DIET AND INSTRUCTION. 



297 



man of his gift of eloquence and influence might either be an 

 invaluable assistance to the government, or else a serious em- 

 barrassment. In every position he had hitherto occupied, he 

 had acquired and retained a remarkable notoriety ; and no 

 stranger could visit the islands without hearing of poor " Bill 

 Ragsdale's " gifts, and the grievous failings by which they were 

 accompanied. 



Hitherto the hopes of his well wishers have been fulfilled, 

 and the government has found in him a most energetic as well 

 as prudent agent. " It is better to be first in Britain than 

 second in Rome f and probably this unfortunate man, super- 

 intendent of the leper settlement, and popularly known as 

 " Governor Ragsdale," has found a nobler scope for his ambi- 

 tion among his doomed brethren than in any previous position. 

 His remarkable power of influencing his countrymen is at 

 present used for their well being ■ and though his authority is 

 practically almost absolute, owing to the isolation of the com- 

 munity, and its position almost outside the operation of law, 

 he has hitherto used it with good faith and moderation. He 

 is nominally assisted in his duties by a committee of twenty 

 chosen from among the lepers themselves ■ but from his supe- 

 rior education and native mental ascendancy, all immediate 

 matters in the settlement are decided by his judgment alone. 



The rations of food are ample and of good quality, and not- 

 withstanding the increase in the number of lepers, and the 

 difficulty of communication, there has not been any authenti- 

 cated case of want. Each leper receives weekly 2 1 lbs. of 

 paiai, and from 5 to 6 of beef, and when these fail to be 

 landed, 9 lbs. of rice, 1 lb. of sugar, and 4 lbs. of salmon. 

 Soap and clothing are also supplied ; but, for all beyond these 

 necessaries, the lepers are dependent on their own industry, if 

 they are able to exercise it, and the kindness of their friends. 

 Coffee, tobacco, pipes, extra clothing, knives, toys, books, pic- 

 tures, working implements and materials, have all been pos- 

 sessed by them in happier days j and though packages of such 

 things have been sent by the charitable for distribution by 

 Father Damiens, it is not possible for island benevolence fully 

 to meet an emergency and needs so disproportionate to the 

 population and resources of the kingdom. Besides the two 

 Catholic churches, there are a Protestant chapel, with a pastor, 

 himself a leper, who is a regularly ordained minister of the 

 Hawaiian Board, and two school-houses, where the twenty-two 

 children of the settlement receive instruction in Hawaiian from 



