HAWAII. 223 



table, not even the king. Their behaviour v^as quite decorous, and 

 they seemed to enjoy every thing that was set before them, particu- 

 larly the wine. 



Pea and his family were also guests. Pea is the king's agent, and 

 has charge of the fish-ponds, although he is not chief of the district : 

 he speaks some English, and is under the patronage of the mission- 

 aries ; he lives on the Waiakea side, in a large grass-house, near the 

 fish-ponds. The latter cover many acres, and have a great many fine 

 mullet in them, very fevi^ of which are caught, as they are reserved for 

 the king or his representative Pea, and his family. From this cause, 

 the fish have multiplied to a great number, and are in very fine order 

 for the table. 



Kanuha is the representative of Governor Adams, who is the ruler 

 of the five districts of Hawaii, of which Hilo is one. Adams had 

 been in Hilo shortly before our arrival, but was not able to remain, 

 and is .so enormously unwieldy, that it is with difficulty he can move 

 about. Kanuha collects all the taxes, acts as magistrate, and from 

 all accounts is a very energetic one. 



I have before spoken of the fruitfulness of this side of the island of 

 Hawaii : the sugar-cane grows here in abundance, and of a large 

 size ; coffee succeeds well, as do indigo and the tacca, from which 

 they make a quantity of arrow-root. 



For the manufacture of sugar. Governor Adams owns a small mill, 

 in charge of two or three Chinamen ; but it is in a wretched condition. 

 It is worked by a small stream of water led from the Wailuku river. 

 The quantity of sugar made in the year 1840 was about thirty tons; 

 but with a well-adapted mill, and under good management, a much 

 larger quantity might be made, for much of the cane is now suffered 

 to rot from want of facilities to grind it. The natives now understand 

 its culture well, and each has a small patch. If a demand was created 

 for sugar, the cultivation might be greatly extended. The cane comes 

 to perfection in twelve months. There is certainly a large field open 

 here for enterprising individuals, as much of the land now lying 

 waste in the neighbourhood is admirably adapted to this cultivation, 

 and might be obtained on lease from the government for a small 

 price. 



Mr. Castle has a mill, also, about seven miles north of Hilo, which 

 he uses, I was told, to great profit, although it is but a small concern. 



The only extensive plantation of cofiee that I heard of was that of 

 Mr. Castle, which, however, is not yet old enough to produce crops. 

 Some isolated trees in gardens at Hilo have yielded eight or nine 



