The Hawaiian gazette., 1873-11-19
A lecture,

Prepared By Mr.. II. llulsten was read before
small audience Saturday evening, at the vestry
room Of the Fort Street Church, 10y Mr.. II. l.
Sheldon. The suit -ct treated was one of general
interest.-THE AGRICULTURAL PROSPERITY OF The
GRoUr-and we were sorry TO see 50 lew IN atten
dance to listen to it. After referring with pari-
otic pride to the fact that he in common with
many others felt that this was to he his home for
lie. the lecturer drew vivid picture Of our sl.
and life, and showed how dependent We formerly
were on the whaling feet for our material pros.
periiy. That dependence is simply trans.
iefed TO the sugar interest, and with the depres-
sion Of that. all shared alike Oar only relief, he
maintained, il in varied asrcu ture, not in one
branch alone. lie then examined tue causes why
our agriculture has not developed. Among these
was lack of labor, lack Of intelligent population
aud capital. the rapidly increasing periods Of
drought, aud the objectionable extrAvagance OF
the people, in importing what We can produce
here just as well. lie instanced potatoes, Of
which he said that from LOO to 2 900 bags will
be raised on Maui this year, but the cost Of get
ting them from the field to the consumer, was So
gre1t that California potatoes can he imported
from San Francisco to undersell the home pro-
duct. The sketch of drunkenness among the
natives as drawn by the lecturer from personal
observation was anything but encouraging to our
prosperity. II is no wonder, when such orgies
prevail. that deaths harvest among them should
be SO plentiful But the most interesting part of
the discourse was what pertained to increasing
drought aud sterlity On these islands, aud his
plan for checking it. Had we space we would
copy his remarks entire, as they were really in
struetive. We can only insert one paragraph. re-
ating to his memorial to the Legislature Of 1870.
which was published at the time. His words,
then uttered. were almost prophetic:
DRoUeur AND SrERILITY.-Druught is the evil
that during the last five six years has prominent.
ly appeared before our eyes, although lis gradual
progress for years is distinctly marked out to the
careful observer aud venture 10 assert that there
lare few that have been ciuser observers Of the
phenomena of drought aud rain than myself In
the Commercial AdpertiSer OF June 18th, 1870 ad
dressed memorial 10 the then assembled house of
Legislature upon the danger threatening these isl
ands from drought. At the time | submitted
To the Chairman the most liberal aud disintvresrd
proposal To restore 10 the Nuuauu river iul supply
oil within five years 10y rrplanting tie valley
aud predicted that unless something were done soon
Honolulu would be without water, except brackish
well water ia less than ten years How lar my pre-
dicliun will be verified leave to you To answer
day after only three years have elapsed out of the
given ten years. Ny proposal [ might say Of course
nnhecdcd. Had il been accepted the part OF the
valley 10 the left would have contained to-day at
least twenty Thousand nearly bearing coffee trees
aud some two hundred thousand eucalyptus would
have this day thrown their lengtheued shadows
over what would have been an unrxhaustibe rrser-
voir Of water By leaving places open for roads the
people OF Honolulu would have been in possession
of magnificent park, aud the product of the coffee
trees would have brought an annual revenue Qlos
Deus vh perdsre, priS denaentdt, should be written
upon the escutchcon of the Legislature of 1870 aud
to those rhIlauIhrupisis the people Of Honolulu
this day their thanks for what supply they
joy That the above is not an idle bnast ouly those
VINO have known me for years. will, think, readily
admit. when Judgment, knnwIedsc and experience
are Joined TO hearty will, there is such word as
fail