411 



SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



SANDWICH LAND. 



432 



they beL'in to be narrow, and to be inclosed by steep mountains on 

 each side. 



Honolulu a the capital of the Sandwich Islands, and the residence of 

 the king. It consists of a considerable number of stone houses built 

 by foreign merchants, and numerous huts of the natives not arranged 

 in regular streets. The harbour is small, being not more than half a 

 mile long and a quarter of a mile broad ; but it is tolerably deep, and 

 perfectly safe. It is formed by a coral reef, which extends along the 

 shore at the distance of some hundred yards, and against which the 

 swell of the sea brvaka. These reefs have a considerable width, and 

 are dry at low-water. A narrow opening in them opposite to Honolulu 

 forms the entrance to the port, which however is not deep enough for 

 large vessels, and they remain in the roadstead, which is capacious, 

 but has a rocky and uneven bottom. 



Tauai, or Atooi, west-north-west of Oahu, is about forty miles long, 

 and more than twenty-four miles broad in the widest place. It is a 

 mountain man sloping on all sides towards the sea, where it terminates 

 with a rather high coast. Wide valleys run from the shores towards 

 the centre of the island, and they are well cultivated and fertile. On 

 the southern coast, at W aimed, there U a roadstead, but there is no 

 other anchorage round the island. 



A'l'Aan, or Oneehotc, the moat western of the Sandwich Islands, is 

 about twenty miles long from north to south, and seven miles across 

 where widest. The most southern point rise* abruptly to a consider- 

 able height; but about five miles north, the rocky mass sinks down to 

 a moderate elevation, and afterwards rice* again, but not so high as 

 before. The inhabitants make a great number of painted and varie- 

 gated mats, which are extensively used in all the other ilnH, and 

 the island produces abundance of yarns, which also go to the other 

 islands. On the western side of Nihau there is a very good harbour. 



Climate. The climate is principally regulated by the trade-winds, 

 which during the summer, or from March to October, are strong and 

 regular, but in winter light, and frequently interrupted by calms and 

 south-westerly winds. The rainy season occurs in winter. In summer 

 the atmosphere U usually clear and bright, and in many place* on the 

 western or leeward side of the islands not a drop of rain falls. On 

 the eastern or windward parU however, evm in this season, seldom a 



od in other parts heavy rains of two or three day*' continuance, 



The heat is considerable in the lower tract*, but porhap* les* than 

 might be supposed from the latitude. This i* partly owing to th* vast 

 expanse of water by which the islands are surrounded, but principally 

 to the prevalence of th* north-east trade-wind, which during the 

 greater part of the year sweep* over and about the island* with great 

 Telocity, and, having pss* d a great expanse of see, i* tar from being 

 hot. In the eastern district* th* thermometer in cummer seldom rises 

 higher than 80* or 82', and daring the winter not higher than 73* or 

 74 ; but th* lower tract* on the western aide of the mountain* an 



rife* to 88* or 90*. According to obsetiatkim nude at Honolulu, the 

 mean annual temperature of that place does not *xo**d 75* Kahr. 

 In general the thermometer ranges between 70* and 83*. Th* greatest 

 heat experienced was 88*, and the least 61* Fahr. The elevated table- 

 land in the interior of Hawaii is of course much colder, and snow 

 frequently falls there. In the lower district* on the western aid* of 

 the islands the sea and land breeiea are generally regular, especially 

 during the summer. The sea-bra*c* set* in at 10 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and continue* till sunset, when it is immediately followed by th* 

 land-ore***, which last* till sunrise. From sunns* till 10 o'clock a 

 calm prevails. 



Production*. The quadruped* found on these islands at the time 

 of their discovery were the hog, dog, and rat, to which have been 

 added the cow, none, sheep, goat, and mouse, all of which thrive very 

 well except the sheep. Fowl* w*n found at the discovery; but 

 turkey*, geese, ducks, and pigeon* wen introduced afterwards. Fish 

 abound, but there i* no great variety ; the most common are sharks, 

 booetos, flying-fishes, and red and white mullet*. Many families live 

 on the produce of the fishery. Pearls are found in Pearl River ; they 

 an small, but fine. 



It doe* not appear that the European grain* are cultivated to any 

 great extent, with the exception of maize. The principal object* of 

 cultivation an root*, especially the tarro-root (Arum macrorkiam). 

 Potatoes and camotee, or sweat potato**, are also generally grown. 

 The fruit-trees which were cultivated before the arrival of Europeans 

 were the cocoa-nut, the bread-fruit tree, the ohia- or jumbo-tree of the 

 East Indies, and the kou ; several kinds of banana* were also grown. 

 Strawberries and raspberries an also indigenous. Th* Europeans 

 nav* introduced orange*, lemons, citron*, grapes, pine-apples, papaw- 

 pplse, pomegranate*, and figs, all of which com* to perfection except 

 pine-apple*. The sugar-cane is indigenous, and much cultivated, but 

 only for eating. Melons and water-melon* are excellent. The most 

 cultivated vegetable* are cucumbers, pumpkins, French beans, onions, 

 and red pepper. Th wauti, or paper-mulberry tree, is grown for it* 

 interior bark, which i* used here, as in China, for making cloth. The 

 forests do not contain many trees fit for ship-building. In several 

 part* toe mountain* were formerly coTcred with sandal-wood ; but as 



the exportation of this wood to China has been very great !t begins 

 to be rare. 



