4 HAWAIIAN GROUP. 



The appearance of the king is prepossessing : he is rather robust, 

 above the middle height, has a good expression of countenance, and 

 pleasing manners. 



The person who attracted our attention most, was Kekauluohi. 

 This lady is upwards of six feet in height; her frame is exceedingly 

 large and we-11 covered with fat. She was dressed in yellow silk, with 

 enormously large gigot sleeves, and wore on her head a tiara of beau- 

 tiful yellow feathers interspersed with a few of a scarlet colour.* 

 Above the feathers appeared a large tortoise-shell comb, that confined 

 her straight black hair. Her shoulders were covered with a richly- 

 embroidered shawl of scarlet crape. She sat in a large arm-chair, 

 over which was thrown a robe made of the same kind of yellow 

 feathers as decked her tiara. Her feet were encased in white cotton 

 stockings and men's shoes. She was altogether one of the most re- 

 markable-looking personages I have ever seen. 



The governor was handsomely dressed in a uniform of blue and 

 gold. 



The conversation was carried on with ease through the interpreta- 

 tion of Mr. Richards, and left upon our minds a favourable impression 

 of the intelligence of the royal family of these islands. One thing 

 was certain, namely, that, in regard to personal size, they are unsur- 

 passed by any family that has ever come under my notice. 



I next returned the visits I had received from the foreign residents, 

 in which duty I was accompanied by our consul. I found many of 

 them living in very comfortable stone houses, which were surrounded 

 with young plantations of ornamental shrubs and trees. These plan- 

 tations, with their gardens, are kept in a thriving state by means of 

 irrigation. The water for this purpose is raised by windmills, that 

 work pumps, from wells about ten feet in depth. It was represented 

 to me that the w 7 ater in these wells rose and fell with the flow and ebb 

 of the tide ; but after frequent trials of that in the rear of the house 

 which I occupied, I could detect no variation greater than an inch or 

 two. The wells are sunk through the bed of coral on which the town 

 is built, and water is every where found beneath it. The water is not 

 perfectly fresh, and many persons have that which they drink, brought 

 from the valley of Nuuanu. 



* These feathers are among the most celebrated productions of these islands, and some 

 idea of their cost may be formed when it is stated that each bird yields only a few, and 

 that some thousands are required to form a head-dress. The wreath worn by Kekauluohi, 

 was valued at $250, and her robe at $2,500. The birds (Melithreptes pacifica) are taken 

 by means of birdlime, made from the pisonia, and the catching of them is practised as a 

 trade by the mountaineers. The wearing of these feathers is a symbol of high rank. 



