212 HAWAII. 



charge twenty-three native girls for education, clothing, and food, is 

 one of no ordinary labour. She is one of the most useful of the mis- 

 sionaries ; and were it not for the less liberal notions of her husband, 

 would be much more so. I could not but perceive that his interference 

 in the matter of this school is detrimental to the progress of the scholars 

 in civilization: when this is the case, it cannot advance their progress 

 in true religion. 



The number of district schools in Hilo and Puna, is said to amount 

 to one hundred ; but of these I saw only one, which was under Mr. 

 Wilcox, a teacher attached to the mission. This was kept in the old 

 church. The numbers in attendance varied from sixty to eighty, con- 

 sisting of all ages between five and fifteen. 



I was in the habit of passing this building almost daily, during 

 the latter part of my stay, and -frequently was much amused at the 

 behaviour of the scholars and their teacher. These little boys are 

 for the most part nearly naked ; but what they wanted in clothes 

 they made up in curiosity, and on my passing on Kanuha's white 

 horse, out they would come without the consent of their teacher. On 

 one occasion, I was not a little amused at his attempts to restrain 

 them, through which a kind of hurry-skurry ensued, as though so 

 many rats were escaping from a cage ; all the teacher could do, 

 escape they would; and when he ran to one door to close it, they 

 would nimbly seek the other, until none were left but such as he had 

 tumbled over. I could not help laughing at this scene. This will 

 give some idea of the difficulties to be sometimes encountered here in 

 teaching, although I would not have the reader suppose that such is 

 the case always. 



During our stay at Hilo, I visited the Rainbow Fall: it is about 

 a mile and a half from Hilo, and is well worthy of a visit. The 

 Wailuku river, which I have mentioned as dividing the village of 

 Paneo from that of Hilo, here descends about one hundred and 

 twenty feet into a circular basin, formed apparently by the caving 

 in of the lava, with which the whole country is covered : the strata 

 of sand and clay has in places become undermined, and has left 

 the ledge over which the fall shoots, projecting beyond the walls 

 of the basin. This has the effect to bring the water in broad relief, 

 and the height is sufficient to dissipate it into foam before it reaches 

 the quiet and secluded nook below: this causes a fluctuation in 

 the quantity of spray that is constantly arising, which being agitated 

 by the breeze, throws it about in various directions, and with a 

 bright sun, causes innumerable rainbows to be seen, from those of 

 great brightness to the most delicate tints. The walls showing the 



