The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-05-21
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Sandwich Islands.

to the Church Mission, Dut the new Ming prom
ises fair, and has appointed the Bishop a member
of his Priyy Council. The Bishop of Honolulu
writes the following full account to the London
Guardian
"SIR:-You will regret to learn the sad news
| have to communicate. Our King kamebameha
the Fourth, under whose auspices a branch of our
Church was planted in these Islands, died on the
Both Of November last. His Majesty had been
for some time IN a weak state Of health, but no
danger was unprecedented till an hour before his
decease. For several days he had suffered from
diarrhel and was greatly reduced. When his
state was pronounced by his medical attendants
To be critical, | was by the Queen, but
arrived a few minutes too late. His old and faith
fuI Prime Minister, Mr.. Wyllie, was however
present. and III my absence read the commenda-
tory prayer. His Majesty expired in the arms of
his loving consort at y y. VI. When | entered
the room she was fondly endeavOring to restore
animation by breathing into his mouth her own
warm breath. 1t was indeed u touching sight.
When she saw all her efforts were of no avail, she
begged me to pray. Most of the members Of the
Royal Family were present, and we all knelt
down and implored our Heavenly Father to grant
W. resignation to His will, and strength to endure
with meekness, the sudden and unexpected chas-
tisement.
We were all overwhelmed with grief. The
body lay in state the following Tuesday, the first
Of December. Between 3 200 and ZOO people,
residents and Hawaiians, passed through the
Throne room TO take \ last fond look of their be-
loved Sovereign. The wailing OF the natives was
truly piteous, and must have been heard far and
near.
The funeral will not take place for a month.
n new Royal cemetery is being prepared, which
| am TO cOnsecrate, and it is the national system
to give every Cne the opportunity, even if they
have to cOme from remote islands, of visiting the
remains u. q deceased Sovereign before they are
inferred. Meanwhile the Queen sits almost in
cessantly by the coffin. She has prayers in the
room night and morning in the Hawaiian Ian
guage, SO that all present may understand, taken
from the Book of Common Prayer, and | read to
her from the Psalms or other consolatory pas
sages of Holy Scripture every day. 1t is u beautiful
to see how she seeks for consolation only in God.
Twice since her bereavement / have administered
to her the Holy Communion. Among all classes
OF people there IS one common sympathy with
her in this hour Of her anguish, for by her works
OF charity and mercy she has endeared herself to
all.
The late King had received the Holy Commu-
MON on Sunday, November Is, two weeks before
his death. That day he was too unwell to be at
church. He requested me, therefore, to celebrate
IN the Palace with him and the Queen. On Sun
day, the Odd, he was ut the native litany at 81
y. NJ, and the English eyensong at u P. NJ,
and 1 was struck with the earnest and deyout
manner in which ne joined in the responses.
This was the last time he was at church. No one
loved our services more devotedly, or attended
them more regularly. Often he would be pre-
sent at the 6 o'clock celebration. Let me give a
IAOSA " hS AAN NICM6 Will IGLILu u ILL
Holy Eucharist. rs the highest act of Christian
worship. Two months ago he and the Queen
were thrown out of their carriage, they escaped
with n few bruises and sprained ankles. The
King sent for me the next morning at G O'Clock
to give him the Holy Communion, :. for he
said " when he received signal mercies, there is
no higher form by which we can express our
gratitude than a sacrifice of praise and thanks
giving"
A u O'Clock on Sunday mornings before his
last indisposition he used to breakfast with his
DEFENDANTS in the yerandah of the Palace, some
fifty or sixty natives and he used to conclude
always with prayer, selected from the Hawaiian
Liturgy The death of his only son, the little
Prince of Hawaii, who was TO have been edu-
Gated by us, gave a shock to his system from
which he never recovered. There can be no
doubt from thenceforth he was n broken hearted
man. But he sought comfort In the fIrthering
the work of the church he loved so much, and in
translating the Book of Common Prayer. The
latter was no mere occupation of his leisure mo-
ments. He gave his whole energies to it, and | can
testify that it was indeed with him a labor of
love. Often he has aided me in the preparation
of my own hawaiian sermons.
y man of rare physical powers, of elegant
tastes, keen perceptions, who could enjoy Kings
ley, Thackeray, Tennyson, and was ever quoting
Shakespeare, the bent of his mind was still theo-
logical. He had the strong religious instincts
peculiar to his race. Those he felt could never
Be satisfied by truths which addressed themselves
only to the logical faculty. The Catholic faith,
Is taught IN the Church OF England, In Its Integ-
rity, seemed to meet fully the cravings of his soul.
He loved to dwell on the regularity of the reli-
gious orders, and few laymen could yindicate
with the same ability every link in the chain of
their transmission. He was familiar with the
works of Wheatly, Palmer, Courayer, Percival.
y true churchman on conviction. He was no
less opposed to Roman error than TO Congrega-
tiOnalism. But no one ever heard from his lips
an uncharitable word with regard to other sys-
tens. He used to remark on the soundness of
our position as a church, that of scripture inter
preted :. by the old fathers for he would SAY,
:" the waters become purer as you approach the
fountain" My last conversation with him, was
on the evening of the Thursday before he died,
Nov. 26. That morning we had a national
thanksgiving service for the American residents
who belong to our congregation, agreeably with
the proclamation of the President Of the United
States. The Queen, Ministers, aud Foreign Re-
personalities, attended. The King remarked, 81
highly approve your attempt to soften down ma
tiOnal feelings of irritation The church is
Catholic and knows no nationalities."
Speaking of my projected extension of the mis-
sion into the large Island of Hawaii, ne said, Il
want the church TO permeate my people; but We
must keep strong at the CENTRE lie then talked
over his plan of visiting England next year with
the Queen. He said, 81 want to go as u men,
Der of the Anglican church myself, and ask nv
fellow churchmen to aid me in saving my poor
people," HIS love for the book of Common
Prayer, was something beyond what | had ever
met with. He saw in its wide diffusion through
the islands the great spiritual instrument for
raising his subjects to a higher moral life. l
might name many other instances of his devotion
and zeal in the cause he had embraced. But
these may suffice.
The Sunday following his decease, the church