74 



SCIEMCE. 



[Vol. VIII., No. 181 



mote. A botanist finds himself admiring the 

 exaltation of our Compositae and lobelia into trees, 

 and the violets, geraniums, and plantains into 

 shrubs. The native phenogamous flora figures up 

 to 554 species in Mann's catalogue, not including 

 the grasses, and the ferns amount to nearly 150 

 species. Dr. Hillebrand, a former resident, has 

 studied the plant-life most successfully, and has 

 now in readiness for the press a complete descrip- 

 tion of all the Hawaiian plants. The government 

 has declined to aid the publication of this volume, 

 and it remains to be seen whether private enter- 

 prise will be adequate in bringing it before the 

 public. 



The most important scientific work done in the 

 islands is of a topogTaphical character, that of 

 the government trigonometrical survey, vmder the 

 very capable superintendence of Prof. AV. D. 

 Alexander. The annual appropriation has been 

 $30,000 for many years. This survey Avas rendered 

 necessary by the change from a feudal system of 

 land-tenure to fee simple. In order to produce 

 satisfactory results, the work must be like that 

 carried on by the U. S. coast and geodetic survey. 

 The boundary lines of the various tracts of land 

 have now been drawn, and maps published of the 

 islands of Oahu and Maui, and that of Lauai is 

 ready for publication, while much labor has been 

 expended upon Hawaii and elsewliere. Tlie map 

 of Maui, just published, is very creditable in every 

 respect. The survey attends also to hydrography 

 and to any special service required for particular 

 purposes, as in the reconstruction of the large 

 burnt district of Honolulu. The Hawaiians have 

 two peculiar words to express the direction of 

 boundaries, mauka and marMi (upward and 

 downward), those being the most natural terms 

 to express geodetic positions in oceanic islands. 



Prof. L. L. Van Slyke of Oahu college recently 

 made an elaborate chemical examination of the 

 various waters used for household purposes in 

 Honolulu. The high north and south ridge of 

 Oahu causes the vapors brought by the south-west 

 trade wind to fall upon it and to flow upon the 

 surface and in subterranean channels to the wes- 

 tern leeward shore where the city is located. The 

 amount of rainfall varies greatly, according to the 

 locality. Near the ridge the annual precipitation 

 amounts to 150 inches ; in the upper part of Hono- 

 lulu to 70 inches ; and at the harbor as little as 30 

 inches. As the rock is volcanic, there is a pre- 

 dominance of sodium carbonate in the springs, 

 and sodium chloride and lime carbonate in the 

 deep-seated waters brought up artificially. Fresh- 

 flowing water is obtained from the sea-level to the 

 height of 42 feet through artesian boreholes, and 

 this altitude corresponds to a recent elevation of 



coral rock, all around the island. There is not 

 enough of the salt and lime compound to injure 

 the water for potable purposes, but suflacient to 

 indicate its marine origin. There are 25 of these 

 flowing wells, the water reaching the same level 

 in every one, and in the very dry season they fall 

 off about three feet. Those yielding water are 

 generally from 200 to 500 feet deep. The layers 

 passed through are separate layers of clay, lava, 

 and coral rock, and the water rises immediately 

 after striking a black basalt at the base of the 

 coral. The deepest well was put down at the edge 

 of a tufa volcanic cone known as Diamond Head 

 to the depth of 1500 feet. As fragments of coral 

 abound in the tufa, it is probable that the volcanic 

 action interfered with the regular downward flow 

 of the rain-water, and this explains the absence of 

 water. 



The Hawaiian government is a limited mon- 

 archy. It was not until the beginning of the pres- 

 ent century that Kamehameha the First brought 

 all the islands under his sway, and founded the 

 kingdom. About 1820 the chiefs rebelled against 

 certain idolatrous obser\'ances, just before the ar- 

 rival of the first deputation of American mission- 

 aries. Christianity was soon accepted by the 

 higher classes, and then by the mass of the people ; 

 so that in less than half a century the country was 

 regarded as Christian, and the foreign clergy with- 

 drawn. They had in the mean while been instru- 

 mental in framing an excellent constitution, and 

 either the missionaries or their descendants have 

 held many of the important ofiices. 



On the first of July there was a ministerial crisis 

 in the kingdom and a new cabinet formed, with 

 the same premier as before, but with new men in 

 all the other offices. The cause of the disruption 

 was partly personal and jiartly financial. PoliticaJ 

 parties divide somewhat according to sympathy or 

 opposition to the missionary regime. King Kale- 

 kaua and his friends exalt the native Hawaiians, 

 and desire to restore old heathenish customs, 

 thereby seeking to awaken sentiments of patriot- 

 ism. Their influence is against the best form of 

 Cliristianity, and the men best qualified for their 

 respective offices are dismissed when they sympa- 

 thize with the missionaries. The king is also de- 

 sirous of controlling the pastors of the native 

 churches, tempting them to give up the voluntary 

 system of support, and rely upon the government 

 for their pay. The expenses of the government are 

 one and a half millions of dollars annually, — a 

 larger sum in proportion to the population than is 

 raised by most of the states of our federal union. 

 As this income is chiefly raised from the foreign 

 residents, they are much dissatisfied with the gov- 

 ernment. 



