COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 491 
next season. During the spring season the vessels usually visited 
some of the southern grounds for sperm or right whales, or both, 
while during the fall season the North Pacific and Aretic grounds 
were visited. 
American vessels, which hailed principally from New Bedford, New 
London, and Nantucket, engaging in the Pacific and Arctic fishery, 
usually left their home port in the fall of the year so as to make the 
passage of the Horn or Cape of Good Hope in the southern summer. 
These ships would arrive at the islands in March or April, in time to 
refit for the fall cruise. An American vessel whaling in the Arctic 
usually remained out three and one-half or more years, including the 
time spent in coming from and returning to her home port. 
It was quite common for the whalers to come to the islands on the 
outbound passage with only enough men to work the vessel. They 
would then engage young natives, called *‘ Kanakas,” to fill out the 
crew, bringing them back to the islands before starting on the home- 
ward journey. From January 1 to December 31, 1843, 44 of the 
natives were serving in whalers, and from January 1, 1844, to June 1, 
1844, there were 70 so employed, all engaged at Honolulu. Probably 
as Many more were engaged by vessels calling at the other ports of 
the islands. In 1865, 400 shipped on American whalers alone. In 
1869, 488 Kanakas were employed on whalers, their lay for the season 
amounting to $45,700, while 388 were shipped in 1871 from Honolulu 
on the spring and fall whalers, and 378 returned to port, 10 having 
died during the year. The Kanakas were very popular with the 
captains, as they made good seamen and whalemen and were easily 
managed. 
At first the Government took no particular interest in this part of 
the business, but in time the abuse of and cheating of the men by dis- 
honest and brutal captains became so notorious that the Government 
was compelled to adopt regulations in regard to the matter. Under 
these the master of the vessel had to execute a bond that he would 
obey the laws, which were that he could not hire a Kanaka for more 
than two years, was to return him to the island at the expiration of 
his time, and was to pay him his proper lay of the products taken 
during the cruise. 
From 1840 to 1860 were the palmy days of whaling in the North 
Pacific and Arctic. The number of vessels visiting Honolulu would be 
so great and the inner harbor so packed that it is said one could go all 
around the harbor by stepping from one vessel to another, while in 
the outer harbor would be almost as many more which had been unable 
to get in. 
As the harbor at Lahaina is nothing but an open roadstead, pro- 
tected from the prevailing winds by the high mountains of the island 
itself, there was more room. As many as 89 whalers were counted 
at anchor here at one time during the period above stated. 
