acn Plan for the operations of the squadron. TT A xxr A TT A AT rT>r>TTT> r\r> 

 260 The Vincennes sails for Hawaii. HAWAIIAN GROUP, OR 



Mountain of Mauna Loa. 

 Village of Hilo. 



whose position were not well ascertained. She was 

 also to leave a party on one of them, to bore 

 through the coral rock, the expedition having been 

 provided with an apparatus for that purpose. 

 Thence she was to proceed to Tahiti, and from 

 Tahiti towards Penrhyn and Flint's Island ; and 

 return to Oahu by the end of March, 1841. 



The Peacock, with the Flying-Fish as tender, I 

 designed should visit and examine the location of 

 several of the doubtful islands, passing along the 

 magnetic equator westward from the me.ridian of 

 160 W. ; thence to a small group of islands in 

 longitude 174 W., which I had partly examined 

 in the Vincennes, and had found some new islands 

 among them ; these I had called the Phoenix 

 Group. Thence the Peacock was to proceed to 

 search for the Gente Hermosas of Quiros, or the 

 islands reported to me at Upolu, when I was there 

 in 1839, as existing to the north-east ; thence to 

 Upolu, to re-survey the south side of the island, 

 not having been able to satisfy myself with the 

 former survey of it. From Upolu the Peacock and 

 Flying-Fish had directions to sail to Ascension 

 Island, and from thence to the north-west coast of 

 America, to rendezvous with the rest of the 

 squadron at the Columbia River, in the latter end 

 of April. 



The Porpoise sailed on the 16th November, 1840, 

 and the Peacock and Flying-Fish on the 2nd of 

 December. 



The Vincennes sailed for the harbour of Honolulu 

 for Hawaii on the 3rd December with Mr. Brins- 

 made our worthy consul and Dr. G. P. Judd on 

 board. 



During our progress to Waiakea, or Hilo Bay, 

 we had light variable winds, with heavy dews at 

 night. On the 8th we made Mauna Kea, then 

 about fifty miles distant, subtending an angle of 

 two degrees : it was capped with snow. As we 

 approached the island, we had, also, a view of 

 Mauna Loa, with the cloud resting over the volcano 

 of Kilauea, the scene of our future adventures. 



Hilo Bay is indifferently protected from the sea, 

 and is almost an open roadstead. It has, however, 

 an extensive sunken coral reef to seaward, which 

 is too shoal to allow of the passage of vessels over, 

 and affords some protection against the rolling sea ; 

 a vessel therefore usually lies quiet, unless it is 

 blowing strong outside. There is no danger in 

 entering the bay ; all that is required is to avoid 

 the west point of the reef, and on passing it to 

 haul to the southward. We found the best anchor 

 age on the east side of the bay, where Coeoa-nut 

 Island and the most eastern point are in range. 



In sailing towards Hilo Bay, Hawaii has but few 

 of the characters that indicate a volcanic origin. 

 In this respect it resembles Savaii, in the Samoan 

 Group ; and the resemblance has been the cause 

 of what is in fact the same name having been 

 given to both. The two words differ no more in 

 spelling and sound, than has arisen from the long 

 separation of two families of the same race and 

 language. Many of the points and headlands 

 present a like similarity in name, and strengthen 

 the conviction of the common origin of the in- 

 habitants of the two groups. 



To one unacquainted with the great height of 

 the mountains of Hawaii, this island might appear 

 of comparatively small elevation, for its surface 

 rises gradually from the sea, uniform and unbro- 



ken ; no abrupt spurs or angular peaks are to be 

 seen, and the whole is apparently clothed with a 

 luxuriant vegetation. 



The scene which the island presents as viewed 

 from the anchorage in Hilo Bay, is both novel and 

 splendid : the shores are studded with exten- 

 sive groves of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, in- 

 terspersed with plantations of sugar-cane ; through 

 these, numerous streams are seen hurrying to the 

 ocean ; to this succeeds a belt of some miles in 

 width, free from woods, but clothed in verdure; 

 beyond is a wider belt of forest, whose trees, as 

 they rise higher and higher from the sea, change 

 their characters from the vegetation of the tropics 

 to that of polar regions ; and above all tower the 

 snow-capped summits of the mountains. 



From this point of view, Mauna Kea, distant 

 about thirty-five miles, has the appearance of 

 being by much the highest mountain on the island ; 

 while Mauna Loa, distant sixty miles, and rounded 

 at its summit to the shape of a regular dome, re- 

 quires an effort of reason to satisfy the observer 

 that it really has as great an elevation. A conviction 

 that this is the case may be reached by tracing 

 with the eye the edge of the forest that encircles 

 both mountains, and noting how large a portion 

 of the dome of Mauna Loa rises above the woody 

 region. 



No snow was visible to the naked eye on Mauna 

 Loa, but with a telescope it was seen scattered 

 here and there on its rounded summit. The ap- 

 pearance of this mountain is so deceptive, that one 

 would not suppose it to have half its real altitude ; 

 and it might easily be passed unnoticed, so unpre- 

 tending is its aspect. From Hilo, Mauna Loa looks 

 as if one might walk over its smooth surface with- 

 out difficulty ; there is, indeed, so much optical 

 deception in respect to this mountain, that it served 

 to give us all great encouragement, and we set 

 about making our preparations with a determina- 

 tion to succeed in the attempt to reach its highest 

 summit. The position of the crater of Kilauea 

 was denoted by the silvery cloud which hangs over 

 it by day ; which, as evening closed in, was, by the 

 glare of the fires burning beneath, made visible 

 throughout the night. 



My time was now actively employed in establish- 

 ing the observatory at Waiakea Point, for rating 

 the chronometers, and in arranging the instru- 

 ments to carry on simultaneous observations 

 with our mountain party. I had also a house 

 built after the native fashion, in order that some 

 of the officers might be engaged upon the charts. 



Waiakea Point is situated on the opposite side 

 of the bay from Hilo. The distance between them 

 is a little more than a mile, and the path leads 

 along a sandy beach, on which the surf continually 

 breaks, and at times with great violence. 



Hilo is a straggling village, and is rendered 

 almost invisible by the luxuriant growth of the 

 sugar-cane, which the natives plant around their 

 houses. A good road has been made through it 

 for the extent of a mile, at one end of which the 

 mission establishment is situated. This consists 

 of several houses, most of which are of modern 

 style, covered with zinc and shingles. One of 

 them, however, the residence of the Rev. Mr. 

 Coan, was very differently built, and derived im- 

 portance in our eyes, from its recalling the associa- 

 tions of home. It was an old-fashioned, prim, red 



