Ladies Riding Astride.--Passion for Flower Decorations.--A
Sailor on a Bucking Horse.--A Weekly Gala-day.--Hawaiian
Ladies' Costume.--A Famous Battle-ground.--The Native's
Staff of Life.--Ubiquitous John Chinaman.--Largest
Apple-orchard in the World.--Hawaiians as Cannibals.--An
Active Volcano.--Colony of Lepers.--Unwelcome Visitors.--Our
Political Relations with the Sandwich Islands.
There are not infrequently substantial reasons for customs which appear
to us absurd at first blush. It was observed at the race-course of
Honolulu that the women all rode man-fashion,--that is, astride of their
horses; and being accustomed to the saddle from childhood they rode
remarkably well. Even European and American ladies who become residents
also adopt this fashion of riding, for the reason, as we were told, that
side-saddles are not considered to be safe on the steep mountain roads.
If one rides in any direction here mountains must be crossed. Every one
rides on horseback,--men, women, and children. He must be a poor man
indeed who does not own two or three horses of the pony, island breed.
There are plenty of light American-built vehicles to be had for use
about the city roads, but wheels will not answer upon the mountain
paths. It should be mentioned, for the benefit of invalids as well as
pleasure travellers, that there is an admirable public house in the
centre of the town, built by the Government and leased to a competent
landlord. It is kept on the American plan, and has all the modern
comforts and conveniences, is lighted by gas, furnished with electric
bells, and has accommodations for fifty guests.
The native women festoon themselves in an extraordinary manner with
flowers on all gala occasions, while the men wear wreaths of the same
about their straw hats, often adding braided leaves of laurel hung
across the shoulder and chest. The white blossoms of the jasmine,
fragrant as tuberoses, which they much resemble, are generally employed
for this decorative purpose, being offered for sale about the streets
and on the veranda of the hotel in long strings woven fresh from the
vines. Upon the slightest excuse for doing so, all Honolulu blossoms
like a rose. We landed on a Saturday, which is a regular gala-day with
the natives, and indeed every one seems to join in making it a general
holiday. It is pay-day on the plantations and in the town
establishments, besides being the day on which the country people come
to market with their produce. But all marketing, all buying and selling
of goods is over by noon or an hour after, when the riot of
pleasure-seeking begins. It was a ludicrous sight to observe the sailors
who happened to be in port join in the Saturday carnival. To do so in
proper style it was absolutely necessary for them to be on horseback;
and a sailor in that situation always seems like a fish out of water.
With his feet thrust as far into the stirrups as possible, his body
bent well forward and with both hands firmly grasping the pommel of the
saddle, he leaves the horse to go pretty much his own way, while he
thumps hard and fast up and down in his uncertain seat, to the
undisguised merriment of the natives and lookers-on generally.
One of these foremast hands had been furnished with a bucking horse,--we
rather think designedly so. The animal was subject to periodical attacks
of this vicious propensity, one of which fits took him directly opposite
the Post-office, where we chanced to be standing. It was really
astonishing to see how successfully the unaccustomed rider clung to the
horse's back; a practised rider could not have kept his seat more
determinedly. The struggle between horse and man lasted for some ten
minutes, but was finally ended by Jack Tar being landed in the middle of
the street face downward, to the infinite amusement of the crowd who had
watched the progress of the struggle. Jack, nevertheless, remounted his
Bucephalus, and rode away with his comrades, who had patiently awaited
the issue, bestriding the animal as he would have done a topsail yard in
a gale of wind.
Both sexes of the natives much affect bright colors upon their persons,
such as scarlet turbans wound about their heads; and sky-blue scarfs and
yellow gowns predominate, producing a very picturesque if somewhat
anomalous effect. When the head is bare their jet-black hair is sleek
and glistening with cocoanut oil. The women wear but one garment,
usually of French calico, close at the throat and extending from the
yoke to the ankles. The gown is quite free and flowing, not confined at
the waist, the wearer being generally bare-legged and bare-footed,--thus
adding to the diaphanous nature of the costume, which after all is well
adapted to the climate. It was noticed that the foreign-born ladies
often appeared in the same style of dress, adding slippers and hose. To
be very fleshy is considered as adding a charm to the Hawaiian ladies;
and however this is brought about, it certainly prevails, affording the
individual possessor of such a plethoric condition evident satisfaction.
