MAUI. 239 



Wishing to inspect the female seminary of Wailuku, which I had 

 heard much spoken of, I went over to it, in company with Mr. Drayton. 

 One of the chiefs was obliging enough to furnish me with a horse for 

 the occasion. We rode along the south shore of West Maui, as it is 

 here termed. This portion of West Maui is rendered susceptible of 

 cultivation by means of irrigation, supplied by numerous small brooks, 

 running from the mountains. A very small portion, however, is thus 

 cultivated ; but I should think it could be made to yield large crops of 

 taro and sugar-cane, with very little care. 



The leeward side of West Maui is similar in climate to Oahu, and, 

 as was to be expected, the plants were the same. 



Most of the habitations we passed were occupied by fishermen. 

 Some large heaps of coral taken from the reef were observed along the 

 shore, which were to be transported to Lahaina, in order to be burnt 

 for lime. 



As we approached the east end of West Maui, the mountains kept 

 increasing on the plain, until they formed an abrupt precipice several 

 hundred feet in height at the sea. There the way led up a zigzag road, 

 if road it could be called, which it is difficult for man or horse to pass 

 over. A portion of this path, two or three miles in length, had been 

 worked, and is yet in good repair ; but that on the south side has been 

 suffered to fall entirely into ruin, and is the most difficult part to over- 

 come. 



The rock of the cliff was basaltic, containing grains of chrysolite, 

 which were also observed in the sand in the beds of the dry streams. 

 No conglomerate was seen. 



The greatest discomfort we experienced in this excursion arose from 

 the violence of the gusts that passed by us : the power of the wind was 

 almost violent enough to unhorse us, as it burst in intermitting gusts 

 through the ravines every few minutes. After passing this rough 

 road, we reached the sandy alluvial neck or isthmus, the lowest part 

 of which is only seven feet above the sea. Here the sand is constantly 

 shifting, being thrown up into "dunes," and again dissipated by the 

 wind. On reaching the neck, we turned to the west, and rode seven 

 miles before we reached Wailuku, over a plain nearly uninhabited, and 

 hardly susceptible of cultivation, until within a mile of Wailuku. 



The seminary of Wailuku consists of an extensive range of coral 

 and adobe buildings, beautifully situated on an inclined plane, with high 

 and massive precipices behind, in a flourishing village, which shows 

 more of systematic improvement and organized exertion than any place 

 I have met with in the Hawaiian Islands. The fields, also, are better 

 fenced, and the crops more diligently attended to. We were kindly 



