Districts  most 
parched  by  heat  and  drought  do  not  difier  essentially  in  tem- 
perature from  those  sections  where  almost  daily  showers  and 
perpetual  trade-winds  prevail.  As  we  recede,  however,  from 
the  low  lands  along  the  sea,  and  ascend  the  mountains,  a 
change  is  immediately  perceived,  and  along  their  extended 
sides  we  may  procure  almost  any  degree  of  temperature.  The 
thermometer  at  Honolulu  never  rises  above  90°,  and  rarely 
falls  lower  than  65°.  June  witnesses  the  highest  range,  Jan- 
uary the  lowest.  At  Lahaina — ^the  second  sea-port  in  import- 
ance on  the  group— the  highest  thermometrical  elevation, 
during  a  number  of  years,  was  86°,  and  the  lowest  59°. 

On. an  average  of  temperature  throughout  the  islands,  the 
thermometer  varies  but  12°  on  a  level  with  high  tide.*  Such 
is  the  gradual  change  from  summer  to  winter — seasons  more 
in  name  than  reaUty — ^that  it  is  hardly  perceptible.  Only  at 
a  height  of  one  or  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  are  fires 
used  to  procure  artificial  heat.  No  marble  columns  or  gUt- 
tering  domes  have  ever  been  reared  there,  to  trace  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Moslem,  the  Goth,  the  Druid,  or  the  Christian,  or 
to  beautify  the  already  beautiful  footprints  of  Nature.  Nor 
are  they  needed.  The  lofty  peaks  of  the  mountains  bespei^k 
the  e^stence  of  Time's  monuments,  which  neither  flame  nor 
flood  can  waste.  The  streams,  the  foHage,  the  flowers,  the 
plants,  are  peremiial.  Wherever  foUage  flourishes,  every  thing 
^  See  Appendix  IIL 


430  SANDWICH   ISLAND   NOTES. 

Btaada  bedecked  in  living  green— ^«verj  thing  reposes  beneath 
the  bright  sunhght  of  an  unfading  summer. 

Such  is  the  equableness  of  the  climate,  and  the  simplicity 
of  the  natiyes  in  their  regimen  and  most  of  their  habits  of  lijfe, 
that,  compared  with  civilized  countries,  the  variety  of  their 
diseases  is  neither  numerous  nor  complex.  Their  remoteness 
from  other  lands  is  so  great  that  but  few  contagious  diseases 
are  imported  among  them.  Even  the  clwiera,  which  has  of 
late  p{U9sed  over  almost  the  whole  surface  of  our  planet,  be- 
came inert  and  powerless  before  it  reached  those  islands.  The 
diseases  most  ccmimon  among  the  native  population,  so  &r  as 
I  observed  them,  were  fevers,  ophthalmia,  catarrhs  and  asi^ 
ma,  rheumatism,  venereal,  diarrhea,  dysentery,  cutaneous 
diseases,  scrofula,  dropsy,  etc.,  and  they  occurred,  in  frequen- 
cy, in  about  the  order  in  which  I  have  mentioned  them.  Dis- 
eases sometimes  occur  epidemically,  as  is  the  case  with  car 
tarrh  repeatedly.  Many  other  diseases^  not  specified,  fi:e- 
qiiently  make  their  appearance. 

Ophthalmia,  of  the  purulent  form,  abounds  in  every  por- 
tion of  the  group,  and  opaque  corneas,  and  thickened  coats  of 
the  eyes  are  very  numerous.  The  old  and  the  young  are  alike 
afiected  with  this  disease ;  very  small  children  are  occasional- 
ly m6t  with  nearly  blind  &c»n  its  efiects.  I  at  one  time  at- 
tributed its  prevalence  to  the  efiects  of  the  clouds  of  sand  ofbn 
raised  and  blown  about  with  great  violence  by  the  trade- 
wind  ;  but  finding  it  equally  common  in  those  districts  where 
frequent  rains  prevent  the  dust  fix)m  ever  rising,  there  appear- 
ed to  be  no  other  cause  so  active  as  the  trade-winds,  which  aie 
constantly  prevalent,  and  come  mingled  with  salt  spray. 

Pidrrumary  Diseases. — Sudden  ai^d  severe  atmosp  hericvi- 
cissitudes,  the  exciting  cause  of  pulmonary  afiections,  do  not 
occur  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  with  the  accommodations 
for  protection  and  comfort  which  are  possessed  in  every  civil- 
ized laud,  diseases  of  the  respiratory  organs  would  be  far  more 
rare.  Such,  however,  are  the  habits  and  practices' <rf  the  peo- 
ple, and  so  exposed  are  they  to  the  influence  of  every  atmo- 
spheric change,  that  aMhma,  and  catarrhs  in  particular,  are 


DISEASES.  431 


of  frequent  occurrence.  The  latter  are,  however,  usually  mild 
in  their  character,  ephemeral  in  their  existence^  easily  yield  to 
remediate  applications,  and  rarely  pass  into  the  more  invet- 
erate and  fatal  stages  of  pulmonic  disease. 

But  the  most  mahgnant  and  destructive  of  all  the  diseases 
on  the  group  is  syphilis.  It  has  been  perpetuated  and  ex- 
tended until  language  has  become  too  feeble  to  express  the 
wretchedness  and  woe  which  have  been  the  result.  Foul  ul- 
cers, of  many  years'  standing,  both  indolent  and  phagedenic, 
every  where  abound,  and  visages  horridly  deformed — eyes  ren- 
dered blind — gnoses  entirely  destroyed — ^mouths  monstrously 
drawn  aside  from  their  natural  position — ulcerating  palates, 
and  almost  useless  arms  and  legs»  mark  most  clearly  the  state 
and  progress  of  the  disease  among  that  injured  and  helpless 
people. 

It  is  a  melancholy  reflection,  that  there  is  no  prospect  of 
this  disease,  so  disgusting  in  its  eflects  and  destructive  in  its 
course,  being  soon  eradicated.  The  natives  possess,  among 
themselves,  no  curative  means  which  will  control  it.  But  a 
small  portion  have  ready  access  to  foreign  physicians,  and 
many  within  reach  appear  too  indiflerent  to  their  condition  to 
make  appUcation,  while  most  permit  the  disease  to  go  on  till 
secondary  symptoms  appear  before  they  seek  assistance.  These 
circumstances,  together  with  their  prevailing  and  inveterate 
habits  of  promiscuous  sexual  intercourse,  will  serve  still  to  per- 
petuate and  extend  the  disease. 

Children  are  much  exposed  to  disease.  The  profound  ig- 
norance of  parents  relative  to  then:  maternal  duties,  and  their 
frequent  indifference  to  the  comfort  of  their  offspring,  subject 
them  to  an  almost  incredible  amount  of  unnecessary  suffering 
and  disease  during  the  most  tender  age  of  infancy  and  child- 
hood. Should  they  be  taken  sick  in  the  night,  the  sluggish 
parents,  either  wrapped  in  a  profound  slumber,  or  averse  to 
moving  during  the  hours  of  darkness,  suffer  their  helpless  lit- 
tle ones  to  he,  benumbed  with  cold  and  exhausted  by  crying, 
till  morning  at  length  comes  to  their  rehef  Catarrhs,  asth- 
mas, and  particularly  fevers,  are  hence  abundant,  and  the 


432  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

seeds  of  nomennis  future  diseases  are  doubtless  sown  at  such 
times. 

Their  cleanliness  is  also  greatly  neglected.  An  occasional 
immersion  at  mid-day  is  perhaps  the  only  ablution  performed, 
and  the  constantly  accumulating  filth  over  the  surface  of  their 
bodies  subjects  them  to  the  prevailing  cutaneous  diseases  and 
scrofula ;  while  the  folds  of  their  joints,  the  nates  and  vagina 
being  so  much  neglected,  are  extensively  afiected  with  exco- 
riations and  ulcers.  Add  to  these  the  practice  of  feeding  them 
with  the  crudest  and  most  indigestible  food  nearly  as  soon  as 
bom,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  that  so  many  survive  the 
infantile  discipline. 

The  diseases  above  specified,  however,  are  slightly,  if  at  all, 
applicable  to  foreign  residents  or  their  children. 

Makuria  is  entirely  unknown. 

As  a  resort  for  individuals  predisposed  to,  or  afiected  with 
pulmonary  diseases,  the  Sandwich  Islands  can  not  be  sur- 
passed. 

Before  entering  upon  the  capacity  of  the  soil,  it  may  be 
proper  to  glance  at  its  character.  On  this  topic  a  very  few 
remarks  will  suffice. 

It  is  generally  composed  of  decayed  volcanicmat  ters,  such 
as  lava,  sand,' mud,  and  ashes,  all  of  which  are  fertile  when 
well  watered.  On  the  hills,  to  a  great  height,  and  in  the  ra- 
vines, vegetable  mould  is  abundant.  Some  of  the  soil  is  of  a 
red,  tufaceous  character ;  in  other  places  itis  brown,  granular, 
or  black.  The  compact  soils  appear  best  adapted  to  resist  the 
drought.  About 'Honolulu,  the  superstratum  of  earth  is  thin 
— ^from  one  to  five  feet,  and  the  average  about  three.  Under 
this  is  a  stratum  of  black  volcanic  sand  or  scorisB,  of  about  the 
same  thickness,  upon  a  bed  of  coral,  in  which,  by  hewing  out 
a  cavity  of  from  three  or  four  to  twenty  feet  in  depth,  water 
is  foimd,  with  which  the  grounds  are  easily  irrigated. 

Such  is  the  character  of  the  soil  over  the  greater  portion  of 
the  group. 

The  capacity  of  the  soil  is  almost  miraculous ;  consequently, 
the  natives  do  not  cultivate  a  large  extent. 


CAPACITY  OF  THE   SOIL.  433 

"  In  regard  to  the  cheapness  of  fobd  for  the  natives,  it  is 
proper  to  state  that  40  feet  square  of  land,  planted  with  kalOy 
afibrds  subsistence  for  one  person ;  32  feet  square  of  land, 
planted  with  bananas,  will  yield  4000  pounds  of  fruit,  while 
the  same  extent  of  land  will  yield  but  30  pounds  of  wheat, 
or  80  pounds  of  potatoes.  A  tract  of  land  one  mile  square, 
in  fields,  will  occupy  and  feed  153  persons ;  the  same  extent  in 
vineyards  will  occupy  and  feed  289  persons,  while  the  same 
quantity  of  land  in  kcdo  will  feed  15,151  persons,  and  proba- 
bly not  more  than  one  twenty-fifth  of  that  number  would  be 
required  in  its  cultivation.  The  numerical  Value  of  this  re- 
source is  not  of  so  much  importance  as  its  relative  proportion 
to  other  resources." 

The  districts  of  Hilo  and  Puna,  on  Hawaii,  would  support 
400,000  natives. 

The  districts  of  Kaneohe,  Ewa,  Koolau,  and  Waialua,  on 
Oahu,  containing  about  21,000  acres,  would  support  90,000. 

The  district  of  Koolau,  on  Kauai,  would  produce  food 
enough  to  supply  40,000. 

Here,  then,  are  seven  small  districts  capable  of  furnishing 
food  for  530,000  native  inhabitants,  or  130,000  greater  than 
the  population  estimated  by  Cook  in  1778. 

Arable  land  is  found  from  three  feet  to  two  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  high  tide. 

The  natural  resources  of  the  soil  afford  materials  for  cord- 
age, tanning,  kapa^  and  mats,  castor,  lamp,  and  paint  oil,  fire 
and  sandal  wood,  fancy  wood  for  furniture,  also  the  bamboo, 
banana,  plantain,  guava,  turmeric,  bread-fruit,  tamarind,  lime, 
orange,  citron,  and  mustard.  Of  these,  several  will  probably 
become  articles  of  export,  particularly  several  kinds  of  beauti- 
ful wood  for  ornamental  furniture,  paint  and  castor  oil.  Tim- 
ber, the  banana,  and  several  kinds  of  bark,  will  be  important 
auxiliaries  in  the  progress  of  iiliprovement. 

There  are  other  resources  more  directly  dependent  upon  its 
cultivation.  Among  such  we  find  sugar,  molasses,  cotton,  cof- 
fee, indigo,  silk,  rice,  Indian  com,  wheat,  hemp,  Icalo,  cocoa,  to- 
bacco, ginger.      Also  the  yam,  potato,  melon,  squash,  bean, 

T 


434  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

grape,  pine-apple,  olive,  cabbage,  radish",  onion,  cucumber,  to- 
mato, gooseberry,  strawberry,  cbirimoya,  papaya,  and  fig,  be- 
sides a  list  of  less  important  articles. 

Cotton  will  likewise  beccnne  an  important  article.  It  is 
easily  raised,  and  the  dry,  rocky  Isuid  which  abounds  on  the 
leeward  side  of  these  islsunds  is  well  adapted  for  it. 

The  cultivation  of  the  cotton-plant  will  be  prevented  <m 
the  uplands  by  the  high  trade-winds,  which  blow  freely  over 
all  the  islands.  How  far  the  cotton-tree  known  in  Mexico 
will  grow  on  such  lands,  and  retain  its  wool  till  picked,  re- 
mains yet  to  be  ascertained.  It  is  an  object  eminently  wor- 
thy df  experiment. 

The  vine  flourishes  in  some  parts  of  the  island,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  good  wine  could  be  made,  imder  the  direction 
of  persons  knowing  how  to  manage  the  vintage. 

The  cultivation  of  the  grape  for  the  manufacture  of  wine 
would  soon  witness  a  return  equal  to  the  entire  revenue  of 
1853. 

From  experiments  already  tried,  it  is  known  that  silk  can 
be  very  profitably  produced  here,  and  that  it  will  aflbrd  em- 
ploymmit  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  population.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  six  crops  of  leaves  may  be  gathered  annually  fix)m 
the  same  trees,  which  grow  here  with  a  rapidity  unknown  in 
silk  countries. 

It  is  thoroughly  understood  by  all  judges  of  the  article,  that 
the  coflee  produced  in  these  islands  rivals  in  flavor  the  much- 
esteemed  Mocha,  and  perhaps  only  yields  to  that  rare  and  ex- 
quisite species  produced  only  in  Peru,  in  the  province  of  Yun- 
gas.  It  can  be  raised  in  large  quantities*  Under  a  more  lib- 
eral government,  it  may  find  its  way  extensively  into  foreign 
markets. 

The  principal  manufacture  is  that  of  salt.  A  quantity  of 
this  article,  sufficient  to  supply  the  Pacific  Ocean,  can  be  man- 
ufactured at  Oahu,  equal  in  quality  to  that  of  Turks'  Island 
or  Liverpool. 

The  shores  of  the  islands  and  their  romantic  streams  abound 
with  the  finest  of  fishes,  thkt  constitute  an  indispaisable  and 


IMPQETAJ^CJE  OF  THE   GROUP.  435 

extensive  item  in  iaativ^  food.  There  are  al^  shells,  both 
numerous  and  beautiful,  among  which  are  the  echini,  coral- 
lines, and  crustaceae.  The  Cypres  MadagasoLriensis  is 
found  here  abundantly ;  also  fine  specimens  of  the  Perd/Lx^ 
HdiaSy  BullcBy  Ovtdce,  Neritince,  the  Corms  cLdmiraliSy 
and  others  less  rare.  A-  small  species  of  the  Chiton  is  also 
common. 

From  what  has  already  been  stated,^  it  can  not  but  be  seen 
that  the, Sandwich  grpup  must  be  of  vast  importance  to  the 
United  States  govenupent.  The  history  of  their  discovery  is 
a  page  of  romance  as  interesting  as  any  tale.of  adventure  and 
fiction.  Less  than  a  century  has  witnessed  the  birth  and 
growth  of  an  empire,  and  brQ^ght  these  fair  islan4B  in  the 
once  desert  waste  of  the  Faci^  to  be  the  station  and  harbor 
of  thronging  ships.  Those  islands,  where  the  naked  savage 
roamed  amid  cocoa-nut  groves,  and  over  the  slopes  of  fertile 
mountains,  are  inhabited  by  Americans,,  and  are  necessary  ^or 
American  commerce. 

From  their  central  portion,  and  the  numerous  facilities  af- 
forded for  recruiting  vessels,  the  islands  have  long  been  a  fa- 
vorite resort  for  whalers,  and,  since  the  increase  of  commerce 
in  the  Pacific,  have  formed  a  regular  stopping-place  for  the 
merchant  mariners  in  their  voyages  across  that  great  ocean; 
The  result  is,  that  Honolulu,  from  its  position  and  fine  harbor^ 
has  become  a  place  of  great  consequence.  At  least  one  mill- 
ion of  dollars  was  expended  there  by  the  seven  hundred  sail 
of  vessels  that  visited  that  port  in  1852,  in  paying  off  their 
crews,  recruiting,  repairing,  and  refreshments.  In  1851,  one 
million  of  dollars  worth  of  goods  was  imported  into  the  isl- 
ands, mostly  from  .the  United  States.  The  commercial  im- 
portance of  the  place  is  daily  increasing,  and  in  a  short  time 
it  will  raok  only  second  to  San  Francisco  among  the  towns  of 
the  Pacific. 

Annexation  to  the  United  States  would  be  of  infinite  bene-[ 
fit  to  them  in  a  variety  of  relations,  but  in  none  so  much  a» 
in  the  extension  and  protection  of  American  interests  already 
firmly  established  there;    Those  islands  once  possessed  by  our 


436  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

goyemment,  a  nucleus  would  be  established  from  which  would 
radiate  the  blessings  and  advantages  of  Amencan  civilization 
over  the  whole  of  Polynesia. 

To  a  step  so  desirable  and  inevitable,  a  few  objections  have 
been  uiged:  ^ 

1.  By  missionaries  and  a  few  persons  in  the  immediate  em- 
ploy of  the  Hawaiian  government. 

The  charge,  so  widely  reiterated,  that  "  the  missionaries, 
and  those  banded  with  them,  own  the  finest  property  and 
houses  on  the  group,"  is,  alas  I — ^with  a  few  exceptions — ^too 
true.*  Paying  no  taxes,  especially  on  real  estate,  it  is  for 
their  interest  to  raise  every  objection  to  a  change  of  govern- 
ment. .  This  they  have  done,  and  c<mtinue  to  do,  through  the 
press  at  home  and  abroad,  and  in  the  councils  of  the  Hawaiian 
Parliament.  To  gratify  their  sdf-mteT&t  and  maintain  their 
position,  they  have  expended  many  an  hour's  eloquence,  and 
wasted  ink  on  many  a  quire  of  foolscap.  Such  a  course  has 
grown  out  of  a  pseudo-philanthropy  toward  the  Hawaiian 
race.  A  change  of  government  would  e^t  a  transforma- 
tion in  their  afiairs,  and  send  some  of  the  king's  officials  to 
engage  in  duties  for  which  they  are  infinitely  better  fitted. 

