The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-09
sonesnins Asous tho sandwich

n
The death Of King Eamehameha has at
tracted public attention to tho Sandwich
Islands, and the interest In that g paradise toT
an iDdolcnt man" IS Mark Twain calls 1t, Is
heightened by the annexation talk. Mars
spent some months In these islands, IN the
Icentre Of the Pacific ocean. two thousand
miles from nycontinent, six years ago, and
! has written to the New York Tribune a
characteristic letter about his experiences
which has some interesting data mixed with
its humorous sallies. It is like his late book,
for which be apologies that 1t contains con-
siderable information. Ia spite of all he could
do to the contrary. OF the Sandwich Island
climate he says 1t is simply delicious, never
cold at the sea-level, and never really too
! warm, for you arc at the halfway house
| that Is, twenty degrees above the equator.
But then you may order your own eli
| mate, for tins reason the eight inhabited
| Islands arc merely mountains that lift them
selves out Of the sea--a group OF bells, II
you please, with some (but not very much)
"hare" ut their bases. Well, you take a
thermometer, and mark on II where you
want the mercury to stand permanently for
ever with not more than twelve degrees va
riation) winter and summer. If eighty-two
in the shade Is your figure with the priyi-
lege Of going dcwn ori.p FIVE or six degrees
at long intervals), you build your aease
down on the "fare 1.-THE sloping or level
ground by the scashore--and you have the
deadcSt surest thing in the world on that
temperature. And such is the climate of
Honolulu, the capital of the kingdom.
The natives Of the island only number
about $4,000, and the whites about 5000,
chiefly Americans. According to Captain
Cook, the natives numbered 100000 less
than q hundred years ago. But, says Twain,
the traders brought labor and fancy dis
eascs-in other words, long, deliberate, IN
fallibe destruction. No doubt in fifty years
q kanaka will be curiosity in his own land.
They are the simplest, the kindest-bearted,
the most unselfsh creatures that bear the
image Of their Maker. Any native who has
an income Of $50 year can vote. The S,OO0
whites in the island handle all the money
and carry on all the commerce and a2rlcul-
ture, and superintend the religion. Ameri-
cans are largely in the majority. These
whites are sugar-planters, merchants, whale
ship officers, and missionaries. The mission
aries, says Twain, are sorry the most OF The
other whites are there, and these latter are
sorry the missionaries don't migrate. The
most of the belt Of sloping land that borders
the sea and rises toward the bases OF the
mountains is rich and fertile. There arc only
100000 acres Of this productive soil. but
only think Of its capabilities! In Louisiana,
100000 acres of sugar land would only yield
5000 tons of sugar per annum. and proba-
bly, not SO much; but In the Sandwich
Islands you could yet at least 400, 600 tons.
Now if any one desires to know why the
planters would probably like to be under our
tlag, tue answer is simple. We make them
pay, as duty, four cents pound on refined
sugars ut present; brokerage, treights, and
handling 1.-TWO or three times), costs three
cents more; rearing the cane and making
the sugar Is an item Of five cents more-to-
| tai, y cents a pound, or within cent of 1t.
ANYHOW. And to-day refined sugar is only
| worth about 123 cents (who]csae) in our mar
| kets. ProGt-nune worth mentioning. But If
| we were to annex the islands and do away
| with that crushing duty Of four cents
| pound, some of those heavy planters who
can hardly keep their beads above water
now, would clear s75,U00 year and upward.
Mark, in conclusion, wants to know why
newspaper correspondents go calmly ignore
the true heir TO the Sandwich Islands throne,
us if he had no existence and no chances;
"our stauncb American sympathizer, Prince
| William Luna!iIo, descendant Of eleven gene
ations of sceptercd sayages-a splendid
fellow, with talent. genius, education, gentle.
manly manners, generous instincts, and M
| intellect that shines rs radiantly through
| floods of whiskey as if that fluid fed cal
ciunl light in bis head. Ii Is these floods OF
| whi,kcy, no doubt, that arc spelling the
chances of prince Bill" although he does
stand next TO the throne"