HAW All AN GRO UP. 41 



secretly in the night became a common form of execution. The last 

 instance of this occurred in 1822. 



The king sent an ili-muku in the night, who found the criminal 

 fast asleep, his wife by his side ; and it is said that the ili-muku gently 

 pulled the woman's head on one side, and with a broadaxe instantly 

 severed the head of the husband from his body. 



In 1824, an officer at Hawaii was guilty of high treason in at- 

 tempting to give up the fort (in which he was serving) to the rebels. 

 By the order of Kalanimoku, he was taken on board a vessel, under 

 pretence of being sent to Oahu ; during the passage, at night, he was 

 taken on deck, stabbed, and thrown overboard. This is said to have 

 been the last punishment in the form of assassination. Since then, 

 capital offences have been regular-ly tried by jury, and executions have 

 been by hanging, of which the first instance was in 1826. 



The whole number of executions for murder since 1826, have been 

 as follows : 



On Kauai .......... 3 



Oahu 7 



Maui 2 



Hawaii 1 



In all 13 



Besides another murder on Hawaii, in which the culprit committed 

 suicide ; thus averaging one a year in the whole group, besides two 

 cases of manslaughter. 



The mythology of the Hawaiians is extensive and complicated; but 

 their gods are fast being forgotten, and few are willing to spend much 

 time in attending to them. Little information on this subject is to be 

 derived from any one with whom I had an opportunity of conversing. 

 What is known is contained in published accounts. 



Traditions were extremely numerous, and many have been already 

 published in the Hawaiian Spectator. 



The Hawaiians appear to have but little knowledge of astronomy. 

 Hoapili, who died a short time before our arrival, was accounted one 

 of their most skilful astrologers. They had some knowledge of the 

 planets, with five of which they were acquainted, viz. : Mercury 

 (Kawela), Venus (Naholoholo), Jupiter (Hoomanalonala), Mars (Holo- 

 kolapinaau), Saturn (Mukula). There was a class of persons whose 

 employment was to watch the motions of the stars, and who from prac- 

 tice became tolerably accurate observers of many celestial phenomena. 

 They were in the habit of telling the hour of the night quite as cor- 



VOL. IV. u-J 6 