2.  It  has  been  urged  that  the  annexation  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands  would  be  a  superfluous  extension  of  American  territo- 
ry. This  objection  carries  with  it  its  own  refutation.  With 
the  many  millions  of  acres  in  the  gigantic  West ;  with  a  coun- 
try inexhaustible  in  its  mineral  and  agricultural  wealth,  and 
whose  lap  will  lodge  and  feed  a  family  of  300,000,000  of  hu- 
man beings,  it  is  natural  to  conclude  that  the  United  States 
possess  sufficient  territory.  Not  less  true  it  is  that  a  small 
group,  whose  superficial  area  does  not  exceed  six  thousand 
one  hundred  square  miles,  can  not  add  to  our  ^country  a  very 
significant  amount  of  territory.  It  is  equally  true  that  those 
islands  can  be  of  advantage  to  us  only  as  they  will  afibrd  the 
means  for  extending  and  defending  our  vastly  expanding  com- 
merce. But  who  will  say  that  such  advantages  are  not  well 
worth  a  possession  by  a  great  commercial  people  like  our  own  ? 

*  See  Appendix  V. 


OBJECTIONS   CONSIDERED.  437 

3.  Another  objeetion  which  has  been  raised  is  the  acqui- 
sition of  slave  territory.  But  this  topic  I  leave  to  the  disposal 
of  diplomatists.  The  American  people  possess  sufficient  in- 
telligence and  decision  of  character  to  provide  against  any 
measures  that  may  tend  to  conffict  with  the  genius  of  the 
Constitution. 

4.  It  has  been  objected,  that  any  steps  taken  toward  an- 
nexation would  lead  to  a  rupture  between  our  government, 
and  France,  and  England.  This  last  objection,  although  a 
perfect  fallacy,  merits  some  degree  of  consideration.  So  say 
a  few  of  the  French  and  British  subjects  residing  on  the  group ; 
and  such  has  been  the  day-dream  of  a  few  of  our  own  citizens 
immediately  at  home.  And  yet  such  an  objection  is,  in  itself, 
utterly  objectionable,  and  the  objectors  themselves  need  a  little 
light  on  national  rights  and  privileges. 

But,  whatever  may  be  the  sentiments  of  a  few  self-interested 
individuals,  or  of  men  who  can  not  see  beyond  the  shadows 
of  the  moment,  certain  it  is  that  the  political  afiairs  of  the 
islands  are  becoming  revolutionized,  and  the  dawn  of  their 
lepubhcan  freedom  is  in  the  ascendency.  As  recently  as  July, 
1853,  the  first  step  taken  toward  reform  was  the  removal  of 
a  portion  of  the  obnoxious  ministry — ^fbrmed,  in  part,  of  mis- 
sionaries. A  large  meeting — ^not  of  mere  enemies  to  mission- 
ary enterprise,  but  the  despotic  ministers — of  independent  cit- 
izens of  unblemished  reputation  convened  at  Honolulu  for 
the  purpose  of  discussing  the  grievances  they  were  compelled 
to  throw  off.  The  movements  and  decisions  of  that  body  of 
citizens  are  fraught  with  vital  interest  to  the  Hawaiian  gov- 
ernment and  our  own ;  and,  as  they  will  eventually  terminate 
in  annexation  of  the  islands  to  the  United  States,  it  may  be 
proper  to  notice  those  proceedings  at  length. 

That  mass-meeting  of  the  people  was  called  by  the  follow- 
ing card: 

"  The  Time  has  Come — Keep  the  Ball  in  Motion. — A 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Honolulu,  fetvorable  to  the  dismissal 
from  office  of  G.  P.  Judd  and  Richard  Armstrong,  Minis- 


438  SANDWICH  IBLAND  NOTES. 

ten  of  Finanoe  and  Public  Instruction^  will  be  held  at  the 
Court-house,  in  Honolulu,  to-night,  at  7^  o'clock,  to  discuss 
the  resolutions  ofiered  last  nig^t  by  George  A.  Lathrop. 
'  Liberty  of  speech  is  the  birthright  of  freemen.*  By  order 
of  the  committee  of  Independent  Citizens. 

"Honolulu,  July  20,  ISSS." 

•  In  pursuance  of  the  above  call,  the  foreign  residents  of  Hcnir 
dulu  assembled  at  the  Court-house  on  the  evening  of  July 
20th,  and  organized  the  meeting  by  electing  the  Allowing 
officers,  viz. :  Dr.  Wesley  Newcomb,  President ;  Captain 
John  Meek  and  Captain  DAvm  Pearce  Penhallow,  Vice- 
presidents  ;  William  Ladd  and  C.  H.  Lewers,  Secretaries. 

Dr.  George  A.  Lathrpp  stated  the  objects  of  the  meeting, 
insisting  upon  the  right  of  free  discussion,  -which  had  been  cut 
off  the  previous  evening,  and,  in  support  of  his  position,  read 
the  third  and  £>urth  articles  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands,  to  wit : 

"  Art.  3.  All  men  may  fineely  speak,  write,  and  publish 
their  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse 
of  that  right ;  and  no  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  or  abridge 
the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  press. 

"  Art,  4.  All  men  shall  have  the  right,  in  an  orderly  and 
peaceable  manner,  to  assemble,  without  arms,  to  consult  upoa 
the  common  good ;  give  instructions  to  their  representatives ; 
and  to  petiti(m  the  king  oi  the  Legislature  for  a  redress  of 
grievances." 

He  then  introduced  a  series  of  resolutions,  which  were  ably 
supported  by  Messrs.  J.  D.  Blair,  Captain  A.  J.  M*Duffie, 
Dr.  W.  Newcomb,  and  Dr.  J.  Mott  Smith,  and  unanimously 
adopted. 

The  following  are  the  resolutions  offered  by  Dr.  Lathrop  : 

"Whereas,  The  position  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean  must  render  them  of  very  great  importance,  in 
a  commercial  point  of  view  at  least,  and  they  would,  under 
wholesome,  judicious,  and  liberal  governmental  policy,  at  no 
distant  day,  become  rich  in  the  various  productions  of  their 


MOVEMENTS   AT  THE   ISLANDS.         439 

soil,  influential  in  the  expansion  of  their  trade  and  commerce, 
and  their  citizens  prosperous,  contented,  and  hsCppy;  and 
whereas  the  ]^ple  should  he  the  source  of  power  in  aU,  and 
are  emphatically  the  Support  and  dependence  of  aU  govern- 
ments, whether  monarchical,  mixed,  or  democratic,  and  that 
no  government  can  he  conducted  successfully,  prosperously, 
and  happily  without  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people ; 
therefore, 

**  Reserved,  That  the  wishes  of  the  people  should  he  con- 
sulted hy  emperor,  king,  or  president,  in  the  appointing  or  con- 
tinuance of  ministers,  who,  hy  the  power  their  position  gives 
them,  exercise  a  controlling  influence  over  the  destinies  of  the 
country  and  the  individual  happiness  of  the  people. 

"  Resolvedy  That  we,  a  portion  of  the  foreign  and  native 
reddents  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  entertain  for  his  majesty, 
KAMEHAiffEHA  III.,  nothing  hut  the  most  profound  sentiments 
of  loyalty,  regard,  and  esteem,  and  that  he  will  ever  find  in 
us  earnest  supporters  of  his  title  and  prerogatives,  so  long  as 
such  a  course  would  he  consistent  with  a  proper  respect  for 
private  rights,  personal  Uherty,  individual  honor,  and  the  puh- 
lic  good. 

"  Resdvedy  That  the  Ministers  of  Finance  and  Pubhc  In- 
struction, memhers  of  his  majesty's  present  cahinet,  are  not  so 
fortunate  as  to  have  either  the  confidence  or  esteem  of  this 
meeting,  nor,  as  we  beheve,  of  any  considerable  portion  of  his 
majesty's  native  subjects,  or  of  foreign  reddent  citizens  through- 
out his  kingdom,  and  that  their  retention  in  office  is  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  wishes  and  interests  of  a  very  large  majority 
of  the  natives  and  citizens  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

*^  Resolved,  That  these  same  ministers,  having  the  com- 
mand of  the  principal  channels  of  influence,  viz.,  treasure, 
education,  and  the  almost  absolute  control  of  government  pa- 
tronage, have  most  wickedly  neglected  their  duty  in  not  using 
the  means  within  their  control  to  protect  the  people  from  the 
pestilence  which  is  now  depopulating  the  islands.  That,  in- 
stead of  devoting  themselves  to  the  public  good,  they  have 
ever  sought  their  own  aggraudiz^ooent,  regardless  alike  of  the 


440  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

high  duties  devolving  upon  them,  or  of  the  evils  necessarily 
following  their  malfeasance  in  office. 

*'  Resclvedy  That  while  the  foreign  residents  of  Honolulu 
are  making  such  earnest  and  energetic  efibrts,  expending  their 
time,  lahor,  and  money  so  hherally  to  stay  the  dread  pestil^ice 
that  threatens  in  a  short  time  to  sweep  off  a  large  portion  of 
the  inhahitants  of  these  islands,  annihilate  their  trade  and 
commerce,  and  therehy  hring  distress,  ruin,  and  absolute  want 
upon  the  citizens,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  ask  the  dismissal 
of  said  ministers,  who,  by  their  criminal,  selfish,  and  willful 
neglect,  have  brought  this  frightful  curse  upon  us.  For  even 
the  plea  of  ignorance*  can  not  be  made  in  their  defense,  as 
the  pubhc  are  well  aware  that  they  were  warned  in  season — 
nay,  even  urged  and  entreated  to  use  the  only  means  by  which 
protection  could  be  given  to  the  people.  But,  as  the  sum  of 
less  than  two  thousand  dollars  would  be  required  to  vaccinate 
and  protect  the  people  of  this  island,  the  recommendation  or 
proposal  to  the  physicians  passed  for  naught. 

*'  Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the  president 
to  prepare  a  petition  to  his  majesty,  praying  that  he  will  grat- 
ify the  most  eamest  hope  and  desire  of  the  people,  and  contrib- 
ute to  their  happiness  and  prosperity,  by  dismissing  firom  office 
G.  P.  JuDD  and  Richard  Armstrong,  the  present  Ministers 
of  Finance  and  Public  Instruction." 

J.  D.  Blair,  having  been  appointed  to  prepare  a  petition 
to  his  majesty  Kamehameha  III.,  submitted  the  following, 
which  was  unanimously  adopted,  and  over  one  himdred  signa- 
tures were  immediately  obtained  in  the  meeting : 

Petition  to  his  majesty  Kamehameha  III. 
"We,  the  undersigned,  citizens  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
part  of  whom  are  most  loyal  and  dutiful  subjects  of  your  maj- 
esty, and  others,  residents  and  denizens  of  your  most  gracious 
majesty's  kingdom,  would  earnestly  and  respectfully  represent 
to  your  majesty  that  we  entertain  for  you,  as  a  man,  the  warm- 
est sentiments  of  esteem  and  respect ;  for  you,  as  the  lawftd 
sovereign  of  this  kingdom,  feelings  of  the  most  loyal  duty  and 


MOVEMENTS   AT   THE  ISLANDS.         441 

respectful  reverence ;  and  for  those  noble  and  generous  qual- 
ities of  the  heart,  that  have  so  eminently  characterized  your 
majesty,  the  cordial  admiration  of  our  hearts  can  only  be  felt 
— never  expressed. 

"Your  petitioners  would  further  most  respectfully  represent 
to  your  majesty  that  we  are  law-abiding  subjects,  citizens,  and 
denizens  of  your  majesty's  kingdom ;  that  we  will  ever  be  sub- 
missive to,  and  supporters  of,  all  laws  made  in  conformity 
with  the  Constitution,  and  cheerfully  submit  to  perform  aU 
obligaticms  properly  due  from  a  free  and  Christian  people  to 
their  lawM  sovereign. 

"  Your  petitioners  would  further  most  respectfully  represent 
to  your  majesty  that  the  interests  of  all  of  us  are  largely,  and 
many  of  us  solely,  identified  with  the  Hawaiian  Islands ;  that 
the  prosperity,  poUtical  advancement,  and  happiness  of  your 
kingdom  is  the  sincere  and  earnest  desire  of  our  hearts.  *  We 
advance  with  its  advancement,  and  are  prosperous  in  its  pros- 
perity. The  destinies  of  us  all  are  more  or  less  united  with 
the  destinies  of  these  islands.  As  a  nation  is,  so  are  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  as  national  wealth,  greatness,  and  dignity  are  shared 
by  the  people  individually,  so  also  must  they  share  in  the  pov- 
erty, insignificance,  and  depreciation  of  national  character.  It 
is  for  these  reasons,  as  well  as  the  sentiments  of  personal  re- 
gard and  esteem  we  entertain  for  your  majesty,  that  we  so 
earnestly  desire  that  the  dignity  and  authority  of  your  majesty 
should  be  maintained — ^the  wealth,  commerce,  and  prosperity 
of  the  nation  augmented  and  steadily  advanced — and  that 
peace  and  happiness  may  reign  throughout  your  majesty's  do- 
minions. 

"Your  petitioners  would  furthermost  respectfully  represent 
to  your  majesty  that  the  history  of  all  ages  illustrates  the 
truth,  that  no  monarch,  however  good  and  great  in  his  own 
person,  can  make  his  government  respected  or  his  people  happy, 
when  surrounded  by  pernicious  counselors.  The  happiness  of 
a  people  is  in  the  wisdom  of  the  government,  and  the  strength 
of  the  government  is  in  the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  people. 

"  Your  petitioners  would  furdier  represent  to  your  majesty 
T2 


442  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

that,  entertainiiig  as  we  do  the  highest  coiuuderation  for  your 
majesty,  the  unprejudiced  convictions  of  our  judgment  are, 
that  your  majesty  has,  as  your  confidential  advisers,  persons 
undeserving  the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  people,  and  high- 
ly prejudicial  to  the  best  interests  of  your  majesty's  govem- 
ment. 

"  That,  in  the  humble  opinion  ci  your  petitioners,  the  pub- 
lic good  and  the  welfare  of  your  majesty's  people  would  be 
greatly  promoted,  and  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  country 
secured,  by  the  dismissal  from  office  of  G.  P.  Jubd  and  Rich- 
ard Armstrong,  Ministers  of  Finance  and  PuUie  Instruction. 

*'  Their  inefficiency  and  misdeeds  may  be  artfully  concealed 
firom  your  majesty,  but  their  selfish  cupidity,  political  imbecil- 
ity, and  malfeasance  in  office,  are  well*  known  and  grievously 
felt  by  your  people. 

"  If  ^e  pubho  good  made  subservient  to  personal  aggran- 
dis^ement — ^the  use  of  official  and  arbitrary  power  to  gratify 
personal  malice,  ineffici^cy,  and  neglect  in  the  discharge  of 
official  duties — and  the  shandeful  betrayal  of  the  trust  of  a 
confiding  and  unfortunate  peojde,  merit  public  reprobation, 
and  the  withdrawal  of  the  trust  ccmfided  to  them,  then  do 
they. 

< '  The  public  good  and  public  feeling  urgently  demand  their 
dismissal.  We  earnestly  and  respectfully  petition  that  it  may 
be  done ;  and  not  only  we,  but  the  almost  universal  cry  is,  that 
they  may  be  no  longer  allowed  to  hold  places  in  your  majesty's 
ccMffidence,  or  of  national  trust  Gould  the  voices  be  hc^xd  of 
those  thousands  of  your  majesty's  people  who  have  recently 
been  so  suddenly  swept  from  time  into  an  awful  eternity, 
through  the  criminal  parsimony  and  neglect  of  these  minis- 
ters, they  would  cry  night  and  day  in  the  ears  of  your  majes- 
ty to  reprove,  and  in  some  measure  avenge,  the  wrong  done 
your  people,  by  dismisHing  such  faithless  ministers  from  your 
majesty's  councils.  The  bodies  of  hundreds  of  your  majesty's 
humble  and  &ithful  subjects  lie  cold  and  dead,  and  their 
tongues  are  silent  in  the  grave ;  but  the  silence  of  those  graves 
conveys  a  language  more  impressive  than  the  speech  of  tongues. 


MOVEMENTS  AT  THE  ISLANDS.    443 

and  admoniBhes  your  majesty  that  the  -wrongs  of  your  people 
should  still  live  in  the  memory  of  your  majesty,  though  they 
have  passed  away  forever. 

"  Your  petitioners  have  a  full  and  ahiding  confidence  in  the 
justice  and  firmness  of  your  majesty,  and  indulge  the  not  un- 
reasonahle  hope  that  your  majesty  will  hear  the  hving  and 
remember  the  dead,  and  so  respond  to  this  petition  as  to  bring 
peace,  happiness,  prosperity,  and  unity  to  your  now  distracted 
and  suffering  people." 

This  petition  was  signed  by  two  hundred  and  sixty  fi>reign- 
ers,  and  twelve  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty  natives. 
Subsequent  meetings  were  held,  and  resolutions,  confirmatory 
of  preceding  action,  were  unanimously  passed.  The  fiiends 
of  iJie  two  ministers  were  active  in  their  defense,  and  charged 
the  repubhcans  with  revolutionary  or  treasonable  designs 
against  the  Hawaiian  government ;  but  a  host  of  stem  facts ' 
stood  arrayed  against  them,  and  their  defense  of  the  ministers, 
and  their  hbelous  charges  against  the  patriots,  were  crushed. 
"While  these  scenes  were  enacted  in  the  Court-house,  let  us 
take  a  peep  into  the  "  royal  presence.'* 

The  besotted  king  and  his  native  counselors  were  so  alarm- 
ed by  the  determined  attitude  of  the  Independents,  that,  even 
after  refusing  to  dismiss  Messrs.  Judd  and  Armstrong,  they 
met  in  secret  conclave,  and  resolved  to  compel  those  obnox- 
ious ministers  to  resign.  Judd  got  wind  of*the  matter,  ap- 
pealed to  the  sympathies  and  prejudices  of  the  king,  over  whom 
he  has  obtained  unbounded  influence,  and  managed  to  induce 
him  to  reconsider  his  determination.  By  this  means  he  con- 
trived to  retain  his  hold  upon  place  and  power  a  brief  space 
longer.  The  Hawaiian  Guards,  composed  principally  of  Amer- 
icans, exhibited  such  a  spirit  a  few  days  afterward,  that  the 
king,  in  great  trepidation,  is  said  again  to  have  promised  the 
withdrawal  of  the  ministers. 

