Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-10-09
WoRTa a MILLION.


eife'' eiiS "oiilhu he addressed was
his wife.
Inc pair had stopped before the ROYAL
leather cloak from the Sandwich Isl.nds
that IL spread ont fan-shaped in n case
IN The National Museum. This cloak is
computed 10 have cost in labor 81. Oo0.-
po The native name for IL il MANS
In the days when Hawaiian bean mr.
belle wanted little clothing, but wanted
that gorgeously colored. this cloak or
mantle would have been considered Of
more yalue, sesthetically and intrin-
sicaily, than shipload OF Worth cos
tunes, and its happy possessor might
uuiy De sad 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 il. The man
tic, which is semi-circular. Is 4 feet
long Or deep, and it is II IL feet wide
at the bottom and % inches at the top
whore 1t goes around the neck. The
entire outer surface il 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 fig
ures, crescent-shaped, of either red or
yellow feathers. The upper and lat
eral borders are corded and decorated
with alternate tufts of red, black and
yellow feathers.
A legend on a label states that this
feather cloak formerly belonged
to kehuarkalani, one of the high
est chiefs of the Sandwich Islands.
After the abolition of idolatry in
1919 that chief rebelled against the
reigning king and attempted to re-estab-
lish the ancient religions. A sanguin-
AIRY battle WAS fought and Kehnarkalani
was slain, and this cloak, which
he then had on, fell into the
hands of the conquerors and
thus became the property of King
/ kemehameha. By whom it was present
ed to Captain J. II. Aulick, L. S. n.
in 1871. The cloak is now the property
of Captain Aulick' grandson, Rich
mond O,Tston Aulick, who deposited it
in the National Museum The great
! value of the cloak is due to the long
| time required 10 secure the feathers that
compose it I'D to manufacture the
cloak.
The foundation is anet-worls Of olona,
on 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,
Recen, writer's have declared that the
bird Is now extinct. The feathers are
woven in so rs To lap each other and
lie flat, forming smooth. plush-like
surface. The inner surface is without
lining aud shows the olona network
and the quill-ehds of the feathers. The
cord Of tle upper margin i prolonged
50 as to serve as "A fastening at the
throat The yellow feathers are Oh
tanned from the % or Tho, and as stat
ad are Of great value, as the bird is
rare, very Shy and difficult to capture,
and it has but very siaall tuft of these
/ feathers upon each shoulder. The
black feathers are from the head and
bark Of the same bird its general
punage being a glossy black. The 90
j. 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 Dire
pants Coccinca. the most abundant bird
Of ;he Sandwich Islands.
The Hawaiian Spectator, newspaper
published in 1899 refers to this, or 4
similar mantle, rs follows: "kaw-
keaul has the mans, or feather war
clock Of his father, Te-Meha-Meha. il
wa, not completed until his reign, hay
ing occupied eight preceding ones in its
fabrication. A piece OF nankeen,
valued at one dollar and half, was
formerly the price Of five of the yellow
feathers. By this estimate the value Of
die cloak would equal that Of the purest
diamonds in several of the European
| regalia, and. including the price of the
feathers. not less than a million dollars
worth of labor was expended upon it a
the present rate of computing wages.
A bunch of the yellow feathers called
hulu was received by the king from hi,
subjects in payment OF a poll tax, anC
it required many years TO collect the
material and manufacture one OF these
nantes. Until recent years thest
mantles were the royal robes of state
and considered the principal treasure
of the crown. but European clothing
has entirely superseded them and they
are not now manufactured. A beautl
ful head-dress for women, called lels
was made of these feathers.
Another authority states that two
: yellow feathers only are obtained from
each 90. and these are found under th'
winrs. When the much-prized feather
are nluclsed the bird is set at liberty
The price of the feathers, according Il
this authority. was one dollarand hal
for three, and the time occupied II
making the cloak was estimated IRON
fifty to one hundred years. r washington
Star.
, 4 noied Boston physician, ~hll
returning from Cincinnati recently
rested over night at Buffalo on his wa
home. Here he met son OF a dea
friend of his childhood's days In di'
I tress and lent him $50. After ne I'd
t received the benedictions OF this III
fortunate youth he discovered that n
! ,o1a wotch and his railroad ticker