As a people the Hawaiians are very courteous and respectful, rarely
failing to greet the passing stranger with a pleasant smile and a softly
articulated "oloha," equivalent to "my love to you." The drinking of
kava, the native spirituous liquor, is no doubt conducive to the
immoderate accumulation of flesh, or at least to a bloated condition of
the body; but as a rule the natives are not intemperate drinkers, except
perhaps on Saturdays, when, as we have already intimated, the town is
half mad with all sorts of excesses.
One statue only was noticed in Honolulu,--a bronze figure representing
Kamehameha I., which was decked with a gilded robe and helmet, producing
a tawdry and vulgar effect. There are four bronze tablets in bas-relief
upon the pedestal, representing emblematical scenes relating to the
first discovery of the island by Captain Cook and of his early
intercourse with the barbarous natives. The whole monument is crude and
inartistic, but doubtless it was an expensive affair. This Kamehameha I.
must have been anything but a nice sort of person. When the missionaries
first came hither he was living with his five sisters as wives; and when
told how outrageous this was in the light of Christianity, he
compromised the matter by selecting his oldest sister as his favorite
wife and discarding the rest. He died in 1819, at the age of
eighty-three years, and was a polygamous old rascal or a patriotic
Alexander, according to the standpoint from which he is judged. If we
can credit the Hawaiian legends, he was a man who possessed great
physical strength as well as skill in the use of weapons, and was
undoubtedly brave. He was the father of his people in more than one
sense, having as many children as the late Brigham Young.
A drive of three or four miles from the city brings one to what is
called the "Pali," which signifies in English the precipice. The route
thither is straight up the Nuuanu Valley over a very uneven and only
half-passable road, rocks and stones disputing every foot of the way
with the vehicle, until by a not very abrupt ascent a height of three
thousand feet above sea-level is reached. The last part of the distance
is accomplished on foot, and presently the visitor finds himself
standing upon the very edge of an abrupt precipice at the head of the
valley, affording one of the most remarkable views to be found in any
part of the globe. Lying fifteen hundred feet below the brow of this
cliff is an outspread area of thirty or forty square miles embracing
hills marked by winding bridle-paths, level plains, small rolling
prairies, groves of cocoanut, of bananas, and sugar-cane plantations,
small herds of cattle on grazing ranches, and rice-fields extending to
the verge of the ocean. This large area is bordered on either side by
mountains of various heights, composed of lava-rock so formed as to give
the appearance of having been cleft in two, the precipitous side left
standing, and the other half lost in the ocean; coral reefs form the
seaward boundary marked by a long, white, irregular line of surf
breaking over them. As one regards this view from the top of the Pali,
there arises on his immediate right a steep mountain four thousand feet
heavenward, forming the highest point on the island of Oahu, recorded as
being at the apex seven thousand feet above the level of the sea.
The valley of Nuuanu opens with a broad entrance at the end nearest to
the city, but contracts gradually as one ascends, until at its head it
is a narrow gap or mountain-pass through which is a bridle-path leading
over the range to the country below. Through this pass the wind draws
with such power and velocity as to compel the traveller to grasp
securely the iron barrier which has been erected to enable one to
approach the verge of the cliff in safety. This narrow opening forms the
gate through which Honolulu gets its daily taste of the refreshing
trade-winds.
In ascending this beautiful valley one is constantly charmed by the
discovery of new tropical trees, luxurious creepers, and lovely
wild-flowers. The strangers' burial-ground is passed just after crossing
the Nuuanu stream, and close at hand is the Royal Mausoleum,--a stone
structure in Gothic style, which contains the remains of all the
Hawaiian kings, as well as those of many of the high chiefs who have
died since the conquest. Some shaded bathing-pools are formed by the
mountain streams lying half hidden in the dense foliage. Here one also
passes the residence of ex-Queen Emma, widow of the late king,
pleasantly located and flower-embowered, having within its grounds some
notable examples of fine tropical trees from other lands. Its mistress
was educated in England, and has here surrounded herself with many
European comforts and elegancies. She may be seen almost daily driving
out in a pony-carriage, to which a nice pair of showy though small
island-bred horses are attached.