Annexation  to  the  United  States  now  seemed  to  be  the 
movement  at  which  both  parties  were  aiming.  To  gain  pop- 
ularity— and  probably  to  obtain  an  interim  for  the  better  ad- 


444  SANDWICH  ISLAND   NOTES. 

jostment  ot  thdr  difficulties — they  avowed  tiieraaelTes  as  the 
advocates  of  annexaticm,  and  accused  the  Indep^idoits  of  op- 
position to  that  measure.  Bat  it  was  a  hbel  on  all  their  for- 
mer actions  and  sentiments.  The  hollowuess  of  the  pretext 
was  palpable.  The  doors  of  the  whirlwind  had  been  opened, 
and  couid  be  closed  only  by  the  dismissal  of  the  olmradous 
Minister  of  Finance.  Ihr.  Judd  was  removed  from  office,  and 
Elisha  H.  Aixen,  ex-ccmsol  of  the  United  States,  appointed. 
Thus  a  decided  step  had  be^i  taken  toward  annexation  to 
the  United  States.  It  caused  no  small,  excitement  among  the 
British  and  French  residents.  The  consols  of  France  and 
England  solicited  an  audience  with  the  king  and  Privy  Coun- 
cil. The  Council  was  convoked  on  the  1st  of  Septemha, 
when  the  consuls  presented  the  following  joint  remonstrance  : 

"Honolulu,  Sept  1,  1863. 

"  May  it  please  tour  Majesty, — ^We,  the  representatives 
of  Great  Britain  and  France,  beg  leave  respectfrdly  to  inti- 
mate te  your  majesty  that  we  are  fully  informed  of  the  extra- 
ordinary course  adopted  by  some  American  merchants,  landed 
proprietors,  and  other  citizens  of  the  United  States,  coimected 
with  the  Protestant  missionaries  residing  on  Woahoo,  with  a 
view  to  induce  your  majesty  to  alienate  your  sovereignty  and 
the  independence  of  these  islands  by  immediate  negotiation  for 
annexation  to  the  United  States,  and  that  we  are  aware,  also, 
of  the  countenance  and  support  that  a  memorial  which  those 
gentlemen  have  addressed  to  you,  to  the  aforesaid  efiect,  has 
received  from  high  official  functionaries  at  Honolulu,  all  of 
which  proceedings  have  given  rise  to  considerable  excitement 
among  French  and  British  residents. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  we  consider  it  our  duty  to  re- 
mmd  you  that  Great  Britain  and  France  have  entered  into 
solemn  treaties  with  the  Sandwich  Islands,  by  which  treaties 
your  majesty,  your  heirs  and  successors,  are  bound  to  extend, 
at  all  times,  to  French  and  British  subjects,  the  same  advant- 
ages and  privileges  as  may  be  granted  to  subjects  or  citizens 
of  the  most  favored  nation,  a;id  that  the  joint  resoluticm  of  En- 


REMONSTRANCE   OF  THE  CONSULS.  445 

gland  and  France  of  the  28th  of  Novemb^,  1843,  was  found- 
ed upon  the  clear  understanding  that  your  majesty  was  to  pre- 
serve your  kingdom  as  an  independent  state. 

"  Therefore  we  declare,  in  the  name  of  our  governments, 
that  any  attempt  to  annex  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  any  for- 
eign power  whatever  would  be  in  contravention  of  existing 
treaties,  and  could  not  be  looked  upon  with  indifference  by. ei- 
ther the  British  or  the  French  government. 

**  We  beg  Airther  to  observe,  that,  in  accordance  with  the 
Hawaiian  Constitution,  your  majesty  could  only  alienate  your 
sovereignty  and  islands  imder  certain  circumstances — ^which 
circumstances  have  not  occurred — and  that  no  monarch  what- 
ever, according  to  Yattel  and  other  writers  on  international 
law,  has  a  right  to  alienate  his  kingdom,  or  to  enter  into  a 
negotiation  with  that  view,  without  the  concurrence  of  his 
people. 

"  We  therefore  consider  that  the  time  has  arrived  for  us  to 
remonstrate ;  and  we  do  hereby  remonstrate  against  your  maj- 
esty becoming  a  party  to  the  scheme  recently  got  up,  or  to 
any  other  project  which  existing  treaties  and  the  Hawaiian 
Constitution  do  not  sanction.*  Em.  Perrin, 

Wm.  Miller." 

To  this  "  extraordinary"  movement  on  the  part  of  the  two 
consuls,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Eolations  issued  the  following 
laconic  reply : 

"  Privy  Council  Chamber,  Palace,  Sept  1, 1868. 

'*  The  undersigned  is  commanded  by  the  king  to  state  to 
the  representatives  of  Great  Britain  and  France  that  his  maj- 
esty will  duly  consider  the  joint  memorandum  which  they  this 
day  presented  to  his  majesty,  in  presence  of  his  ministers  and 
Privy  Council  of  State.  R.  C.  Wyllie. 

"To  Monsieur  Louis  Emilie  Perrin,  Consul,  Commissioner,  and  Ple- 
nipotentiary of  his  Imperial  Majesty,  Napoleon  III.,  of  France. 

"To  William  Miller,  Esq.,  H.  B.  M-'s  Consul,"  Ac,  Ac. 

*  See  treaties  in  Appendix  YL 


446  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

To  prevent  a  wrong  impression  in  the  minds  of  persons  at 
a  distance,  a  communication  was  published  in  the  FolA^nesicun 
of  the  10th  instant : 

'*  Mr.  £DiTOR,-*-The  commmiication  firom  1^  representa- 
tives of  Great  Britain  and  France,  in  your  last  paper,  will 
probably  convey  a  wrong  impression  to  many  of  your  readers. 

"  The  Protestant  missionarijBS  at  these  islands  have  nev^ 
engaged  in  any  scheme  of  annexation.  It  has  been  th^  cher- 
ished wish  that  the  government  may  remain  independent,  un- 
der th^  present  Constituticni  and  rulers.  Whatever  may  have 
been  done  by  merchants,  planters,  or  others,  the  Protestant  cler- 
gymen at  the  islands  have  neidier  advised  nor  signed  any  me- 
morial to  the  king  touching  annexation.       £.  W.  Clark, 

P.  J.  GULICK." 

This  last  dispatch  was  needless — uidess  iot  persons  abroad 
— iox  it  has  ever  been  understood  that  pohcy  would  keep  the 
missionaries  iroia  ajqi  advocacy  of  ail  movements  tending  to 
annexation. 

The  joint "  remonstrance"  by  the  consuls  met  with  a  digni- 
fied and  firm  reply  fix)m  the  U.  S.  Commissioner — a  reply 
highly  characteristic  of  American  diplomacy.  The  following 
is  the  answer  entire,  as  it  was  addressed  to  the  representatives 
of  the  Biitish  and  French  governments,  through  the  Minister 
of  Foreign  B.elations ;  and  as  it  anticipates  some  topics  on 
which  it  was  my  intention  to  dwell,  I  give  it  this  place  in 
these  pages : 

"XJnited  States  Commiflsion,  Honolulu,  Sept  8,  1853. 
"  Sir, — ^I  have  the  honor  of  receiving  your  communication 
of  this  morning,  in  which  you  say  it  was  resolved  by  the  king 
in  council,  on  the  first  day  of  the  month,  that  you  should  pass 
to  me  officially  a  copy  of  the  joint  address  to  his  majesty  by 
the  representatives  of  Great  Britain  and  France,  made  on  that 
day,  which  you  have  done  by  inclosing  a  copy,  No.  17,  of  the 
Polynesian,  published  this  morning. 


REPLY  OF  THE   U.  S.  COMMISSIONER.    447 

"  My  thanks  axe  due  to  the  king  and  council  for  taking  im- 
mediate measures  to  apprise  me  officially  of  the  exact  contents 
of  the  address,  which  I  perceive  remonstrates  against  the  ex- 
traordinary course  adopted  hy  some  American  merchants, 
landed  proprietors,  and  other  citis^ns  of  the  United  States,  to 
induce  the  king  to  alienate  his  sovereignty  and  the  independ- 
ence of  the  islands,  by  immediate  negotiation  for  annexation 
to  the  United  States. 

''  You  are  aware  that  the  government  of  the  United  States 
has  never  made  any  propositions  to  his  majesty's  government 
to  annex  the  islands,  though  the  matter  has  undoubtedly  en- 
gaged the  attention  both  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  and 
of  subjects  of  the  king.  To  me  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
'merchants  and  landed  proprietors,'  whether  Americans  or 
others,  should  perceive  great  commercial  advantages  in  such 
a  connection,  considering  that  the  principal  part  of  the  com- 
merce of  the  islands  is  with  the  United  States,  and  that  the 
islands  must  look  almost  exclusively  to  the  Pacific  coast  of  the 
United  States  for  a  market  for  their  products  and  the  means 
of  paying  for  their  heavy  imports.  I  perceive,  theref(»re,  noth- 
ing very  extraordinary  in  the  project  remonstrated  against. 
And  if  now,  or  at  any  future  time,  it  shall  be  found  to  be  de- 
cidedly for  the  interest  of  both  countries  to  unite  their  sover- 
eignties, I  am  imable  to  perceive  any  treaty  or  moral  obliga- 
tions oil  the  part  of  either  to  forbid  the  dedred  union,  or  any 
good  reason  for  foreign  interference  to  prevent  it. 

''  French  and  English  subjects  might  still  be  entitled  to  the 
privileges  of  the  '  most  favored  nation,'  and,  on  the  score  of 
commercial  advantages,  can  not  weU  complain  of  being  sub- 
jected in  these  islands  to  the  revenue  laws  of  a  country  which 
consumes  and  pays  for  French  manufactures  and  other  prod- 
ucts to  the  amount  of  forty  miUions  of  doUars  annually,  and 
of  British  goods  to  liie  amount  of  one  hundred  millions  annu- 
ally— ^the  revenue  laws  of  a  country  rapidly  growing,  and 
whose  trade  is  now  of  more  value  to  Great  Britain  and  France 
than  that  of  any  of  their  colonies,  if  not,  indeed,  of  all  of  them 
added  together,  vast  as  English  colonies  are. 


448  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

"  In  view  of  these  great  interests,  which  would  be  sacrificed 
by  a  disturbance  of  pacific  relations  (to  say  nothing  of  several 
hundred  millions  of  American  stocks  held  in  Europe,  whose 
value  might,  for  the  time,  be  seriously  a^cted),  it  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  France  will  insist  on  theUttle  advantage  of  im- 
porting into  these  islands  silks,  wines,  &;c.,  to -the  amount  of 
a  few  thousands  of  dollars,  at  five  per  cent,  duty,  as  she  now 
does  by  her  construction  of  the  treaty  of  the  29th  March,  1 846 
— a  treaty  which,  instead  of  being  a  vaUd  reason  why  the  king  ' 
should  not  transfer  his  sovereignty,  is  a  standing  and  power- 
ful argument  to  justify  him  in  doing  so,  since  that  treaty  denies 
to  him  one  of  the  most  important  attributes  of  sovereignty — 
one  in  the  highest  degree  essential  to  all  independent  nations. 

"  Still  less  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  Great  Britain  will  claim 
the  privileges  of  the  *  most  favored  nation'  under  the  French 
treaty,  since  she  has  generously  thrown  up  her  own  treaty  of 
the  same  date  and  tenure,  and  substituted  that  of  the  10th  of 
July,  1861,  in  accordance  with  the  American  treaty  of  Wash- 
ington of  the  20th  of  December,  1849. 

"  The  right  to  cede  or  acquire  territory,  or  to  imite  two  in- 
dependent nations  by  compact,  is  regarded  as  inherent  in  all 
independent  sovereignties.  It  has  certainly  been  practiced 
from  time  immemorial.  The  power  which  can  cede  a  part, 
can  cede  all  the  pagrts.  Modem  history  abounds  in  examples, 
and  none  more  than  English  and  French  history.  Annexa- 
tion is  neither  a  new  thing,  nor  rare  in  our  day,  as  the  Turks 
and  Arabs  of  Algeria,  the  Caffires  of  Southern  Africa,  and  more 
than  one  hundred  and  thirty  miUions  of  people  in  India,  can 
testify  —  people,  it  is  hoped,  who  may  be  benefited  by  the 
change ;  but  whether  so  or  not,  I  can  not  admit  that  annex- 
ation by  voluntary  consent  is  any  more  illegal  or  reprehensi- 
ble than  annexation  by  conquest.  But  whether  it  be  done  by 
one  process  or  the  other,  the  government  of  the  United  States- 
can  have  no  colonies.  Whatever  territory  is  added  is  but  an 
integral  part  of  the  whole,  and  subject  to  the  same  national 
constitution  and  laws. 

"  The  expediency  of  union  with  the  United  States  I  do  not 


REPLY  OF  THE  U.  S.  COMMISSIONER.    449 

propose  to  consider  at  present,  for  I  have  no  authority  to  say 
that  the  United  States  will  consent  to  any  terms  that  may  he 
c^red  ;  yet  I  have  no  douht,  if  they  shall  he  offered,  they  will 
be  frankly  received  and  duly  considered ;  but  no  sinister  means 
of  accomplishing  the  object,  however  desirable,  will  receive  any 
favor  from  the  United  States. 

"  I  am  most  happy  to  have  your  testimony  that  the  com- 
missioner and  consuls  of  the  United  States  have  acted  fully 
and  fieiithfully  up  to  the  principles  declared  by  Mr.  Websteb. 
and  Mr.  Clayton  in  the  communications  referred  to  by  you, 
and  I  am  not  permitted  to  doubt  that  you  will  have  as  httle 
reason  hereafter  as  you  have  now  to  disturb  the  friendly  in- 
tentions of  the  government  and  people  of  the  United  States. 

**  My  regard  for  the  king  and  his  government,  and  for  the 
highly  respectable  representatives  of  England  and  France  in 
these  islands,  who  have  deemed  it  their  duty  to  interpose  an  of- 
fical  remonstrance,  ahke  demand  the  utmost  frankness  in  the 
expression  of  the  sentiments  I  entertain,  which  I  am  sure  they 
will  appreciate. 

"  The  agreement  or  joint  declaration  of  the  28th  of  No- 
vember, 1852,  that  neither  Great  Britain  nor  France  would 
take  possession  of  these  islands,  as  a  protectorate  or  otherwise, 
was  creditable  to  those  powers.  The  government  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  was  not  a  party  to  the  engagement,  neither  was 
BIamehameha  III.,  so  far  as  appears.  The  parties  to  it,  by 
their  naval  forces,  had  both  made  hostile  demonstrations  upon 
the  king's  sovereignty. 

"  The  United  States  has  not ;  but,  both  before  and  since, 
though  their  interests  were  far  greater  here  than  those  of  any 
or  aU  foreign  powers,  they  have  constantly  respected  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  king.  They  have  never  sought  to  limit  the 
right  of  his  government  to  frame  its  own  system  of  finance, 
enact  its  own  revenue  laws,  regulate  its  own  system  of  pubUc 
education,  establish  its  own  judicial  pohcy,  or  demanded  any 
special  favors,. and  they  were  the  first  to  recognize  the  com- 
plete and  unqualified  national  independence  of  the  kingdom, 
by  the  treaty  of  the  20th  of  December,  1849. 


450  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

"  The  treaty  having  he^i  fidthfully  observed,  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  policy  oi  the  United  States  toward  these  islands 
which  requires  concealment  or  demands  an  explanation — 
nothing  to  disturb  the  harmony  which  happily  exists  betwe^i 
the  United  States  and  the  great  commercial  powers  of  Europe. 

'*  Lest  silence  on  my  part,  after  the  publication  of  the  joint 
remonstrance,  should  make  a  di^rent  impression  here  or  else- 
where, and  considering  the  distance  from  the  seats  of  goT- 
emment  of  Europe  and  America,  it  maybe  advisable  to  depart 
£nom  the  usual  course  in  such  matters,  and  to  publish  this  let- 
ter also,  to  go  with  the  remonstauice  of  the  Briti^  and  French 
representatives. 

*'  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient 
servant,  Luther  Severance. 

**  His  Excellency  Robert  Cbichton  "Wtllie,  Min-  ) 
ister  of  Foreign  ReUtions,"  Ac.,  Ac  ) 

The  joint  address  of  the  British  and  French  consuls  is  not 
merely  at  war  with  the  most  solid  facts,*  but  with  existing 
treaties,  and  it  betrays  a  characteristic  jeabusy  as  to  territorial 
rights  claimable  on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  The  G<m- 
stitution  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  gives  to  the  monarch  a  le- 
gitimate sovereignty  as  a  king  merely.f  But  the  diplcmiacy 
of  France  and  England,  as  visible  in  their  treaties,  has  attempt- 
ed to  deprive  him  of  his  sovereign  rights,  by  bringing  the  gov- 
ernment, several  times,  under  their  own  exclusive  control. 
"Some  of  those  attempts  have  been  as  perfidious  as  despotism 
could  render  them.t  In  his  reply,  the  American  Oommis- 
sioner  Imefly  referred  to  the  territorial  aggrandizement  of 
France  and  England.  •  Neither  of  those  nations  has  the  least 

*  "  The  king,  by  and  -with  the  approyal  of  his  cabinet  and  Privy 
Council,  in  case  of  invasion  or  rebellion,  can  place  the  whole  king- 
dom or  any  part  of  it  under  martial  law ;  and  he  can  even  alienate 
it,  if  indispensable  to  free  it  from  the  insult  and  oppression  of  any 
foreign  j^wer."— -Article  89  of  the  Constitution  of  1S52, 

t  See  Articles  24,  26,  26,  27,  28, 29,  80,  and  86,  of  the  Constitution 
of  1S62.  J  See  treaties  in  Appendix  VL 


BRITISH  AND  FRENCH   DOMINION.     451 

chance  to  vindicate  themselves  from  the  serious  charge  of  ter- 
ritorial extension.  Of  all  nations  on  earth,  England  should 
be  silent  on  this  theme.  The  London  Quarterly  Review 
exults  in  the  crushing  poUcy  which  British  supremacy  has  en- 
tailed on  the  East : 

"  Our  territory  is  equal  to  all  Continental  Europe,  Russia 
excepted.  Peshawur  is  as  far  north  of  Tanjore  as  Stockholm 
is  of  Naples  ;  Chittagong  as  far  east  of  Kuirachee  as  Athens 
is  of  Paris.  Germany,  Italy,  France,  Spain,  Holland,  Belgi- 
imi,  Denmark,  and  Sweden,  unitedly,  do  not  equal  either  our 
territory  or  our  population.  The  report  of  the  grand  trigono- 
metrical survey,  which  has  lately  been  printed  for  Parhament, 
gives  the  total — area  in  square  miles,  1,368,113  ;  population, 
151,144,902.  And  a  corrected  copy,  with  which  we  have 
been  favored,  adds  seven  miUions  and  a  half  to  this  population, 
most  of  which  is  in  our  own  territories,  but  part  in  the  native 
states,  making  the  total  158,774,065.  But  the  fact  is,  that 
even  fiom  our  territories,  many  of  the  returns  are  no  better 
than  guesses,  and  from  the  native  states  few  are  to  be  rehed 
upon.  It  has,  however,  generally  proved  that  accurate  returns 
give  a  higher  population  than  previous  estimates,  and  after 
considerable  attention  to  the  subject  for  years,  we  should  not 
be  surprised  to  find  the  official  statement  gradually  coming  up 
from  its  present  advanced  figure  to  nearly  two  hundred  mill- 
ions. 

