33S 



avenue, at the corner of Bates street. This original tree, which 

 shows its age by the strictures on the upper part of its trunk, has 

 a height of 63 feet and is 21 inches in diameter at breast height. 

 The seed of this original palm was brought to these islands from 

 the West Indies by Dr. G. P. Judd in 1850 when he was return- 

 ing, with the Princes Alexander Liholiho and Lot Kamehameha, 

 from his mission to Europe in the interests of securing a treaty 

 of independence for the Hawaiian Kingdom. 



The family legend is that when, after Dr. Judd's arrival in 

 Honolulu from this mission on September 9, 1850, his wife was 

 looking over his clothes and shaking out some small round seeds, 

 she asked her husband what they wxre. His reply was that they 

 w^ere seeds of a beautiful palm which he had had a black boy 

 climb a tree and pick for him while his ship stopped at some port 

 in the West Indies (presumably Kingston, Jamaica). Mrs. Judd 

 then took the seed and planted it in the place where the parent 

 tree now stands, which was then the grounds of Dr. Judd's sister, 

 Mrs. Asher B. Bates. The property subsequently fell into the 

 hands of Mr. Charles Gray, and from him passed to Captain Hob- 

 ron, then to his son, Mr. T. W. Hobron, before the present owner 

 obtained possession. 



To clear up any doubt as to the identity of the original tree, 

 the following statement from Mr. T. W. Hobron, dated San 

 Francisco, January 13, 1916, has been secured: 



*T have your letter in regard to the Royal Palm. Up to the 

 time I left there nine years ago, no palm tree was cut down and 

 the one showai in the picture sent (reproduced herewith) is the 

 grand old original palm. We planted another on the makai side 

 of the walk which shows in the picture. Before I left Honolulu 

 some of our trees were nearly as tall as the original palm and the 

 latter looked to me about to decline. It shows in the picture 

 where the trunk was becoming smaller, but it seems to have taken 

 a new lease of life. You can be certain that this is the grand- 

 father palm of the Islands." 



