The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-10-30

The SANDWICH IsLASDs.-During the last few
. DAYS a stall has been fitted up near the depart
ment Of the lOnian Islands which represents the
latest and most distant echo IN response 70 the
invitation given 70 all nations and peoples 70 ex-
| hibit their natural and artificial products under
| the dOmes Of South KensingtOn. The Hawaiian,
OF, rs they are better known, the Sandwich
Islands, were unrepresented in 1851, owing TO
the collection made there not reaching England
till the Exhibition had finally closed, the voyage
by a sailing vessel occupying FIVE or six months.
This year a similar fate threatened this remote
group in the Pacific, and it seemed likely that the
nam Of Hawaii would only be known IN connex-
ion with the international Exhibition Of 1867 by
. pair Of silk banners in the nave, and a foreign
commissioner with nothing TO do. Fortunately,
Lady Franklin, who has been making a visit 10
the islands, arrived lately in England bringing
with her u small collection Of objects OF interest
from Honolulu, leaving some other and more I'M
portant specimens to follow but these have not
reached London. As this collection was made
without any reference to the Congress of National
Industries, ii by no means represents the progress
which the islands have made during the last few
years in a commercial point Of view. The
Hawaiians grow sugar, coffee, and rice OF very
fine quality, and they also ship hides and tallow,
but. finding profitable markets on the continent
Of America, this produce never reaches England.
The only two products Of mercantile value shown
in Lady Franklin's cases are pull, a silky fibre
surrounding the base of the rachis of q large
IT'LL anu WIZ 10 t4NNAAS4fNAI oCN0 DCNL III viz
islands and in America as IA substitute for wool
and feathers in stufing mattresses and pillows,
and the root of the ava plant Upper hnephyStl-
clHl,) from which an intoxicating drink, having
also medicinal properties, Is prepared. The chief
interest consists in the collection of things passed,
or passing away, and things which belong to the
new era of the North Pacific. Thus we have a
beautiful feather tippet, and a kahili, or feather
ed wand, denOting rank and office necklaces Of
golden plumage 4 weighty collar formed of
braided human hair, suspending an ornament
carved from Il whales tooth a sleeping mat of
fine grass, and samples Of kappa, or native cloth,
made from the Hber of the mOrus papyrfera,
together with the instruments by which it is
manipulated and cOlOred. In contrast with these,
we see modern grass hats much in the fashion of
Paris and London, which are worn by the native
ladies and highly colored cotton prints from
Manchester, showing the existing taste in dress
of the country population, which has not yet
advanced to the silks and crinolines WON in
Honolulu, and in other seaport towns. More
interesting are the literary specimens exhibited
the New Testament, translated by the American
missionaries in the islands, and printed in Ha-
waiian and English in parallel columns the
entire Bible, books of mental arithmetic for
children, and an advanced book for adults, a
ehild's primer, and an atlas, all in the Hawaiian
language. Beyond these we see Il volume of the
statute laws of the Hawaiian kingdom in English,
two or three newspapers, both native and English,
published at Honolulu, and copies of the Kings
speech at the opening OF the Legislature In the
present year, and of the constitution by which
he rules. There are portraits also of the Sove-
reign and of his Queen, which are, however, by
no means hattering, since King Kamehameha ".
and Queen Emma are said to be Il really hand
some couple. We see, too, boxes made of koa
and hau woods, susceptible of and showing a
high polish and of first-rate workmanship speci-
mems of vitreous, cellular, and other kinds of
lava sulphur from the crater of the great volcano
of Kilauea, and "A piece of lava rock taken from
the spot where Captain Cook sank under the
blows of the natives and died in l77S. y color
ed map Of the most celebrated e~ruptions hangs
on the wall. Among the minor, though not least
objects of modern Hawaii, we observe
the official seal Of the new diocess of Honolulu
at the Kings urgent solicitation that a
branch Of the English church should be establish
ed in his dominions,) whose first bishop, the Rev.
Staley, was consccrated last December by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who has just embark
ed with his family and assistant clergy for the
interesting field of his future labors.