"  This  splendid  empire  is  distributed  into  four  governments 
or  presidencies — Bengal,  Madras,  Bombay,  and  Agra.  The 
first  is  the  seat  of  the  Governor  General  and  the  Supreme 
Council ;  the  next  two  have  each  a  Governor  and  CouncU ; 
and  Agra  is  administered  by  a  Lieutenant  Governor  without  a 
Council.  The  army  is :  Clueen's  troops,  29,480  ;  Company's 
European  troops,  19,928 ;  Company's  native  troops,  240,121 : 
total,  289,529  ;  nadve  contingents  commanded  by  British  of- 
ficers, and  available  under  treaties,  32,000  :  total  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Governor  General,  321,529.  This  is  a  great 
anny,  yet  its  proporti(Mi  to  the  ext^it  of  the  empire  presents  a 
fercible  comment  on  the  nature  of  the  British  rule.     Ccnnpare 


452  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

it  with  the  proportion  which  the  armies  of  the  Contin^it  bear 
to  the  population  of  the  resp^tive  countries,  and  you  might 
imagine  that  they  were  holding  conquered  nations,  and  we 
governing  our  hereditary  soil.  Forty-nine  thousand  out  of  the 
whole  are  Englishmen !  a  less  number  than  is  generally  found 
necessary  to  garrison  the  one  city  of  Paris.  Even  the  native 
lajahs,  with  a  population  of  55,000,000,  have  400,000  sol- 
diers; while  we,  with  double  the  population,  have  110,000 
less,  though  they  are  guaranteed  against  external  war,  and  we 
have  to  take  all  risks.  Then  our  240,000  native  troops  are  a 
strength  or  a  weakness,  just  as  our  authority  is  popular  or  the 
reverse.  Were  their  attachment  lost,  how  formidable  would 
they  be,  taught  in  our  mode  of  war,  and  five  times  as  numer- 
ous as  the  English  soldiers.  Were  they  and  the  troops  of  the 
rajahs  united  against  us,  it  would  be  50,000  against  640,000. 
You  may  travel  through  India  for  days  together  without  com- 
ing on  a  military  station.  You  may  pass  through  kingdoms 
with  three  miUions  or  more  inhabitants,  containing  only  one 
post  of  European  troops.  You  may  find  great  cities  with- 
out a  soldier ;  the  remains  of  vast  fortifications,  near  which 
not  a  uniform  is  visible.  Facts  such  as  these,  when  contrast- 
ed with  the  constant  display  of  miUtary  force  in  the  countries 
of  even  civilized  Europe,  forcibly  prove  that  the  power  of  the 
English  has  foimdations  in  the  homes  of  the  people  as  well  as 
in  ihe  cantonments  of  the  soldiery.  In  the  native  regiments 
the  officers  are,  as  to  numbers,  about  half  native,  half  En- 
glish ;  but  no  native  officer  can  rise  higher  than  to  a  sort  of 
captaincy  or  majority,  and  even  then  is  under  the  youngest 
European  ensign,  a  position  much  worse  than  that  enjoyed  by 
Hindoos  in  the  armies  of  the  Mussulmans.  Bengal,  Madras, 
aiid  Bombay  have  three  distinct  armies  and  three  commiand- 
ers-in-chief" 

But  how  did  the  British  govemmei  t  obtain  "  this  splendid 
empire  ?"  Was  it  done  by  an  honorable  purchase  or  a  just 
diplomacy  ?  No  !  But  it  resembled,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
aggressive  warfare  which  aimed  at  the  extermination  of  the 
rising  Hberties  on  this  continent  in  1779.     The  acquisition  of 


BRITISH  AND  FRENCH   DOMINION.     453 

British  "  empire"  in  India  has  been  marked  with  rapine  and 
blood,  perfidy  and  cruelty,  and  every  crime  denounced  in  the 
Decalogue.  Marvelously  plain  are  the  remarks  of  Dr.  Bow- 
BiNG — ^the  present  British  consul  at  Canton — ^made  thirteen 
years  ago,  at  a  pubhc  meeting  convened  in  London  fbi  the 
special  purpose  of  relieving  the  wrongs  of  India : 

"  We  are  called  together  to  consider  the  interests  of 
150,000,000  of  our  fellow-subjects.  England  has  long  held 
the  sceptre  over  the  miUions  of  India,  but  what  has  she  ever 
done  for  them  but  to  rob  them  of  their  rights  ?  We  boast 
that  we  are  a  civilized^  a  religious,  an  instructed  nation. 
What  of  all  these  blessings  have  been  conferred  upon  India  ? 
The  inhabitants  of  that  fine,  that  noble  country,  are  not  to  be 
compared  even  to  the  Swiss  upon  his  bleak  and  barren  mount- 
ains. We  are  a  large  commercial  coimtry,  but  we  have  nev- 
er extended  the  humanizing  and  civilizing  blessings  of  com- 
merce to  India.  This  is  an  agricultural  nation.  What  a  pic- 
ture does  India  present  ?  Possessing  boundless  tracts  of  land, 
with  every  shade  of  climate,  fit  for  the  best  productions  of  the 
earth,  yet  men  perishing  by  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands from  famine,  while  the  store-houses  of  the  East  India 
Company  are  filled  vrith  bread  wrung  firom  their  toil  by  a 
standing  army.  We  have  boasted  of  our  rehgion.  Have  we 
impart^  any  of  it  to  the  nations  of  India  ?  We  profess  to  be 
a  well-governed  nation,  and  to  be  weU  acquainted  "with  the 
principles  of  liberty,  which  we  highly  prize ;  but  we  have  not 
given  that  liberty  to  India.  We  have  not  even  made  justice 
accessible  to  them.  So  far  from  imparting  commerce  to  In- 
dia, we  have  ruined  that  which  she  conmienced  before.  It 
is  not  many  years  since  India  suppUed  almost  every  European 
nation  with  cotton  cloths.  Now  we  supply  her  with  our 
fabrics." 

This  is  the  deadly  venom,  the  serfdom  so  crushing  to  pros- 
trate India,  which  the  London  Times  advocates,  when  it  reads 
to  the  American  people,  on  the  theme  of  American  annex- 
ation, siich  grave  lessons ;  such  the  glory  of  that  nation, "  upon 
whose  possessions  the  sun  never  sets,"  that  is  incessantly  point- 


454  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

iog  to  the  state  of  oar  own  domestic  institiitkiiis.  Lm^dng  oa 
"  this  picture,  then  on  that,"  one  is  led  to  eYrJaim,  with  the 
MEamMii,*'Otemparaf  O  mores  T 

Of  French  pohcy  in  annexation,  Uttle  need  he  said.  The 
reader  may  look  to  her  African  colonies.  He  may  follow  in 
the  wake  of  her  ships  of  war,  and  trace  the  perfidious  conduct 
of  thor  commanden  at  the  Society  Islands,  and  their  treat- 
ment of  the  Sandwich  Island  king — all  of  which  was  sanc- 
ticHied  by  France.  He  may  then  look  at  the  condition  and  ao- 
quiation  of  French  Guiana  chl  the  South  American  Contin^it. 

It  has  been  already  intimated  hy  the  British  and  Fr^Msh 
refnresentatiyes,  that  "  any  attempt  to  annex  the  Sandwidb 
Isiands  to  any  foreign  power  whatever  would  he  in  contraven- 
tion €&  existing  treaties,  and  could  not  be  locked  upon  vdth  in- 
difierence  by  either  the  British  or  the  French  government." 

The  first  of  these  claims  assumes  a  most  unreal  hasis  fi}r 
dipkxnatio  language  in  behalf  of  **  treaties."  The  fiuth  held 
hy  the  ''great  powers"  of  Europe  toward  feehle  neighhois  is 
nothing  less  than  a  mere  ccmvenience  for  the  achievement  of 
their  own  individual  plans  at  national  aggrandizement.  How 
often  have  they  formed  ''treaties"  on  the  verge  of  some  great 
emergency,  or  af^  an  enormous  waste  of  blood,  and  life,  and 
treasure  on  the  field  of  battle !  and  how  often  have  those 
treaties  been  snapped  asunder,  like  a  withered  reed,  to  suit  the 
designs  of  some  arch-tyrant !  And  yet,  amid  such  perfidy, 
some  imperious  shadow  behind  the  throne  has  issued  a  decree 
that  such  a  step  was  necessary  for  the  security  of  govemr 
mmt!^  Was  it  for  this  "  security"  that  England  and  France 
stood  by  silently  when  the  perfidious  Muscovite  applied  the 
scourge  that  leveled  Poland  to  the  dust,  and  rendered  her  the 
Niohe  of  nations  ?  Was  it  for  this  "  security"  that  the  great 
German  family  has  become  tongue-tied — ^that  Italy,  beautiM 
Italy,  which  had 

^  The  fatal  gift  of  beauty,  which  became 
A  funeral  dower  of  present  woes  and  past," 

has  been  locked  up,  as  it  were,  in  her  own  sculptured  sepul- 
chres, without  the  power  and  the  means  to 


FAITH  OF  EUROPEAN   NATIONS.        455 

"  Awe  the  robbers  ba^  who  press 
To  shed  her  blood,  and  drink  the  tears  of  her  distress  ?" 

"Was  it  for  this  "security"  that  proud  and  patriotic  Hungary 
has  had  the  hloody  sword  placed  to  her  neck  by  that  most  per- 
fidious of  nations — ^Austria  ?  or  that  Ireland  has  been  bruised, 
lacerated,  crushed,  impoverished,  destroyed,  by  the  iron  heel  of 
England  ?  Was  it  for  this  "  security"  that,  for  the  last  thou- 
sand years,  the  despots  of  Europe  have  shed  thQ  blood  of  their 
best  and  bravest  sons — and  daughters  too— or,  branding  them 
with  treason,  have  sent  them  into  perpetual  exile,  or  confined 
them  in  a  felon's  cell,  bestowed  upon  them  felpn's  food,  and, 
at  death,  gave  them  the  privilege  of  rotting  in  a  felon's  grave  ? 
Since  the  disastrous  defeat  of  Napoleon  the  Great  on  the 
field  of  Waterloo,  has  European  faith  been  held  more  sacred  ? 

-      "Is  earth  more  firee  ? 
Did  nations  combat  to  make  one  submit, 
Or  league  to  teach  all  kings  true  sovereignty? 
"What  I  shall  reviving  thraldom  again  be 
The  patched-up  idol  of  enlightened  days?" 

When  that  great  impersonation  of  progressive  freedom  was 
vanquished  at  that  "  king-making  victory,"  it  put  back  the 
dial  of  European  liberty  for  half  a  century.  The  sovereigns 
and  leaders  of  the  '*  allied  armies"  held  a  special  congress  to 
make  provision  for  the  "  security"  of  their  respective  govern- 
ments. Then  and  there  a  treaty  was  drawn  up  and  signed, 
on  tiie  reception  of  thtf  Ettcharisty  that  the  empire  of  France 
should  never  be  resumed  in  the  Napoleonic  name.  And  how 
has  the  faith  of  thM  treaty  been  observed  by  the  allied  sover- 
eigns ?  We  look  across  the  Atlantic,  and  behold  no  less  a 
miracle  than  Louis  Napoleon — successively  the  exile,  the 
prisoner,  the  president — ^now  the  Em^Kbor  of  France. 

In  relation  to  the  **  non-indifierence"  of  France  and  England, 
it  is  nothing  to  us — ^nothing  in  itself  but  an  empty  boast.  In 
'  case  of  opposition  from  that  source— and  it  is  altogether  im- 
probable—we can  defy  it.  They  have  no  business  to  interfere 
in  matters  relative  to  our  well-being  as  an  independent  repub- 
hc ;  for  '*  they  have  prosecuted  colonization  and  annexation 


456  SANDWICH   ISLAND  NOTES. 

on  too  gigantic  a  scale  to  have  their  nerves  shocked  at  what 
in  itself  is  neither  an  outrage  on  human  rights  or  national 
good  faith,  but  what  must  redound  to  the  interests  of  the 
world  of  Commerce,  and  perhaps  the  preservation  of  the  orig- 
inal inhabitants  of  these  islands.  We  hope  that  no  miserable 
squeamishness  about  enlarging  our  boundaries,  no  cant  about 
manifest  destiny,  will  prevent  the  consu^mlation  of  what  is  a 
destiny  brought  about  by  the  course  of  events,  without  the 
trickery  of  diplomacy  or  the  violence  of  imscrupulous  ambition. 
Great  Britain  dare  not  interfere  to  prevent  this  peaceful  ab- 
sorption of  the  Sandwich  Islands  as  the  station  of  the  stars 
and  stripes  in  the  Pacific  ;  and  France  can  not." 

Annexation  would  confer  a  benefit  on  the  Hawaiian  people. 

'*  The  rude  and. oracular  rhyme  in  which  the  islanders  tell 
the  story  of  their  race  passing  away  firom  the  earth  is  touching 
indeed ;  and  the  prophecy  in  a  few  years  will  be  accomplished 
— ^the  simple-minded  savages  will  have  departed.  Our  abo- 
rigines are  passing  away,  because  of  their  contact  with  civil- 
ized man ;  these  islanders  seem  to  sufier,  being  in  a  measure 
tabooed.  The  missionary  has,  indeed,  excluded  rum — the 
poison  of  the  North  American  tribes ;  but  he  could  not  cast 
out  the  demon  of  intemperate  lust,  and  beneath  this  curse  the 
natives  of  the  Pacific  Islands  are  melting  away  like  hailstones 
beneath  the  sun  of  their  own  tropical  clime.  They  ax6  fated 
— ^the  disease  is  mortal,  the  missionaries  have  not  applied  the 
balm,  and  civilized,  and  Christian,  and  free  men  must  come 
in  contact  with  them ;  Christianity  has  been  planted  on  the 
islands,  and  the  savages  have  been  taught  its  tessons,  while, 
alas  !  they  have  missed  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  Christian 
civilization.  The  missionary  has  compassed  sea  and  land  to 
make  his  proselytes,  and  they  are  almost  as  unhappy  as  con- 
verts as  when  they  were  heathen.  The  missionary  pohcy  has 
evidently  been  to  ke«p  the  natives  in  a  state  of  vassalage  and 
tutelage — ^to  make  them  pay  the  expenses  of  their  tuition  by 
a  species  of  religious  s^dom.  Religious  freedom  and  eman- 
cipation are  their  only  hope,  and  this  they  will  secure  by  the 
introduction  of  the  free  laws  of  an  American  state." 


REASONS   FOR  ANNEXATION.  457 

Whatever  of  Christianity  or  civilization  have  been  grasped 
by  that  people,  they  are  indebted  mainly  to  the  United  States 
for  them.  The.  Protestant  Churches  of  America  have  ex- 
pended a  large  sum  to  Christianize  the  Hawaiians.")^  Annex- 
ation would  permit  them  to  gain  access  to  the  greatest  possible 
amount  of  good  in  the  shortest  time  possible.  They  would 
procure  the  boon  an  exclusive  Christianity  has  never  yet  con- 
ferred. Before  many  years,  we  shall  see  representatives  of 
Hawaii — ^probably  scions  of  royalty — ^in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  And  the  channels  of  native  industry,  which 
ecclesiastical  legislation  has  so  long  closed,  wiU  be  fully  opened, 
thereby  securing  an  honorable  subsistence  to  the  remnant  of 
the  race,  should  that  remnant  exist. 

Annexation  would  advance  our  commercial  interests  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  The  preceding  pages  of  this  volume  will  show 
that  American  comjmerce  predominates  in  the  North  Pacific, 
and  especially  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  A  remnant  of  the 
original  savage  race  survives  on  these  beautifiil  islands,  and  a 
copper-colored  king — a  caricature  of  royalty* — ^represents  them 
in  the  family  of  nations.  But  our  citizens  have  quietly  gone 
there,  and  by  the  right  of  nature  and  humanity — superior  to 
the  decrees  of  pontifi*or  of  despot — ^have  colonized  there.  The 
rapidity  with  which  American  commerce  has  spread  to  every 
clime  is  a  modem  miracle  in  history.  Although  only  in  its 
infancy,  it  nearly  equals,  in  tunnage  the  marine  of  England, 
which  has  been  ages  in  forming.  Polynesia  is  a  world  of 
wealth  undeveloped.  What  little  of  it  is  known  is  mainly  o^- 
ing  to  the  indomitable  energy  of  American  enterprise. 

With  the  vast  increase  of  commercial  wealth,  there  will  be 
a  stem  necessity  for  a  strong  naval  force  to  protect  it.  Placed 
directly  in  the  great  commercial  route  fix)m  the  West  to  the 
East,  the  Sandwich  Islands  can  be  rendered  an  impregnable 
naval  depots  and  maintained  for  that  special  purpose.  Rome, 
Greece,  England,  France,  and  Spain  have  successively  clami- 
ed  the  prerogative  to  protect  the  interests  and  claim  the  re- 
sults that  have  emanated  from  their  own  commercial  systems. 
*  See  Appendix  VII. 
U 


458  SANDWICH  ISLAND  NOTES. 

This  is  the  pieiogatiYe  of  every  maiitiiDe  power.  Destined, 
as  they  are,  to  achieve  the  moet  splendid  transfonnations  in 
the  history  of  humanity,  hy  rolling  back  a  mighty  tide  of  civ- 
ilizatifm  to  the  Orient  firom  iidience  it  sprong,  can  the  Amei^ 
ican  people  be  satisfied  with  any  thing  short  of  a  competent 
naval  defense  ci  their  commerce  scattered  over  the  Pacific  ? 

