The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-23 00:00:00

THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

The following particulars relative to this interesting
archipelago, and which is about to assume such additional
importance, under the fostering auspices of the United
Pacific Association, were communicated by M. Rises,
who accompanied the late King to this country, for the
express purpose of engaging British capitalists to establish
a factory in his States:—
The position of the Sandwich Islands, so inaccurately laid
down in moat of the maps hitherto published, lies exactly between
18 deg. 37 sec. and 23 deg. 11 sec. North latitude; and between
155 deg. 7 min. and 188 deg. 30 min. longitude West of Greenwich.
They consist of eleven, of which nine are inhabited, and in a state
of prosperous cultivation. owbyher, the largest, has a circuit of
300 English miles, and contains 150,000 inhabitants. Wahoo is
160 miles in circumference, with a population of 110,000 souls.
This is the residence of the King, and seat of Government. lie
resides at Hunnaronta, a town of 8,000 souls, and having a good
port. Mowee is 160 miles in ercuillterenCe, and contains 100,000
inhabitants. Mor&eoi has a circuit of 74 miles, and 25,000 inha.
bltants. The other islands, of which the extent and inhabitants
are much more limited, are called Ranai, Nisow, Touraou, and
51oeomsnow. The whole population may be estimated It 490,000

The climate of these islands is one of the most salubrious in the
whole Pacific Ocean, nor have they ever been visited by any
epidemic diseases, except those introduced by European visitors.
In alluding to the soil, M. Rives describes it as being almost
unequalled in fertility, and capab'e of producing many of the pro.
ducuons both of tropical and more northern climes. Coffee,
suzar, ginger, cotton, and tobacco ; as also balsams and drugs of
various kinds, are cultivated with the greatest success. Its cele-
brated sandal wood, of which several cargoes are annually ex-
ported to China, has hitherto been chiefly bought up by American
speculators, who have in many h.-dances sold it at the enormous
profit of 300 and 400 per cent.
Although, froin the "tact of these islanda lying in the same
parallel of latitude with those points of Mexico in which the richest
veins of gold and diver are found, It was supposed they also con.
tained the precious metals, this fact was only placed beyond doubt
in 1817, when a Russian naturalist visited them, for the purpose of
exploring their mineral treasures.
Besides improving the large tracts of land already ceded to
the New Company cuttirg sandal wood, of which it possesses the
exclusive right, and working the mines, an active commercial inter-
course will be opened with the North-west coast of America,
California, the whole coast of the Southern hemisphere, the East
Indies, the Philippines, and Japan,
M. Rives, to whose enlightened views and indefatigable exer-
tions the present Association owes its rise, represents the natives of
his adopted country, and among whom he has lived eighteen years,
as being extremely docile, industrious, and mast anxious to
ae-
quire civilization, in which they have already made a surprising
progress. It was indeed at the earnest solicitation of the leading
' Chiefs, that the late King came to this country, in order to carry
the foregoing objects into executior.