58 HA WAIIAN G UIDE B OK. 



semblance at sea to a "humpback" whale. This 

 island was a JPuuhonua (or place of refuge) in ancient 

 times. It has sixteen heiatis, one in a very perfect 

 state of preservation at Kaunolu. The summit of 

 its main ridge rises to about 2400 feet, and this 

 mountain range forms a wall continuous with a circle of 

 lower elevations, so as to completely enclose an interior 

 space like a vast crater, which it no doubt is, that has 

 an area of about 20,000 acres ; and this large, round, 

 land-locked valley of Palawai, elevated 1500 feet above 

 the sea, is level and grassy, like the richest of culti- 

 vated meadow. The ridges and ravines of the island 

 are covered with dense forest of timber and shrubbery, 

 which afford a rich field for the botanist. The outer 

 slopes of the island leading to the sea present usually a 

 brown and uninviting appearance ; but they afford ex- 

 cellent pasture for numberless herds of animals, — about 

 80,000 sheep, 2500 goats, 650 horses, 500 head of cat- 

 tle, and innumerable hogs and turkeys. Lanai is well 

 watered with springs and ravines, and with sweet firan- 

 tains at several points on its beach ; and has one perpet- 

 ual stream of water in a great ravine or barranca of 

 great natural beauty, named Maunalei or the Mountain 

 Wreath. The native population is now about 380 

 souls, who are fishers, shepherds and patch cultivators. 

 The only foreign population is Mr. Walter Murray Gib- 

 son and his family. As he holds by fee simple title 

 and on long lease about nine-tenths of Lanai, he is vir- 

 tual possessor of the whole island. 



MOLOKINI 



Is a bare uninhabited rock in the channel, midway be- 

 tween Kahoolawe and East Maui, and neither man nor 

 beast can subsist on it. 