But,  beyond  all  reasons  that  have  been  urged,  annexation 
is  a  step  absolutely  NscEsaA&T  on  tiie  part  of  our  govemm^it. 
The  Sandwich  Islands  are  absolutely  essential  to  the  protec- 
tion of  the  western  confines  of  the  United  States.  Their  fu- 
ture annexaticNi  is  a  matter,  not  of  choice,  but  of  neces^ty — a 
necessity  even  more  imperative  than  tiiat  which  caUs  for  our 
possession  of  Cuba,  and  less  complicated  with  difficulties.  We 
are  surrounded  by  foes,  and  there  are  those  in  our  midst  who 
would  never  fail  to  sing ''  Hosannas"  if  they  could  but  see  the 
death-struggle  of  that  liberty  which  our  honored  fiithers  pur- 
chased on  so  many  battle-fields.  The  day  is  hot  far  distant 
when  our  western  boundary  will  require  to  be  watched  with 
a  close  scrutiny,  and  protected  by  an  efficient  force.  Mexico, 
on  the  south,  although  she  could  not  destn^,  may,  in  case  of 
renewed  hostilities,  harass  our  commerce.  Russian  America, 
on  the  north,  in  close  communication  with  tiie  eastern  shores 
of  her  Asiatic  possessions,  could,  in  case  of  a  rupture,  send 
down  a  fleet  which  for  a  time  would  sweep  our  western  sea- 
board of  its  commerce.  Her  recent  treatment  of  Poland ;  her 
oppressions  to  the  races  inhabiting  the  Caucasus ;  her  hellish 
perfidy  toward  Turkey ;  her  recent  butchery  of  Hungarian 
troops — all  these  are  sufficient  warnings  to  the  statesman  that 
no  national  faith  can  be  reposed  in  Russia. 

In  this  age,  when  some  unforeseen  event  may  burst  fortli  and 
revolutionize  the  commerce,  the  politics,  and  the  national  char- 
acter of  the  Old  World,  it  is  of  the  greatest  moment  that  the 
United  States  should  be  impregnable  at  every  point — ^^at  they 
should  possess  those  outposts  which  will  best  aid  in  national 
defense.  This  step  becomes  at  once  an  imperative  duty,  the 
performance  of  which  it  seems  impossible  to  avoid.  The 
Sandwich  Islands  must  be  ours  at  all  risks^-if  there  are  any 


NECESSITY  OF  ANNEXATION.  459 

— and  at  every  cost  I  Sincerely  it  is  hoped  that  our  govern- 
ment is  awake  to  the  necessities  of  the  movement,  and  will 
take  care  that  neither  England  nor  France  slip  into  posses- 
sion while  it  is  considering  what  would  be  the  safest  policy  to 
pursue.  There  is  but  one  wise  and  safe  policy,  and  that  is  to 
accept  the  islands  from  King  Kamehameha,  if  he  wishes  to 
make  a  trade,  and  give  him  a  comfortable  pension.  The 
Sandwich  Islands  are  exceedingly  desirable  as  auxiharies  to 
our  commercial  enterprises  in  the  Pacific,  and  since  the  course 
of  events  are  bringing  them  within  the  circle  of  **  manifest 
destiny,"  let  us  unhesitatingly  and  thankfully  accept 

"  The  goods  the  gods  provide  us." 

Let  Kamehameha  III.  keep  broad  and  fertile  lands  for  the 
use  of  himself  and  household,  but  let  him  lay  aside  the  ridic- 
ulous insignia  which  have  so  long  rendered  him  a  mere  play- 
thing in  the  hands  of  designing  men.  Once  in  the  possession 
of  the  United  States,  it  will  be  seen  that  those  islands  will 
materially  affect  the  hopes  and  the  happiness  of  millions  of  our 
countrymen  by  protecting  their  interests,  and  of  myriads  of 
Polynesians  by  extending  to  them  the  advantages  of  a  civil- 
ized commerce. 

It  is  now,  while  the  United  States  afibrd  an  asylum  for  the 
oppressed  of  all  nations — ^while  European  and  Asiatic  dynas- 
ties are  trembling  for  their  present  safety  and  ^ture  prosperity 
— ^while  the  grand  struggle  is  going  on  between  Freedom  and 
Despotism,  to  be  performed  on  a  republican  or  monarchical 
tiieatre— it  is  now  that  the  American  people  are  to  take  those 
steps,  of  whatever  necessary  character,  which  shall  pave  the 
way  more  fuUy  toward  the  goal  of  their  future  greatness  and 
glory.* 

*  See  Appendix  VUL 


A  P  P  E  I  D  1 1. 


i 


CONTENTS. 


Appendix  ,  Page 

L  CnBtom-HoiiBe  Statistics 463 

n.  Financial  Statistics 469 

m.  Meteorological  Table , 470 

IV.  Criminal  Statistics 472 

y.  Report  on  Missionary  Lands,  and  Comparative  Table  . . .  474 

VL  Treaties  relating  to  the  Sandwich  Islands 477 

VJJL  Cost  of  Misfflonary  Enterprise  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  . .  482 
VUL  Extracts  from  a  Speech  of  Mr.  "Waahbnm,  of  Maine,  in  the 

House  of  Bepresentatiyes 484 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX  L 

The  following  Tables  will  show  the  character,  extent,  and  increase 
of  the  commerce  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  from  1836,  inclusive : 


•9if  %iiidM  'Xietsoq  'sa»[00M..<9i«M.  I 

-aBtqS  <o«iMpJ«ii  <i)ii{q»  pm  8)imd  *ai{}op  3mi  \ 


'9if  *avna  '8»«q  'aejgos  I 


'•^f  *9XBMaawi3  'ajS  'sqioppvoiq  'spooS  ao||OQ  I 


•opijua  9WMO 


"•^f  'inxnivg  'wds  'Mqoniq 


f  nswoa  -MN  Pire 
L  •ponog  Jiio^ON 


•91f 

'jmSxm  *ii»q»  li»»d  pn»  iiwad  *ii«  'n»'P^»-n>l. 


(•■pmipittwqiTiog 
{j»qjopn»i»iqi»jt 
I  pm  aonuMBv 


-BpooS  qHjjua    ,  J 

•IBM  pm  *nin>  ^«l  'nionoa  vniq  'smo^ma  «iiia  \ 


'XQvdptqid  iunnB4  ?■■  ^Mdg  I 


matf  MOiji  n  wiani*  •am  pm  '^iia  'spooaiiY  i 


,     ^        ,         -wpiq  ipoipiq  pm 
*iiiOii«»  '••piq  Httnj  'fupp  i0||o  pmi  pm  veg 


(ia«Mifp»«pm[tI 
\  pm  «iuiojn»0 


■9y  '•tiilvd  'aoii  'dvM  '•nnun)  'atuida 


pm  sMqA  *p«Ma  'inop  'saioii  [«a««  *nixn9 
^•Sntoa  *i9ado»  '•raM.pivq  'iiaiqa  '•luud  »a[q     i 
pm  Twiyaiqan  *paqaw[q  *9aono9  jo  aapqrooQ  t 


8§§i 

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s^sgg^  ^ 


§1 


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ooc<z>     £ 


"I 


464 


APPENDIX. 


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III  I  i 


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§     I 


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mil  I 


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QoooQoaoQO     00 


II 


APPENDIX. 


465 


S      rfSSSSSS    2S  SSS8 

i 


S&^      l^«0  »H       ph      « 


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^  if 

09 


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466 


APPENDIX. 


11 


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s . 


I 


HONOLULU— Domestic  anpplies  to  177  merchant  Teseels,  at  an  aver- 
age of  $150  each  $26,550  00 

To  220  whalers,  at  an  average  of  $220  each 49,720  00 

To  men  of  war,  Ac 5,000  00 

LAHAINA— To  aU  vessels .• 29,645  00 

HILO— To  all  vessels 16,123  00 

Other  ports .  600  00 

Total $127,638  00 


APPENDIX. 


467 


5    2§ 


2    §2 

o     o> 


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a 

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g 

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is^ 

tf 
p 

35111 

^  :^  t5  W 

H 

3 

o 

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s 

^ 

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i 

^ 

et*E>;> 

^ 

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S 

i 

1 

3^  u 

o 

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S 

^ 

^^Mpa 

2 

*:  s^iA 

1 

■i 

■E 

,,-gissr 

>.£g  b^ 

1 

^ 

1 


468 


APPENDIX. 


CO  — 1— 


o 

M 

H 
P< 
O 

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1-9 


*^^oo<-«     ^e 


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«««         ^         -H 


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s-s 


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CQO<( 


iiS&i  g  %iBM  I 


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U^S^ 


oco     e»     ^e«-^'-«'-« 


f 


APPENDIX.  469 


n. 

FINAl^CIAL  STATISTICH 
-  From,  the  Annual  Jtejxyrt  of  the  Minister  of  Finance^  p.  23,  24,  1862. 

Since  the  appointment  of  the  Treasury  Board,  the  receipts  of  the 
government  have  been,  in  round  numbers,  as  follows : 

For  year  ending  Slst  March,  1843 $41,000  00 

"  "        "        "        1844 69,000  00 

"  "         "        "        1846 66,000  00 

*•  "         "        "        1846^ 76,000  00 

"  "         "         «        184*7 12*7,000  00 

u        u        1848 166,000  00 

«        "         "        1849 166,000  00 

1860 194,000  00 

«  «.         «         «        1861 284,000  00 

"  "         "         "        1862 234,169  46 

The  receipts  for  1862,  compared  with  those  of  1861,  show  a  de- 
crease of  $60,000;  a  fact  not  veiy  creditable  to  the  Minister  of 
Finance. 

The  Receipts  fob  1868  hat  be  estimated  thus  : 

From  the  Department  of  the  Interior $60,100 

«       "            "            "  Public  Instruction 2*7,600 

"       "            "            «  Finance. 184,466 

"       **            «            "  Land  Commission. 10,000 

"^  $282,166 

The  Ezpenditukb. 

For  the  Civil  list  as  before,  less  the  extraordinary 

appropriation  last  year $24,466  16 

For  the  Department  of  the  Interior '. 64,020  00 

"    "  "  "  Foreign  Relations 8,680  00 

«    «  "  "Finance. 26,4*70  00 

"    "     '      «  «  Public  Instruction 60,260  00 

**    «  "  «*  Law,  say .*  46,000  00 

**    "  «  **  Land  Commission. 10,000  00 

"    Miscellaneous  Appropriations 4,040  00 

•*    Contmgent  Expenses 10,000  00 

"    Legislature  of  1863 10,000  00 

$262,826  16 
leaving  $29,889  84  toward  the  payment  of  former  appropriations. 


470  APPENDIX. 


If  the  aboTe  estimate  is  correct^  the  govemment  can  not  safely 
undertake  any  public  improvements  without  additional  funds,  which. 
I  can  not  recommend  to  be  raised  by  a  l^an  without  a  definite  pros- 
pect of  a  future  increase  in  the  receipts  of  the  government^  which 
shall  be  competent  to  repay  all  the  money  thus  borrowed,  with  the 
interest 

Money  is  not  to  be  had  in  these  islands  except  in  small  sums»  for 
short  periods^  and  at  a  high  rate  of  interest 

It  will  be  an  important  question,  therefore,  for  the  representatives 
of  the  people  to  consider  in  what  way  the  funds  necessary  for  carry- 
ing on  public  improvements,  and  for  a  permanent  increase  of  the 
revenue,  shall  be  raised.  The  property  tax  authorized  by  the  law 
of  1846  was  intended  for  an  emergency  like  the  present^  but  that 
law  is  so  deficient  in  the  details^  so  unequal  in  the  application,  and 
so  impracticable  in  the  execution,  that  I  hope  you  will,  in  case  yon 
deem  a  property  tax  advisable,  substitute  a  new  law  for  that  of  1846. 

A  property  tax,  owing  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  islands^ 
will  be  a  difficult  and  expensive  one  to  collect 

Gk)D  PBXBEBVB  THE  KlNG. 


G.  p.  JUDD. 


in. 

METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 
The  town  of  Honolulu  is  in  lat  21**  18'  N.  aid  long.  ISS®  1'  W. 
from  Greenwich.  The  climate  is  subject  to  little  variation.  The 
opposite  Table,  taken  firom  several  others  recording  the  weather 
during  several  years,  is  an  average  and  accurate  specimen  of  Sand- 
wich Island  climate  at  a  few  feet  aboye  high  tide. 


APPEJfDIX. 


471 


(4 


O 

o 

n 

CO 

o   5 

n   «i 
o   o 


o 
o 

o 

o 


O 


B»q9iii— ipooai  »ii}Sa{«im 


'■i:«a— diq«u«A 


•«^i»a— ^or»a 


eo^(&cte«o^e4e4«o<oe4 


H^eocoi-icoooto 


•.^i»a-^n!djS25;S5§t;g;§g5§28 


oift<oo»-<coc«o»MOoe»9« 


•■^•a— Mpvij, 


^S^SSIS^S^SS^ 


O  O  O  O  O  O  O  »(>  O^  lA  •(> 


Md  on»  »q»i»i  •^^•^v 


oe««ooo»ft'-;o»'*'^o»»>eo 


•K'd  S  »«  »q»!»1  9»U9A.Y 


•KT  H»  »1»!»q  •8«»^T 


S8888SS888SS 


•W  J  01 »»  n«!WI  •»«i«AT 


•Jl'd  S  »»  »i|»!«l  waM^T 


•MTi»«»q«!»q«8«»*T 


o«eo»-iOt'CO»^c«t'»g| 


t- 1*  i^  t- 1- 1' « 


S  S  o  o  8  S  o  o  aa  S  t^  t^ 


lii||i§ii|li 


iiiiaiiiisig 


472 


APPENDIX. 


IV. 
STATISTnCS  ON  CRBEEl 

Table^thowmg  tke  idkole  number  of  Convictions /or  Criminal  Offenses  on  the  Island 
of  Oaku  during  tke  Year  1852. 


OffM 


Bwa.     WftiaiUM.  Wuala«. 


Koolaa 
Loa. 


KooUal  Whole 
Poko.   |Ntimb«r. 


Manslaughter 

Assault  and  battery 

Drunkenness 

Adoltory  and  fomieaticm 

Polygamy ,. 

Larceny 

ReoeiyUig  eUAea  goods. 

Riotous  eondnct 

Fnrioos  riding 

Foi^ery 

Perjury 

All  other  oAnses  

Total 


1 

51 

659 

323 

7 

53 

5 

77 

191 

2 

3 

90 


0 

20 
0 

40 
0 
4 
0 

16 
1 
0 
0 

26 


0 
4 
0 
4 
0 
18 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Sr 


0 
2 
0 

34 
0 
3 
0 
4 

17 
0 
0 
2 


1461 


31 


16 


1 

82 

659 

415 

7 

80 

5 

97 

209 

2 

2 

123 


1682 


Of  the  659  persons  conyicted  of  dnmkeimess,  5^7  were  foreigners 
and  122  natives,  principally  sailors. 

Of  the  228  convicted  of  fornication,  124  were  foreigners  and  104 
natives ;  while  of  the  96  convicted  of  adultery,  only  4  were  foreign- 
ers and  91  natives. 

Of  the  60  convicted  for  larceny,  10  were  foreigners  and  40  natives. 

The  amount  of  fines  imposed  by  the  police  and  district  justices  of 
Honolulu  during  the  year  1862,  is  as  follows: 

By  C.  C.  Harris,  Esq.,  Police  Justice $8,7'76  60 

By  J.  Kaaukai,  Esq. 1,761  00 

By  J.  W.  E.  Maikai,  Esq. 630  00 

Total -.$11,166  60 

Of  this  amount  there  Has  been  collected 10,292  60 

Balance  not  collected $874  60 

The  offenses  for  which  convictions  were  had,  before  the  district 
justices  of  Honolulu,  during  the  year  1862,  are  as  follows,  viz. : 

Drunkenness 669 

Fornication 228 

Adultery ^ 96 

Assault  and  battery 49 

Furious  riding 191 

Larceny 60 

Receiving  stolen  goods 5 

'Carried  forward 12*77 


APPENDIX.  473 


Brought  forward 121*1 

Gambling 12 

Common  nuisance ^ 6 

Selling  Jiquor  without  license 3 

Biotous  conduct,  disturbing  the  peace,  Ac 77 

All  other  offenses 60 

Total 1424 

Maui,  Molokai,  Lanal 

From  the  report  of  James  W,  Austin,  Esq.,  the  District  Attorney 
of  the  district  composed  of  the  islands  of  Maui,  Molokai,  and  Lanai, 
I  am  enabled  to  lay  before  you  the  following  statistics  of  crime  in 
those  islands : 

The  whole  number  of  persons  prosecuted  in  1852  was 916 

"        "  "  **       acquitted  "         "   181 

"        "            «                 "       convicted         "         "  ....  1Z6 
The  whole  amount  of  fines  imposed  in  1852  was $9425  62 

The  offenses  for  which  these  fines  were  imposed  were  as  follows: 

Drunkenness 886 

Fornication . . .- 112 

Adultery '. 98 

Assault  and  battery 114 

Larceny 94 

Keceiving  stolen  goods 6 

Furious  riding 74 

Selling  spirituous  liquors  without  license 1*7 

Profanity 6 

Common  nuisance 3 

Aiding  deserters  to  escape 2 

Bigamy 2 

Perjury 2 

Felonious  branding 1 

Total 916 

— Jf'nym  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
for  1868. 