This valley is classic ground in the history of these islands, being the
spot where the fierce and conquering invader, King Kamehameha I., fought
his last decisive battle, the result of which confirmed him as sole
monarch of the Hawaiian group. Here the natives of Oahu made their final
stand, and fought desperately, resisting with clubs and spears the
savage hordes led by Kamehameha. But they were defeated at last, and
with their king, Kaiana, who led them in person, were driven over the
abrupt and fatal cliff by hundreds, bravely ending the struggle for
liberty with the sacrifice of their lives. The half-caste guide tells
the stranger of this battle and its issue with a sad air and earnestness
of feeling not akin to the humdrum stories of European guides, who
recite their lesson by rote, like parrots.
No person should land at Honolulu and go away without visiting the Pali.
It can easily be accomplished in three or four hours by vehicle, or if
one is pressed for time it can be done more quickly, and to the author's
mind much more agreeably, on horseback. In our eagerness to see and
enjoy every aspect of the valley, breakfast had been forgotten, and it
was already high noon, so that a preparation of wild bananas, bruised
into a paste and stewed in cocoanut cream, was partaken of with much
relish at a native hut. The dish was new to us, and was rendered still
more acceptable by a cup of native coffee, which had not been
adulterated by the cunning trader's art.
On the way to the valley, and indeed all about the environs of the city,
one passes large patches, measuring an acre more or less, of submerged
land, where is grown the Hawaiian staff of life,--the _taro_, a root
which is cultivated in mud, and mostly under water, recalling the
rice-fields as we have seen them in Japan and China. The article thus
produced, when baked and pounded to a paste, forms a nutritious sort of
dough, like uncooked flour, which is called _poi_, constituting the
principal article of food with the natives, as potatoes do with the
Irish or macaroni with the Italians. The baked taro is powdered and
mixed with water, after which it is left to ferment; and when this
process has taken place it is ready for eating. It is then placed in a
large bowl about which the natives squat on their hams, and thrusting
their fingers into the blue liquid mass they adroitly convey a mouthful
at a time to their lips and rapidly swallow it. It is served in various
degrees of thickness; if very thin, it is called two-finger poi, because
in order to convey sufficient for a mouthful to the lips two fingers
must be used; but if thick, it is one-finger poi. As the lazzaroni of
Naples pride themselves upon their expertness in conveying the cooked
macaroni to their mouths and down their throats, so the Kanakas become
experts in the transmission of poi to satisfy their hunger. These
Sandwich Island natives eat a small species of fish resembling our
smelts, quite raw, with their poi.
The environs of the city in any direction are composed of well-irrigated
gardens, plantations of bananas, clusters of cocoanuts, figs, mangoes,
melons, and various tropical fruits. The cocoanut-grove of Waikiki,
about four miles from Honolulu, contains many of these prolific trees,
and well repays a visit. Single cocoanut-trees are always graceful and
interesting, with their tall wrinkled stems, but a small forest of them
is a sight worth going miles to behold. The weight of the nutritious
fruit supported in the branches can only be computed by the hundreds of
tons.
Palolo Valley is some ten miles from Honolulu, and is best reached on
horseback. Here the crater of an extinct volcano forms the principal
object of interest. Leaving the horses at the head of the valley, the
visitor climbs up a precipitous slope some five hundred feet to the
oblong opening, which is now filled with a great variety of peculiar
ferns, quite unlike any to be found elsewhere. Many blooming
wild-flowers also beautified the spot whence the fiery lava poured forth
its molten stream long ages ago. Nearly a hundred marked varieties of
ferns can be gathered here in the briefest period of time by an expert
botanist. On the way thither one passes through gulches, forests, and
fields of the rankest tropical verdure, at times enjoying glimpses from
the heights, of scenery indescribably grand and beautiful, like all that
appertains to this picturesque island group, the puzzle of geologists
and geographers. Though Oahu is very mountainous, like the rest of the
Hawaiian islands, still none of these ranges reach the elevation of
perpetual snow.
