2 



HA WAIT. [introductory 



do they worship ? Are they as pretty as the other South Sea 

 Islands ? Does the king wear clothes ? Who do they belong 

 to ? Does any one live on them but the savages ? Will any- 

 thing grow on them ? Are the people very savage ? " etc 

 Their geographical position is a great difficulty. I saw a gen- 

 tleman of very extensive information looking for them on the 

 map in the neighbourhood of Tristan dAcunha ; and the pub- 

 lishers of a high-class periodical lately advertised " Letters 

 from the Sandwich Islands" as " Letters from the South Sea 

 Islands." In consequence of these and similar interrogatories, 

 which are not altogether unreasonable, considering the imper- 

 fect teaching of physical geography, the extent of this planet, 

 the multitude of its productions, and the enormous number of 

 islands composing Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, it is 

 necessary to preface the following letters with as many preli- 

 minary statements as shall serve to make them intelligible. 



The Sandwich Islands do not form one of the South Sea 

 groups, and have no other connexion with them than certain 

 affinities of race and language. They constitute the only im- 

 portant group in the vast North Pacific Ocean, in which they 

 are so advantageously placed as to be pretty nearly equidistant 

 from California, Mexico, China, and Japan. They are in the 

 torrid zone, and extend from i8° 50' to 22° 20 north latitude, 

 and their longitude is from 154 53' to 160 15' west from 

 Greenwich. They were discovered by Captain Cook in 

 1778. t , " 



They are twelve in number, but only eight are inhabited, and 

 these vary in size from Hawaii, which is 4000 square miles in 

 extent, and 88 miles long by 73 broad, to Kahooiawe, which 

 is only 11 miles long and 8 broad. Their entire superficial 

 area is about 6,100 miles. They are to some extent bounded 

 by barrier reefs of coral, and have few safe harbours. Their 

 formation is altogether volcanic, and they possess the largest 

 perpetually active volcano and the largest extinct crater in the 

 world. They are very mountainous, and two mountain summits 

 on Hawaii are nearly 14,000 feet in height. Their climate for 

 salubrity and general equability is reputed the finest on earth. 

 It is almost absolutely equable, and a man may take his choice 

 between broiling all the year round on the sea level on the 

 leeward side of the islands at a temperature of 8o°, and enjoying 

 the charms of a fireside at an altitude where there is frost 

 every night of the year. There is no sickly season, and there 

 are no diseases of locality. The trade winds blow for nine 



