1810.] MANUFACTURES. 391 



for the production of valuable articles of commerce is hardly 

 yel ascertained, but these seem to be annually increasing in 

 importance. 



The chief products, besides the provisions and refreshments 

 furnished to whalers and other vessels stopping at the islan ' . 

 are sugar, cotton, tuitui oil, salt, hides, goat-skins, molasses 

 and sirup, sandal-wood, leaf tobacco, sperm oil, and arrow- 

 root. The exports, including with the above mentioned ar- 

 ticles the supplies sold to vessels, amount annually to not far 

 from two hundred thousand dollars. The imports often ex- 

 ceed .six hundred thousand dollars in a single year; but about 

 one half of this amount are purchases by traders designed for 

 n shipment to the Russian and American settlements on the 

 Pacific, and to the southern islands. It is estimated that 

 there are twenty-five hundred tons of shipping owned in the 

 islands; one half of this amount belonging to Americans, one 

 third to Englishmen, and the remainder to the natives. 

 Much the larger proportion of the foreign residents are Amer- 

 icans, and the trade of the islands is mainly in their hands. 

 Nearly one half of the imports come from the United States, 

 and the number of American ships arriving at the islands is 

 more than double those from all other foreign countries. Now 

 that California has attained so much commercial importance, 

 this ascendency of the American interests in the Hawaiian 

 Islands must be still greater. 



But little attention has yet been paid to manufactures, al- 

 though the numerous streams that descend from the rnoun- 

 tain ridges in the interior of the islands, afford the finest 

 water power. Great skill and taste are displayed by the 

 native women in making their beautiful tapas, some of which 

 are printed in close imitation of merino shawls and ribands. 

 Cotton manufactories have been established, but none except 

 the coarser fabrics have been made ; though, with improved 

 machinery and experience in its management, they will pro- 

 duce articles much superior to the tapa cloth, and the latter 

 must consequently soon go out of use. Sugar mills are quite 

 pleuty. The salt works are very extensive on some of the 



