SANDWICH OR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 



although to some extent under the instruction of mission- 

 aries. The natives were reputed to be in many respects 

 the most barbarous and savage race existing upon the face 

 of the globe. Intercourse with white men had not miti- 

 gated their barbarous ferocity. Cannibalism, originally 

 a religious duty, had been perpetuated as a gratification 

 of the appetite. Scenes of the most horrid character were 

 described to Wilkes by the missionaries who had witnessed 

 them. 



The visit of the American explorers ended with a 

 tragedy. Just as its operations were closed, Wilkes re- 

 ceived the distressing news that two of his officers, Lieu- 

 tenant Underwood and Midshipman Wilkes Henry, a 

 kinsman and ward of the commander, had been treacher- 

 ously murdered by the natives of Malolo. What a con- 

 trast between the days of the forties and those of the 

 nineties! In 1861, the chief offered to come under the 

 sovereignty of Great Britain, and in 1874 the British flag 

 was hoisted by Sir Hercules Robinson. There are two 

 hundred islets in the group, and of their 200,000 inhabit- 

 ants, 121,000 are now counted as nominally Christian. 

 It is a pity to pass by the events of this sojourn in such 

 a cursory manner, but they are only incidents of a very 

 long voyage, which was still predestined to other excite- 

 ments and perils. 



In the middle of August, the squadron, with its work 

 well done, set sail for the Sandwich Islands. Passing 

 Gardner's Island, M'Kean's, and an uncharted island to 

 which the name of Commodore Hull was given, Sydney, 

 Birnie's, and Enderbury's, all members of the Phoenix 

 group, the Vincennes sighted Kauai on the 2Oth of Sep- 

 tember, and Oahu three days later. On the 25th, the 

 harbor of Honolulu was entered. The Porpoise, mean- 

 while, had visited Natavi Bay, the first vessel that had 

 anchored there; and Somusomu, afterwards Vatoa or 

 Turtle Island; and Vavao, the northernmost of the 



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