HONOLULU, _June 27, 1851_.
From Lahaina I came to this place, the capital of the Sandwich
group, upon the Island of Oahu, and I find to my satisfaction the
arrival of the clipper ship Samuel Appleton, of eight hundred tons
burden, by which I shall embark for China. I must say I am agreeably
disappointed in the aspect of things here, and the advancement through
the instrumentality of the Missions and American residents. During
the season for the return of the whalers from their fishing grounds,
large numbers of vessels are seen in port, and the conveniences now
offered far surpass those of any of the other small islands. It is the
residence of King Kamehameha, and all the principal functionaries of
government. The town is regularly laid out upon the margin of a deep
bay, with an extended valley in the rear, and an undulating country
between the high mountain, volcanic ridges extending towards the north
part of the island, through which draw refreshing winds, without which
the heat would be insupportable.
The houses of the natives are formed of bamboo cane frames, and
thatched with wild grass; the sides are covered with like material,
which resists the action of the sun and rain. The houses of foreigners
are constructed mostly of wood, with verandas, and are well adapted to
the climate. Some of the public buildings are of stone.
I found a comfortable hotel, delivered my letters and papers, and
passed the first evening very agreeably at a social tea party, where
was present the daughter of one of the chiefs, who had been educated,
and spoke English well. While sitting in the veranda we heard the most
strange, discordant cries, and wailing sounds, proceeding from one
of the palaces, and were told there was a new arrival of relatives
from some one of the islands to attend the funeral of the princess
Kepanonohe, grand-daughter of Kamehameha I., which will take place in a
few days, and for which extraordinary preparations are making.
She was an elderly woman, and is now deceased three weeks, and lying in
state. I proceeded to the house and found some fifteen persons, old and
young, sitting and prostrating themselves on the floor, and uttering
deep tones of distress that were pitiable to hear, and calculated to
excite one’s sympathy, supposing them to be sincere.
I have heard the lamentations of the Jews under the walls of the
ancient Temple at Jerusalem, and the hired mourners of Egypt, whose
doleful cries rend the air, and who, from long practice, seem to
experience all the anguish of the afflicted relative, and I was at a
loss to subscribe to the divine command, “Weep with those who weep.”
These wailings were continued until eleven o’clock, and were the last
sounds I heard as I returned to my hotel, half a mile distant. Mr.
Wylie, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave us a letter to one of the
chiefs called Paaki, who has the title of Chamberlain to the king; you
will perceive there is no want of high-sounding names. We found that
he occupied a fine house, which was built by an architect named Charles
Nelson, from our town, whom I knew when a boy, and who has resided
here for many years. The chief received us kindly, bade us enter, and
showed us his establishment. He is a man of muscular frame, over six
feet in height, well proportioned, and weighs three hundred pounds; he
was dressed in modern style, with white duck suit, and Panama hat, a
noble-appearing person, who looked the chief.
He spoke but little English. It is said he prefers his mat upon the
floor of one of his cabins, and his dish of Poi, to the refined modes
of life. He accompanied us to the palace of the king, which is a fine
wooden mansion, recently constructed, and situated in the centre of
a square inclosure surrounded by trees, and got up with considerable
taste for this country. Some native troops at the lodge presented arms
as we passed, to sustain the dignity of the place. The throne room
contains the portraits of the royal family, some respectable furniture,
and the portraits of Louis Philippe, Frederick, King of Prussia, and
some views; which were more than I expected to find in a country so
recently reclaimed from barbarism.
The same afternoon we procured horses, of which many are to be found,
as the Kanakas are very fond of the quadruped, and proceeded to the
north side of the island, through the valley, whose cultivation is
mostly of taro, the island-bread. Some three miles from town we left
the main road to visit the cascade, a small mountain torrent rushing
down the rocks, which is a favorite place for sham battles and diving;
and there we found several of the amphibious beings contending for the
small pieces of coin which were thrown them in the water. Mounting
our horses, we pursued our way through the valley, passing the low
mud and bamboo huts, and dense thickets of small trees and bushes,
with jagged and crooked branches, almost impenetrable outside of this
narrow defile, through which the wind rushed strongly, while the
dense clouds were lowering upon the summits of the volcanic ridges
above, threatening to drench us, though we escaped dry. We met with
considerable numbers of cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, which shows
the advancement of the island.
Some seven miles towards the north the ascent is gradual, and brought
us to the Pali, a precipice which certainly presents one of the most
beautiful views the eye can behold, of the plain below, with its
tropical trees and forests, with the ocean in the distance.
The descent is by an excavated road running round the peak, whose
height is immense; it reminded me, in some particulars, of the
excavation in the mountains of Caracas, under the government of
Paez. Tradition says that the opposite and most lengthy peak, which
appears to be only a foothold for a man, was occupied by one of the
former chiefs, or kings, when pursued by his enemies, whom he hurled
headlong as they approached. The following day I paid a visit to one
of the young princes, who had been in the States, as also in Europe,
the past year, in company with Dr. Judd, and found him in a bamboo,
grass-covered house, within the inclosure of the palace grounds, seated
upon a sofa; the ground floor was covered with matting, upon which
squatted the lightly clad Kanaka women of the household. He conversed
well in English, and expressed himself pleased with his voyages. The
women are expert riders, and on Saturday of each week the whole town,
male and female, who can procure horses, make it a gala-day. The
former, who bestride the saddle, wear a bright yellow scarf, extending
from the skirt of the dress behind to cover the stirrups in front, and
round straw hats with wreaths of flowers, presenting, as they dash
furiously along, a picturesque appearance.
I congratulate myself in having again escaped the loss of my luggage,
as my fellow passenger from San Francisco has lost a part of his
effects, while the remainder was wet through in coming ashore. The
reef extends out about half a mile, and the heavy breakers capsized
the boat’s crew, who narrowly escaped a worse fate. I was fortunately
ashore with the captain.