8o 



HA WAIL 



[letter ix. 



have seen elsewhere. It is pleasant to be among people whose 

 faces are not soured by the east wind, or wrinkled by the 

 worrying effort to " keep up appearances," which deceive no- 

 body ; who have no formal visiting, but real sociability ; who 

 regard the light manual labour of domestic life as a pleasure, 

 not a thing to be ashamed of; who are contented with their 

 circumstances, and have leisure to be kind, cultured, and agree- 

 able ; and who live so tastefully, though simply, that they can 

 at any time ask a passing stranger to occupy the simple guest 

 chamber, or share the simple meal, without any of the soul- 

 harassing preparations which often make the exercise of hos- 

 pitality a thing of terror to people in the same circumstances 

 at home. 



People will ask you, " What is the food ? " We have every- 

 where bread and biscuit made of California flour, griddle 

 cakes with molasses, cracked wheat, butter, not very good, 

 sweet potatoes, boiled kalo, Irish potatoes, and poi. I have 

 not seen fish on any table except at the Honolulu Hotel, or 

 any meat but beef, which is hard and dry as compared with 

 ours. We have China or Japan tea, and island coffee. Hono- 

 lulu is the only place in which intoxicants are allowed to be 

 sold ; and I have not seen beer, wine, or spirits in any house. 

 Bananas are an important article of diet, and sliced guavas, 

 eaten with milk and sugar, are very good. The cooking is 

 always done in detached' cook houses, in and on American 

 cooking-stoves. 



As to clothing. I wear my flannel riding-dress for both riding 

 and walking, and a black silk at other times. The resident 

 ladies wear prints and silks, and the gentlemen black cloth or 

 dark tweed suits. Flannel is not required, neither are pug- 

 garees, or white hats, or sunshades at any season. The changes 

 of temperature are very slight, and there is no chill when the 

 sun goes down. The air is always like balm ■ the rain is tepid 

 and does not give cold ; in summer it may be three or four 

 degrees warmer. Windows and doors stand open the whole 

 year. A blanket is agreeable at night, but not absolutely 

 necessary. It is a truly delightful climate and mode of living, 

 with such an abundance of air and sunshine. My health im- 

 proves daily, and I do not consider myself an invalid. 



Between working, reading aloud, talking, riding, and " loafing," 

 I have very little time for letter writing ; but I must tell you of 

 a delightful fern-hunting expedition on the margin of the forest 

 that I took yesterday, accompanied by Mr. Thompson and the 



