The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-03-03
THE ROYAL COMMISSION.
CFaox oun rEorA coaaEsrozDssr)
MAuukoxA, HAWAII. February 2lst. 1877

EMAHuKoSA, HAWAII, February Dist, 1871
Having recently arrived at the capital Of the Ha-
waiian Kingiom-by the bark Mary Bale RoeeTs'
from San Francisco, to whose owner Captain Roberts
snd commander Captain Gray, l am endebted for
much ciVility and kindness-I learned that His HA-
waiian Majesty had, not long previously, appointed
. Royal Commission, consisting Of their E~1cellep-
cies the Minister Of Foreign Affairs (HOn. Mr.. Car
ter) aud the Minister of Finance (Hon. Mr.. kspe-
nay. together with q long resident aud wealthy
Planter Captain Makee), under the provisions OF
An Act to d~evelope the resources Of the King
DOM aud that in accordance with the duty thus
imposed upon them, these gentlemen we're about to
set out on q tour Of enquiry throughout the Islands
OF the Hawaiian Archipelago. 1t Immediately Oc-
CURED to me that this would be an excellent Oppor-
,unity for me to see and describe these islands-so
highly interesting and yet SO little known to Euro
peans-and accordingly 1 Ventured to suggest to His
Excellency the Minister Of Finance, TO whom / had
the honor and pleasure of being introduced by my
friend Captain Gray on board the Mary Belle
Roberts the day after our arrival at HonOlulu-the
desirability and utility Of the Royal Commissioners
being accompanied by q Press Correspondent. His
Excellency very courteously listened to my sugges-
tons, and promised to consider the matter accord
ing to my request. On the following day, 1 had q
conversation on the same subject with the Proprietor
and Editor of the PACIFIC COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER,
and that gentlemen subsequently, waited upon Mr..
Kapena, when 1t was settled that l should accom-
pany the Royal Commission as the special correspon-
dent of the journal in question. AS, however, two
of the Royal Commissioners had been invited by Her
Britanic Majesty's Consul General, Major Wode-
house, and commander Long r N. to proceed to
Hawaii on board the British War Steamer Fdntoms
calling en- route for Mr.. Makee off the Island
Of Maui, and thence going on to Mahukona, where
the Royal Commissioners proposed to land-it was
decided that l should join the Royal Commits
sioners after arriving at that landing-place on
the Island of Hawaii. Accordingly, l set out
from Honolulu on the afternoon Of February 10th,
at s p. m, by the Hawaiian Steamer RiLaueG.
10 q stranger the aspect Of the crowd assembled
on the wharf at Honolulu to witness the departure
of the steamer seems singular and even picturesque,
the gay and brilliant colours of the graceful, loosely
flowing dresses of the remarkably pleasing, pretty
and good-humoured Hawaiian ladies, and the bright
chsplets Of partieolored flowers, worn by them as
necklaces, producing q most agreeable and striking
effect, and recalling the innocent simplicity of So
ciety in its primitive condition. The view of the
city and its envirous, with the line Of hills in the
background, broken by the remarkable cleft in the
rear of the city, which offers . passage through q
wild, romantic, often precipitous defle to the oppo-
site shore of the Island of Oahu whereon stands the
Capital Of the Hawaiian KiDgdom-appears hides
cribably beautiful under q canopy of azure clouds
tinted with purple and gold. from the deck of the
steamer in the fading light of a tropical sunset. The
travellers on board the steamer h1LQueG presented o
motley group, wherein were distinguishable some
pretty Hawaiian girls, and one or two very portly Ha-
waiians of the sterner sex, conspicuous for the huge
wreaths of green leaves worn about their necks and
round their hats. One remarkably fine, gentleman
Unlocking man, who wore such a wreath of enor-
nous proportions, was pointed out to me as His Ex-
cellency the Governor of the Island of Maui. He
left the. steamer with his Suite next morning at
the first ianding-place on that Island. Some of the
passengers were going to witness the eruption of a
new submarine volcano off the Island of Hawaii,
about which 1 shall have occasion to write farther on
In the course of the day the KiIaueG called in at
the ports of Lahaina, Maalaea, and MAIZENA, on the
Island of Maui, and towards sunset of FEBRUARY 2lst
arrived at Mahukona. on 1.-THE Island of Hawaii,
where I quilted the RilGueG, after a very pleasant
trip of twenty-four hours, much pleased with my
fellow passengers, and highly satisfied with the serv-
ice and cuisine of the steamer which was unexcep-
tionable. l found that some of the stewards were
natives of Guam, and 80 had occasion to exercise
my knowledge of Spanish-they were very good fel-
lows and very attentive to passengers. Thus ends the
account of my trip to Mahukona, where l first land
ed on the historic Isle which Yves the death-place OF
Captain Cook.
P. S.-As the writer contemplates the possibility
of the republication of these letters in Europe and
elsewhere, the readers here, will not, he trusts, take
exception to occasional passages of a geographical,
historical and miscellaneous character more especial
ly intended for non-residents in the Hawaiian Ar
c~hipelsgo.