The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-12-18
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER Is.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.

4 COuCuT Win tnc SG-ttAt I" az
labors Of Capt. Daniel Smith, of the Harbor Masters
Office, in preparing the table of islands and reefs,
published by us some two years since. 1t adds
I" that Admiral Turner remarked, that he had OBJ
tanned from Capt. Smith, fuller information, and
more correct data, respecting navigation among the
groups of islands west Of US, than from any other
source q praise which we believe, may fairly be
given to Capt. Smith" Others besides Admiral
Turner have spoken in terms of praise of Capt.
Smiths labors among them the officers of the
photographic Bureau at Washington, and of the
Admiralty in London. And more recently Mr..
Schaefer, Italian Consul at this port, received a let
ter from DR.. Petermann of Germany, to whom he
had sent the above data, stating that he had made
the corrections in a new chart of the Pacific Ocean,
which he was preparing to issue, for which Capt.
Smiths table arrived very OPPORTUNITY. MIR. Schaefer
has received by q recent mail a copy of DR.. Peter
mann's small chart of this ocean with the corrections
inserted ; but a larger one is in preparation, and
doubtless issued by this time. 1t is extremely diff
cult for the photographic Bureaux of the various
European Governments to obtain authentic data re-
lating 10 the doubtful islands and reefs III Oceanica.
except through the local papers published here, and
we have frequently received, incidentally, acknOwl-
edgments from abroad, Of the value Of the informa-
ton published, and requesting special attention
given to this department of news, which We have
always aimed to do. -
A HINT TO FIsHERMAS.-Shoal of fish are con-
stantly swimming among the reefs about these islands,
and are taken frequently in large numbers. At other
times it appears difficult to obtain them, and the
market is bare. A new mode Of fishing is carried on
now in San Francisco Bay, which has proved quite
successful and may serve as a hint to our natives and
others. 1t is to explode cartridges of the giant
powder among the shoals Of fishes, as described
below
.The Fishermen take a cartridge Of giant powder weighing
eriy capped, about six inches in length, then lighting the fuse
the cartridge b. thrown into any deep hole supposed TO contain
the water smoke and bubbles =. gas n seen to rise 10 The sur
report. The surface Of the water is seen To bulge up and
can be fei, &c shake for aaesn or twenty fee, back from
happen To be within n circle Of twenty-five or thirty feet OF the
outright or so badly stunned that IL is some minutes before
they recover. Our informant says that with two cartridges he
and clubs. In places after n blast the whole surface Of the
water would be covered with minnows, from an inch TO three
or Iour inches In length"
4 The giant powder. which is sold by Messrs. Castle
& Cooke, agents, is probably the most effective explo-
sive material used, and is said to be perfectly safe to
handle. II will not explode except when fire is applied
through the Tu=e. If q cartridge is thrown into a
FIRE, il will not explode, but merely burn like a can
die In this respect it is a singular material. But
its explosive powers are vastly greater than those of
gunpowder. especially when used in submarine blast
ing. An immense rock, which had INSTRUCTED one Of
the public roads ON East Maui, and to remove which
repeated trials with gunpowder had been made with
out success, was blown completely into atoms on the
trial by q small cartridge of giant powder.
A PLEASANT REUNIos.-The Ladies Benevolent So
ciety of the Fort Street Church held a social gather
ing ON Tuesday evening last, on the occasion of the
opening of their newly-ftted lecture and social rooms,
which occupy the entire basement of the Church.
The work has been been done by Mr.. Torbert, in n
manner which appears to have given entire satisfac-
lion. The rooms were well filled with members of the
congregation and others, who after an hour or more
spent in conversation and discussing the handy-work
Of the young ladies, as exhibited on the tables, in
articles Of clothing, Sc, were invited to a repast.
The receipts of the evening, amounting to about
more than meet the object for which the festival
Was specially given. The Society has been in existence
some fifteen years, and during that time the ladies
raised in one way and another nearly $1,000,
which has been expended in various objects of benev-
,lence, but chiefly in the education of Hawaiian fe-
-
SHREwD PRAcTIcE.-Recently, owing to considera-
bic shipments Of kerosene oil to California, the price
II that article in this city took a sudden rise. 1t
eing apparent that no new supplies were likely to
here for some time, some parties proceeded to
,uy up all that could be had, and then the conse-
,uence was that the price went still higher. Another
,arty, with a shrewd eye to business, wrote to a cor
on Maui, with orders to purchase all the
kerosene to be had in the various stores on that
sland. which was done, and ut n figure considerably
than that at which the article was held in Ho-
lolulu. An amusing part of the story is that the
ring - controlling the market here, find that the
iaui operator bought up all the stock OF kerosene in
olrn stores On that Island for 20 cents while
hey are holding it here at 81 40.
MAKAwAo FEMALE SENISARY.-In another column
rill be observed q call for bids for the erection of
he new Female Seminary, to replace that destroyed
y fire q few months ago, plans and specifications of
Thich may be seen ut the Office of the Treasurer,
,harles r. Bishop, Esq, in this city. The Secretary
equests us to state that the trustees being ready to
the construction of the building, hope
the moneys which have been so literally sub
cribed, will be promptly paid to the Treasurer, and
hat shy fresh contributions will be acceptable.
MODERN IsvESTIoS.--To give an idea of the i'm [
ovements made in life-saving apparatus, we copy
statement from q London paper, which says that,
uring the recent cruise of an English man-ofwar,
lille she was going at full speed, q man was lost
Two men jumped after him, the patent )
fe boats were lowered, the steamer stopped, all y
n.ee men picked up. the boats hoisted, and the ship
as under full speed in nineteen minutes from the
me Of the accident. .
The JAPANESE ENBAssADoRs.-We find the follow 1
g additional item referring to the arrival of the
japanese officials in San Francisco: {
By the steamer Japan, which reached here yesterday, there c
Wooyeno, Prince Of kanto, with a suite Of i've Japan (
C. He 10 . special commissioner, sent by the Emperor Of =
70 enquire into the condition Of the japanese iaborers '
the sugar plantations ut the Sandwich Islands, and 10 ac- ,
edited 10 King Kamehameha for that purpose. q
- The Fifteenth amendment to the National
has been adopted by twenty Legisla- q
Ires (says the Republican, Of Springfield, Mass..) b
I'd the Republicans now control six more States, a
bile Texas and Mississippi are required to adopt it o