Salt is the only mineral which is obtained in abundance. A large 

 quantity is got from a salt-lake in the island of Oahu, west of 

 Honolulu, which is between two and three miles in circumference, 

 but has only a few feet of water in the deepest parts. The bottom 

 and shores are incrusted with salt, the water being strongly impreg- 

 nated, and the crystallisation very rapid. This salt is exported to 

 Kamtchatka. Large quantities of salt are also obtained from sea- 

 water by evaporation, for which purpose there is along the shore a 

 succession of artificial vats of clay, into which the salt- water is let at 

 high tide. 



Inhabitants The population consists of natives, with the exception 

 of a small number of whites, Englishmen aud Americans, who hare 

 settled among them as merchants or as missionaries. The population 

 in 1853 amounted to 71,019, being 37,079 males, and 33,940 females. 

 The natives, who call themselves Kanaka, belong to the family of 

 Malay nations. Their colour is a kind of olive, and sometimes 

 reddish-brown. They are of middle stature, and well formed, with 

 muscular limbs and open countenances. The roots of their language 

 have a great affinity to those of the other Malay nations who inhabit 

 the islands of the Pacific. When these islands were discovered by 

 Cook, it was observed that the natives of this group had made 

 further progress in civilisation thau those of the other islands and 

 groups. This was evident from the care with which the tarro fields 

 were cultivated, but still more from their manufacturing cloth from 

 the bark of the paper-mulberry and other trees, their beautiful mats, 

 and the art with which they united, and as it were wove together, 

 many beautiful feathers, so as to be used as articles of dress. They 

 also made several utensils of stone, wood, and shells, without the use 

 of iron to >ls. At that time they wore only a wrapper, called tapa, 

 about their loins; but many of them now dress in the European 

 fathion. They have also improved in other respects, especially in 

 hip-building and navigation. Vessels built at Honolulu, and manned 

 by natives, traverse the Pacific to Canton. Many of the chiefs have 

 built houses in the Euaftpean style. 



Comment. Agriculture has not yet supplied articles for exportation, 

 but by selling their produce to the vessels which visit the islands, the 

 native* procure th* foreign articles that they are in want of. The 

 arrivals of merchant vessels at the port of Honolulu were as follows : 

 In 1850, 469; 1851,446; 1852,235; and 1853, 194. Salt and sandal- 

 wood an exported. The imports of 1853 amounted to 1,281,951 

 dollars ; the export* to 281,599 dollars. There is some commercial 

 intercourse with San Francisco, Vancouver Island, Australia, China, 

 and th* East Indie*. Ship* of war of England, France, the United 

 State* of America, and other countries, visit the islands for supplies. 



Hit/try and Government. These islands wera discovered by Captain 

 James Cook in 1778, and again visited by him ou his return from 

 tuning's Strait, whan ha was killed by the natives. Within the first 

 twenty year* after their discovery they were ouly visited by Portlock 

 and Dixon, La Perouse, and Vancouver; but towards the end of the 

 last century whaling-ahip* from America began to visit these seas, and 

 they were soon followed by fur-traders ; all these Teasels put into 



some of the port* for provision*. At that time each jsland had its 

 sov*r*igu s 



he ports 



and several other chiefs. One of the latter, Tumebaineha, 

 succeeded in subduing all the islands except Tauai aud Nihau, whose 

 sovereign aftsr the death of Tauiehameba, acknowledged the successor 

 of that prinos a* his king. A* Tamehameha had succeeded in his 

 enterprise by the aid of Europeans, he favoured their settlement in 

 the islands, and in 1817 be placed his kingdom under the protection of 

 Fjigland Hi* successor, Rhio-Khio, came to London, where he died 

 in 1824. Soon after the death of his father he had succeeded in 

 abolishing idolatry, and in persuading the natives to accept the 

 Christian religion (1819). Since that time many English aud Ame- 

 rican missionaries have visited the islands, and have obtained con- 

 sidurmble success. Several book* have been printed in the native 

 language at Honolulu and Laheina, and a map of the island has been 

 engraved at Laheina. 



Within the last few years, chiefly under the advice of American 

 resident*, a regular constitution, in imitation of the parliamentary 

 constitutions of Kngland and the United State* of America, has been 

 adopted by the king of the Sandwich Islands. The House of Nobles 

 is composed of 25 members, including the king, queen, and four 

 ministers, of whom three are foreigners all the rest are natives. In 

 the Lower House are 27 members, of whom eight are foreigners. The 

 revenue of the government for the year 1850-51 was 315,735 dollars, 

 being nearly seven-fold the revenue in 1842-43. The number of public 

 free school* in 1858 was 423, with 12,205 scholars : of these schools, 

 344 were Protestant and 79 were Roman Catholic. Strenuous effort* 

 hav* been recently made by Americans in the United State* and in 

 the islands to procure the annexation of the Sandwich Inlands to 

 the American Union. 



(Cook, Tkird Voyage to tin Pacific ; Lord Byron, Voyage of HM.S 

 Blonde to the .SamfcicA lilandt; Ellis, Tour tkrouyk //avail ; Stewart, 

 Journal of a Retidenct in the Somdwick lilandt ; London Qeoyrapkicol 

 Journal, v.l. iv. and vii.) 



SANDWICH LAND is the name given by Cook to a number of 

 islands in the Southern Atlantic, between 57 10' and 59 40' 8. lat., 



