HONOLULU. 413 



strong, it is impossible to stand with safety. The view of the plain 

 beneath, the ocean, and the long line of perpendicular cliffs, will amply 

 repay the labour. The Pali may be descended ; for this purpose there 

 are steps cut in the rock, and an iron rod to assist in accomplishing the 

 descent in safety. The path leads to the village of Kanehoe, but is 

 little frequented. 



The house which the kindness of Governor Kekuanaoa had placed 

 at my disposal, was a double one, of two stories, with piazzas in front, 

 and a wing on one side ; it afforded sufficient accommodations for all 

 the duties connected with the surveys, and I took advantage of the 

 opportunity to revise and complete all the charts we had constructed 

 up to this time. The vessels were undergoing the necessary repairs ; 

 the officers who were not required on board, were therefore detailed 

 for these duties, reporting to me daily at the observatory, at nine 

 o'clock a. m., where they were employed until 4 p. M. ; others were 

 permanently employed in the observatory duties, magnetic and pen- 

 dulum observations, and some in the local surveys of the islands ; so 

 that, although our stay at Honolulu had the name of relaxation, I 

 found it myself one of the busiest parts of the cruise. 



The house, though convenient, was seldom occupied by its owner : 

 they invariably prefer the grass-houses, which are more convenient 

 for their mode of life, and better adapted to the climate ; and if they 

 could be preserved in the state they are when first built, they would 

 be exceedingly pleasant residences. 



The chiefs have much ambition to own an European house, which 

 are built of coral blocks, taken from the reefs to the westward of the 

 town : of this there appears to be an inexhaustible supply. It is found 

 in layers of from one to two feet in thickness, and by cutting through 

 them, a block of almost any dimensions may be obtained. I under- 

 stood a foreigner had obtained a lease of this profitable source of 

 revenue from the government. 



In my first interview with the king, he spoke of the decrease 

 of the depth of water in the harbour, imagining the quarrying of the 

 coral had been in part the cause of it, and asked me to direct my 

 attention to it, and to point out a remedy if possible to obviate it ; for 

 they were very desirous to preserve the harbour as it was, free from 

 obstructions. Within these last fifteen years much alteration has 

 taken place, by the deposit of mud, which will in time close it en- 

 tirely up, if not removed or prevented. The stream coming down the 

 Nuuanu valley, though small, makes a considerable deposit. ; this, with 



vol. in. 104 



