The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-06-15

Kidnapped ~ a Peruvian vessel. amt the disease
once introduced. without any medical treatment
reduced the POPULATION to about three hundred
>aid Mr.. Coan. in hi- address
- Il WIS mouruful. IS we strollel up tlis beautiful
and rich vale, 10 mark the silence anil de~"latou
that resigned there After leaving the little cluster
u LIf> Rear the shore. not a living soul wa> zen,
not = voice Il man was heard, through ali the central
and upper Portions Of the valley. The trees were
Lurl-uel with breplfTIii. cocoauuts. cuIvl, pIIIil.
but there were up hani~ 10 pluck the wantou growth
JHteHtHIci houses were IN "a state 81 rIpli decay and
solitude ami silence reizuei ia the old heiIu, and
dancing grounds. where midnight fire. once burned
where lark forms moved IN the gloom where hU-
man sacrifices were offered 10 demons where the
L--iviau- lance and the Wild orgies 81 e.nnIhal- once
male -hc deep groves re-.und where the dead beat
81 tire hula drum was heard the lvelong night. and
where the eraEgy ruckS, the heetling cliffs and the
lofty hills. echoed u the shouts and the midnight
hOwliu-~ II the blt--lthirSty -4yag,>. These howl
ing have ceased, these baleful fires are eXt!nguishei,
thee dancers sleep IN death, and these fierce Wa
riors are silent in dust. Their bloolly trophies aD
longer echo with their internal howlings. But ia {,
the deep darkness which stilI covers these hills and
hroois ia these valleys. When, Oh, when VIII it
pass away
ON tie Goth If April the Morning S,ar left
Uarou. and set sail for Nuuhiva. only twenty
two miles distant. Here she entered the bay OF
Taiuhae, or Port Anna Marie. the principal har-
bDr Of the island. which Mr.. Coan described a.
g a noble bay and safe harbor,' about two miles
deep and one mile wide. bcll-shapcl-narrow at
the entrance. and expanding inward. The en-
trance i about half Il mile broad. with two lofty
heailands. one on each side, and the harbor. thus
land-locked. has a good depth Of water.
In this hay of Taiohae. the American frigatc.
the Esser. Commodore Porter. recruited in 1913.
during the la-t war between England and the
United States. and thence went forth /, prey upon
and ultimately destroy the South Sea whaic-fish-
cry of Great Britain. Here. too. Herman Mel
vile, the gifted rOmanccr. with his friend Toby.
a~b-condrd from a whalc-hip and went into the
hills. and thence by a devious and toilSone route
made their way to the valley of the Taipis-Cy-
Zee. vide Nclyille)-from which, with all it, Iar-
adaisical beauty anil its bcwitching human en-
cIanunent=. lac was too glad. eventually. To- escape.
Mr.. Cuan. and his party. saw the valley that Mel
vile threaded. the ridge he Lestrodc. the cane
brake through which he struggled. the Jungle
where he concealed himself. and the tremendously
towering ridge over which he passed. The lee
turcr said that Melville must have lost his track
and his reckoning ut the same time, because ~
zee otherwise TaiP) is only four hours walk
from Taiphae. the bay where he landed. If we
remember rightly, Mclvillc's story says that he
and his friend Toby ran away from Il whaleShip,
and it j. reasonable to say that under such cir
cuIn>tanccs, Il sailor would not pause to be sure
and accurate about tle distance he travelled. His
object was c~onccalment.
The valleys Of Nuuliiwa, which the yoyagers
saw, blooming with tropical luxuriancc, were
once full Of inhabitants. and echoing with wild
and savage rcvclry. Those valleys are now nearly
depopulatci, and Il sleepy silence broods over
them. An arrangement has been made by Stew
art * Co.. of Tahiti. with the French Protcctorate
Government. whereby the former agree to COM
mcncc coffee and cotton plantations on the islands.
The soil and climate of the islands appear u be
peculiarly adapted to the growth of cotton. and
the MorHing Star was offered a full freight of this
staple. which, however, was declined.
The Island of Nuuhiya was taken possession of
by the French. in the times when Colonies and
Protectorates Were the French :. passion" At
Taiohac. Nuuhiya, a magazine, barracks and an
arsenal were built Il jetry constructed, To faeili-
tate landing from ships. Moreover, a military
road, sweeping in a graceful curvature md the
head Of the bay, is described aS shaded by Two
rows of large hibiscus trees. Bridges have been
thrown across the streams, but they are fast going
10 decay. Ornamental and fruit trees have been
planted in abundance, and appear to flourish re-
~markably well in that prolific soil and c~ongcnial
climate. As an instance of the success of French
colonization in the Pacific, it may be mentioned
that the entire garrison that holds Nuuhiva for
Napoleon Ill, consists of two gens d'drT"es.
Owing To want of space we are Obliged to break
off our report here.