The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-12-23

attention to the change in the date of the issue OF
the monthly, from the LIST, to the 18th OF each
month. The change is made il order to furnish its
readers with new matter. concerning the month in
which the number is issued.
THE CALENDAR.-Beside Christmas, which is the
greatest HOLIDAY IN the year, in every sense, we
have during the coming week three SAINTS days.
Tuesday, December 26th, st. Stephen, the first
martyr. OF st. Stephen nothing is known except
that he was chosen one of the first deacons, that he
was devout and eloquent, and that he was the first
martyr, having been stoned to death by the fanatical
Jews, some of whom, as St Paul says, thought that
by 50 doing they did God service. Being a day Of
rest our forefathers of England turned it to account
by making it a practice to bleed their horses. We'd
nesday, December 9th, ST. John, apostle, evangelist
and martyr. This, the beloved disciple, was one of
Zebedee's children, and brother to st. James the
Great. He was the youngest of the twelve, and to
his charge was committed the mother Of Jesus at the
foot of the Cross. 1t is supposed that he remained
in Judea as long as she lived and then preached in
various parts of the world. In his old age he was
sent to Rome by Domitian, and there before the gates
POrta Latina, he was put into a cauldron of boiling
oil, from which, says tradition, he not only escaped
without injury, but acquired a more juvenile APP
pearance. He had previously had a cup of poison
offered him, but before putting his lips to it, the
poison, in the form of q snake, escaped from the
cup. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where
he wrote the Book of Revelation. After Domitian's
death he returned to Ephesus. where he wrote his
Gospel. At this time a report got abroad that he
would not die, but would await the second coming of
Christ. But on reaching the age of 100 he fell
asleep. St John is also held in high esteem by the
Order of Free Masonry. as being one of its principal
patrons. Thursday, December 18th, Holy Inuocents
-Childermas Day. in commemoratiOn Of the chill
dren slain by order of the tyrant Herod. 1t has
been well observed that the Church commentaries
three kinds of martyrs, each being exempli6ed in
the three days past: l. Those who. like st. Stephen,
are martyrs both in the will and the deed this is
the highest kind Of martyrdom. 2. Those who, like
st. John, are martyrs in will, but not in deed.
8. Those who are martyrs in deed, but not in will.
as were those innocent babes cOmmemorated this day.
%NAvAL-The U. s. s. Frigate California, bearing
the broad pennant of Admiral Winslow, Of the Pacific
Squadron, arrived at this port on Friday morning,
Dec. 22d, after a long and b~oisterous passage Of "a
days from San Francisco. The following is a list Of
the officers attached to the ship:
OFFICERS OF THE FLEET.
Commander in Chief-John A. Winsow.
Fleet capfain-Paul Shirley.
Fleet Surgeon-John NJ. Brown.
Fleet PGymGster-CaspeT Schenek.
Fleet Marine oGcer-percivaI C. Pope.
Lieut.. COmnander-Henry Glass.
Ensign-E. I. Arthur.
SecretGy-C. R. wmstow.
oFFIcBRs OF THE SHIP.
cGptain-J. NJ. B. Citz
Lieut.. cOmmanders-JOhn Mcfarland. J. H. Sands, B. p.
Lamberton.
Lieutenants-E t. Strong. R. N. Cults, n. D. Peck, G. w.
Costar.
M~aster-samuel Ames.
Piunkert, c. D. Galloway, c. s. Richman, VI. NJ. Irwin.
f fssa.i zsst' sanae SssgeG" w. Ross. :. o0lOfe''''
Assistdnt Pay"gstsr-. {. Burnett
BoGtsiOain-H. E. Barnes.
Gmnner-Chas Moran.
Saiinaker-NichSlas Lynch.
Captains Cierk-T. II. CaswelL
Ffses Pasmas Gas'sc GET, (: TABOR ). Talbot.
Cferk-W. b. Turner.
The California is a fine specimen of naval archi-
lecture, and carries II guns. She is of the propeller
class, with engines of 1900 horsepower, nominal.
Through the kindness of Mr.. s.. Ames, navigating
officer, we have been furnished with the following
particulars of the weather encountered by the ship
on her passage to the islands On the morning Of
the 18th of Dec, in Lat. 22o 81 N, 151e 81 w,
the breeze freshened from the S s E, shifting to the
westward, and gradually increased to a moderate
gale-force 8. This gale lasted about six hours, and
from the indications the ship was on the eastern edge
of a cyclone, moving N N E and N E. On the 18th
it came on to blow again, but not as strong as On the
18th. The barometer fell from 29.S9 to 1915
strength Of the gale about 7, with occasional squalls
of about 10. The direction of the wind in both cases
was from the S s w, veering to the westward. On
the 10Th sighted Maui and Molokai, when the wind
blew strong, sometimes as high as 10. from s and T.,
shifting to S and w. The ship was hove to a part of
the time under close reefed main-topsail and spanker.
On the 18th a heavy swell was encountered from the
N and W, which continued until the arrival here, be-
ing but slightly interrupted by the cyclone. The
swell was probably the effects of a heavy gale to the
N and E of the ship. Both the NardganseH and
Moses Taylor were probably out Of the line OF the
two cyclones encountered by the California. but the
Moses Taylor may have been in the track of the
gale producing the heavy swell spoken of above.