The delight and favorite amusement of the natives is to get into the
saddle, galloping hither and thither in a break-neck fashion, without
any fixed purpose as to destination. Some are seen riding bare-back,
some with bridles, and some with only halters; but all are astride. The
women and young girls are particularly conspicuous in their high-colored
costumes flowing in the wind, and supplemented by streaming wreaths and
strings of flowers, while they manage their horses with consummate
skill and masculine energy.
Having observed among the natives a certain type of features and general
aspect which struck us as decidedly European, and which if genuine would
seem to be traceable far back to early generations, the idea was
expressed to a resident American, who had an interesting explanation
promptly ready for us. It seems, according to our friend's story, that
the Spaniards are accredited in the legends of Oahu with having
discovered these islands, and with several times visiting them as early
as the year 1500, thus rendering the first visit of Captain Cook no new
discovery. It is further held that Spanish galleons on their way to and
from Manila in the sixteenth century stopped at these islands for water
and fresh fruits. Of course all this is but legendary, and based on the
faintest shadow of proof. Furthermore, according to these traditions, a
couple of Spanish ships from Mexico were wrecked on the Hawaiian islands
about the year 1525, having, as was the custom in those days, a numerous
crew as well as some passengers, who mixed with and married native
women. Naturally the descendants of such unions have inherited a certain
distinctiveness of features and complexion which is still traceable. We
give this report as we heard it, though it may be all a myth.
The ubiquitous Chinamen are found here as gardeners, laborers,
house-servants, fruit-dealers, and poi-makers. What an overflow there
has been of these Asiatics from the Flowery Land! Each one of this race
arriving at these islands is now obliged to pay ten dollars as his
landing fee, in default of which the vessel which brings him is
compelled to take him away. This singular people, who are wonderfully
industrious notwithstanding their many faults and effeminacies, are
despised in these islands alike by the natives, the Americans, and the
Europeans; and yet we were told that the Chinese increase annually,
slowly but surely, and it is believed here that they are destined
eventually to take the place of the aborigines. The aggregate number now
resident upon the group is placed at ten thousand. It was manifest that
many branches of small trade were already monopolized by them, as one
sees to be the case at Penang, Singapore, and other Pacific islands. On
Nuuanu Street every shop is occupied by a Chinaman, dealing in such
articles as his own countrymen and the natives are likely to purchase.
It certainly does appear as though the native race would in the near
future be obliterated, and their place be filled by the Anglo-Saxons and
the Chinese,--the representative people of the East and the West. The
taro-patches of the Hawaiians, will ere long become the rice-fields of
the Mongolians and the places that now know the aborigines will know
them no more forever.
The pertinacity which enables these Asiatics to get a foothold and
maintain themselves in various countries in the face of such universal
oppression and unpopularity, is a constant source of surprise to one
who has seen them established and prospering in so many foreign lands.
Nothing seems to discourage a Chinaman; he encounters rebuffs, insults,
oppression, taxation, with entire equanimity, toiling on, suffering in
silence, accumulating and hoarding his dollars with the fixed purpose of
finally returning to his distant home. He is sober, painstaking,
patient, and provided you do not have too much of him, is by no means a
bad servant, laborer, or mechanic.
The general fish-market, situated at the northern extremity of Queen's
Street, affords a most interesting exhibition of the marine products of
these shores. Here all was life, bustle, color, and oddity, vividly
recalling a similar scene in another hemisphere, at Havana. The berries,
fish, and fruit which one purchases are delivered in a broad, fresh
green leaf which forms the wrapper. This is much nicer, as well as more
appropriate, than is the use of rough, ill-smelling brown paper. Here we
saw devil-fish, dolphins, bonitos, flying-fish, ocean mullet, crabs, and
a great variety of sea-mosses which the natives dry and eat with their
poi. Among the rest a plenty of gold and silver fish were noticed, such
as are kept in glass globes as pets with us. Here they are larger, and
so plentiful that the natives catch and eat them as they would any other
of the finny tribe. Some of the fishes displayed here are spotted like a
leopard, and some are striped like a tiger,--dark brown lines on a buff
ground. Besides these there was an abundance of rose-colored medusa.
