The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-05-25
Our Con-tin& Fleet

lCauclulell
We Resume our sketch Of the eoastIng feet and
trade of the Islands. the first article of which we
gave last week. We had concluded q view of the
trade and the principal vessels employed therein
To- tie Windward Islands, 80 that Oahu and
Kauai alone remain to he noticed.
The latter has always been deemed the finest
island in the group, possessing the largest amount
of arabic land in proportion to its size. 1t meas
ureS in square mile. the same as Oahu-viz $50
but in the opinion of those who have some ae-
quaintancc with geology is of an older formation
than this or any of the other islands of tie group,
and from the fact that its submits, about i 900
feet above the sea level, are well wooded. its
climate is more humid than that of any other
locality, excepting, perhaps, the district Of IIilo.
Several of the best sugar plantations are situated
on Kauai, the most costly of which is that at
IIanalei, belonging to the estate of the late Il. c.
Wyllie.
The schooner Prince, of 7G tons, Capt. Hat
field, runs regularly between Honolulu and Hama
lei, and is deservedly Il favorite with the travelling
public. The MoioIo, formerly on the Nawiliwili
route, and owned by Emmcs K Mellish, has been
withdrawn for the present and dispatched to
French Frigate Shoals on n wrecking enterprise.
The Mary I'd, belonging to Foster * Co., and
commanded by a native, runs to Anahola. the
NetHe Merrill, l0j! tons, owned by f. MoltcnO
and others, and sailed by Capt. Kinney, is one of
the finest among our coasters, an excellent sea
boat and Il fast sailcr. She runs to Koloa and
Waimca. The Yete, of sc! tons, a new vessel,
built nj Kauai by Capt. White, runs to llanalei.
The communication between Kauai and the
adjacent island of Niihau is mostly by small
raised and decked wllaleboats and by canoes.
Tie latter island is divided from Kauai by a
channel of about eight miles in width, contains
80 square miles. and is the property of the Messrs.
Sinclair, who purchased it from Government
several years ago for Il sheep ranch, for which it
is we'll adapted, and is stocked with about 5000
head.
There arc four or five small craft, sloops and
schooncrs, which ply between Honolulu and the
windward harbors of Oahu, and are mostly owned
by or employed in the business of the different
plantations of Koolau and Waialua. They are
kept quite busy in carrying supplies to the plant
crs and in bringing the produce to market of that
rich and fourishing part of the island. There
are several very snug harbors in Koolau, suitable
ONLY, however, for SMALL vessels, and being on the
weather side, it is pretty generally a dead beat
for the little craft To get there. The natives who
sail them are hardy and venturesomc, and an ac-
cident seldom happens.
Indeed, the same remark will apply to our
coa>ting trade all over the group, and the fact of
this immunity from accident or disaster speaks
well for the skill and carcfulncss with which
the vessels are managed, when it is remembered
moreover that they have to encounter heavy seas,
furious winds and pcrTleXing currents.
We will conclude our sketch of the coasting
trade with the following table, containing the
names, tonnage, &C., of all the vessels employed
as coasters. emitting, however, the fractions of
tons. Besides these, there are many engaged in
foreign trade.
LIST OF INTER-IsLAND COASTERS.