474  APPENDIX, 


REPORT  ON  "MISSIONARY  LANDS^"  AND  COMPARATIVE 
TABLE 

Certain  spplicatioiiB  having  been  made  to  the  Hawaiian  govern^ 
ment  for  land,  by  several  members  of  the  Missionary  Board  residing 
on  the  Islands,  the  subject  was  laid  before  the  Hawaiian  Legislature, 
at  its  session  of  24th  June,  1861.  In  view  of  these'^applioations^  the 
King's  Privy  Council 

Be$olvedi  "That  the  committee  to  whom  were  referred  the  ampli- 
cations of  missionaries  for  lands  be  requested  to  take  into  considera* 
tion  the' whole  subject  of  granting  lands  to  missionaries,  and  report 
to  this  Council  the  course  that  in  their  view  should  be  pursued 
hereafter  in  regard  to  them.'* 

The  undersigned  present  the  following  statement,  which  they 
have  carefully  prepared  from  the  best  data  that  they  have  been  able 
to  collect.* 

The  undersigned,  under  the  resolution  above  quoted,  are  most 
conscientious  in  declaring  to  your  majesty,  that  the  respectable  and 
well-deserving  individuals  and  families  above  named,  who  neither 
hold  nor  have  applied  for  land,  would  have  great  reason  to  com- 
plain were  your' majesty  to  pursue  toward  them  a  diflferent  course 
from  that  which  has  been  pursued  in  relation  to  their  brethren  who 
have  obtained  and  applied  for  land.  It  becomes,  therefore,  a  matter 
of  some  importance  what  that  course  has  been.  The  missionaries 
who  have  received  and  applied  for  lands  have  neither  received  nor 
applied  for  them  without  offering  what  they  conceived  to  be  a  fair 
consideration  for  theuL 

So  far  as  their  applications  have  been  granted^  your  mi^esty's  gov- 
ernment have  dealt  with  them  precisely  as  they  have  dealt  with 
other  applicants  for  land — that  is,  they  have  accepted  the  price 
where  they  considered  it  fair,  and  they  have  raised  it  where  they 
considered  it  unfair. 

It  will  not  be  contended  that  missionaries,  because  they  are  mis- 
sionaries, have  not  the  same  right  to  buy  land  in  the  same  quanti- 
ties and  at  the  same  pieces  as  those  who  are  not  missionaries. 

The  question  occurs.  Have  greater  rights  been  allowed  to  the  misp 
sionary  applicants  than  to  non-missionary  applicants!  To  solve  this 
question  satisfactorily  requires  that  the  undersigned  should  give 
some  statistics. 

********  *«r 

Bul^  besides  what  is  strictly  due  to  them,  injustice  and  in  grati- 


APPENDIX.  475 


tude  for  large  benefits  conferred  by  them  on  your  people,  every  con- 
sideration of  sound  policy,  under  the  rapid  decrease  of  the  native 
population,  is  in  favor  of  holding  out  inducements  for  them  not  to 
withdraw  their  children  f  roB^  these  islands.  One  of  the  undersigned 
strongly  urged  that  consideration  upon  your  majesty  in  Privy  Coun- 
cil so  far  back  as  the  28th  of  May,  1847,  recommending  that  a  formal 
resolution  should  be  passed,  declaring  the  gratitude  of  the  nation  to 
the  missionaries  for  the  services  they  had  performed,  and  making 
some  provision  for  their  children. 

Your  majesty's  late  greatly  lamented  Minister  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, Mr.  Richards^  with  that  disinterestedness  which  characterized 
him  personally  in  all  his  worldly  interests,  was  fearful  that  to  moot 
such  a  question  would  throw  obloquy  upon  the  reverend  body  to 
which  he  had  belonged,  and  hence,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  he  ab- 
stained from  moving  it  Neither  has  any  missionary,  or  any  one  who 
had  been  connected  with  the  mission,  ever  taken  it  up  to  this  day ; 
but  the  undersigned,  who  are  neither  missionaries,  nor  have  ever 
been  connected  with  them,  hesitate  not  to  declare  to  your  majesty 
that  it  will  remain,  in  all  future  history,  a  stain  upon  this  Christian 
nation  if  the  important  services  of  the  missionaries  be  not  acknowl- 
edged in  some  unequivocal  and  substantial  manner.  This  acknowl- 
edgment should  not  be  a  thing  implied  or  secretly  understood,  but 
openly  and  publicly  declared. 

The  undersigntd  would  recommend  that  the  following,  or  some 
similar  resolutions,  should  be  submitted  to  the  Legislature. 

1.  Resolved^  That  all  Christian  missionaries  who  have  labored  in 
the  cause  of  religion  and  educatipn  in  these  islands^  are  eminently 
benefSactors  of  the  Hawaiian  nation. 

2.  ReBolvedt  That,  as  a  bare  acknowledgment  of  these  services, 
every  individual  missionary  who  may  have  served  eight  years  on 
the  Mands,  whether  Protestant  or  Catholic,  who  does  not  already 
hold  nve  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  shall  be  allowed  to  pur- 
chase land  to  that  extent  at  a  deduction  of  fifty  cents  on  every  acre 
from  the  price  that  could  be  obtained  from  lay  purchasers ;  but  that 
for  all  land  beyond  that  quantity,  he  must  pay  the  same  price  as  the 
latter  would  pay ;  and  that  those  who  have  served  less  than  eight 
years  be  allowed  to  purchase  land  on  the  same  te^^  as  laymen,  un- 
til the  completion  of  the  eight  years,  after  which  they  are  to  be  al- 
lowed the  same  favor  as  the  others. 

8.  Betolved,  That  all  Christian  missionaries  serving  on  these  isl- 
ands shall  be  exempt  from  the  payment  of  duties  on  goods  imported 
for  their  use  in  tiie  proportion  following,  for  every  year,  viz. :  on 
goods  to  the  invoice  value  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  ev^ry  active 
member  of  the  missioD,  excluding  servants. 


476 


APPENDIX. 


On  goods  to  the  value  of  thirty  dollars  for  every  child  above  two 
years  of  age. 

Privy  Council  Chamber,  August  lOthi  1850. 

[The  following  is  a  list  of  the  quantities  of  land,  and  the  price  per 
acre,  to  ten  non-missionary  individuals ;  and  of  the  quantities  of  land, 
and  the  price  per  acre,  to  ten  individuals  belonging  to  the  clergy  of 
the  American  Protestant  Mission :] 

NON-MISSIONART  INDIVIDUALS. 


Number 
or  Patent. 

PatMrtM. 

Aeies. 

Pnoaniid. 

160 

Chas.  R.  Bishop. 

Hamakualoa,  Maui. 

598 

$598  00 

210 

W.Whitmarsh. 

Kona,  Hawaii. 

61 

61  00 

185 

Benj.  Pitman. 

HUo,  HawaU. 

210 

316  00 

148 

Danl.  Barrett. 

Kona,  Hawaii. 

83 

125  00 

278 

Geo.  Holmea. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

100 

50  00 

238 

Anderson  and  Davis. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

25 

77  40 

64 

A.  M*Lane. 

Makawao,  Maui. 

319 

638  00 

136 

John  0.  Davis. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

71 

355  00 

J.  Kaeo. 

Koolau,  Oahu. 

2345 

1569  00 

250 

W.  Goodale. 

Haleia,  Kauai. 

500 

2500  00 

MISSIONARIES. 


Namb«r 
of  Patent. 

Patentee. 

Land,wheie8itoated. 

Acne. 

Price  Paid. 

W.  P.  Alexander. 

Hamakualoa,  Maui. 

^60 

$180  00 

209 

D.  Baldwin. 

Lahaina. 

13 

19  50 

189 

E.  Bond. 

Kohala,  Hawati. 

200 

300  00 

153 

F.W.Clark. 

Pawaa. 

70 

70  00 

241 

D.  Dole. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

195 

97  50 

240 

J.  S.  Emerson. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

166 

62  25 

68 

J.  S.  Green. 

Makawao,  Maui. 

87 

87  00 

177) 
239 

P.  J.  Gulick. 

Waialua,  Oahu. 

(632 
i   6H 

237  00 
61  50 

H.  R.  Hitchcock. 

Kaluaaha,  Molokai. 
Koolau,  Kauai. 

1370  9-10 

438  92 

E.  Johnson. 

500 

500  00 

-From  the  «  PofynesianT  of  1th  May,  1852. 

[With  all  due  deference  to  the  statistics  of  the  Hon.  R  C.  Wtllie^ 
Minister  of  Foreign  Relations,  and  to  Keoni  Ana,  the  then  Minister 
of  the  Interior,  it  remains  for  me  to  say  that  the  above  table  is  ex- 
tremely limited.  It  might  have  been  extended  to  a  much  greater 
length,  and  then  it  would  have  shown  to  what  extent  the  missiona- 
ries are  owners  of  real  estate.] 


APPENDIX.  477 


VI. 

TREATIES  AND  MANIFESTOES  RELATING  TO  THE  SAND- 
WICH ISLANDS. 

Vint  of  t!  e  French  Frigate  VArtemite, 
The  French  frigate  VA  rtemise,  C.  Laplace  commfender,  arrived  at 
Oahu,  July  9th,  commissioned  to  settle  the  difficulties  existing  be- 
tween the  government  oi  France  and  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands. The  purport  of  the  visit  is  best  set  forth  in  the  subjoined 
manifesto,  as  published  in  the  Sandwich  Island  Gazette,  July  18th, 
18S9,  addressed  by  Captain  Laplace,  in  the  name  of  his  government^ 
to  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Mands: 

Zaplaee^s  Mmifetto, 

''His  majesty,  the  King  of  the  French,  having  commanded  me  to 
eome  to  Honolulu  in  order  to  put  an  end,  either  by  force  or  persua- 
sion, to  the  ill  treatment  to  which  the  French  have  been  victims  at 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  I  hasten,  first,  to  employ  the  last  means  as 
the  most  conformable  to  the  political,  noble,  and  liberal  system  pur- 
sued by  France  against  the  powerless,  hoping  thereby  that  I  shall 
make  the  principal  chiefs  of  these  islands  understand  how  fatal  the 
conduct  which  they  pursue  toward  her  will  be  to  their  interests, 
and  perhaps  cause  disasters  to  them  and  to  their  country  should 
they  be  obstinate  in  their  perseverance.  Misled  by  perfidious  coun- 
selors, deceived  by  the  excessive  indulgence  which  the  French  gov- 
ernment has  extended  toward  them  for  several  years,  they  are  un- 
doubtedly ignorant  how  potent  it  is,  and  that  in  the  world  there  is 
not  a  power  which  is  capable  of  preventing  it  from  punishing  its 
enemies,  otherwise  they  would  have  endeavored  to  merit  its  favor, 
or  not  to  incur  its  displeasure,  as  they  have  done  in  ill  treating  the 
French.  They  would  have  faithfully  put  into  execution  the  treaties 
in  place  of  violating  them  as  soon  as  the  fear  disappeared,  as  weU 
as  the  ships  of  war  which  had  caused  it,  whereby  bad  intentions 
had  been  constrained.  In  fine,  they  will  comprehend  that  to  perse- 
cute the  Catholic  religion,  to  tarnish  it  with  the  name  of  idolatry, 
and  to  expel,  under  this  absurd  pretext^  the  French  fi*om  this  archi- 
pelago, was  to  offer  an  insult  to  France  and  to  its  sovereign. 

"  It  is,  without  doubt,  the  formal  intention  of  France  that  the 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  be  powerful,  independent  of  every  for- 
eign power  which  he  considers  his  ally,  but  she  also  demands  that 
he  conform  to  the  usages  of  civilized  nations.  Now,  among  the  lat- 
ter, there  is  not  even  one  which  does  not  permit  in  its  territory  the 
free  toleration  of  all  religions ;  and  yet,  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the 


478  APPENDIX. 


French  are  not  allowed  publicly  the  exercise  of  thein,  while  Prot- 
estants enjoy  therein  the  most  extensiTe  priyileges;  for  these  all 
faTOTs^  for  those  the  most  cruel  per8ecation&  Sach  a  state  of  affiuis 
being  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nations,  insulting  to  those  of  Catholics^ 
can  no  longer  continue,  and  I  am  sent  to  put  an  end  to  ik  (Conse- 
quently I  demand,  in  the  name  of  my  gore,  ament^ 

"  Ist  Tliat  the  CathoHe  worship  be  declared  firee  throughout  all 
the  dominions  subject  to  the  King  of  the  Sa  i^dwich  Islands ;  that  the 
members  of  this  religious  faith  shall  eiyoy  in  th^u  all  the  priyil^es 
granted  to  Protestants. 

«  2d.  That  a  site  for  a  Catholic  church  be  giyen  by  the  goYemment 
at  Honolulu  (a  port  firequented  by  the  French) ;  and  that  this  ehurdi 
be  ministered  by  priests  of  their  nation. 

"  Sd.  That  all  Catholics  imprisoned  on  account  of  religion,  smee 
the  last  persecutions  extended  to  the  French  missionaries,  be  imme- 
diately set  at  liberty. 

"  4Ul  That  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  deposit  in  the  hands 
of  the  captain  of  FArtemise  the  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars,  as 
a  guarantee  of  his  future  conduct  toward  France,  which  sum  the 
government  will  restore  to  him  when  it  shall  consider  that  the  ac- 
companying treaty  will  be  faithfully  complied  with. 

*'  5th.  That  the  treaty  signed  by  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islandi^ 
as  well  as  the  sum  above  mentioned,  be  conveyed  on  board  the 
frigate  FArtemise  by  one  of  the  principal  chiefe  of  the  country ;  and 
also  that  the  batteries  of  Honolulu  do  salute  the  French  flag  with 
twenty-one  guns,  which  will  be  returned  by  the  frigate. 

"  These  are  the  equitable  conditions  a€  the  price  of  which^the 
King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  shall  conserve  friendship  with  France. 
I  am  induced  to  hope  that,  understanding  better  how  necessary  it 
is  for  the  prosperity  of  his  people  and  the  preservation  of  his  power, 
he  will  remain  in  peace  with  the  whole  world,  and  hasten  to  subr 
scribe  to  th^m,  and  thus  imitate  the  laudable  example  which  the 
Queen  of  Tahiti  has  given  in  permitting  the  free  toleration  of  the 
Catholic  religion  in  her  dominions ;  but  if,  contrary  to  my  expecta- 
tion, it  should  be  otherwise,  and  the  king  and  principal  cMefe  of  t^e 
Sandwich  Islands^  led  on  by  bad  counselors,  refuse  to  sign  the  treaty 
which  I  present,  war  will  immediately  commence,  and  all  the  de- 
vastations, all  the  calamities,  which  may  be  the  unhappy  but  neces- 
sary results^  will  be  imputed  to  themselves  alone,  and  they  must 
also  pay  the  losses  which  the  aggrieved  foreigners,  in  these  circum- 
stances, shall  have  a  right  to^daim. 

(Signed),  "C.  Laflaob, 

**  Captain  of  the  French  frigate  TArtemise. 

*'  The  10th  July  (0th  aooonling  to  date  here),  1830.» 


APPENDIX.  479 


Treaty  between  Laplace  and  KamehameKa  JIL 
Art,  1st  There  shall  be  perpetual  peace  and  friendship  between 
the  King  of  the  French  and  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Art,  2d.  The  French  shall  be  protected  in  an  effectual  manner  in 
their  persons  and  property  by  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  who 
shall  also  grant  them  an  authorization  sufficient  so  as  to  enable 
them  juridically  to  prosecute  his  subjects  against  whom  they  will 
have  just  reclamations  to  make. 

Art,  8d.  This  protection  shall  be  extended  to  French  ships,  and  to 
their  crews  and  officers.    In  case  of  diipwreck,  the  chieib  and  inhab- 
itants of  the  various  parts  of  the  archipelago  shall  assist  them,  and 
protect  them  from  pillage.    The  indemnities  for  salvage  shall  be 
-  regulated,  in  case  of  difficulty,  by  arbiters  selected  by  both  parties. 

Art,  4th.  No  Frenchman,  accused  of  any  crime  whatever,  shall  be 
tried  except  by  a  jury  composed  of  foreign  residents,  proposed  by  . 
the  French  consul,  and  approved  of  by  the  government  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.     • 

Art,  6th.  The  desertion  of  sailors  belonging  to  French  ships  shall 
be  strictly  prevented  by  the  local  authorities,  who  shall  employ 
every  disposable  mea'ns  to  arrest  deserters,  and  the  expenses  of  the 
capture  shall  be  paid  by  the  captain  or  owners  of  the  aforesaid  ships^ 
according  to  the  tariff  adopted  by  the  other  nations. 

Art,  6th.  French  merchandises,  or  those  known  to  be  French  pro- 
duce, and  particularly  wines  and  eaux  de  vies  (brandy),  can  not  be 
prohibited,  and  shall  not  pay  an  import  duty  higher  than  6  per  cent. 
ad  valorem. 

Art.  lih.  No  tonnage  or  importation  duties  shall  be  exact^  from 
French  merchants,  unless  they  are  paid  by  the  subjects  of  the  nation 
the  most  favored  in  its  conmierce  with  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Art,  Sth.  TUe  subjects  of  King  Kamehameha  in.  shall  have  a  right 
in  the  French  possessions  to  all  the  advantages  which  the  French  en- 
joy at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  they  shall,  moreover,  be  considered 
as  belonging  to  the  most  favored  nation  in  their  commercial  relations 
with  France. 

Made,  and  signed  by  the  contracting  parties,  the  17 th  July,  1889. 

Kamehameela.  IIL 
(Signed).  C  hjj^cB, 

Foat  Capt  oonmutnding  the  French  frigate  rArtemise. 


480  APPENDIX. 


TRAJVBLATION. 

Honolala,  Sandwich  teles,  July  84, 1837. 
jyeaty  between  the  King  of  the  French,  Louis  Philippe  Z,  represented 

hy  the  Captain  A.  Du  Petit  Thouars,  and  the  King  of  the  Sandwich 

Islands,  Kamehameha  I£L 

There  shall  be  perpetual  peace  and  amity  between  the  French  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Sandwich  Isles. 

The  French  shall  go  and  come  freely  in  all  the  states  which  com- 
pose the  government  of  the  Sandwich  Isles. 

They  shall  be  received,  and  protected  there,  and  shall  enjoy  the 
same  advantages  which  the  subjects  of  the  most  favored  nation  en- 
joy. 

Subjects  of  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Isles  shall  equally  come  into 
France,  shall  be  received  and  protected  there  as  the  most  favored 
foreigners. 

^  ^      ^*  A-  Du  Betet  Thouabs, 

Captain  Commander  of  the  French  frigate  La  Yenua 

Doings  of  the  English  at  the  Sandwich  Islands, 

H.  B.  M.  Ship  Carysfort,  Honololu  Harbor,  February  16, 1843. 
Sm, — ^I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  your  majesty  of  the  arrival  in 
this  port  of  H.  B.  M.  ship  under  my  command,  and,  according  to  my 
instructions,  I  am  desired  to  demand  a  private  interview  with  you, 
to  which  I  shall  proceed  with  a  proper  and  competent  interpreter. 

I  therefore  request  to  be  informed  at  what  hour  to-morrow  it  will 
be  convenient  for  your  majesty  to  grant  mfe  that  interview. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain  your  majesty's  most  obedient  and  hum- 
ble servant,  Gbobob  Paulei,  Captain. 
To  his  migesty  Kamehameha  m. 

