Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-25
AN HOUR WITH HIS MAJESTY.


 record than he has during his reign; though he has salary of only s$2O, ,000 year.
 When met King Kalakaua in this city he was a handsome man of 40, rotund and we'll proportioned, nearly 6 feet in height, and perhaps 200 pounds in weight, standing erect and stately, with mien at once gentle and dignifed. His complexion is 8 dark mahog- any, but clear and soft; his hair black and silky, and he wore side whiskers, moustache, and Ia mouche, with only the chin shaven; his eyes are lambent; his noise is a sort of Hebraic, but broader in the wings than that type; he has face of amiability; his head is massive, but narrower in the region above the eyes than in the part below that line. His figure, as a whole, was commanding, as he stood in full evening dress, with white kids and patent leather shoes, and with rose in buttonhole of his coat. He is man of graceful and courtly manners, always entirely self possessed.
 It was near midnight, after he had en- joyed the opera of "Lohengrin" at the Acad- emy of Music, that I was presented to him in the Lotos Club, the members of which the formal presentations were all over-and they did not last tlong-Kalakaua was invited to small back room up stairs, to see what cheer and to meet few of his admirers. On the table was lobster salad and dish of sandwiches, with an array of bottles out of which corks soon flew as if they couldn't help it. His Majesty at once took chair, g sandwich, and a glass of champagne. l found myself sitting beside him, and @ re- while his glass was being reflled, and he spoke more freely. He finished his sand- wien, lighted his cigar, looked at the efer- vescence in his glass, and laughed at hu- morous scene. We conversed. I had heard of his sound sense and culture, but was surprised by the independence of his mind, by the iberality of his expressions, by his sonal traits that he displayed. He had come from his own little kingdom to this vast and
 queer city, and he heartily relished it's gay ety and gravity. He liked the "Black Crook" the opera, and the Hippodreme. and he also liked the services in the grand churches. He liked to gc around the clubs, to look at machinery, to figure at big bau- quet, to take dash in @ sleigh, to see fire engines and militia in the streets, to get a drink of lager beer from the nearest saloon, and to have good time generally. Such things were novelties to him, and he had a fresh, natural taste for them, without a bit of flummery In his mind, and without show
 swashbuokler kings of the world. He was
 as ready to talk of questions of ethnology and linquistics as to tell of his reception of Henri Rochefort, the French revolutionist,
 who had recently arrived in Honolulu as a | fugitive from the penal colony of New Gale l donis. In speaking of the dwindl1ng Ha- waiian race, to which he belongs, the king l made some observations about it's origin and ethnology not destitute of interest to stu- dents in this line of knowledge. He disliked 1 the notion that hfs race had any relation to the Mongolians of China or Japan, and sus- tained the idea, not new one, that it was an offshoot from the Aztec race of Mexico. He held that some navigator or adventurers of that ancient and wonderful race had l struck out, or had been driven, or had drif- ted away from the American coast and had l established in the insular group known in modern times as the Sandwich Islands that ethnic branch which is now rapidly disap- pearing The king argued we'll in favor of this hypothesis, and certainly one of the ar- guments in it's favor might have been the l farcial appearance of the small group of Ha. l waiians, including Kslakaua himself, who l were before me as he spoke. The Hawaiian race is larger framed than the Mexican Az | tees, but perhaps this may be accounted for against the Azteo- Hawaiian hypothesis may be found in the differences between the arts and the languages of the Mexican Aztecs and ! the Hawaiians. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the Aztecs were far advanced in l many of the arts, in the use of metals, in architecture, and 30 forth, as we'll as in the art of government. But there was no such
 state of things in the islands of the Hawaiian group at the time of their discovery last cen- tury. But did not go far, under the cir- cumstances, in discussing these abstruse questions with King Kalakaua.
 After Kalakaua had given his ethnologieal and other views, I questioned him about l that curious incident, his recep ton of the l French Communist, Rochefort, and he
 spoke of it freely and proudly. When Rochefort reached Honolulu he sent his
 salutation to the king, who replied through an aide-de-csmp and invited him to the pal ace. The French Consul protested, but the king ind icated his rights in the premises,
 and the meeting took place. They conversed l in French. Rochefort wished to speak of 1 his escape from bsnishment, but the king, with fine diplomatic tact, begged to be ex'
 cused from hearing anything on the subject. l Rochefort would speak of French politics
 but the king again begged to be eIcused. They therefore spoke of Hawaiian affairs and
 sundry features of Hawaiian life until the dently enjoyed the affair, and referred to il 1 with satisfaction and gayety.
 Other matters were spoken of, but enough has been here reported to show the disposi. tion of the king, who is now carrying or
 special negotiations with the American Gov.
 ernment. He enjoyed the spectacle of New | York and laughed at the caricatures of him.
 self in the picture papers, and was amused
 with many of his experiences here.
 It was long after midnight when Kalakaui
 left the little second-story back room of thu
 club; but he said that he had enjoyed the
 freedom and nonchalance of the hour, as h.
 threw his cloak around him and stepped down stairs to the hack that took him to hi hotel,