The Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii) 1840-1841, 1841-12-04
kened, have leaned upon my elbow, and


home, and contemplated the deep shade
beneath the fruit trees and the forest Gus
ters. and read the bright stars above when
seen through their shady vistas, and when
the romance of nature was weaving her
mystic and fairy and enchanted VISIONS OF
DAYS vet to come, when all would be well
when all would be happy-when all
would be bliss" Immediately following
is a single sentence, which being more
than half page in length, we have not
room for but let it suffice to say that 1t
describes such a sunset as we never could
possibly have conceived.
OF Madeira we had previously formed
very vivid idea, as spot where Nature
had been prolusc in the sublime and beau
tirul: but our dull heads had never pic
tured it as "a fairy isle raising itself in
high peaks abruptly 5000 feet above the
bosom of the blue deep, and tracing its
waved outline ndistinctly among the mys-
nc and dark clouds which hang like spirit
shapes on its high and misty cones; while
ereru ,chere else around and farther get above
the cloud capt peaks, the sky is blue and
clear and the soft breezes and the mimic
pale from the sea strike balmy, like an
eastern atmosphere upon the cheek. The
pages devoted to this island are truly rich.
One moment we are amused with the au-
thor's clerical jokes against his catholic
brethren, the next we have country houses
"sleeping' Gin broad day too) ''embower-
ed in their luxuriance of vine and flow
ers," or Mrs II. 'dashing out into the Of
fling over the blue surges, in her beautiful
little bark, bounding upon the sea-bilow
like a s,can, rippled on the arares Of home
stream" The following passage possesses
too much beautiful originality to permit
us to omit it or curtail it in the slightest.
1--WE infer that land is not far from us as
a grasshopper has made his otf-shore leaps
to visit so strange a thing as a Man-of-
War. Had he been Malay, perhaps we
should have asked him questions about
his so unceremoniously boarding us. And
what must have been his surprise, as he
cautiously crawled up our stiles and took
his first view of our fearful decks, with
'HCii '"So'SHilS lOity -lNo pouuucIS llu-
ing their long bulwarks, with perforations
through which death and destruction
bear forth to their enemies blood and
carnage sounding with dcatln-groans.'
And then to have looked upon the .our
or five hundred tarpauin-headed sons of
the ocean, moving over the decks of the
sea-monster-here in unison pulling upon
some sinew of the moving animal, or there
easing strain upon one of her firing
wings; then to have seen certain timid
young gentlemen waiting with expectant
attention, the order of the deck-officer.
who was about to speak big words through
trumpet: and then when he cast his
eyes, as he sat on the lec-gunwae, to the
quarter deck, and caught look at VEN
cradle and graceful old gentleman in gold
lace and epauletts and bright buttons,
moving backwards and forwards in COM
handing dignity and self possession; and
then gazed upon the bril- ht things, and
the dark things, and the painted things,
and the double-edged things, and the
confused things, and the straight things,
and the crooked things, surely his agita-
ted bosom must length have heaved in
| fearful and profound surpr;So All, Mr.