Honolala,  Febroary  17, 1853. 

Salutations  to  you,  Lord  George  Paulet,  Captain  of  her  Britannic 
majesty's  ship  Carysfort 

Sm, — ^We  have  received  your  communication  of  yesterday's  date, 
and  must  decline  having  any  private  interview,  particularly  under 
the  circumstances  which  you  propose.  We  shall  be  ready  to  receive 
any  written  communication  from  you  to-morrow,  and  will  give  it 
due  consideration. 

In  case  you  have  business  of  a  private  nature,  we  will  appoint  Dr. 
Judd  our  confidential  agent  to  confer  with  you,  who,  being  a  person 
of  integrity  and  fidelity  to  our  government,  and  perfectly  acquaint- 
ed with  all  our  affairs,  will  receive  your  communications,  give  all 


APPENDIX.  481 


the  information  you  require  (in  confidence),  and  report  the  same 

to  118.  With  respect, 

.„.       ..  EIamehameha  nL 

(Signed),  KEKAULUom. 

Her  Britannio  m^jMty's  ship  Carysfbrt,  Oahu,  17tb  February,  1843. 

Sm, — ^In  answer  to  your  letter  of  this  day's  date  (which  I  have  too 
good  an  opinion  of  your  majesty  to  allow  me  to  believe  ever  ema- 
nated from  yourself  but  from  your  ill  advisers),  I  have  to  state,  that 
I  shall  hold  no  communication  whatever  with  Dr.  G.  P.  Judd,  who, 
it  has  been  satisfactorily  proved  to  me,  has  been  the  prime  mover  in 
the  unlawful  proceedings  of  your  government  against  British  sub- 
jects. 

As  you  have  refused  me  a  personal  interview,  I  inclose  you  the 
demands  which  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  make  upon  your  govern- 
ment, with  whichj  demand  a  compliance  at  or  before  4  o'clock  P.M.^ 
to-morrow  (Saturday),  otherwise  I  shall  be  obliged  to  take  imme- 
diate coercive  steps  to  obtain  these  measui^s  for  my  countrymen. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  majesty's  most  obedient  humble  ser- 
vant, GzioBGV  Paulet,  Captain. 
His  majesty  Kamehameha  HI. 

Her  Britannic  majesty's  ship  Carysfort,  Oaha,  February  17, 1843. 
Sib, — ^I  have  the  honor  to  notify  you  that  her  Britannic  majesty's 
ship  Carysfort,  under  my  command,  will  be  prepared  to  make  an  im- 
mediate attack  upon  this  town,  at  4  o'clock  P.M.,  to-morrow  (Satur- 
day), in  the  event  of  the  demand  now  forwarded  by  me  to  the  king 
of  these  islands  not  being  complied  with  by  that  time. 
Sir,  I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, , 
(Signed),  Geobob  Paulet,  Captain. 

To  Capt  Long,  Commander  XT.  8.  8.  Boston,  Honolnlo. 
JL  true  copy.    AUesty  Wh.  Bakeb,  TV. 

[The  demands  of  Captain  Paulet  resulted  in  a  cession  of  the  isl- 
ands to  himself^  by  the  king  on  the  26th  of  February,  1848.  They 
were  restored  on  tiie  Slst  of  July,  1844] 

X 


482  APPENDIX. 


VIL 
COST  OF  MISSIONARY  BNTERPRISEL 
These  costs  have  been  ineurred'  in  sostainuig  missionaries^  and 
providii^  them  with  dwellings;  for  the  prinUng  and  binding  de- 
partm^it,  and  for  the  seminaiy  and  other  pnblic  schools.  Aid  has 
also  been  rendered,  to  some  extent,  in  the  erection  of  diaries  and 
common  school-houses;  and  large  soms  have  been  expended  in  Ae 
publication  and  drcnlation  of  books.  The  whole  amount  of  expoidi- 
tnres  hare  been  nearly  as  follows : 

18}9»  Preparatory  expenses $132  50  , 

1820,  **  "        10,829  80 

1821,  "  «       660  70 

1822,  -  •«        1,071  00 

182«,  "  «        12,074  67 

1824,  "  ^     «  6,746  80 

1825,  "  «*  9,764  89 

1826,  •*  •*  10,241  94 

1827,  *»  "  9,761  81 

1828,  •*  '     "  19,484  84 

1829,  •*  •*  8,092  9a 

1880,  "  **        11,166  91 

1881,  •*  •*        18,942  91 

1882,  **  "        20,631  75 

188S,  -  •*          16,833  67 

1884,  *  «        11,788  02 

1885,  "  "       16,178  98 

1836,  "  "        ^..  80,084  88 

1887,  "  •*       63,521  09 

1838,  "  "        41,916  90 

1889,  "  "        89,885  46 

1840,  **  "  88,286  66 

1841,  **  •     "  88,620  08 

1842,  "  **  42,175  46 

184S,  •*  «  40,448  66 

1844,  "  "  36,400  00 

$539,1)89  67 

By  the  American  Bible  Society 50,000  90 

By  the  American  Tract  Society 19,774  51 

Total $608,865  08 

—From  the  ''Note^*  of  Hon.  R.  C.  Wylub,  publUhed  in  the  **Fnendr 
for  1844.  • 


APPENDIX.  483 


Amount  carried  forward $608,865  08 

1845,  Preparatory  expenses $34,865  92 

1846,  "  "        84,716  1 

1847,  "  «     SI, no  0 

1848,  "  "        88,254  84 

1849,  «        **        85,71122 

1850,  "       **       28,924  81 

1851,  '•        "   26,206  83 

1852,  "       "   23,027  00 

L1868,     **       "   82,273  35 


^ 


$286,709  82 
By  the  AmericaaBible  Society 7,600  00 

$294,809  82    294,809  82 

Total  for  85  years $908,174  90 

[The  annual  amounts  from  1845  to  1858  inclusive  have  been  pro- 
cured from  the  Annmtl  B^)orts  of  the  American  Board  of  Conuuis^ 
fiioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and  the  American  Bible  Society.] 

The  Table  on  the  following  page,  from  the  official  "  Report  on  Mis- 
aioiuury  Landa^"  was  published  by  Mr.  Wtlldb  in  the  Polynman  of 
May  7, 1852: 


484 


APPE^iDlX. 


TkbU  Bkowiit^  the  period  i^Mitnonmrp  Service  and  He  Valmee,  ae 
imUfttUfor  m  the  UniUd  States, 


it  has  been  eetir 


ATMBgeof 


Alexander,  Rer.  Mr. . 
Baldwin,  Rer.  Mr.  . . 
Bond,  Rer.  Mr. 
Bailey,  Mr.,  teac 
Clark,  Rer.  Mr. 
Cook,  Mr.  A.  S., 

Dole,  Rer.  Mr 

Emerwm,  Rer.  Mr. . 

Green,  Rer.  Mr 

GoUek,  Rer.  Mr.  . . . 
Hiteheock,  Rev.  Mr. 
Hall,  Bfr.,  late  aeoBlar  argent. 
Dimond,  Mr.,  * 


Jolmaon,  Rev.  Mr.. 
Parker,  Rev.  Mr. . . 


Rogera,  E.  H.,  printer  . 

RoweU,  Rer.  Mr 

Lyman,  Rer.  Mr 

Coan,  Rer.  Mr.  Titna 

Ivea,  Rer.  Mr.  Mark 

Thuraton,  Rer.  Mr.  Aaa 

Andrewa,  Dr 

Lyona,  Rer.  Mr 

Conde,  Rer.  Mr 

Rice,  Mr.,  teacher 

Chamberlain,  late  aeenlar  agent ; . . . . 

Caatle,  8.  N..  aeenlar  agent 

PogncRer.Mr 

Smith,  Dr 

Whitney,  Rer.  Mr.,  late  of  Waimea  . 

Wilcox,  Rev.  Mr. 

Dwight,  Rev.  Mr 

Witmore,  Dr 

Ogden,  Mtaa 

Brown,  Mtaa 

Smith,  Mtaa 

Biahop,  Rev.  A 

Whittleaey,  Rev.  Mr 

Smith,  Rev.  L 

Total. 


18 
19 

9 
13 
SS 
13 

9 
18 

» 
18 
15 
15 
13 
17 
18 
8 
18 
15 
IS 
30 
13 
18 
13 
9 
37 
13 
6 
8 
30 
13 
3 

33 
15 
13 
37 
0 
17 


$450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 

\450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 
450 


$8,100 
8,550 
4,050 
5,850 
9,900 
5,850 
4,050 
8,100 
9,900 
9^900 
8,100 
6,750 
6,750 
5,850 
7,650 
8,100 
3,600 
8,100 
6,750 
5,850 

13,500 
5,850 
8,100 
5,650 
4,050 

12,150 
5,850 
3,700 
3,600 

13,500 
5,850 
900 
450 
9,900 
6,750 
6,850 

13,150 
3,700 
7,650 


to  the  piooa  oontrlbntora  in  the  United 
iwaiian  people,  who  had  received  an  the 


HaiN 


598  yeara, 

M,  and  not 

benefit  of  their 


$369,100 
I  rial  tothe 


zealooa  aervicea. 


VIII. 

EXTRACJT8  PROM  A  SPEECH  OF  MR.  WASHBURN,  OP  MAINE, 
IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  JANUARY  4,  ISH 
IN  COMMITTEE  OP  THE  WHOLE  ON  THE  STATE  OF  THE 
UNION,  ON  THE  MOTION  TO  REFER  THE  PRESIDENTS 
ANNUAL  MESSAGE  TO  THE  APPROPRIATE  COMMTTTEEa 

BfB.  Chaibman:  I  hate  taken  this  opportanity  to  express  some 
opinions  whi<^  I  have  formed  in  reference  to  a  question  of  consid- 
erable magnitude  and  increasing  interest^  now  engaging  the  atten- 


APPENDIX.  485 


tion  of  the  American  people,  and  which  must,  in  the  progress  of 
opinions  and  events,  become,  at  no  distant  period,  a  practical  ques- 
tion for  the  action  of  this  government  I  speak  of  the  annexation 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands  to  the  United  States.  The  interest  of  the 
state  which  I  in  part<  represent  upon  this  floor — ^the  largest  ship- 
building, and  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  states  in  the 
Union — ^in  this  question,  must  plead  my  excuse,  if  any  be  necessary, 
for  occupying  a  portion  of  your  time  this  morning  in  its  consideration. 
With  the  doctrines  of  "  manifest"  destiny  in  the  raw  and  rampant 
forms  in  which  they  have  been  advocated  so  frequently  of  late,  I 
trust  I  need  not  say  I  have  but  little  sympathy.  There  is  a  school 
of  statesmen,  or  politicians,  in  this  country,  which  teaches  in  effect, 
if  not  in  words,  that  the  time  has  come  in  our  history  when  our 
chief  business  as  a  nation  is  territorial  expansion — when,  to  borrow 
the  current  phrase,  it  is  our  special  "mission**  to  overrun  and  annex, 
with  little  or  no  regard  to  time,  manner,  or  circumstances,  whatever 
territories  or  possessions  of  other  nations  we  may  have  the  wish  and 
the  power  to  grasp.  Of  this  school  I  am  not  a  disciple.  So  far  from 
being  so,  I  have  thought  that  our  leading  thought  and  purpose 
should  be  to  learn  and  practice  whatever  would  most  certainly  con- 
tribute to  our  domestic  well-being  and  internal  growth ;  to  develop 
'  the  resources,  and  cultivate  to  the  highest  the  capabilities  which 
are  already  ours ;  to  strengthen  the  foundations  where  we  stand ; 
to  fix  our  institutions  so  firmly  upon  our  own  land,  and  give  them 
root  so  deep,  with  fibres  so  numerous  and  tenacious,  in  the  soil  of 
material,  political,  and  social  interests,  that  they  will  stand  secure- 
ly under  all  the  pressure  of  rivalries  and  unfriendly  interests  and 
influences  to  which  they  may  be  exposed  from  without,  and  in  all 
the  storms  of  passion  and  faction  that  may  and  will. arise  within. 

Policy  and  duty  alike  require  that  we  should  look  more  at  home 
and  less  abroad  tiian  I  think  we  are  in  the  habit  of  doing.  I  have, 
therefore,  been  unable  to  yield  my  assent  to  the  doctrines  which 
deny  the  right  of  the  general  government  to  protect  and  encourage 
by  its  legislation  the  home  interests  of  the  country ;  as>  for  instance, 
to  remove  obstructions  in  the  great  rivers  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
for  the  advantage  of  conmtierce  in  a  vast  section  of  the  Union ;  and, 
to  the  same  end,  to  improve  the  harbors  of  our  inland  seas;  to  ar- 
range and  adjust  the  duty  on  importations,  so  as  to  aid  the  industry 
of  ther  counti^  rather  than  oppress  it ;  to  construct,  directly  or  in- 
directly, a  rail-road  upon  its  own  land,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Pacific,  which  shall  connect  the  east,  the  centre,  and  the  west — ^unite 
them  by  the  ties  of  acquaintance  and  good  neighborhood,  of  a  com- 
mon interest  and  feeling  beyond  the  danger  or  the  desire  of  separa^ 
tion.    Sir,  it  is  difficult  to  agre«  with  those  who  see  no  power  under 


-g^  APPBMDIX. 


Um  OoiMtitiitkm  for  esp«iisioii8  and  conquests  like  Uiese,  whieh  «re 
mot  ooAteriAl  only,  but  social  and  moral  also,  and  which,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  an  English  republican,  adi^yted  with  a  single  yariatioD, 
•*  require  no  garrisons^  equip  no  navies,  and  might  extend  from  the 
Arctic  to  the  Antarotic  mrcle,  leaving  every  Americim  at  his  own 
fireside,  and  giving  earth,  like  ocean,  her  great  Pacific,"  yet  whe 
can  readily  find  constitutional  warrant  for  territorial  acquisitions, 
whenever,  wherever,  or  however  they  may  seem  desirable,  whether 
by  the  purchase  of  a  Louisiana,  which  Mr.  Jefferson  thought  to  be 
of  more  than  doubtful  authority,  or  by  the  annexation  of  a  Texas  by 
a  joint  resolution,  the  most  palpably  unconstitutional  act  of  this 
government  I  do  not  mean,  here  and  now,  to  object  to  any  aoqui- 
■itions  of  territory  that  have  been  made.  Some  of  them  were  tOf 
dispensable  to  our  commercial  independ^oe,  and  were,  I  think,  juit- 
ifiaUe,  having  been  made  by  treaty,  and  without  the  practiee  ol 
injusdoe  upon  any  party.  But  I  do  intend  to  question  the  p<^cy 
of  Regarding  our  first  things  as  furthest  off,  and  to  express  my  doubts 
as  to  the  soundness  of  those  principles  which  the  President,  in  his 
message  at  the  commencement  of  the  present  aession  of  Congress, 
speaks  of  as  constituting  "the  organic  basis  of  union,"  and  whidi 
are  to  be  found,  as  I  understand  him  to  suggest,  m  the  Virginia  and 
Kentucky,  resolutions  of  1798  rather  than  in  the  Constitution.  ^, 
with  all  req>ect  for  **  the  fathers  of  the  epoch  of  1798,"  I  must  be 
permitted  to  go  behind  them  and  their  time,  to  the  epoch  of  1788 
and  the  firamers  of  the  Constitution,  and  to  their  work,  for  "  the  or- 
ganic basis  of  union."    And  here  I  find  language  like  this : 

**  We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more 
perfect  union,  establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquillity,  provide 
for  the  oonunon  defense,  promote  the  general  welfEtre,  and  secure 
the  blessings  of  liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and 
establish  this  Con8tit^tion  for  the  United  States  of  America." 

And  in  the  light  it  imparts,  I  do  not  find  it  easy  to  believe  that 
the  central  idea  of  this  government  has  regard  only  to  what  is  out- 
side of  us — ^that  the  Constittition  pretermits  or  rejects  the  ordinary 
domestic  duties  and  fonctions  of  civil  govermQent.  On  the  contrary, 
I  have  seen  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  was  adopted  in  part,  and  in 
no  subordinate  or  inddental  sense,  for  the  sake  of  justice  and  do- 
mestic prosperity — ^for  the  general  welfare— to  secure  the  blessings 
of  liberty,  by  assisting  us  to  cultivate  the  arts  which  are  her  con- 
stant companions. 

The  Spaniards  claim  that  Gaetano  discovered  one  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands  as  early  as  A.D.  1642 ;  but  the  claim  has  not  been  generally 
acknowledged,  though  it  has  received  the  san^on  of  Humboldt 


APPENDIX.  487 


The  honor  of  the  discovery  must,  it  is  believed,  be  awarded  to  Cook, 
•mrho  visited  them  in  17*78,  and,  in  honor  of  his  patron,  the  Earl  of 
Sandwich,  gave  them  the  name  by  which  they  have  since  been 
known.  His  tragical  fate  upon  returning  to  the  islands  is  well 
known,  and  the  spot  where  he  fell  is  still  marked,  and  was  visited 
by  Wilkes  in  1840. 

For  twenty  years  after  the  death  of  Captain  Cook,  the  islands 
were  visited  but  a  few  times,  and  it  was  not  till  near  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  when  American  whaling  ships  and  fur- 
traders  began  to  frequent  Uiose  seas,  that  they  attracted  more  than 
the  passing  notice  of  the  civilized  world.  Since  that  time,  however, 
they  have  become  the  depot  of  a  large  and  rapidly-increasing  trade, 
and  the  theatre  of  patient,  persistent,  and,  on  the  whole,  highly 
beneficial  missionary  operations.  They  are  now  the  residence  of  an 
enterprising  and  influential  American  population. 

The  climate,  though  warm,  is  equable  and  salubrious.  "The 
heaven's  breath  smells  wooingly"  through  the  year,  the  mean  tem- 
perature being  about  seventy-five  degrees,  and  the  general  range  for 
the  year  from  seventy  to  eighty.  The  soil  is  rich  in  those  parts  of 
the  islands  which  have  long  been  free  frH>m  volcanic  eruptions. 
Their  productions  and  capabilities  are  very  great;  and  with  the  spur 
and  direction  of  Anglo-American  enterprise,  the  benefits  of  American 
trade  and  protection,  they  would  be  equal  to  those  of  any  country, 
although  half,  at  leasts  of  the  whole  area  is  incapable  of  cultivation. 

