218 SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



And lay them on so delicately fine, 

 And lose them in each other, as appears 

 In every bud that blows ? If fancy then 

 Unequal, fail beneath the pleasing task, 

 Ah ! what shall language do ?" 



Want of time prevented my visiting the High-school, but, 

 I understand, it is not in a very flourishing condition. The 

 missionary gentlemen connected with the institution are, it is 

 said, unfitted for the management of its operations. From 

 this school, of late years, have been taken all the native teach- 

 ers, and most of the young men employed on the part of the 

 government. On returning to the beach, I found it thronged 

 with native children, who were amusing themselves in the 

 surf. This seems to be a favorite sport, not only with chil- 

 dren, but men and women, and it is a novel and a beautiful 

 sight to see them coming in on the top of a wave moving 

 with a velocity that would overtake the swiftest of our race- 

 horses. 



Sometimes they will suddenly disappear, and thus remain 

 until another roller comes along, and dashes them upon 

 the beach. They will not engage in the sport unless the 

 surf is running high. The surf- board which they use is 

 made of some light wood, and is about six feet in length 

 and twenty inches wide. It appeared to me to be a very 

 dangerous amusement, especially for children ; but they 

 seemed not to mind it. I continued to gaze on the scene 

 until our sun -down boat shoved off to return to the ship. 



In the course of the afternoon Messrs. Budd and May 

 left the ship to survey the shoal off the Island of Kaloo- 

 lawe. 



March 10th. Several boats have been employed to-day in 

 surveying and sounding the harbor, or, more properly, the 



