The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-09-09
Letters from Hawaii-NO. 8.
IRON OUR conREsroNDENT.1
KEAAu. 4 p. NJ, Aug. 2lst. 1871

KEAAU, 4 r. M, Aug. 2lst. 1871.
l sent Off my last epistle by the odd Feaolo, IN
sach a hurry, as to omit all mention OF MI
Thompson's sermsA- on yesterday, and VIII only
stop to add, that twas characterized by his usual
clearness and force of style and imagery. lie
placed before MS the more elegant sins" oil TINS
world. and presented them in contrast with those
Of a low, vile nature. While commencing tue
mora" man for his morality, be condemned the
hypocrisy that caused him to presume to holiness
And he reminded his hearers Of the necessity OF
regeneration, and complete abnegation oil sell 10
ensure entrance into the Kingdom OF Heaven
The informal discourse Of the evening, followed
by prayer by different members Of the church, to-
gether with singing, struck me as being q vast i'm
provement upon the two sermons a day" plan
The church itself is a perfect jewel: TO borrow
theS~ords Of another. I" Hawaii is belted around
with a band of churches, and the foreign church
at Hilo is a jewel in the buckle" He might have
added that their present pastor is the " tongue"
of the - buckle"
Loading our 'hoki" with stores for the entire
trip, we sent him on ahead, aud followed in about
two hours. The road for the first six miles is n
mere track over the low marshy ground. made hrm
by paving, and lined on either hand with a dense
growth of lauhala, now and then diversified by
clumps of Gne ohias. rising sixty, seventy, eighty
feet high, and almost invariably clothed with i, a
parasitic vine. that adds much to the picturesque
ness of the scene. The first cocoanut tree we met,
was at n point on the road some six miles from
Hilo, and from this place to Keaau the road is
good, wide enough for a cart. The school-house
here is a small matched building, a good deal out
of repair, and destitute Of furniture. The build
ing is used as a church, and is probably large
enough for the population, numbering about nity.
The hamlet consists of eight 10 ten huts, one or
two of which are very good specimens of native
work.
Near us is the pen belonging to obed Spencer's
cattle ranch-a saltwater pond Of some extent, o
few cocoanut trees and kalo patches. Looking
out to sea. we have a fine view of an iron bound
coast, which, from Leleiwi Point on our left TO
Hoppe on the right. a distance across of say ten
miles, does not afford a single harbor, nor stream
from inland. Where we are now, are several
boats drawn up on the black sand, showing that
the semi-amphibious native can and does get
through the surf to ssh. Our boy has prepared
the chickens that we have ordered for supper, and
Wdhine. the pedagogue, (t whose house we take
up our q~uarters) has the table ready for us.
Tuesday morning finds us early on the road,
III " lOuI mlleS IL phSScs OVER LII lulIncuhc
lava plain, sparsely dotted with the puhala. Fur
Their on we leave this, and enter upon a more billy
country, with a fair depth of soil, in which are
growing cocoanUts, breadfruit, guavas, &c. Around
the school-house at Makuu, FIVE miles from Keaau,
are a few huts, some upland kalo, and a broad
billy plain clothed with the customary rank grass.
on which our horses feed while the school-master
examines the scholars gathered together here. The
.oLooI l1nga fo m oho1a Iottn. H.. a.. -. Il
Keaau, Boosting of a bench, and comparatively
tight roof. The people gather here on the Sab
bath, forming a congregation Of about fifty alto
gether. The scholars, numbering twenty, (half
girls) look very bright and clean their singing,
both at Keaau and here, is quite good.
Looking out of the door which faces the sea, we
notice a very neat looking house standing on the
cliff, and in the yard in front a pretty plot Of
flowers, evidences OF the inherent taste Of the ma
tives for bright and pretty objects. The examina-
ton of the school being finished, we pushed on
over a narrow but well defined road, OF the same
character as the one just traversed, and in a short
time reached and passed over the famous dd Of ma
p1t a PeLe. The most striking natural object here,
aside from the rocky waves and pillows of this
mighty lava stream, is the two lofty peaks Of sand
that rear themselves midway in the torrent, far
above the level OF the waves. Their appearance
is very singular, and as all our predecessors have
failed to account for their presence, we will not
advance any theory. Knowing as we do, that
none that we could set up would diminish the
wonder, or set at rest the speculatioDs of those
who may visit this spot after us. Noticed an old
heidu, or native temple or two, and upon coming
across a flock OF goats, your correspondent was
struck dumb by a reference on the part Of the
school-mastert 10 the I" be-goat-istical y appearance
of one old Billy. perched on a projecting ledge
near at hand. Could not but admire the 6ne road
built across the broad flow, while on either hand
stretched away a vast waste of black lava tossed
into a thousand fantastic shapes, gaping with cruel
jagged chasms, curled and twisted into every con-
ceivable form of crest and wave, rent, shattered.
smashed. laid. twisted, torn, upheaved, vitrined,
wrenched, writhed, yawning, Engaged, and any
thing else you've a mind TO, while we gaily can
tered along over the smooth road. as the Israelites
of old passed through the sea, whose tunnel-torn
waves stood upbeaved on either hand. Leaving
this behind, we soon reached our next resting
place--the school-house at Halepuaa. While I
write and the "schoOl-master puts the young
ones over the A Il of learning, our horses are rest
ing beneath the first kOu trees that we have seer
So far. This, the most valuable Of cabinetwooo
trees, grows here finely. and we understand tina
further on we may expect TO see large groves OF
the same. The influences that have caused thif
tree to die out on Oahu. do not seem 10 be at work
here the trees are very thrifty and loaded with
blossoms and fruit.
We have fairly entered upon the Paradise Of the
cocoanut. Sending a small boy 10 ." frog" Il up
one of the tallest, taking with him the end Of a
ball of Irvine. we find, by accurate measurement,
this specimen 10 be one hundred and ten feet in
heighth, and we are told Of much loftier ones.
I1OWcFtT, we OIL iuJeUu bO lake huybulDR upon
hearsAy on this trip, excepting "legends,D and
may be not those, If they have anything of the
"Aztec" mixed up with them.
The school-house here is a very neat clap
boarded and matched building, prettily situated
amidst cOcOannts, breadiruit and kou trees. 1t
umbe some twenty-five scholars, who, as far as
scholarship goes, will not compare iayorably with
the others that we have met. The next place OF in
terest that we arrived at was the cave and warm
springs near the church Of Puula. Stopping a
moment at the . parsonage" 1--WE found the minis
ter busted in giving his church a coat of paint that
it needed very much,) and procuring a lamp and
guide, we traversed the rough pavement OF lava
that overlies all this land, and halted in front Of a
b0le in the ground some four feet square. Sur
mounting the entrance TO the cave 0oT this was I'D
was a symmetrical pile OF stones, beaped mp by
some idle native in days gone by. Stripping OFT
most n our clothes, your correspondent and the
guide crept n and disappeared from the gaze OF
the outward world. The sides and roof Of the
assure, (for Il amo0nts TO nothing mOre) did not
ADMIT 81 our assuming an upright position until
We reached fhs level Of ne water, where. diveGt-
inv .veranlvpQ Of the f.EaHee az mr. clCfhpa pye