Independent  of  halo — an  article  of  food  so  readily  grown  that  the 
entire  population  might  be  maintained,  in  health  and  vigor,  upon  the 
product  of  six  square  miles,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  how  easily 
human  life  may  be  sustained  in  these  islands — ^the  chief  products  are 
sugar,  silk,  tobacco,  cotton,  cofifee,  arrow-root,  indigo,  rice,  ginger,  oil, 
salt,  pearls,  sandal-wood  (nearly  exhausted,  it  is  to  be  hoped),  woods 
adapted  to  ship-building  and  cabinet-work,  some  of  them  of  beauti- 
ful grain,  and  nearly  as  hard  as  mahogany,  skins  and  hides,  wheat, 
potatoes,  and  fruits  of  various  kinds.  Of  the  articles  of  commercial 
value,  the  most  important  is  sugar,  as,  from  the  proximity  of  the 
islands  to  California  and  other  markets,  the  demand  and  prices  must 
be  such  as  to  warrant  its  production  in  large  quantities,  for  which 
the  soil  and  climate  are  very  favorable.  More  than  ten  years  ago, 
Messrs.  I^add  <&  Co.  raised  an  average  of  a  tun  and  a  half  to  the  acre, 
a  rata  at  which  one  thousand  square  miles  would  yield  nearly  a 
million  tuns,  or  four  times  the  total  supply  of  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

Sir  George  Simpson  was  of  opinion  that  the  islands  might  "  supply 
with  sugar  nearly  all  the  coasts  of  both  continents  above  their  own 
latitude,  California*  Oregon,  the  Russian  settlements  both  in  Asia 


488  APPENDIX. 


and  America,  and  ultimately  Japan  ;**  and,  he  continues,  "  Bhonld 
they  be  secured  in  this  trade,  they  could  hardly  be  dislodged  from 
it  by  any  rival  so  long  as  they  enjoy  the  advantage  of  being  the  g^reat 
house  of  call  both  in  the  length  and  in  the  breadth  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean."  The  most  reliable  accounts  since  received  confirm  his  opin- 
ions as  to  the  value  and  promise  of  this  crop.  It  is  not  unknown  that 
our  late  commissioner  (Hon.  Luther  Severance)  has  never  failed  to 
urge  its  importance  upon  our  government  and  people,  and  when  his 
caution,  soundness  of  judgment,  and  means  of  information  are  consid- 
ered, this  fact  speaks  with  great  force  for  the  present  and  possible 
magnitude  of  Uds  interest  The  markets  which  these  islands  would 
occupy  are  so  remote  from  our  sugar-fields  on  this  side  of  the  con- 
tinent as  to  preclude  injurious  competition. 

Silk  may  be  cultivated  to  advantage  in  certain  sheltered  localities, 
and  is  believed  to  have  even  fewer  obstacles  to  surmount  than  sugar. 
It  yields  six  crops  in  the  year,  and  may  be  produced  at  rates  which 
will  allow  it  to  be  sold  at  remunerating  prices  in  England  and  the 
United  States. 

Coffee,  said  to  be  equal  to  Mocha,  is  among  the  products  of  the 
islands  that  may  be  cultivated  successfully,  and  raised  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  be  sent  with  advantage  to  almost  any  part  of  the 
world. 

Mr.  Chairman,  this  people  are  capable  of  doing  more  .and  better 
for  themselves  and  the  world  than  they  have  heretofore,  as  inhabit- 
ants of  remote  and  isolated  islands,  known  or  conceived.  They  have 
claims  upon  Christendom  for  better  government,  laws,  and  institu- 
tions than  they  possess.  For  their  own  sake,  they  should  be  protect- 
ed, held  up,  and  sustained  by  one  of  the  stronger  and  more  advanced 
of  the  civilized  powers.  Only  by  the  multiplied  means  of  education 
and  discipline  which  such  connection  can  give,  can  depopulation, 
and  the  vices  and  wrongs  which  induct  it,  be  entirely  and  speedily 
stayed,  and  long  and  weary  years  of  pupilage  and  preparation 
abridged. 

Opposed,  sir,  as  I  am  to  annexation,  where  it  is  sought  for  the 
mere  purpose  of  extending  boundaries  and  dominion,  and  without 
regard  to  our  wants  and  actual  requirements  as  connected  with  all 
the  interests  of  the  country ;  and  fearing,  as  I  have  said,  the  conse- 
quents to  be  apprehended  from  the  doctrines  now  so  zealously,  and, 
it  seems  to  me,  thoughtlessly  taught,  yet,  when  a  case  occurs  where 
it  manifestly  may  be  employed  as  a  means  to  the  noblest  ends,  and 
humanity  demands  it,  and  our  national  and  domestic  interests  will 
be  served  by  it,  and  justice  waits  upon  it,  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  yield 
it  the  best  advocacy  of  my  mind,  as  it  will  compel  tha^i  of  my  heart 


APPENDIX.  4S9 


I  would  not  be  so  confined  by  the  strait-jacket  of  one  idea,  whether 
of  stand-still  or  go-ahead,  that  I  could  not  endeavor  to  make  dis- 
tinctions, and  act  free  from  the  influence  of  extreme,  which  are  al- 
most always  practically  erroneous,  opinions. 

The  question  of  the  annexation  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  is  one  of 
necessity,  of  time,  and  of  justice.  By  necessity,  as  I  have  used  the 
term  in  these  remarks,  I  do  not  mean  an  absolute  and  indispensable 
need,  but  that  clear,  strong,  legible  convenience  and  fitness  which 
the  common  imderstanding  sees  and  feels;  and  when  this  conveni- 
ence and  fitness  shall  be  apparent,  and  the  parties  declare  themselves 
ready  and  willing  for  the  connection,  the  time  will  be  propitious,  and 
the  justice  unquestionable,  for  I  think  no  question  can  arise  as  to 
the  right  of  other  nations  to  interfere. 

So  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  of  all  the  conditions  required  to  le- 
gitimate ihe  union,  one  only  is  open  to  doubt — ^that  of  the  free  con- 
sent of  the  Hawaiians.  Without  this  consent,  intelligently  and  un- 
reservedly yielded,  we  should  not  think  for  a  moment  of  the  connec- 
tion ;  for,  however  plausible  the  reasons  that  might  be  assigned  for 
it,  it  would  be  a  "losing  trade" — ^we  should  seek  a  possession  which, 
by  a  law  whose  operation  is  never  suspended,  would  wither  at  our 
touch.  The  importance  of  the  acquisition  in  this  case,  whether  in 
regard  to  the  United  States  or  the  Islands,  can  not  be  doubted.  The 
time  is  when  the  former  may  safely  and  properly  desire  it ;  and  when 
the  latter  shall  perceive  that  it  has  come  for  them,  let  it  be  made; 
and  from  that  hour,  instead  of  weakness,  we  shall  have  increased 
strength,  and  shall  feel  that  the  people,  the  government,  the  Union, 
are  greater  than  before. 

Consider  the  lines  of  steamers  that  are  to  bridge  the  Pacific,  mak- 
ing a  pier  of  this  little  group,  and  from  it  spanning  the  ocean  on 
either  side.  Think  of  California  and  her  fiiture,  and  of  that  stupen- 
dous work,  which  should  receive  the  approbation  of  all  minds  and 
the  help  of  all  hands,  that  is  to  make  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  one — 
the  Pacific  rail-road,  the  work  and  the  duty  of  our  day,  commanded 
by  all  our  necessities,  authorized  by  the  Constitution,  not  more  in 
particular  and  specific  parts,  wl^ich  are  full  and  clear,  than  by  the 
whole  sweep  and  living  life  of  that  instrument. 

Mindful  of  these  things,  and  not  forgetting  that  Russia,  France, 
and  England  have  at  times  looked  with  wistful  eyes  to  these  distant 
islands,  we  shall  perceive  the  importance  of  availing  ourselves  of  the 
earliest  fitting  opportunity  to  unite  them,  with  their  consent,  to  the 
American  republia 

M.  Perrin,  the  French  consul,  has  never  intermitted  his  efforts  to 
break  up  the  good  understanding  which  has  existed  between  the 

X2 


400  APPENDIX. 


goTeramentB  of  th«  XJiuted  States  and  the  Sandwich  Islands;  and 
with  his  detachment  of  French  priests,  acting  under  the  direction  of 
tha  SociHoi  de  Propaganda  Fide,  aided  by  his  allies  of  the  brandy 
interest^  has  been  able  to  keep  the  archipelago  in  constant  broils  and 
alanna  And  though  England,  it  may  be,  has  no  present  intention 
to  take  it  into  her  possession,  haring  joined  with  France  in  Novem- 
ber, 1848,  in  a  treaty  or  agreement^  by  which  it  was  stipulated  thai 
neither  Franee  nor  England  should  take  possession  of  it  as  a  protec- 
torate tut  otherwise,  yet  by  all  Americans  there  is  fielt  to  be  an  un- 
certainty as  to  the  future  movements  of  either  of  those  powera  It 
is  well  understood  that  England  would  not  be  pleased  with  its  an- 
nexation to  the  United  States ;  and  in  fear  of  that  events  she  may  be 
led  to  take  advantage  of  such  opportunities  as  may  arise,  or  be  cre- 
ated by  her,  to  take  it  into  her  own  sa£e-keeping.  It  is  known  that 
she  has  long  set  up  a  sort  of  daim  by  virtue  of  discovery,  and  by 
the  alleged  cession  of  Kamehameha  L,  which,  they  say,  his  successor 
visited  England  in  1824  to  confirm. 

Sir,  I  have  heard  that  a  distinguished  American  statesman^— thex^ 
or  afterward,  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency-^Kshanged  his  mind  sudr 
denly  and  completely  upon  the  subject  of  the  annexation  of  Texas 
by  reading  an  article  in  an  English  magazine^  With  authority  like 
this  as  to  the  considwation  to  which  magazine  articles  are  entitled, 
I  will  venture  to  allude  to  the  fact  that  the  annexation  of  these  isl- 
ands to  the  BritiBh  crown  has  been  advocated  in  some  of  the  English 
magazines  and  reviews;  and  I  think  there  is  no  one  who  will  deny 
that  there  is  greater  probability  of  England's  annexing  the  Sandwich 
Islands  than  ever  there  was  of  her  seizing  Texas. 

Before  taking  leave  of  this  subject,  I  will  notice  some  of  the  ob- 
jections which  I  have  seen  to  this  annexation.  *'  The  islands,,4u^ 
■mall,''  it  is  said,  "  in  territory  and  population."  But  they  are  large 
enough  for  the  purposes,  for  which  they  are  desirable,  and,  as  a  state 
of  the  Union,  might  support  a  population  of  a  million.  "  If  annex- 
ed, they  will  furnish  no  increased  facilities  to  our  trade."  This  is 
mere  assertion.  It  is  because  almost  every  body  knows  that  they 
will,  that  annexation  is  so  generally  advocated.  ''It  costs  us  noth- 
ing to  defend  them  now ;  whereas,  if  annexed,  we  must  fortify  and 
garrison  them,"  Ac.  With  our  trade  in  the  Pacific,  we  must  needs 
keep  a  large  fleet  there.  Will  a  home  and  a  station  of  our  own  in 
mid-sea  iocrease  the  expense  of  supporting  that  fleet,  of  refitting  and 
repairing  it?  With  the  islands  as  our  own,  will  the  probability  of 
war  be  any  thing  like  what  it  would  be  were  they  the  home  of  rivals 
and  the  seat  of  conflicting  interests? 

''England  has  lost  by  her  colonies,  therefore  America  ought  not 
to  annex  the  Sandwich  Islands.**    The  example  proves  nothing,  be- 


APPENDIX,  491 


cause  no  <me  contemplates  annexing  them  as  colonies,  but  as  a  terri- 
tory, to  be  united  with  us;  and  which,  in  time,  may  be  admitied  as 
one  of  the  States  of  the  Union. 

**  But  they  are  a  great  way  oS.**  Two  weeks^  three  weeks^  per- 
haps, when  our  Pacific  road  is  constructed. 

"We  have  territory  enough  already.'*  Enough^  perhaps,  like 
Maine,  or  Virginia,  or  Louisiana,  or  Ohio;  but  this  little  addition  is 
needed  for  the  uses  and  development  of  these  and  all  the  rest. 

"  They  are  not  conterminous  territory."  I^either  is  Long  Island 
or  Mount  Desert ;  but  our  steam  shuttles  will  draw  a  thread  of  con- 
nection as  good  as  any  other. 

Having  endeavored  to  show  that  there  are  many  and  valid  rea- 
eons  why  we  should  be  ready  to  receive  the  Sandwich  Islands  when- 
ever they  shall  signify  a  willingness  to  become  part  and  parcel  of 
the  United  States,  and  noticed  some  of  the  objections  that  have  been 
made  to  such  a  consummation,  I  desire  to  address  a  few  words  to 
the  conservative  feeling  of  the  country,  which)  in  view  of  the  les- 
sons of  history  and  the  opinions  of  the  fathers  of  the  Republic,  as  it 
understands  them,  regards  cUl  enlargement  of  boundaries  as  fraught 
with  evil,  boding  unsteadiness  and  danger,  tiireatening  the  stability 
of  our  institutions  and  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  I  do  not  share 
in  these  fears.  The  more  extended  our  dominion — where  we  do 
have  dominion* — ^the  greater  th^  variety  of  soil  and  climate,  the 
inore  numerous  the  fields  of  industry,  enterprise,  and  production, 
&e  stronger  and  the  more  independent  we  become.  Dependent 
upon  each  other,  the  states  are  independent  of  the  world  besidea 
The  South  is  the  complement  of  the  North,  and  the  West  of  the  East, 
Our  differences,  such  as  they  are,  become  our  bond  of  union  and 
tower  of  strength. 

'  No,  Mr.  Chairman,  to  accessions  of  territqry,  fairly  and  honorably 
acquired,  when  necessary  to  our  development,  and  when  there  are 
no  reasons  to  oppose  them,  arising  from  the  character  of  the  people 
to  be  united  with  us,  their  customs,  lawa^  and  institutions,  there 
should  be  no  objection.  I  fear  not  tdie  ability  of  our  admirable  form 
of  government  to  hold  steady  and  beneficent- sway  over  any  extent 
of  territ<ny.  It  is  as  good  for  one  hundred  states  as  one,  and  the 
notion  that  a  republic  like  ours  is  adapted  only  to  small  states  or 
territories,  is  one  of  those  fallaeies  that  should  be  given  to  the  winds 
as  lighter  than  they.  Who  can  doubt  that  ihia  government  stands 
more  securely  to-day,  with  its  thirty-one  states,  tiian  if  it  had  been 
confined  within  its  original  limits — "  from  Maine  to  Georgia  ?"  Thus 
far,  no  dangers  have  appeared  from  the  accessions  we  have  made, 
simply  as  accessions.  Whether  they  are  to  be  apprehended  fr^m 
the  manner  in  which  tha  acquisitions  were  made,  or  other  causes. 


483  APPENDIX. 


does  not  in  any  degree  sffeet  the  positions  I  have  taken  in  reference 
to  the  annexation  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Annexation,  thus  far, 
seems  to  have  proceeded ^n  passu  with  onr  preparation  and  ability 
to  receive  and  govern  what^we  have  acquired.  Adaptation  has 
kept  company  with  extension.  When  Louisiiuia  was  purchased, 
Fnlton  came  with  the  steam-boat,  and  made  New  Orleans  nearer  to 
Washington  than  Savannah  had  been  before.  When  Texas  was  an- 
nexed, the  rail-road  had  been  introduced ;  and  now,  practically,  her 
capital  is  nearer  that  of  the  Union  than  St  Louis  was  when  her 
venerable  and  distinguished  representative  was  first  a  senator  from 
Missouri.  And  when  Califomia  added  another  star  to  our  banner, 
the  telegraph  was  ready  to  announce  the  fact  from  the  Bay  of  Fun- 
dy  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  in  less  time  than  Puck  agreed  to  put  a 
girdle  round  the  earth.  And  the  Sandwich  Islands,  when  the  Pacific 
rail-road  is  built,  will,  measured  by  time  and  ejtpense,  be  nearer  this 
city  than  Bangor  was  when  Maine  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 
With  the  facilities  we  enjoy  for  the  communication  of  intelligence 
and  the  transportation  of  persons,  and  of  the  vast  and  various  pro- 
ductions of  our  dififerent  climes,  size  and  weight,  when  of  congruous 
parts,  but  bind  us  more  indissolubly  together.    We  can  not  fly  apart 

My  faith  in  American  republicanism,  in  our  modem  civilization, 
and  the  elements  which  vitalize  it,  distinguishing  it  from  all  that 
have  gone  before,  and  lending  it  a  power  which  they  never  knew, 
does  not  permit  me  to  doubt  the  coirectness  of  the  views  I  have  ad- 
vanced. The  history  and  experience  of  other  nations  and  other 
times  may  afford  admonitions  against  fraud,  violence,  rapacity — 
Ikgainst  the  systems  of  the  Roman  and  Teutonic  civilizations  in  re- 
spect to  colonies  and  dependencies ;  but  not  against  good  faith,  just- 
ice, peace,  and  her  victories,  more  renowned  than  those  of  war ;  not 
against  our  Christian  civilization. 

Between  that  miscalled  progress,  which,  in  its  wantonness,  disre- 
gards experience  and  flouts  justice,  and  that  stolid  conservatism,  dry 
and  bloodless,  whicll  lives  in  the  ashes  of  the  past,  daring  nothing 
for  which  it  has  not  the  authority  of  precedent,  there  is  no  occasion 
to  decide  in  determining  the  question  before  us. 

No  age  should  be  a  mere  repetition  of  its  predecessor.  Every  age 
brings  or  finds  its  own  needs  and  duties,  and  of  them  must  be  its  own 
judge;  and  those  among  us  who  r^ect  the  counsel  of  the  latter 
time  as  to  what  is  fitting,  err  as  surely  as  they  who  will  not  inquire 
of  the  ancienter  what  is  best  They  overlook  or  misread  all  the 
lessons  of  history,  and  misapprehend  the  laws  of  human  progress, 
which  show 

"  That  ever  through  the  ages  one  increasing  purpose  runs. 
And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  with  the  process  of  the  suns." 


^ 


APPENDIX,  403 


They  exhibit  a  Bkepticism,  ag  blind  as  it  is  diBOOOfBging,  in  regard 
to  the  forces  and  functions  of  Cbrifttion  ciYilizatiDii  and  its  appoint- 
ed co-worker,  Republican  Liberty  ] 


THE  MIB. 


/^ 


ri^ 


i-:i;i 


5^4 


AUC  2  9    1930