The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-05-27

Chief. and Messrs. Vim. Hughes and J. S Lemon
for Assistants : while the Hose Company nominate
Messrs. John Mott and NJ. t. Donnell for Assist
ants. Nos. 2 and 4, are yet to nominate.
"We are content to note that business prospects
in Honolulu are improving somewhat, and that the
summer months of this year at least, are not likely
to be wretchedly dull or utterly devoid OF business
activity"
We clip the foregoing from the Gazette of this
week. Now we don't like to be considered c%roakers,
and do like to put on as jolly a face as possible under
all circumstances, but we confess our utter Inability
to see the improvement noted above in business pros
poets. There are a plenty of sellers, but no buyers
retailers count up their days receipts as SO many
g bits p instead of dollars there is not a merchant
on the street but will tell you that everything is
duller than usual even at this time of the year. Yet
our contemporary tells US that there Is some " ousl-
ness activity Well, perhaps it is in his own era
nium,-certainly no where else.
A VIGILANT PoLICEMAN.-We believe in giving
credit to our native police for vigilance, whenever
they display that quality. One evening last week, a
gentleman whose place of business is down town, IN
those regions where no one lives after shutdown, had
occasion to revisit his store after nine O'Clock. Going
in at the front door. he proceeded to light a candle,
and after accomplishing the purpose for which he
had made his nocturnal visit, opened the back door
and took a look around to see that all was right be-
fore leaving. Turning to re-enter with a feeling of
complacent satisfaction, he was suddenly aud forci-
bly, seized from behind The first thought was that
he was in the hands of a desperate burglar. and the
perspiration started and the legs weakened. while he
awaited a stern demand of I" your money or your
life" How was he relieved, when the strong arms
relaxed, and he was confronted with the genial
countenance of a native policeman. who apologetic-
ally remarked, that seeing the light at that unusual
hour, he had hoped to catch a burglar.
A NOVEL Casa queer civil action was brought
in the Police Court the other day. A native woman
was afflicted with insanity, in a mild form, and
another native woman, who it appears is one of that
class which is so numerous and whose practices are
so frequently brought to notice of late, the kahunas-
undertook to cure the insane woman of her disorder,
or in other words, to drive the devil out of her. The
process of exorcism was much as usual in such cases,
various mummeries being employed, such as charmed
stones, white fowls, black pigs, ava, drinking water
in which several persons had washed, etc.. and the
cost, paid by the husband of the possessed -
woman, had amounted up to some twenty-seven dol
lars, when an unforeseen circumstance put a sudden
stop to any further proceedings. The doctress was
arrested by the police-those meddlesome people-on
a charge of being a leper, and having on examina-
ton been pronounced one, she was sent to Molokai,
that bourne from which no leper returns. Now comes
the husband of the uncured woman, and claims from
the husband of the doctress the return of the twenty
seven dollars " had and received
OPIUM LIcENsE.-The single license to sell opium
IN unpo1,I, r,aO oTaral OF nnl1;o nof;o hv Dor+ouv
at noon on Wednesday last, and brought the sum of
$13,S70, the purchasers being the Chinese firm of
Along & Achuck. The price is unusually large
some four thousand dollors above the sum brought
last year. The attendance was large, but spectators
mostly, the bidding being confined to two parties.
1t appeared a good deal like gambling. The upset
price was $4,000, and the bids were made in pretty
radid succession, twenty-five dollars advance for two
or three hundred, then ten dollars a bid, then down
to five, then suddenly fifty dollar leaps would be
made right along for a couple of hundred, and then,
after a short pause, the excitement would come down
to tens and fves. 1t was curious to watch the ex-
element betrayed in the countenances of the numer-
Gus Chinese who stood around, while the bidders
themselves appeared quite cool. But one conclusion
can be arrived at, and that is, that the opium bust
ness must be very remunerative, to induce cautious
Chinese firm to pay nearly fourteen thousand dollars
for one years monopoly of the sale.
New STEAM ENGINE.-W We had the pleasure one
day this week of examining a beautiful new engine
recently completed at the Honolulu Iron Works for
the plantation of Mr.. Henry Cornwell, at Waikapu.
East Maui. As it stands, bright and glistening,
fresh from the hand of the maker, it is a beautiful
sight, and one that all hands at the Works are justly
proud of. Every part and parcel of the engine,
from the massive iron to the brass castings, has been
produced here, and the whole is pronounced by CON-
petent judges, to be equal in every respect to any
similar kind of work turned out in the leading work
shops of the ~world-those of Great Britain and
America. This is the third engine of the same size
which has been built at the Honolulu Iron Works,
and it is a matter of no small congratulations, and a
guarantee of permanent advance, that we have the
men and the appliances here for doing such impor-
tant work, without being compelled to send ouI
orders and our cash abroad. The following are the
dimensions and particulars of the Waikapu engine
F~orty-fve horse power, indicated diameter of cylin.
der. 124 inches length of stroke, 8 feet 4 inches
diameter of f~y-wheel, Is feet total weight of engine
and fy-wheel, 10 tons weight of fy-wheel, $500
pounds. The "Waikapu goes to Maui by the
next trip of the Ka Moi. Success to home industry
say we. -
THE CALENDAR Yesterday, the 9th, was st
Augustine's Day, the anniversary of the birth of
4 prior of a Roman monastery, who at the head o
forty monks was sent by Pope Gregory on a mission
to England, and landed in Kent in $50. To-day i
the birthday of the Venerable Bede, who was re
garded as a prodigy of learning, and was much es
teemed for his sanity life. He died 1856. 1t is re
lated that one of his monks commenced an epitaph
but was puzzled to find the proper epithet to fit il
with the words he had written
"{Iac stunt in fossa,
Bedae oSsa.n
While thinking about it he fell asleep, and when h
awoke he found that an angel had filled up the blanl
with the word " Venara6ilis.' Tomorrow, tn
18th, is Whit Sunday, and commentaries the de
scent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles immedi
ately after the Ascension. 1t derives its name from
the Saxon word Witte, or wisdom, which the Hol
Spirit impaired. Monday and Tuesday are ais