The variety and beauty of colors exhibited by the fishes of the tropics
is quite confusing when they are arrayed side by side upon a white
marble counter fresh from their native element. The natives eat very
little meat, but keep in excellent physical condition upon poi and fish,
supplemented by the abundant natural fruits which a bountiful Providence
so liberally supplies. Chief among these is the banana, which seems to
grow larger and finer here than elsewhere, being permitted to ripen on
the parent stem. Like oranges which are allowed to mature in the same
manner, the flavor is far superior to those ripened off the trees.
The steep conical hill which overlooks the city presenting its dull,
brick-red facade when viewed from nearly any direction is a ceaseless
reminder of the volcanic origin of the place. It contains a large
extinct crater, and is called on account of its peculiar formation the
Punch Bowl. Its apex is about five hundred feet above the level of the
harbor. At the top one looks down into a large concave,--a scooped-out,
bowl-like cavity, partially filled with a debris of stones and cinders
over and about which vegetation has freely grown, the earth being mixed
with decomposed lava. A few goats were browsing over this sleeping
crater, which has been enacting the part of Rip Van Winkle for a score
or more of centuries. We enjoyed a perfect view from the summit, which
was high enough to form an admirable picture of land and sea combined.
On the side which overlooks Honolulu are the remains of an old fort,
which commands the Hawaiian capital.
Speaking of fruits, we were informed that on the neighboring island of
Maui, one of the most spacious and mountainous of the group, is the
largest apple-orchard in the world. The natives call this fruit _ohias_.
The forest of apple-trees stretches from sea to sea far up the
mountains. The trees vary from forty to fifty feet in height, yielding
their harvest from July to September, during which period they are laden
with a fair-sized, wild, white apple, which is not unpalatable to the
taste, though not equal to the cultivated fruit. This orchard is
estimated to cover an area of over ten miles wide and nearly twice as
long. The trees, we were told, will average over twenty-five barrels of
apples each. No commercial and little domestic use is made of them, but
the fruit ripens, falls off the trees, and there decays annually. One
peculiarity of the product is that when ripe the apples will keep sound
but for a few days, as is the case with ripe bananas. The natives eat
them to a moderate extent, but make no great account of them. We took
the liberty of suggesting the possible advantage of a cider-mill, but
our informant said, with a shrug of the shoulders, that there was not
sufficient local enterprise to start the business.
The six inhabited islands of the Hawaiian group are Kauai, Oahu,
Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii, the last containing the largest active
volcano on the globe; namely, that of Kilauea, to visit which many
persons cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, besides the continent of
America, which lies between the two. Oahu, of which Honolulu is the
capital, was chosen as the principal harbor because it is the only one
presenting all the marine necessities, such as sufficient depth of
water, space, and a secure anchorage for ships. In the olden days of
Hawaiian history, Lahaina, on the island of Maui, was the city of the
king, and the recognized capital. This was in the palmy days of the
whale fishery. It has a sheltered roadstead, but will not compare with
the present capital in this respect. The settlement is now going to
ruin, the palace tumbling to pieces by wear and tear of the elements,
and all the surroundings are a picture of decay. Should the Panama canal
ever be completed, it would prove to be of immense advantage to these
islands, as they lie on the direct course which a great share of
navigation must follow. The aggregate population of the group is now
about sixty thousand, of whom some thirty-eight thousand are natives.
History tells us that Captain Cook estimated these islands to contain
over three hundred thousand inhabitants when he discovered them. Perhaps
this was an exaggeration, though it is a fact that they are capable of
sustaining a population of even much greater density than this estimate
would indicate. Until within fifty or sixty years the natives of the
several islands made war upon one another, principally for the purpose
of securing prisoners, whom they roasted and devoured. Indeed,
cannibalism has existed in some of the islands even to a more modern
date than that referred to. Of latter years the natives have shown a
hearty desire to affiliate and intermarry with Europeans and Americans,
discarding their idolatrous worship and professing Christianity; but
those who read well-meant missionary reports can hardly realize how
little this profession of Christianity generally signifies among
semi-barbarous races. The manners, customs, and dress of the whites have
been very generally adopted, so far as external appearances go; but as
in the case of all other aboriginals who inhabit the Pacific isles,
large or small, wherever the white man appears in numbers, the black
disappears.
