J^O HAWAII AN GRO UP. 



" Does not this proposed law give one-third of the property to the king, 

 and two-thirds to the heirs of every one?" Yes. " Is this just? How 

 differently does this aifect one or two of the chiefs and myself! They 

 have no children ; I have four. My heirs will suffer, theirs will not. 

 This is not right." 



They saw the subject in a new light, and at once determined to 

 adjourn, for the purpose of thinking the affair over. They finally 

 came to the conclusion, that all the property of those who had chil- 

 dren should go to the offspring, but that of the property of those who 

 had no direct heirs, the king should be entitled to one-third. Thus 

 stands the law at present. 



On the 2d October, I received a visit from Mr. Richards, who com- 

 municated to me the desire of the king that I should visit him. In 

 conformity with this request, I called upon him, accompanied by 

 Captain Hudson. Although I had departed, after my first visit, 

 highly prepossessed in his favour, I was not prepared to find him so 

 easy and gentlemanly in his manners as he now appeared. He was 

 alone when he received us, and in a few minutes, we found that he 

 was able to express himself very intelligibly in English, and was 

 quick in comprehending what was said to him. 



He was found at one end of the large grass-house built for him by 

 the Governor Kekuanaoa.* He received us in a friendly manner. 

 From the representations that had been made to me, I had been led to 

 believe that the king was not only dull of apprehension, but had little 

 disposition to engage in or talJi of the affairs of government ; I found 

 him, on the contrary, exhibiting an intimate acquaintance with them. 

 He entered fully and frankly in the discussion of all the matters in 

 relation to which disputes had arisen between him and foreign nations ; 

 and I, on the other hand, was desirous to elicit his views with regard 

 to the difficulties he had for the last year or two encountered, and 

 learn the feelings he had experienced in the arduous situations in 

 which he had been placed. 



He spoke of the manner in which foreigners had obtruded them- 

 selves into the affairs of his government, so that no one of its acts was 

 permitted to pass without his being called, in a rude and uncivil 

 manner, to account for it. He stated that he found great difficulty in 



* This building is about sixty feet long by forty feet wide, and contains only one room, 

 which may, however, be divided by movable screens into several apartments. The floor 

 was covered with mats. The whole was well adapted to the heat of the climate, and the 

 smell of the sweet-scented grass was agreeable and refreshing. 



