The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-03-30
a New Book.

bi-IlAF ana CULTIVATION OF his peculiar -IAlr 81
humor. In this he ezcels all Of hrs predecessor,
or contemporaries, for the reason that while hi.
wit is quite a. keen as their, his habits rs a
newspaper reporter have given him a faculty Of
observation Of the details OF everything that Le
sees. and which be describes in hi= own iuiuitably
quaint style, without descending to yuIgarity,
but occasionally rising to passages Of real elo-
quence, in hs descriptions Of natural scenery,
and always finding an OTportuHc place at which
the keen pgint Of satire can be brought IN. His
art Il 10 appearing to be artlcss and no little OF
the great charm found in bis writings Is the
hOmely uHIreteutiousues7 Of his style. His first
considerable book was the . Iunocents Abroad -
containing an account Of the trip Of a PARTY Of
excuT>IOnIsts from New York 70 the Holy Land
through Europe and back, which was received
with marked favor by the public, and went
through several editions, making at once a repu-
tatIon for the author. The book however has
been 50 extremely popular, that a demand has
been apparent for something more from bis pen,
and now we have a new work by Mark Twain
" RDuGhing It,"-beIng as the author states in
his preface '' merely a personal narrative, and
not a prctentiOus history OF a philosophical dis
sertatiOn." Ii contains the story Of a Journey
overland to California some ten or twelve yearS
ago, mining life and adventures, and a trip To-
the Hawaiian Islands, where Mark spent several
months Of - Happy Incidence, - as he declares,
though We happen to know that he made a pretty
diligent use Of bis pen while here. The book
(f which we have seen the advance sheets) APP
pears to be full Of the Characteristic humor Of
the writer, but at the same time it il a valuable
record Of facts and statistics. To quote from the
preface "Yes, take it all around, there is
quite a good deal Of information in the book. l
regret this very much but really it could not
be helped appears to stew out of
me naturally, like the precious ottar Of roses
out Of the otter. Sometime it has seemed to me
that / would give worlds if | could retain nv
facts but it cannot be. The more | calk up the
and the tighter | get, the more | leak
wisdom. Therefore, | can only claim indulgence
at the hands Of the reader, not Justification
Some hundred pages or so are devoted to a de-
of what lie saw in the course Of : : half
years luxurious vagrancy at the islands, - dur
ing which time Hawaii and Maui were travelled
over and are pretty well described. As a speci-
men of Marks ability to describe some of our
scenery, We will here give his sketches of lao
Valley, near Waikiki, Maui, and sunrise on
Haleakala. y picnicing excursion was made up
to visit lao Valley
The trail lay along the edge of a brawlipo
stream in the bottom OF the gorge-a shady route.
Tor 1t was we'll rooted with the verdant domes of
forest trees. Through openings in the foliage we
glimpSed picturesque scenery that revealed cease
changes and new charms with every step of
our progress. Perpendicular walls from one to
ihrec thousand feet high guarded the way. and
were sumptuonsly plumed with varied foliage. in
pl4rps and IN nlaFps surufhaJ II, ravfrr g,rI.
PASSING shredS OF cloud trailed their shadows
lcross these shining fronts, nothing them with
JlOts bIllOwy masses Oi white yapor hid the
UTTeted SUBMITS. and far above the vapur SwelIed
background Of cleaning green crags and cones
hat came and went. through the yelling mists. like
stands drifting in a fog sometimes the. cloudv
,urtain descended till half the canon wall was
hidden. then shredded gradually away till only
glimpses OF the ferny front appeared through
then swept aIOit and left it gloIiiied in the sun
gain. Now aud then, as our position changed.
"cky bastions swung out from the wall. a mimic
uin at castellatrd ramparts aud crumbling towers
.lothed with mOSscS and hung with garlands of
wuying vines. and as we moved on they swung
again and hid themselves once more in the
Jliagc. Presently - vrrdure-clad needle of stone.
thousand feet high. stepped ont from behind a
"rner. and mounted guard over the mysteries Of
he valley
Thus eloquently and truthful'y is the scene
described on the great mountain of Maui
The crater OF Nesuvius. as l have before re-
marked. Is "A modest pit about a thousand feet deep
nd three thousand in circumference that OF
.ilaura Is somewhat deeper. and ten miles in cir
UmtercuCe. But what are either of them con-
jared to the vacant stomach OF IIaleakalas will
Ot offer any figures Of my own. but give official
nPS-thOSe Of Commander Wilkes. L. :. y. who
urveyed it and teStitcs that il is freHty-SeUeu mites
u circumference! Ii it had "a level bottom it
'OHld make Il fine site for "A city like London. 1t
have Afforded Il spectacle worth contemplating
, tie old days when It's furnaces gave full rein to
heir anger.
Sc Presently vagrant white clouds came drifting
long. high over the sea and the valley then they
in couples and groups then in imposing
gradually Joining their forces, they
dukcd themselves SolIdly together. a thousand
set under us. and totally shut ont L,Dd and oceoa-
ct a vrStige OF 1~,Ly1,itJ was lett in view but Just
little of the rIm of the crater, cIrcling away
'om the pinnacle whereon we sat lfur a ghostlv
recession OF wanderers from the filmy hosts with
mt had driitcd through "a chasm in the crater wall
nd 6lGd round and round. and gathered and sunk
le brim with hrcCy iuT). THuS banked. motion
eaSed, and silence reIgucd. Clear To the horizon.
'ague on league. the snowy floor stretched with
mt a break-not level. but IN rounded folds. with
cUraSes between. and with here and there
lately piles of vapnry architecture lifting them
elves aioit oHt Of the common plain some near
{ hand. some in tie middle distances. and others
Chewing the mDn"tony of the remote solitudcs.
here was little conversation. for the impressive
GENE overawed speech. ielt like the Last Man.
cglected of the Judgment, and left pinuacled in
Iid-hraven. a forgotten relic of a Vanished world.
" While the hush yet brooded. the messengers If
DE- coming resurrection appeared in the East. y
warmth sUtfuSed the horizon, and soon
De- sun emerged and looked ont over the cloud
-aste. hiugiug bars OF rUddy light across it. stain
e lis folds and hIlluw-caps with bushes. purplinG
be- shaded trUughs between. and clarifying the
iassy vapor palaces and cuthedralS with a waste
al Splendor of all b]lendings and combinations of
ch colOring.
&c 1t was the >UbIimest spectacle ! ever witnessed.
nd l think the memory Of it will remain with me
- RoughIng 1t is published by subscription
My, Mr.. T. G. Thrum of this city being the
gent for these islands.
To the present date one hundred and nine thou
and coolies have been introduced into Cuba, alta
ost of S37 900 600, or, 81 800 600 annually.
'ur diplomatic and consular representatives IN
.hina beng unsuccessful in their effort to prevent
re trade, have laid the matter before our gov