The crater of Kilauea on the island of Hawaii is still in a semi-active
condition. Twice within our memory it has burst forth briefly but with
enormous power, and at this writing it sends forth ceaseless vapor,
smoke, and sulphurous gases, with occasional bursts of stones, lava, and
crude metallic substances. The fiery opening is four thousand feet above
the base of the mountain, the orifice having an estimated diameter of
eight miles; that is to say, it is that distance across the opening. The
height above sea-level is placed at six thousand feet.
One would surely think that such an enormous orifice on the earth's
surface ought to be sufficient to relieve all the smouldering
subterraneous fires and explosive gases confined beneath the crust of
the habitable globe, saying nothing of Vesuvius, Etna, and a dozen
other active volcanoes. In the year 1840 an eruption took place from the
crater of Mauna Loa on the same island, which lasted nearly thirty days,
and was of such body that the flood of lava ejected, running a
destructive course of fifty miles, reached the sea, and added one
quarter of a mile of territory to the area of Hawaii, raising also
several hills of two hundred feet in height near the shore. Three
subsequent eruptions occurred from this mountain, a few years
intervening between them, the latest of which was in 1868. Were it not
for this and other volcanic vents in the group, these islands in
mid-ocean would doubtless be suddenly swallowed up by some great
convulsion of the restless subterranean forces.
Some portions of the coast of Hawaii are indented by large and curious
caves, which are the homes of thousands of sea-birds; but very little is
known about them, as they have never been explored. It is natural,
considering its active volcanoes, that earthquakes should be more common
on this island than upon any other of the group. The population lives
almost entirely near the coast; but where this people first came from
not even cunning scientists pretend to know.
Leprosy is still prevalent among the natives, the victims of which
dreadful disease are promptly isolated upon the island of Molokai, where
there are now about a thousand sufferers confined. The island is in
formation so mountainous that the natives call it _Kaaina pali_,--a land
of precipices. Some portions can only be reached by water, and that in
fair weather, the mountains being impassable. That portion occupied by
the unfortunate lepers is a plain naturally cut off from the rest of the
island by the pali of Kalae. Fully realizing the necessities of their
case these people submit to their isolation without a murmur, and seem,
as we were informed, comparatively content. A ration of five pounds of
meat and twenty pounds of vegetables is issued to each person weekly,
besides which they have garden-plats that they cultivate for such
fruits, vegetables, and flowers as they choose. The supply of food
furnished to them gratuitously is so much better than any Hawaiian gets
under ordinary circumstances, that many persons are actually willing to
make themselves lepers and be taken into this death-stricken community,
in order to share its abundant provisions. There is here a little church
wherein all the lepers congregate on Sundays, to listen to the preaching
of a leper minister, and a day-school where the leper children are
taught by a native schoolmaster afflicted with the same disease. We
heard of a Roman Catholic priest who has devoted his life to these poor
unfortunate outcasts, and who lives with them to comfort and aid them in
their trials, though he is not himself a leper. This is indeed heroism,
to brave the horrors of such an exile in the fulfilment of what he
conceives to be his religious duty. If we knew the priest's name we
would record it in this connection.
Like tropical regions generally, Honolulu does not lack for annoying
insects and disagreeable as well as poisonous reptiles. That the
mosquito reigns here goes without saying, and exhaustive measures are
taken in every domestic establishment to afford protection against the
ubiquitous pest. Our steamer, on the passage toward America, took on
board five hundred packages of bananas, each bunch wrapped up in a
covering of banana-leaf husks. The night after we sailed for San
Francisco quite a commotion was created among the lady passengers,
reinforced by the gentlemen, on the finding of huge roaches, scorpions,
centipedes, and elephantine spiders meandering in and about the berths
and the cabins. That the sensation experienced on awaking from sleep to
feel a damp, slimy creature creeping slowly over one's face is
excessively disagreeable, may be readily supposed. These reptiles and
insects were brought on board in surprising numbers in the fruit
packages, where they were securely hidden until they chose to come
forth. The chief engineer of the ship prepared a number of bottles with
proof spirit, in which a lot of these scorpions and centipedes were
preserved, and which were secured by passengers curious in such matters.
A young child was bitten by one of the mammoth spiders, causing its arm
to swell up alarmingly, but the doctor treated the wound promptly with
ammonia, and gave the little sufferer some internal medicine which
seemed to act as an antidote to the poison.
