Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-05-14
:, SANDWICH ISLANDS,
February Goth, 1878.

CluCe you WISH III, L VIII resume the style
of correspondence which formerly obtained
between us, on my part, at least, and note
doWn from time to time, such incidents,
observations and remarks, as L think may
be Of interest to you.
A sCoTCHNIAN-NATIvE LADIEs-MUsIC.
Last night 1 was invited to tea, at the
house of a Mr.. Cleghorne, one ofthe largest
merchants here. He is a Scotchman by
birth, and his wife a native, though of
high degree, as she is of the blood royal on
the mothers side, and is known as a
chiefess or chieftess, as it is indiscrimi-
nately pronounced. The natives here trace
their descent from the mother and not
from the father. She is fairly educated,
speaks English well, and is agreeable and
lady like in her manner, and both are very
hospitable. At tea, found myself seated
at the table with five native ladies, inclu-
ding Mrs. c., and waited upon by China
man. Everything was in good taste and
keeping, but was struck with the combi-
nation of races, and particularly, at seeing
Chinaman, on this far away island,
"hewer of wood and a drawer of water"
There is quite q colony of them on the
islands, mostly small shop-keepers or SER
wants, though there are a few wealthy
merchants. They pick up the native lam
guage and some English, and work away,
as in California, but always with the hope
and design of returning to China, alive or
dead.
After tea 1 was fortunate enough toNbe
able to listen to rehearsal by some of the
natives, men and women, preparatory to
concert to be given in aid of their church.
Their voices are generally good, and some
of the native airs are very pretty. The
language is well adapted to music, as it is
composed very largely of vowel sounds.
VOLCANOES.
to-day, and, with the King as passenger,
has gone to Hilo, on the island of Hawaii.
to see the celebrated volcanoes of Mamma
loa and kilowea. The island is about
eighty miles to the eastward of this one,
and is the most recently formed of the
group, the oldest being Hawaii. living to
the westward. The two craters on Hawaii
are always active, sometimes terribly so.
Just now the lava streams flow out quiet
ly, or simply bubble and boil. The last
great eruption was in 1865, l think. On
the island of Mani there is an extinct
crater, said to be the largest in the world.
AN AMERICAN CHAPLAIN.
oath. called last night on Mr.. Damon,
Chaplain of the Seamen's Bethel, who
graduated in the class of 1886 at Amherst,
He has been living here, in the same house,
for thirty years, quietly fulfilling his mis-
sion, and is spoken of very highly by the
people.
WRITING UP-NORDHOFF.
9th. As it is a dull, rainy day, with
nothing occurring or ely TO occur which
will be worth recording, 1 do not know
that 1 can do better than TO give you some
general notes in regard to these islands and
people, though Mr.. Charles Nordhof, who
came out by the last steamer to write up the
islands for the Harpers, will doubtless fur
nish, soon, a much more full and interest
irCr Won wi
first, and it may not be amiss to have the
facts established by the mouths of two or
three witnesses. We had him on board TO
lunch the other day with his family-wife
and four children. He is short and stout,
and decidedly German in his appearance,
talks fiuently, though not quite equal to
Madame in that respect.
hardly know where to begin nor how
10 abridge, there is so much that might
write, But it is not my intention to dc
more than give you the result Of limited
personal observation.
GEOLOGY.
First, the Islands themselves. They ar,
volcanic, and have been thrown up from
the bowels of the earth, through the al
most fathomless Pacific, at intervals o
centuries, probably, judging from the dis
Indignation of the lava. This island, Oahu
is one of the most newly formed, though
its craters have been extinct far beyond tn
memory of man; nor is there even tradl
ton of their having been active. Th
land is high, intersected at intervals b.
lovely valleys. 1t used to be covered wit
sandal wood and the coa-tree, now iver
rare, as the old trees have been mostly Gu
off and no new ones planted, they being {
an extremely slow growth.
CORAL REEFS - HARBORS - BUILDING
STONE.
That wonderful architect, the coral in
sect, has surrounded each island with
barrier of coral reefs, against which III
ocean ceaselessly breaks, forming a mos
formidable surf particularly on the wine
ward side. There are few good harbo
among the islands, this of Honolulu bein
the best. Were it not for wise pTovisio
of Providence there would have been mol
at all : for the little builders, in construc
ing their wall, would not have left an
gaps or openings. Fresh water is fatal
them; so, where a stream empties itsel
the insect ceases to build and a basin
formed, protected from the sea by the on
er or burrier reefs, with usually
single narrow channel through whiC
vessels can pass. The bottom of the bas
thus formed, becomes covered in time Wi
a deposite of mud, washed down by Il
stream, that makes good holding grounC
for anchors, which otherwise would DIR;
too readily and on the head coral. 1t is
most interesting study 10 me, the labors
these little insects. The countless null
tudes and incessant industry necessary
produce such success is almost incredible