The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-01-08
Kalakaua's History.

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The Salt Lake Tribune has the fol-
lowing SIN the year 1921 the whale
ship Independence, from New Bedford,
Mass, foundered in the Pacific ocean,
and all on board persisted with the ex-
ception of four sailors, who made their
escape in a boat, which, after tossing
many days on the boundless deep, at
last reached the Sandwich islands, then
in a state of mi-barbarism, that being
about the time of the first appearance
of Christian missionaries there. One of
these seamen was a fne-IoOking, stall
wart young man from BaTnstable, and
in the strange land upon which he was
cast up from the waste of waters at
once engaged in such pursuits as a Vi
vacious disposition and true Yankee
genius discovered, both for employment
and livelihood. He soon succeeded, and
In year or two after making his invOl-
untary settlement among the Kanakas
had the extraordinary fortune of mar
rying the daughter and sole princess of
the monarch then on the throne of the
islands. This royal damsel had fallen
in love with the wrecked mariner, pro-
posed wedlOck in right qUeenly style,
which the young New Highlander &C
cepted for the reason that the king or
dered him TO do so or have his head
chopped off. Being son-in-law and re-
cognized as a member of the dynasty,
our hero adapted himself TO the dignity
of prince consort, and from this re-
markable union issued the present
king of the Sandwich islands, the only
surviving son of the Massachusetts, man
out OF large family. The name Kala-
kaua denotes the origin of the soVer-
eign, and, translated, means safe jour
ney or God speed, referring to the
escape of his immediate ancestor from
the peril of the waves, as related above.
DEPRESSING from the general narrative
here, we viii mention that the father of
our august visitor, notwithstanding his
illustrious alliance, had never forgotten
his home In the distant republic, but
day after day and month after month
looked out from the portico of his palace
for the friendly canvas and flag of his
native land, but five and twenty years
of weary watching were endured before
the keel of an American ship glide5 into
the island harbors. When this did take
place the Yankee prince, yearning for
the scenes and associations of youth,
one night deserted, rank, wife and chill
dren, jumped into the sea which a
quarter Of century before had cast him
up naked, to become the progenitor of
a kiDgly line, and sailed away for the
shores of Narragansett. After a long
voyage Barnstable was again visited, but
all had changed. Leaving there in sunny
youth, the traveller now found that the
few remaining acquaintance of the past
had died, departed to other places or
had grown gray and forgetful of the
times when all were boys at school to-
gether. Il was a mistaken return for
the heart could not give up its love for
the wife and children of more than
score of years in the far. off islands of
the Pacific. The lOngings of the wan
derer and his loneliness were intoIera-
bic. He then once more looked for the
speedy bark to carry him back to his
only home, and waited three years be-
fore an opportunity came. Then he
sailed away forever. In 1847 the whaler
Thomas Jefferson, from New London,
o., was fishing in the Pacific. Meeting
a school of leviathans, the crew pre-
pared for action, and among the parties
sent out from the ship to operate against
the monsters of the deep the prince was
one of the first to volunteer In the haz-
ardoUs duty. As has often happened,
the boat of the harpooners was demol-
ished by a wounded and Infatuated
whale, several of the men, including
the father Of Kalakaua, perishing in the
disaster. That was the end of our herO's
romantic career. The balance of this
interesting story may be stated briefly.
When the New Highlander fed from the
Sandwich islands his spouse mourned
for customary period, but grief did
not cause her to neglect the grave re-
sponsibilities of widowhood. She gave
her children the best education the
island afforded, and David being the
faYorite, though not the eldest son, was
sent to San Francisco to study politics
and finances. His mother also directed
him to visit the home of his father and
kindred, but the young man, for some
reason satisfactory to himself, did not
then 90 to Barnstable. He will do so
now, however. Thus we have an easy
solution of the friendship of this mon
arch for our country and institutions.
For this interesting narrative we are in
debted to a cousin of his majesty, re-
siding in this city, Major -, we'll
known in mining circles, who, with the
exception of being a few years older, is
said to resemble the king in a remarka-
bic degree. Their fathers were brothers.