The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-10-28


But on such delicate subjects 1t behooves us 70
speak by the card. or 81 mendacity," Will unoo US.
Well. it's a matter Of taste merely. AS the clown
of the farmyard told Sheridan, when he shot the
famous poultry" they be amt minel" III uglr
ness be preferred to grace; 1 may pity ana pas Gn,
the spartan edict which forbids luxuries 70 'hS
city. The Gazette must perforce admire the cres11
tons of its patrons. 1T is the curse OF service,
and az mendacity" may have been IN the bargain.
Let such summer flies " make hay whilst the sun
shines +" for the golden bowl may yet be broken.
On the l4th, Il think Mauna Kea was capped
with evanescent snow. and the weather has been
charming ever since. / cannot conceive a more
perfect luxury than an early morning walk about
Hilo in fine weather. II is well worth q trip from
your dusty capital to take a few.
Start half an hour before sunrise aud try 1t. On
one hand is the unrivalled bay with Its wealth or
color spread over the quiet water just rippled and
rufied by the cool land breeze, and deepening It's
pure tints with the advancing sunrise, whist ntue
wavelets of silver dust fall unsteady along the
beach, and fishing canoes dart out from mystical
hooks and corners until as IL were without visible
process a picturesque group of them is formed like
magic inside the reef, where they glide curiously
about, and you may distinguish long lines and
curves of floats from the bait-nets gently undulating
with the softly breathing swell, and the atmosphere
is so voluptuously delicious that one may easily
for the moment forget the cares and v%exations 1.-THE
coming day and yield body and soul to q perfect
bath of languor and content.
Or turns your steps l%andward, across the Wal
luku bridge, unless arrested thereupon, by the
scene which meets your uplifted glance towards
the bills. For there is Mauna Kea in all his glory:
1t is worth a walk from the antipodes to look at tbisl
You are breathing heavenly ether to begin with.
The mountain is dark and silent, solemn and ma
jestic. But a rosy glow is stealing across the sky,
and you instinctively feel that a celestial artist Is
going to paint q picture. Presently his golden
finger touches the highest peak, and then like the
FIRST life love in youth the heavenly influence grows
and spreads and radiates downwards and all around
until the entire rugged submits are bathed In
golden vapor pure and warm as q virgins dream.
Richest violet and royal people are mantling the
mountain's bust with heavier folds, falling towards
the forest and over the lower hills, whilst for a few
moments all below rests in shades OF blacklist
night. But hazy lights are rising on the wood
land and tresses have fallen from the Imperial
crown in wild dishevil, lights and shadows and
all most lovely tintings are chasing each other in
fantastic play. Day has unconsciously arisen TO
greet you, and you have had your moneys worth.
After all, Hilo has its merits, and by contrast
they are all very precious.
But we have not finished our morning walk.
Paper and patience may both fail, but / ' would fain
take you up to Capt. Spe3cer's Sugar Plantation,
drop the shop to-day and stroll TO the top of the
hill just beyond. Facing round you shall see the
far receding plains of Puma steaming in silvery
mist, and the dim outlines Of the sand hills thirty
miles away. A perfect Claude perspective. And
along the rugged coast and jutting promontories
innumerable you see-the " silver fringe Of the
Poet. glistening and shining snowy white-the
surf breaking along the rocks. Right before you
outspreads the bay of bays, the Bay of Byron. with
its exquisite curve-nearer, the pretty little sleepy
city " bosomed loo in tnfted trees " and palms or
Paradise, and last, the Plantation buildings here
in the immediate foreground. 1t only wants firing
up. so as to give us the column of thick smoke
from the tall chimney against the Frightening sky
to make the picture perfect. Alb! that L were a
"Ever changing, ever new,
When will the landscape tire the view"
You may call this a Jews letter as an excuse for
using it. 1t as news rather, to speak in Hilo's
praise.
Capt. West doesn't wal. for anything or anybody,
and his foresail is set and anchor tripped, SO good
bye. Yours.
The following document was drawn up and signed
by all the masters of the wrecked whaleships before
abandoning them:
POINT BELcHER, ARCTIC OCEAN,
September II, 1871.
Know all men by these presents. that we, the un-
d~ersigned, masters of whaleships. now lying at Point
Belcher, after holding n meeting concerning our
dreadful situation, have all come to the conclusion
that our ships cannot be got out this year, and there
being no harbor that we can get our vessels into, and
not having provisions enough to feed our crews TO
exceed three months, and being in a barren country
where there is neither food or fuel to be obtained, we
feel ourselves under the painful necessity Of abandon
ing our vessels, and trying to work our way south
with our boats, and if possible to get on board Of
ships that are south of the ice. We think it would
not be prudent to leave a single soul to look after our
vessels, as the first westerly gale will crowd the ice
ashore, and either crush the ships or drive them high
upon the beach. Three of the feet have already been
CrusuOu, IN W ~ lying noFe Vub WuCh naNo
been crushed by the ice, and are leaking badly. We
have now five wrecked crews distributed among us.
We have barely room to swing at anchor between the
pack of ice and the beach, and are lying in three
fathoms of water. Should we be cast upon the beach
it would be at least eleven months before we could
look for assistance, and in all probability nine out Of
ten would die of starvation or scurvy before the OPEN
ing of spring. Therefore, we have arrived at these
conclusions-after the return of our expedition un-
der command of Capt. u. r. Frazer of the Florida,
he having with whaleboats worked to the southwark
as far as Blossom Shoals, and found that the ice
pressed ashore the entire distance from our position
to the Shoals, leaving in several places only sufficient
depth Of water for our boats to pass through, and
this liable at any moment to be frozen over during
TWEEN y-four hours, which would cut of our retreat
even by the boats, as Capt. Frazer had TO work
through a considerable quantity Of young ice during
his expedition, which cut up his boats badly.