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COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 387 
brought them prominently in the public eye. He called the group 
the Sandwich Islands, in honor of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich. 
Cook visited several of the islands. On his second visit to Kealakea- 
kua Bay, Hawaii, in 1779, he was killed on February 14. 
At the time of Cook’s visit each island had one or more chiefs or 
kings. Shortly after the death of Cook a chief named Kamehameha 
sueceeded to the position of high chief of Hawaii, made vacant by the 
death of the former occupant. He was a man of enlarged views and 
ereat force of character. He was quick to see the advantages to be 
derived from the visits of merchant vessels, and encouraged them in 
every way possible. He secured firearms from these traders and 
gradually instructed his people in their use. He also had a small 
fleet of vessels built, so that he could transport his army rapidly and 
quickly from island to island. When his plans were ripe he invaded 
and conquered all the other islands except Kauai, which latter came 
under his sway through a peaceful cession from the reigning monarch. 
He established his capital at Honolulu, on Oahu. He died in 1819 
and was succeeded by his son, a mild and well-disposed prince, but 
destitute of his father’s energy. One of his first acts was to abolish 
tabu and idolatry throughout the kingdom. <A portion of the people 
rebelled, but they were soon brought into subjection, and the peace 
of the islands has been scarcely broken since. 
On March 30, 1820, the first missionaries landed at Kailua, Hawaii, 
from the brig Thaddeus, of Boston. The result of their work in the 
islands has been wonderful. They found the islanders steeped in 
savagery of the most revolting character. They clothed and taught 
them, and to-day the average Hawaiian, so far as education and general 
deportment goes, will compare very favorably with the average citizen 
of the States. The vices inseparable from civilization, however, have 
had their effect on the race and it is rapidly dying out. 
The government of the islands was monarchical until 1893, when 
Queen Liliuokalani was deposed. A provisional government was 
formed on January 17, 1893, with Sanford B. Dole as the head, and 
this government held power until superseded by a republic on July 4, 
1894, Mr. Dole continuing at the head as President. The republic 
continued in existence, with several slight revolts on the part of 
the Queen’s friends, until annexation to the United States was accom- 
plished on August 12, 1898. On June 14, 1900, the islands were 
formally organized as a Territory. 
FISHERMEN. 
Owing to their location between the continents of Asia and America 
the islands have been securing recruits from each direction as well as 
from the numerous islands to the south. As, for certain reasons, a suf- 
ficient number of suitable immigrants could not be secured from the 
countries bordering on the Pacific Ocean, Europe has been drawn 
upon at times, until at present the islands present quite a cosmopolitan 
