™AP- They obtain these articles as presents from the crews of such ships as
Feb.
1827.
touch at the port. In every uncivilized country which has as much
foreign intercourse as Woahoo, incongruities must be of frequent occurrence
; thus we were daily in the habit of seeing ladies disencumber
themselves of their silks, slippers, and parasols, and swim off in fine
style to different vessels, carrying their bundles on their heads, and resuming
their finery when they got on board. Nor was it less amusing
to observe them jump overboard soon after daylight, and continue
sporting and swimming about the vessels in the harbour like so many
nereids ; practices to which they adhere with as much fondness as ever.
Many, however, now think it necessary to put on a bathing gown when
they take this recreation.
T'he men make very tolerable seamen, and are particularly useful
in boats. Accustomed from their infancy to the water, they are
as much at home in that element as on land; and having frequently
encountered gales of wind at sea in their open canoes, they have no
apprehension of them on board a strongly built ship. They are active
and honest, and many of them are taken on board merchant ships visiting
the islands as part of their crews.
In the course of time it is to be hoped that they will become sufficiently
enlightened to navigate their own vessels, as they at present
depend upon foreigners for the performance of that service. Their vessels
are now generally chartered to Americans, who bear a certain proportion
of the expenses of the voyage, and have carte blanche to proceed where
they please, and to collect, sell, and purchase cargoes at their discretion,
and as it may seem most advantageous for themselves and the owners,
who divide the profits of the venture at the end of the voyage. Their
occupation consists principally in trading with California and the islands
of the Pacific, or in making sealing voyages; in which case the skins
they obtain are carried to some foreign market, and the proceeds
applied to the purchase of a new cargo adapted to the wants of the
Sandwich Islanders; such as horses, or furniture, and other household
materials. Upon the whole, these returns are said to be by no means
equal to the risks and expenses of the voyage; and the ships being
built of slight materials they require constant repair and soon wear ou t:
so that their navy, at present, is of no great advantage to the state.
No duties have as yet been imposed on any goods, either imported chap.
or exported, and the only charges made by the government are the
port dues, which are very prudently lighter on vessels touching at the Feb.
islands for refreshments only, than upon those which bring cargoes of
merchandize; the charge in the former case is six, and in the latter
fifty, cents jier ton for the outer anchorage, and ten and sixty cents per
ton respectively for the inner anchorage.
The Sandwich Islanders will apparently make as good soldiers as
they do sailors, and are so proud of the honour ofbeing embodied in
the corps of the state, that they cannot suffer a greater disgrace than
to have the regimentals taken from them and to be turned out of the
ranks. They were repeatedly drilled by our serjeant of marines, and
though under the disadvantage of not understanding the language in
which the word of command was given, they improved quite as much
as men in general would have done who had been in the habit of seeing
the exercise performed. The inhabitants appear disposed to learn any
thino- that does not require labour, and soldiering soon became so completely
a mania, that the king had the choice of his subjects ; and little
boys were seen in all parts of the town tossing up a sugar cane, with a
“shoulder ump! ” and some of the troop,even after being dismissed, would
rehearse the lesson of the day by themselves. The islanders have a
good idea of acting in concert, derived from their early exercise of the
palalu, so interestingly described by Vancouver, in which they were accustomed
to form solid squares ; and when engaged presented a formidable
phalanx, which it was not easy to force.
Among other services which we performed for the king was an
inspection ofhis cannon in the forts, some of which were so corroded,
that in all probability their discharge would have been productive of
serious accidents to some of his subjects. We also furnished him with
twenty tons of stones, whicli we had taken in at Chamissolsland as ballast,
to be used in rebuilding the wall of his mud fort.
It is unnecessary to describe further the inhabitants of a country
which has already been the subject of several volumes. Enough has
been said to show that the people are fast imbibing foreign customs,
and daily improving both in their manners and in their dress.
The harbour of Honoruru is the general rendezvous of all the