The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-02-09
Commercial Advertiser.
Thc MOiOkai EcpeTs Again.
MoLoxAI, kaI.e, 3I.t January. 1867.

MOLOEsI, kalIe, 3l>t January, 1867.
Nh. EDIToR Dear Sir Living in the vicin-
ity Of the lerer settlement on the Island Of
MoIokai, and having had frequent opportunities
- visit the same, | feel it my duty to correct
some statements which lately APPEARED in the
columns Of your paper. The facts which 1 am
about to state DO not merely believe, but know
them to be- true.
There are now in all rs lepers, 20 males and
and 50 females. There are also 81 persons not
lepers, Omen, women and chiIdren) who have
gone there to take care Of their friends. These
have been, to some extent, in the habit Of coming
and going.
NJ more deaths have taken place than the
oyerseer reports.
The first lepers arrived there on the 9th day Of
February 1866. and from that date till the last
shipment, I=t October, 1866. the total number
of Iepers sent there, amounts 10 l42; and Of
these - (22 males and 5 fenales) have died.
The superintendent always keeps supply Of
rnedicine on hand, which they receive when
applied for. lie has likewise sugar and tea for
the sick.
OF the original houses, which were on the
land when the lepers first arrived. there are II,
to which nothing has been done, as not requiring
it but all the rest were rethatched and lG new
ones were built by the Board of Health and
there Is no doubt that many of the lepers are far
more comfortable in the settlement than they
were in their former homes.
The physician who went among them some time
ago, stated to me that all those who sent
there as lepers had the disease with the exception
OF one little girl
When the first lepers arrived there, there were
many acres of kalp, sweet potatoes, bananas and
sugar cane, which the Board of Health had bought
from the former inhabitants, sufficient to feed
hundreds of people for more than year, if the
iepers had taken any of it but the majority
Of them wOuld not do anything, and this caused
4 scarcity but no starvation, as the place is
abundantly supplied with wild food, if they will
take the trouble to collect it. There hun
drcds of acres Of wild beans and XII root growing
around their houses. There grows also wild
kalo, ape, vans, and great quantity of arrow
root-alI this food is within easy reach without
being nrceszitltcd to climb up the mountains.
The Board Of Health has supplied them with
81 head of breeding cattle, of which they now
begin to use tine milk, they received 100 breeding
goats, poultry and riss, to get a start. They
were likewise furnished with n canoe and fish
net 10 ctlLci uSiif WIEN WHICH tC lAsNS III A4''S
weather abJunds.
The male Iepers of the settlement, if able, are
expected to work for their living, for which
purpose they supplied with tools They
have now planted considerable quantity of
kalo, potatoes and other things, but they are
supplied by the Board until their own food is
ripe: they have also been furnished with some
elothIug Of the 20 males, II unable to
work. the rest cln work without any great in
convenience.
! have made statement to DR.. lIutchisDn
that the Iepcrs were starving. bat made a state
ment the Board explaining the cause of the
scarcity already spoken Of. This was in October
In about two or three weeks after, received a
letter from DIR. Hutchinson, that Il two months
supply Of food was the way to the settlement,
at the same time requesting me 70 supply them
with beef in the mean time but could not do
50 ~ had The supply arrived one week
after, and consisted Of 10 bbls of very good SAL
mon, % bbIs Of beef, 81 boxes of bread and
900 lbs rice. The beef, which ] opened,
was not good however, | cannot say that 1t was
totally unfit to eat, a. / (and probably many
Others al-p) have seen natives eat meat great
deal wors,, than that was. L. W. MEYER.