We must not close these notes touching the Hawaiian group without a few
words relating to our intimate national relation therewith, which at the
present time is assuming special political importance.
The relation of the United States with the Hawaiians is in a somewhat
peculiar state at the present writing. For ten years past there has
existed a reciprocity treaty between us by which their sugar crop is
admitted free of duty into the States, and a certain liberal concession
on their part is made as to admitting the products of this country into
the islands. The operation of this treaty has been to stimulate the
production of sugar in the islands from about thirty thousand tons per
annum to one hundred thousand tons and over, all of which comes to this
country except a small amount used for domestic consumption. The
incidental trade with us which has grown out of the treaty is very
large, especially in machinery of several kinds, mills, engines, horses,
hay, and grain. It has virtually brought the people of the Sandwich
Islands under the wing of this Government, and concentrated her foreign
trade almost entirely upon this country. The youth of the islands, of
both sexes and in large numbers, are sent for educational purposes to
our institutions. Forty of such persons were passengers on the
"Zealandia" on the outward voyage, going home for a vacation trip. The
luxuries as well as most of the necessities of the Hawaiians are now
purchased in our markets. All of this business, or certainly nine tenths
of it, is the natural outgrowth of the treaty referred to. There is no
other foreign port in the world where the American flag is so often seen
as in that of Honolulu, the carrying of this great amount of sugar being
mostly done in American vessels. While England and Germany are watching
for chances to "annex" coaling-stations, and small groups of islands in
the Pacific, we virtually have the most admirable one in our own
hands,--a fact which should not be lost sight of. Therefore when it is
proposed, as it has been and will be again, to abrogate the treaty of
1877, let our statesmen carefully inform themselves of the entire
bearing of so serious a matter. We have but casually enumerated a few of
the items which bear more especially upon the subject, but perhaps it is
enough to awaken intelligent interest therein.
Three quarters of all the money invested in the sugar-raising business
of the Sandwich Islands is furnished by American capitalists who draw
their annual dividends therefrom. The late revolution was a bloodless
one, brought about by the conservative and intelligent element of the
islands, composed largely of Americans. In order to retain his seat upon
the throne, the king was obliged to grant some liberal concessions as to
the laws of the realm and his own powers, still leaving him, however,
with all the authority which should rest in the hands of a
constitutional monarch of the nineteenth century. The very fact of this
concession being promptly granted by the king is sufficient evidence of
its most reasonable character.
Once more it was Saturday, the gala-day of the Hawaiians, when we bade
adieu a second time to Honolulu; and the tableau which then fixed itself
upon the mind will long remain. The brief stay had been full of
interest and enjoyment; it was, indeed, only too brief.
Our good ship the "Alamada" got up steam in the early morning and was
under way by nine o'clock, steering through the coral reef seaward. The
king graciously sent his military band to play for us some parting airs,
while a thousand spectators consisting of mingled races and equally of
both sexes, gorgeously wreathed in flowers, thronged the capacious pier.
It was high tide, so that the "Alamada" loomed up high above the heads
of the motley assembly. In the middle foreground lay the tropical city
enshrined in palms, cocoas, and flower-bedecked trees, beyond which the
picturesque valley of Nuuanu formed a long perspective reaching into the
volcanic hills. To the right and left the mountain range extended for
miles, forming a series of valleys, gulches, and abrupt precipices, with
here and there a plateau of table-land, all clothed in exquisite
verdure. The shore was dotted by native huts, cocoanut-groves, and
banana-orchards, adding infinite variety to the whole scene.
We had taken on board as passengers some native residents, whose friends
had come to bid them good-by with all the earnest demonstrations of a
tropical race. Amid the waving of handkerchiefs and the reiterated
farewells came the hoarse command from the bridge to cast off the shore
lines. Then the grand old flag--the Stars and Stripes--was run up at
the peak, and the waiting band played "Hail Columbia," followed by
"Home, Sweet Home," responded to by many moistened eyes and quickened
pulsations of the heart. As we glided away our forecastle gun barked
forth a sharp, ringing farewell which was echoed back a score of times
by the mountain gorges.