The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-05
A M1LL1oN-DoLLAR CLOAK.
The Red and Yellow Royal Mantle of
the Kamehameha Dynasty.

From the Washington Star
81 don't care; wouldn't wear i'll"
"But sec what it cost. You don't mean tc
saw YOU wouldn't wear cloak that cost O
million dollarsl" said the stout man, in a
sat1rical tone that indicated that the woman
he addressed was his wife.
The pair had stopped before the royal
feather cloak from the Sandwich islands
that is spread out fan-shaped in a case in
the National museum. This cloak is com,
nnted to have cost in labor 81, 000, 900. The
native name for it is MANS In the days
when a Hawaiian beau or belle wanted little
clothing. but wanted that gorgeously col
ored. this cloak or mantle would have been
considered of more value, esthetcally and
iutrinsically, than a shipload of Worth cos
tunes and its happy possessor might truly
be said to be in high feather. Since the
natives have adopted wide trousers, lawn
tennis shirts, and four-in-hand ties its value
lies chiefly in the traditions that surround
II The mantle, which is semi-circular, is
feet long or deep, and it is III feet wide
at the bottom and % inches at the top where
il goes around the neck. The entire outer
surface is made of feathers of fine texture,
giving the whole the appearance of plush
The prevailing colors are red and yellow or
orange. The body is decorated with large
yellow feather. The upper and lateral
borders are corded and decorated with
alternate tufts of red, black and yellow
feathers.
HE DIED WITH HIS CLOAK ON.
A legend on a label states that this feather
cloak formerly belonged to Kehuar kalani
ono of the highest chiefs of the Sandwich
islands. After the abolition of idolatry in
1919 that chief rebelled against the reign
ing king, and attempted to re-establish
the ancient religions. A sanguinary battle
was fought and Kehuarkalani was slain,
and this cloak, which he then had on, fell
into the hands Of the conquerors, and thus
became the property of King Kamehameha,
by whom it was presented to Capt. j. H.
Aulick, United States Navy, in 1841. The
cloak is now the property of Capt. Auick g
grandson Richmond Ogston Aulick, who
deposited it in the National museum.
The great value of the cloak is due to
the long time required to secure the feath-
ers that compose it and to manufacture the
cloak.
HOW IT WAS MADE.
The foundation is a network of olona, or
native hemp, and to it are attached by fine
thread of the same material the feathers OF
birds found only in the Hawaiian islands,
and very rare there. Recent writers have
declared that the bird is now extinct. The
feather are woven is SO as to lap each other
and lie fiat, forming q smooth, plush-like
surface. The inner surface is without lin
ing and shows the olona network and the
Quill ends of the feathers. The cord of the
upper margin argHa is is prolonged {sdtoOS so
at the throat. The yellow feathers are OBJ
tanned from the 90 or Uho, and, as
stated, are of great value, as the bird is
rare, very shy and difficult to capture, and
it has but very small tuft of these feathers
upon each shoulder The black feathers are
from the head and back of the same bird
its general plumage being glossy black.
The 90 is caught alive by means of bird
lime the yellow feathers are then plucked
and the bird released. The red feathers are
from the body and neck of the Drepants
Coccinea, the most abundant bird of the
Sandwich islands.
THE WORK OF SEVERAL GENERATIONS.
The Hawaiian Spectator, a newspaper
published in 1889, refers to this, or SINH
lar mantle, as follows: "Kawkeauli has the
Mans or feather war cloak of his father,
Ta-Meha-Meh 1t was not completed until
his reign having occupied eight preceding
ones in its fabrication. A piece of nan
keen, valued at 81 80, was formerly the
price of five of the yellow feathers. BY this
estimate the value of the cloak would equal
the European regalia, and, including
the price of the feathers, not less than a
million dollars worth of labor was expended
upon it at the present rate of computing
wages
A bunch of the yellow feathers called
hulu was received by the king from his
subjects in payment Of poll tax, and it re-
quired many years to collect the material
and manufacture one of these mantles. I'm
m
robes of state, and considered the principal
treasures of the crown; but European cloth
ing has entirely superseded them and they
are not now manufactured. A beautiful
head dress for women, called leis, was made
of these feathers.
Another authority states that two yellow
feathers only are obtained from each 90,
and these are found under the wings. When
the much-prized feathers are plucked the
bird is set at liberty. The price of the
feathers, according to this authority, was
81 so for three, and the time occupied in
making the cloak was estimated from so to
100 years.
OTHER FEATHER CLoAKS.
There are other feather cloaks like this
one in existence, and there appears to be
some confusion as to their original owner
ship. One like that in the National museum
was exhibited by Lady Brassey at the inter
national fisheries exhibition in London in
1888. 1t was, it was stated, presented by
Queen Pomare, of the Sandwich islands,
TO Capt. Thompson, for the protection ex-
tended to her against the French in 1S43.
lms cloak appeared to be newer than the
one in the museum, and hence of less value
historically. 1t was so highly priced, how
ever, that it was insured for 100000. A
writer in the New York Home Journal de-
scribed recently cloak she saw while visit
ing Honolulu, during the reign of Kane
hameha. This, from her description, was
IKE the one presented to Commodore Au-
lick, and now in the museum. She spoke of
1t as the war cloak of the Kamehamehas,
the object of nations generation, and the
only one like it ever made. This robe the
writer said, was worn by Kalakaua, when
he was crnu-rand and hl ...as the n iIlth Ling