The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-06-06
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AOOrrtisrr.
SATURDAY. JUNE 6.
Honolulu Sixty-Five Years Ago,
IC0uuuuCd :

about four times each month. The ceremonies
lasted one day and two nights during which
time no person was permitted to pass the bounds
Of the moral.
/ did not experience the anne attention as at
other times the attendants became very remiss in
providing my dinner, and l was sometimes obliged
to 90 without it altogether.
| accompanied the king once to the moral but
not Telishing the confinement, and being unTill-
ing TO make complaints, | removed, about the
beginning of May, 20 the house Of Isaac Davis, a
Welshman, who had been about twenty years
upon the island, and remained with him till the
king gave me a grant Of land about six months
afterwards.
Mr.. Davis arrived at the Sandwich Islands as
mate Of a small American schooner. The capt
ain, a very young man, having incautiously per-
United the natives TO 90 on board, without any
restrictions, a chief Of the name OF TamahmotOo,
observing this, planned her capture. For which
purpose a number of natives, under various pre-
fences, crowded into the vessel, and upon a signal
being given, threw the whole crew, five in num-
Der, into the sea. Davis being an excellent
swimmer, laid hold Of one Of the canoes, from
which, however, he was beat off by paddles. lie
swan to another, where the natives also attempted
70 beat him of, but being a stout athletic man,
be was able to keep his hold. Having no arms,
they ~attempte to put him 70 death, by holding
him under the water, and beating him with their
paddles and also endeayored to strangle him, by
placing his neck across one of the beams of the
canoe, and tTamplIng upon him. But by this
time the rest of the crew having been destroyed,
and the schooner taken possession of, they re-
Tented, and ceased to torment him any further.
lie was carried ashore blind, and almost ~lifeless,
and it was eighteen months before he recovered
his sight. He told me, that, before this time, he
had never believed in the existence of God, and
had led n very sinful life that upon the near
prospect Of death, the idea Of bis offences filed
him with terror ard that be tried to repeat the
Lords prayer, and felt himself strengthened after
doing so.
Tamaahmaah, who was at a distant part of the
island, was extremely indignant at Tamahmotoo
when he heard of this outrage. He took the
vessel from him for the purpose of restoring her
to her owners, and showed the utmost kindness
to Davis. Nearly at the same time, another
Englishman of the name Of Young, was detained
upon the island.
These two constantly attached themselves to
Tamaahmaah and, from their knowledge Of fire.
arms, proved of essential service in the expedi-
tons in which he conquered Mowee, Morotoi,
and WahOo.
They were rewarded by being raised to the
rank Of chiefs, and received extensive grants of
land.
When Tamaahmaah removed to Wahoo, Davis
accompanied him, and he left Young as Governor
Of Owhyhee. These two he always treated with
greater confidence than any of the native chiefs.
Davis had extensive grants of land on several of
the islands. Upon Wahoo alone he had estates
on which were four or five hundred people who
cultivated the land, and paid him a rent in kind.
These were exempted from the taxes paid by the
other chiefs for their lands but Davis frequently
made the king presents of feather cloaks, and
other valuable articles.
He was married to a native woman, by whom
he had no children. BY n former wife he had
three, two of whom were left under the charge of
Mr.. Young of Owhyhee. His house was dis
tinguished from those of the natives, only by the
addition of a shed in front to keep off the sun
within, it was spread with mats, but had no
furniture, except two benches to sit upon. lie
lived very much like the natives, and had acquired
such a taste for poe, that he preferred it to any
abundance of pMSrff, E goat ) h88g&sG Gy,e Giu at al times mes
frequently beef sent by Young from Owhyhee;
and in the mornings and evenings we had tea.
His wealth consisting of mats, feathers, and
cloth, the produce of the islands, and a large
assortment of European articles, which he had
acquired by trading with the ships that touched
here these were contained In a large stOrehouse,
built Of stone, adjoining his dwelling.
My first employment was to overhaul the sails
of the kings vessels, and to repair such as were
out Of order. After working two or three months
at this, he desired me to make some canvas.
Having informed him that a loom was necessary
Inc ordered Boyd, his principal carpenter, to
make one. This, however, Boyd declined, from
an illiberal notion held by many Of the white
people, that the natives should be taught moth
ing that would render them independent of
strangers. lie told the king he did not know
~ ~ bAaLhS ACCAb AIbA "AANh l. bNI ~ /
make one myself; although, by so doing, | in
CURED the dlspleasure of many of my country
men. Davis had a native servant called Jack,
who worked as a tailor, and was a very handy
fellow. This man showed much anxiety 10 OBJ
serve how | proceeded but his master told me
by no means to allow him, as he was so quick he
would soon learn to make 4 loom himself. When
| said | had no wish to make it q secret, he re-
piled, that if the natives could weave cloth and
supply themselves, ships would have no encour-
agcment to call at the islands. Another instance
of this narrow way of thinking occurred, when a
brother of the queens whose lame / do not re-
member, but who was usually called by the white
people, John Adams, wished me TO teach him to
read, Davis would not permit me, observing,
" they Will soon know more than ourselves"
The making of the loom, from want Of assist
ance, and want of practice, proved a very tedious
job. 1 succeeded tolerably well at last and hay-
ing procured q supply of thread, spun by the
women from the fbres of the plant of which
their fishing lines are made, 1 began my opera
tions. After working a small piece, l took it to
the king as n specimen. He approved of it in
every respect except breadth, which was only
about half a yard, saying, he wished 1t made
wide enough for an awning to a ship. This was
beyond my power but l told him L could make
it a yard wide, and then sew it up into any size.
He accordingly ordered me to make a loom of
the necessary dimensions. The small piece 1
wove he kept, and showed it to every captain
that arrived as q specimen of the manufacture of
the country. 1 had nearly finished the other
loom, when the ship arrived in which 1 quilted
the island.
During the time / resided with Davis, Terre-
mytee, the kings brother died. His body lay in
state for n few days, in the moral and was after
wards buried according to custom, in a secret
manner.
The public mourning that took place on this
occasion, was of so extraordinary a nature, that,
had 1 not been an eye witness, | could not have
given credit to it.
The natives cut off their hair, and went about
completely naked. Many of them, particularly
the women, d~isfgured themselves by knocking
out their front teeth and branding their faces
with red hot stones, and the small end of Gala
bashes, which they held burning to their faces