The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-11-05
The Decorations

Under the direction of the Reception Com
mittee the route by which His Majesty would
pass from the wharf to the Palace was decorated
by means of arches, standards, strings of flags,
festoons of greenery, etc. The Committee had
also been assisted in this part of their work in
an important manner by private contributions,
Mr.. George Lucas having erected an arch oppo-
site his factory, our Chinese fellow citizens one
of a very elaborate character at the junction of
Fort aud King Streets and the members of the
Civil Service another between Richard Street
and the Palace g,tte.
At the wharf a flight of landing steps had been
constructed and covered with red cloth. The
shed on the wharf had been selected as the place
for the delivery of addresses to the King and
was t~astefully decorated with palms, ferns and
wreaths of other evergreens. The shed was en-
closed by a railing, except n passage across its
centre. Here a carpeted dnis, raised about
eighteen inches from the ground misplaced. A
ceiling of flags intermingled with wreaths of
evergreens had been constructed, with the Royal
Standard in the centre over the dais. Over the
entrance to the shed on the seaward side was the
motto "E hoi f ka LAM 0 Hawaii no ka OF -
(Return, o King Hawaii Is the best.) Inside
the shed on the mauka side were on one hand
the words Welcome Home " and on the other
Aloha kalakaua. At the landing was placed
on either hand an old Hawaiian symbol of royal
authority the PulOulOu-a cross about four feet
high, surmounted by an orb. Throughout the
whole length of the route standards had been
erected on both sides of the street, bearing ban
ners of the Venetian pattern, and strings of flags
were hung across the street from standard to
standard TIL poles were enwreathed with fern,
lycopodium, &c. 1t need hardly be said that
the gfeenery with which they were covered or
enwreathed formed by far the most beautiful
feature of all the decorations. On Saturday
there was something lacking in this respect,
because 1t was impossible to complete the work
in this particular after the unexpected signal
announced the near approach of the steamer.
The Custom House was decorated with strings
of flags and banners. Across the principal lines
of the facade were the words " HOI mai (COme
home y Welcome Kalakaua." From the wharf to
the premises of Mr.. George Lucas nine pairs of
standards and strings of flags were to be found.
Between each of these on either hand was placed
the puloulOu. Each pulOulOu was wreathed in
green, and bore on either arm of its cross-bar a
torch. The first arch on the route was that
erected by Mr.. George Lucas. This was an
elliptic arch with u battlement above, extending
between turreted piers. The arch bore the motto
on either side "Ka Hiwa Hiwa Aloha, '-(The
best beloved)-and below the notices were
placed portraits of the King. The whole struc-
ture was p~rofusely and tastefully decorated
with greenery, amidst which were to be seen
numbers of loyal notices, such as Long
live the King" Welcome Home to our
King, I'VE are all the Kings Own, - &c.
This arch was in q more thorough state of COM
pletion on Saturday than the others, which
lacked in whole or part those wreaths and finish
ing touches of greenery, without which they had
necessarily a bare and paltry appearance. From
the Lucas arch to the crossing of Merchant-Street
there were eight more pairs of standards with
their banners and strings Of flags. The banners
throughout the route were remnants in two
colors-or rather half in color and half of white.
The flags strung across the streets, and used as
decorations on the arches, &c, were exclusively
Hawaiian of various sizes. At Merchant-stree
an arch surmounted by a battlement had been
erected. This was unfinished on Saturday, and
was then rather Il blot upon than an addition to
the decorations but on Monday, when clothed
in palm branches, wreaths Of ferns, and other
evergreens, it presented a really beautiful APP
pearance. Between this and King-street We're
more strings of flags, and half way a scroll was
ton