1840.] OTHER TOWNS. 387 



town ; and Kailua, on the eastern coast, is delightfully situ- 

 ated amid a charming grove of waving cocoas. Near the 

 •r is a cavern extending for a distance of twelve hundred 

 feet under ground, and adorned with the most beautiful sta- 

 lactites. 



Lahaina, on the western shore of Maui, opposite to the 

 island of Lanai, is the country residence of the king, Kama- 

 meha III. It is also a great resort for whalers frequenting 

 this quarter of the Pacific. It is built in a straggling man- 

 ner, for three quarters of a mile along the beach, and has but 

 one principal street. Most of the private dwellings are built 

 of grass in the native fashion. The most imposing edifices 

 are the king's palace which is constructed of coral rock, his 

 storehouses for the reception of the royal revenue, and a rectan- 

 gular fort, inclosing an area of about one acre, with walls 

 twenty feet high. About a mile and a half in the rear of the 

 town, at the foot of the mountains, is the seminary of Lahai- 

 naluna, the main building of which is two stories high and is 

 surmounted with a cupola. Wailuku, where the female 

 seminary is located, is on the opposite side of the island. 



Hilo Bay, on the eastern side of Hawaii, is one of the best 

 harbors in the group. It receives the waters of the Wailuku 

 river, is easy of access, and quite spacious. lis shores are 

 thickly settled, and there are some fine native villages situ- 

 ated near or upon it. The town of Hilo, on the western side 

 of the bay, is, in the season, almost concealed amid the luxuri- 

 ant growth of sugar-cane, which is extensively cultivated in 

 the vicinity. It contains the largest church on the island, 

 a thatched building capable of holding seven thousand per- 

 sons. It has also a boarding-school for boys, and one for girls, 

 conducted on the manual labor plan. There are a number 

 of houses in this village which are built of coral or lava blocks, 

 and others neatly framed and put together, and there are a 

 few surmounted with zinc or shingle roofs. Waiakea, on the 

 east side of Hilo Bay,- is the best place for landing, and it is 

 quite prettily located and presents a neat appearance. 



On the western side of Hawaii is Kealakekua Bay, tne 



