Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1886-01-11
A Plea for the Caroline Islands.

The Pacific Ocean has almost special
literature Of its own. Pigafetta, whose ac-
count of the eventfu voyage Of Magellan and
his comrades ''(the first that ever burst into
that peaceful sea)" has just been reprinted by
Professor Arber. Down to Lady Brassey and
Mark Twain, we have had succession OF
voyagers and writers, whose works offer us,
even in the most everyday incidents, singu-
lar attraction. This vast ocean-world, with
its innumerable islands, growing in tropical
splendor, and peopled by natives of peculiarly
engaging traits, presents field OF observation
and adventure such as can nowhere else be
found And we are as yet only at the begin
ming AS the western coast of our continent
grows in population and importance-as Aus
tralia and New Zealand develop into great
places in the first rank of civilized nations
the Pacific Ocean will be more and more a
theater of life and interest. Thousands Of
keels will traverse it in every direction. In
the commerce and politics of the globe it will
be, in the near future, what the Mediterranean
|
lantic is in our day. We need not wonder
that all the maritime nations are striving for a
foothod in it or on its borders
A new interest has lately been awakened in
attracted comparatively little attention Dur
| ing the recent international furry between
Germany and Spain, so much has been written
concerning Micronesia-the.- region Of small
islands, . as the geographers have appropriately
styled it--that we are all pretty we'll informed
about it. We know that nearly a hundred
little clusters, comprising altogether nearly
five hundred islets, are scattered confusedly,
like the points of terrestrial galaxy, along a
wide space Of the western Pacific, just north
Of the equator; that these many clusters are
grouped into five or six larger divisions, the
chief of which is known as the Caroline Is
Micronesian range and that though the
islands have been visited and surveyed by the
ships of many nations-Sp Spanish, French, Rus
sian, English and Amercan--their people
dependence of all foreign control. But what
Is not so well known is the very remark able
character of this people.
There is nothing Of the savage either in
their mental traits, their appearance, or their
mode of life. As to their moral qualities, the
consent of opinion among their visitors is
complete. SIN character" writes one Of these,
who has had good opportunities Of observation,
''the Micronesans--at least those of them who
belong 10 the lighter-colored tribes--wi com
pare advantageously with any other people,
whether civilized or savage. Their most
pleasing, and at the same time their most
striking trait, is certain natural kindness
and goodness Of heart, to which all their vis-
tors, of every country and character, bear the
same testimony. Wilson at the Pelew Islands,
Kotnebue at Radack, Duperrey and D'UNille
at Ualan, Lutke and Martens at all the
western islands, OConnell and every
other visitor at Ponape, Paulding at
the Mulgrave Group, and Wilkes
at Maxim, have had occasion to remark the
S"CSthCSo VI tStnpSi anu the dDSenCe OF any
harsh and violent feelings, which characterize
the inhabitants. The strong and decided tes-
tmony Of so many witnesses can leave no
doubt that the natives Of the Caroline Islands
are, for the most part, kind, amiable and
tgentle race" Their aspect and phrenology
answer to this description Of their character.
They have regular and handsome features,
Of the Japanese cast, with frank,
manly, and conhding expression. "That which
characlerizes them" we are told, sis
the great elevation Of the forehead, and indeed
of the whole head, as compared with its
breadth This was general in those whom
we saw, and is apparent in nearly all the
portraits Of natives which have been given by
different voyagers.
They build DWELLING of two stories, some
times Of great size. Their council-houses fre-
quently exceed hundred feet in length, by