FROM YOKOHAMA TO VALPARAISO. 
162 
The present capital of the kingdom of Hawaii bears numerous traces of its recently- 
acquired importance as a commercial station in the Pacific Ocean. Placed as it is in the 
centre of the traffic between America, Asia, and Australia, its geographical position points it 
out as the centre from which will radiate, in the not very distant future, the submarine 
cables connecting San Francisco with Yokohama, Hong-kong, Manilla, Fiji, Sydney, Wellington, 
and Melbourne. Close to the harbour are the wooden sheds and warehouses of the commercial 
section of the town. Beyond them appears the massive square tower and commanding 
facade of the new palace of King Kalakaua; a little more to the right, the tower of the 
Protestant church or cathedral—for there is a Bishop of Honolulu ; while on the higher 
ground above the town, half-hidden among the trees, may be seen the residences of the 
wealthier inhabitants. The hospitality dispensed at these pretty villas has become proverbial, 
and the fresh green of the grounds by which they are surrounded, adorned with trees and 
flowering shrubs imported from America, Japan, China, and New Zealand, contrasts agreeably 
with the sandy plains and sunburnt hills of Oahu. Immediately behind the town is a small 
extinct crater called the “ Punchbowl.” From the most elevated part of its rim waves the 
striped flag of the Hawaiian kingdom, above a saluting battery composed of four old ship’s 
guns. The view from this point is very fine, embracing the town of Honolulu, the bay, the 
distant crater of Diamond Hill, and the village of Waikiki, with its neat little church. 
Honolulu boasts of a fine hotel, managed on the American system ; and it may be noted that 
the customs and manners of Hawaiian society are, as might be expected, much influenced by 
the proximity of the great Republic of the West. 
Two days after our arrival, a line of carriages, containing a number of officers from 
H.M.S. “Challenger,” set out from the port for the Royal Palace. King Kalakaua was 
holding a levde, at which our party had the honour of being 
presented. The nucleus of the future Hawaiian army was drawn 
up in the avenue, and, as we drove in at the gate, the band 
struck up the Bnglish national air. On entering the throne-room 
we found His Majesty, surrounded by his Ministers, the Crown 
Prince, and other members of the royal family. The King is very 
good-looking, his carriage dignified, and his conversation—he speaks 
very good English—most affable and engaging. 
The walls of the throne-room were adorned with a portrait 
of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, a full-length of King Louis Philippe, 
one of the Emperor Napoleon III., and with an old oil-painting 
representing King Kamehameha I., the founder of the kingdom of 
Hawaii. Spread over the throne was the mamo , the famous feather war-cloak worn by the 
last-named sovereign. Nine generations of kings ar.e said to have passed away during its 
fabrication. Its length is four feet, with eleven and a-half feet spread at its lower margin. 
The feathers, which are exceedingly small and delicate, being less than an inch in length, are 
skilfully attached to a groundwork of fine netting. The whole is of a beautifully bright 
