LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA 



to eighteen inches, which is about two-fifths the final 

 height. There are also similar water-fields of taro, but 

 these are small on that part of the island (the northern) 

 compared with those of rice. The plantations of sugar- 

 cane are also large, even exceeding those of rice; but 

 these are under the control of American or English 

 planters. 



' We spent the first night at the summer residence of 

 the Chief Justice of the islands, Mr. Judd, son of Dr. 

 Judd, whom I knew here well in 1840. . . . The 

 other night was spent at the fine residence of Mr. Hal- 

 stead, at Waialua, whose sugar plantations are of great 

 extent. His house is very handsomely furnished, both 

 with furniture and children. But the distance of the 

 place from Honolulu some twenty-seven or twenty- 

 eight miles has large inconveniences. For example, a 

 piano-tuner's visit costs $50, and a doctor's call, $75. 

 We went into the sugar-mill, where sugar is made from 

 the sugar-cane. We saw the cane, in lengths of five or 

 six feet, first put into a long trough, the bottom of which 

 was moving slowly toward two large iron rollers. Reach- 

 ing the rollers the cane was caught and pressed between 

 the rollers, squeezing out the sweet juice, which fell into 

 a vat below, while the refuse cane passed on and thence 

 was carried off to dry. This refuse cane is the fuel of the 

 steam-engine ; while the leaves and smaller stems of the 

 sugar-cane are the fodder of the horses or mules used at 

 the mill. We saw the great vats where the juice was 

 boiled by means of steam to concentrate it; another 

 where lime was mixed with it for purification ; other 

 vacuum chambers where the purified juice was boiled 

 further for concentration, at a temperature of only 130 

 F. (because of the vacuum), preparing for the deposition 

 of the sugar ; and then the circular vessels of brass, full of 

 minute holes in the sides, which were filled with the sugar 

 so made, and then made to whirl around with great 

 rapidity to get rid of the liquid part, or molasses, which 

 flies out through the minute holes on account of the 

 rotation. 



' Through with our visit to the mill, we were off at 

 nine yesterday for Honolulu. Here I found an empty 

 room. But in the course of an hour mother and Amy 

 were back from a beautiful drive in the country, Tuesday, 



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