28 HAWAIIAN GROUP. 



beforehand of the days on which courts are to be held. When the 

 time specified arrives, they shall be the judges in cases arising under 

 the laws, excepting those which regard taxation, or difficulties between 

 land agents, or landlords and their tenants. They shall be sustained by 

 the governor, whose duty it shall be to execute the law according to 

 their decisions. But if exceptions are taken to their judgment, who- 

 soever takes them, may appeal to the supreme judges. 



OF THE SUPREME JUDGES. 



The representative body shall appoint four persons whose duty it 

 shall be to aid the king and premier, and six persons shall constitute 

 the supreme court of the kingdom. 



Their business shall be to settle all cases of difficulty which are left 

 unsettled by the tax officers and common judges. They shall give a 

 new trial according to the conditions of the law. They shall give 

 previous notice of the time for holding courts, in order that those who 

 are in difficulty may appeal. The decision of these shall be final. 

 There shall be no further trial afterwards. Life, death, confinement, 

 fine, and freedom from it, are all in their hands, and their decisions are 

 final. 



OF CHANGES IN THIS CONSTITUTION. 



This constitution shall not be considered as finally established until 

 the people have generally heard it, and have appointed persons accord- 

 ing to the provisions herein made, and they have given their assent; 

 then this constitution shall be considered as permanently established. 



But hereafter, if it should be thought desirable to change it, notice 

 shall be previously given, that all the people may understand the nature 

 of the proposed change, and at the succeeding meeting of the chiefs 

 and the representative body, if they shall agree as to the addition pro- 

 posed, or as to the alteration, then they may make it. 



The above constitution has been agreed to by the chiefs, and we 

 have hereunto subscribed our names, this eighth day of October, in the 

 year of our Lord eighteen hundred and forty, at Honolulu, Oahu. 



(Signed) Kamehameha III. 

 Kekauluohi. 



The code of laws is now administered with firmness and a prompti- 

 tude that gives them great effect, and of this we had an instance while 

 we remained at Honolulu. 



A night or two after our arrival, I was awakened by one of the 

 most startling and mournful sounds I ever heard, which lasted all 



