i88 



The Ancient Hazvaiian House. 



surface, but were \vlioll3- immersed in a shallow dish of water, when, as may be seen 

 hy the experiment, a fair refle(5lion appears when the stone is in shadow and the face 

 well lighted. 



We have specimens (Fig. 173) of the native mounting of the foreign mirrors 

 that Vancouver (aud perhaps Cook ) brought to these islands. Mere strips of looking- 

 glass framed neatly enough in wood with a handle carved on one of the long sides of 

 the frame. In the British Museum is a curious example of these frames, shown in 

 the sketch (Fig. 174). On the bottom of the frame are carved two miniature tobacco 

 pipes, while on the upper side 

 is a tube nearl}- a third of the 

 length, through which a cord 

 was passed. The larger one 

 in the Bishop Museum (Fig. 

 173) was given to Kameha- 

 meha \>y \'ancouver and has 

 doubtless reflected the faces of 

 all the Hawaiian courtiers of 

 that stirring era which wit- 

 nessed the ciilmination of 

 Hawaiian character. All 

 these frames were carved in 

 one piece; the glass was 

 cemented in hy a rather poor 

 putty of red ochre. Very small specimens were attached to the handkerchiefs (equally 

 foreign) of the female Alii, a parallel to the former French fashion of inserting a tiny 

 mirror in eventails. It is not likely that this adaptation of the foreign looking-glass 



extended beyond the few examples used by the high chiefs, for 

 after Vancouver's visit commerce soon brought the cheap and 

 more convenient forms. The ancient indigenous forms must 

 always have remained a liixur}- for the wealthy Hawaiians, and 

 specimens are rare in museums. 



Only those who have moved from a house in which they 



Fig. 174. HAWAIIAN MIRROR -' •' 



IN BRITISH MUSEUM. havc loug reslded can appreciate the many little conveniences 

 that accumulate and have been forgotten in our complicated and artificial life. To a 

 less degree, of course, but none the less surely there will be found man}- forgotten 

 things necessarj' to the simple life of the old Hawaiian, but which are never collected 

 and so do not appear in museums. If we could have the sweepings of the old Hawaiian 



[372] 



FIG. i; 



HAWAII.\N MIRRORS, END OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 



