The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-08-15
From the New ZssLzss Cotoeas.. Ianaafy isfhl
Of the Sandwich ISL
anders.


From the fact Of the probable unity OF race OF
the aboriginal peoples Of New Zealand and Of the
Sandwich Islands, the ool1nists of New Zealand
who arc interested in tie condition Of the native
race, viii also feel somewhat Of interest IN what
concerns the inhabitant- Of the Sandwich Islands.
Here, in New Zealand, whether by a want Of
properly devised schemes for training the Maori
TO habits Of sel-g YyeTurnent, or from inability Of
the people % understand what seii-gOyernuent
means (proJably the htter), all attempts to give
political power - thu Maori have been failures /.
and, doabtIess, another failure will shortly be- ex-
hibited, when the tUur Maori chiefs who are to
be elested By the natives u represent them In the
House OF Representative take their places IN the
Assembly. A. n rule the natives of New ZEALAND
have exhibited a greater aptitude 10 adopt the
vices Of civilized EGp'peans. than 70 initiate their
virtues OF the sD-called Christianity of the
Maori, little can be -aid IN praise. vt the best
il Is n very thin film that scarcely covers the in
nate animalisn OF the Maori character. The
educational Efforts ON tLeir behalf cannot be
termed successful SOme natives can read tie
Maori Scriptures. but tile number - small a. com
pared with the extent Of the native population !;
and We believe we are right in saying that with
few exceptions, the Christianity and " %oiyiliza-
ton " of the Maori, where either exist at al,
are, Mt the best. but skin deep.
The natives of tho Sandwich Islands own, II Is
believed, a common origin with the natives OF
New ZEALAND. IL il a singular fact that tie ira
ditiOn Of the New Zealander points to the Sand
witch Islands as the locality whence they came /,
while the educated Sandwich Islanders declare
that they enme originally from New Zealand.
The language also bears marks Of common origin.
The words .. Waimea and &" Wai-iti have
the same Specification IN both languages and
. no. which in Maori u V ka-hOre,' Is acre,
in Hawaiian. And there are many more words
which one well acquainted with either language
would ut once recognize in the other. The phys
icnl appearance and the features of the two peO-
pies present a marked similarity. the Sandwich
Islander being the more handsome and intelli-
gent. and. "a respect the females, entirely eclIps-
ing their New Zealand sisters in personal charms,
4 circumstance which may arise from the fact
that in Hawaii tire women are not made beasts of
burden, as a majOrity of them are in New Tea
land, where they become old before their time.
IL were f~ruitless To attempt to account for the
disparity Of intellectual progress among the ma
tives Of New Zealand and those OF the Hawaiian
Islands. Probably the long continuance Of war
with the colOni-ts may have had some influence
in retariing the progress OF the New ZcaLander;
and no doubt the lower position and slayi-h work
OF the women may have tended To- the same re-
suit. Whatever the cause, We lind in the Sand
witch Islands the people governing themselves I'M
der n constitutional monarchy, adopting the arts
and accomplishments Of European civilization,
while in New Zealand the abOrgIncs have shown
little aptitude for such improvement; and as for
self-goyernmcnt or constitutions they do not I'M
derstand either.
From some published documents, and a volume
Of the Constitution and law OF the Kingdom of
Hawaii, We are enabled 10 note the rapid advance
ment which the people Of those Islands have made
within little more than twenty years The CON-
stitutiOu Of the Islands - n limited monarchy with
representative institutions and responsible Minis
tiers and their laws are greatly simpliied by r-l-
SON Of n system OF eodihcatiOn, there being q Pc
nal Code enacted In 1850; and n Civil Code,
which came into operation in 1889, and cJmpre-
hends n body Of laws which reflect credit ON tie
legislative ability Of the commissioners appointed
to draw up that code. The code relates To- tie
Executive powers % Ministers, the management
Of public lands, trade and commerce, the euasting
trulEc, licenses OF various trades. harbors, chan
nels, bcacOns, buOy-, rivers, wharf-, fisheries,
gaOls, agriculture and manufactures, with u view
to the advancement OF these pursuits,l police,
public health, patents, foreign Affairs, finance,
taxes, customs, education, roads, elections, the
domestic relations, and many other subjects from
most of which numerous useful hints might be
derived by people and places sf more pretension
than the Sandwich Islands
The Legislature i composed Of n Lower House,
Of thirty-thrvc elected members. Of
whom about tlIree-lOurths are native gentlemen,
the others being Europeans or Americans and
an Upper House. called tire House OF Mobiles, who
sit either by right Of their ancestral positions as
chiefs, or are elevated thereto by patent OF the
King. There are law courts, with able judges,
Europeans in the Supreme Court.
There Is trial by jury IN both evil and criminal
cases, with n mixed jury Of kanakas and English
when the cause i between parties of the two
races. In their courts there are native lawyers
speak English and Hawaiian with equal flu
eney, and who exhibit an a~euteness and forensic
ability far in excess of anything that could be
Of the best specimens OF the pure Maori
of New Zealand; and not seldom they puzzle and
get the better of European bred pleaders.
As regards education, the people Of the Sand
witch Islands have made great progress. In every
district throughout the islands, there are common
schools supported By n school tax, and in which
the native and English languages are taught by
law, together with the other ordinary branches of
There i n wcli-endOwed English col
lego at Punahou, with u staff Of professors from
Europe and at this institution most of the Eng
lish boys are taught, and subjected to strict half
yearly examinations. 1t has occurred several
times that boys, both natives and the sons OF Eu-
ropean parents, have gone To England from this
College. and have gained honors ut English Uni
This is the brighter side of the condi-
ton Of the Sandwich Islands, and Of the advance
ment OF the natives
Ii Is true there IL n darker side to the picture,
and that i the decrease OF the people. The dimi-
mutton Of the population j. going on NJ n ratio
much greater than even that Of the abOrigines Of
New Zealand but the population Is still large,
and, though of late years u has been le-sscning
whether from the seeming inevitable law that
the aboriginc reeedes before the pure white man,
or from whatever eausc), still, certain IL II that
the race which in the Sandwich Islands claims
close kindred with the New Zealand natives, has
exhibited n capacity for n far higher civilization,
than that Of which the abOrigincs of New Zealand
have shown, OF are ever likely To show, themselves
capable.