FROM THE GOLDEN GATE TO FIJI. 3 



his own people. Some American missionaries first tried the 

 experiment ; but, as a test of their Divine mission, they were 

 ordered to throw themselves from the top of a precipice into 

 the sea, and on their declining to do this, their pretensions 

 were rejected, and the king remained unconverted. 



Kamehameha III. became some sort of a Christian, and 

 made Christianity the national religion. At the present time 

 there is a Catholic mission in the islands, but the Anglican 

 religion is dominant. 



The old Paganism was of a virulent kind, rejoicing especially 

 in human sacrifices. Eows of altars, on which eighty victims 

 are known to have been offered at once, are still existing in 

 one part of the islands ; and there is a legend that King Umi, 

 having vanquished six kings, was sacrificing captives on these 

 altars when the voice of his god, Kuahilo, called to him to 

 furnish more victims. Fresh human blood was made to stream 

 from the altars, but the insatiable demon called for more, till 

 Umi had sacrificed not only all the captives, but all his own 

 men ; and Kuahilo continued to thunder from the clouds until 

 no living being was left but the king and the sacrificing priest. 



It was my good fortune to arrive at Honolulu on the king's 

 birthday, and we had hardly got to the wharf before a battery 

 above the town thundered out a right royal salute. 



The form of government is an elective monarchy, the present 

 King David Kaluakua having been raised to the throne in 

 1874. His majesty is tall and well-built, a little over six feet 

 in height, of an olive complexion, with crisp, curly hair. All 

 our saloon passengers were entertained with a sumptuous 

 luncheon, after having assisted at the Uv6e which the king held 

 at the palace, a one-story building, surrounded by gardens 

 rejoicing in all the luxuriance of tropical floriculture. His 

 majesty was attended at the levfo by his ministers and high 



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