94 HAWAII AND OAHU. 



have before said is not to be relied on. The grounds on which this 

 decrease has been supposed to exist were, that it was found that of 

 fifty-six mothers, taking old and young promiscuously, were born two 

 hundred and sixty-seven children, of whom one hundred and twenty- 

 nine are living, one hundred and twenty-five died very young, mostly 

 under the age of two years, and thirteen at ages beyond ten years. It 

 is thought by Mr. Forbes, that this proportion of deaths would hold 

 good through the district. One thing seems certain however, that they 

 do not all die from hereditary diseases; many are carried off by 

 diarrhoea, occasioned by improper diet, and a few are stillborn. There 

 has also been much emigration from this district to others, and many 

 have embarked as sailors on board whale-ships. The laws under 

 which they formerly lived, have caused them to be improvident. 

 They have frequently suffered from want of food; and not unfre- 

 quently they are obliged to work without either good water or suffi- 

 cient nutriment. 



From all accounts, cases of infanticide are rare, nor, as we have 

 before observed, is it thought that the law prohibiting illicit intercourse 

 has had a tendency to increase it. One of the causes which formerly 

 made it frequent, was the husband leaving his wife for another woman, 

 which invariably led to her destroying the child. 



As respects intemperance, there has been no native seen intoxicated 

 for several years. 



There are twenty-three schools, one of which is kept by the mis- 

 sionaries, and the others by natives, some of whom have been educated 

 at the high-school at Lahaina. The number of scholars is between 

 seven and eight hundred. 



The principal diseases are those of a scorbutic character, cutaneous 

 eruptions, remittent fevers, catarrhs, and inflammation of the viscera; 

 these are the most fatal. Diarrhoea, dysentery, and ophthalmia also 

 prevail to some extent. 



The southwest side of Hawaii is termed the district of Kona, and 

 includes Kealakeakua and Kailau. Having already spoken of the 

 former, I shall now refer to the latter; more especially as from all 

 accounts I heard of it, the natives are more advanced in the useful 

 arts than elsewhere, and are now less dependent on foreigners. 



The town of Kailau is the residence of Kuakini, better known 

 among foreigners by the name of Governor Adams, who is governor 

 of Hawaii. 



This district lies to the north of Kealakeakua, and begins about five 

 miles from Napolo. It is similar to it in character, but the lava is of 

 more recent formation, the eruptions from Hualalai having flowed down 



