KAUAI AND OAHTT. 61 



forcible possession, or colonizing the island, was shortly afterwards 

 denied, in the most positive manner, by the Russians, it is probable that 

 the whole was the work of a vain and ambitious man, who had suddenly 

 found himself elevated above his own sphere. That he either wanted 

 the inclination or the courage to carry out his conceptions, if he had 

 any, is manifest, from his immediate acquiescence to the order of the 

 chief to quit the island. He is now known at the islands under the 

 appellation of the Russian Doctor, although by birth a German. The 

 Russian Stone Fort, as it is now called, is garrisoned by a guard of 

 natives. 



Waimea offers the best anchorage at this island, except in the months 

 of January and February, when the trades are interrupted, and the 

 wind blows strong from the southwest, and directly on shore. 



About a mile west of Waimea is the spot where the first English 

 boat landed from Cook's expedition. The village of Waimea takes its 

 name from the river, which rises in the mountains, and after a course 

 of about fifteen miles, enters the sea there. It is navigable three-fourths 

 of a mile from its mouth, in boats. The water is used for irrigating the 

 valley, and might also be appropriated to manufacturing purposes, as 

 there are many excellent mill-seats, and a steady supply of water for 

 such purposes. 



The district in which Waimea is situated, is called Hanapepe, and 

 extends to Napali on the west, and Hanapepe on the east. The former 

 is about twenty miles distant from Waimea, and the latter six. At 

 Napali a part of the central range of mountains meets the sea, and shuts 

 in the plain near the sea-shore by a perpendicular precipice, between 

 fifteen hundred and two thousand feet in height. 



The sandy plain that skirts the southwest side of the island is from 

 one-fourth of a mile to a mile wide, and lies one hundred and fifty feet 

 above the level of the sea ; the ground rises thence gradually to the 

 summit of the mountains. This land is fit for little except the pastu- 

 rage of goats, and presents a sunburnt appearance, being destitute of 

 trees to the distance of eight or ten miles from the sea. The plain 

 above spoken of, therefore, has little to recommend it. There is a strip 

 of land just before the mountain ascent begins, which has an excellent 

 soil, but for the want of water will probably long remain unproductive. 

 On the low grounds the cocoa-nut tree thrives and bears abundant fruit, 

 which is not the case with those on the other islands. 



The sea-coast bounding this district, is considered the best foi 

 fishing, and the manufacture of salt might be extensively carried on. 



The drinking water, except that obtained from the river, is brackish. 



The valley of Hanapepe borders on the eastern part of this district: 



