The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-11-09
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
Our I~iaad correspondence
SKETCHES OF HAWAII


hind thnt extsnd- from Mtuna kcp o. the ocean,
IL through luxuriant canc-hclis, by green lawns.
snro patches. groves Of plantains anil banana-.
while here and there scattered clumIs pf man
rpe- and pride OF China, waving over neat hale
gihs. or more substantial and comfortable farm
houses IL II a SCENE Of rural beauty. with tint
ings Of the graDi and picturesque The -ca
.urgine in n thundcr-vuice against the lofty and
precipitous eIiifs. or murmuring among the rocky
eoyes anil inets the deep anil narrow gOryrs
where silvery streams murmur in waterfalls, or
leap in cnscadcs the lofty domcs Of the grnrsI
mountains bounding the vision ON the right,
down from which sweeps the vast, varicgatcd and
verdurecoverc'l plain To the sen, all combine To-
render il n landscape that will TX itself upon the
memory like n pictme Of beauty, with ever fresh
anil glowing eoIprs. In front il n deep indenta-
ton in the land. which extends and terminates in
a beautiful hay. whore crescent shores wave
the cocoa palm and the tall banana, with an air
Of tropic lovcliness and luxurianSe; among the
deep green groves the white houses glitter in the
.eclinin sun and the churches lift their spires to
heaven. Rejecting the crimson clouds over the
gnte OF the suns farewell, the quiet bay sleeps
Ike n giant rUee-leaf ON an emerald plain Two
vessels with furicd sails are lying quietly Mt an
cAor, and u peace and tranquil beauty rest upon
the scene ~ the shadows Ut twilight fall over IL
like n veil. Bat the moon comes cut under n
white eIoud, like that the stubborn Alp gnzed
upon at the siege OF COrinth, but large enough
for him 10 lose love and hope forever, as it passed
Her soft siIvery light give tints To the scene
and new outlines Of loveliness. IL lit with glory
the lovely bay, and eyes traced the long
column of light ON the rippling waters, tar out
until it, base was Iost in the deep blue sea. How
beautiful Is mother earth Ever smiling,
glad and joyous, deeked in robes Of beauty,
grand in her simplicity, ajcstic in her great zone
Of ocean, her crown Of snow-elad mountains, and
stern and mild IN her deserts, rocks and glens
Prolific in reproduction, she makes life spring
beneath the tread Of time, and renews and decks
herself with flowers, faster than his scythe can
them We derive existence and draw
sustenanee from her, sleep upon her bosom,
and after our final repose return our dust to her.
In loving earth and all that is beautiful and pure
in nature, We worship God
We threaded the streets Of Hio by moonlight, /
and enjoyed the majesty Of rcposc that seemed to
rest upon everything, except the murmuring
waves, which died in music along the shore.
Greeted with generous hospitality, were well
refreshed in n manner most apprcciabIe by way
f,rers, arose next morning, and examined the I
port of Hilo and cnvirOns-
fIILo, the second town in population and com |
mcrriaI Importance in the Hawaiian Islands, Is I
situated on n beautiful bay of the same name. on
the windward side Of Hawaii. The bay Of Hilo !
formerly eaIIed waiakea, and frequently
Byronfs bay, but the present native name, being |
to the ' manor born, - and more appropriate. has
by general consent superseded the others IL IL \
in north latitude I9= IS and I55 : O6' west I
longitude from Greenwich. The anchorage Is
good and the harbor eapaeiOus- The crescent \
shore Slopes to the waters edge, where it termin-
ates in a regular sandy beach The boat landing 4
IL excellent.
The approach 10 IIilO from the affords .
beautiful view OF the tropical and ver,kInt 4
spot in the Islands. The vegetation and trees are
grrener and more luxuriant in foliage, owing to
frequent showers, than in any other locality /
The gardens are luxuriant, the flowers in eternal i
bloom. and the plantains and bananas grow taller
than anywhere else il has been bot To- see /
them, and many groves Of them look like tall and
tangled forests. They loaded with fruit. 4
We noticed the mango, the Orargc, the tamarind
and other fruit trees, but from cause they /
did not seem productive those Of Iahaina or
Honolulu. The cabbage would wake dreams Of
sour krOut in :. der faderiandt'' ~ and csculcnts,
and other garden vegetables flourish well, and
few situations ON the islands promise more ample
returns so horticultural and agricultural industry
than the rich, sIoping plain in and around Iilo. |
The climate i regular, the earth j. blessed with /
eopou> rains and icrtilizing dcws. The hand Of
industry il not paralyzei by drOuth, and the pco-
pie escape the feuds and warfare over water for /
irrigation, which has been the sOurcc Of ~ much
trouble in the drier and lc-s favored islands Of
the group.
The population of Hilo proper Mt the last cen
sus- ~ near as ean be ascertained, was 1850 of
TINS the active business portion u composed Of /
ioreigners. The Americans are most numerous.
besnies the missionaries and their dc-ccndcnts, |
the highest officials of the city and moet Of the
sugar planters belong to the gsHEs Yankee. They
are all alike characterized by kindness, urbanity
end hospitality. There IL NO greater spirit of
hhernlity in the islands than among the Ameri-
can residents Of IIiIo. and this il exhibited with
out limitation and ON all occa-ions. May their
shadows never grow less, while their purses elon-
El'e- The American population II about 30 OF
all agrs. Equal in number % the AmcriCnns-if
not grcater-thc Chinese constitute n very inn
portant portion Of the population of IIilo. They
are generally of a superior class, mostly mcr-
chants and men Of business. active and energetic
The hrst Chinese emigrants as-imilated and mar
risd with the natives; they became part Of the
permanent population, and in the rising genera
ton, there is n large proportion of mixed blood.
descendants of IIawuiians and cclcstial-. They
are handsome, quick anil intelligent. especially
l. M gCtl
Their aptitude in speaking English and their gene
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