The Hawaiian gazette., 1891-11-10
BRITISH CLUB.

Forty years ago w. Cooper, James
T. Chapman, T. H. Cooper, J. K.
Dallison, H. Fosbrooke, w. l.
Green, C. Gordon Hopkins, Thomas
Harding, R. c. Janion, Robt. Moffitt,
Stephen Spencer, and VIM. Webster
organized the British Club. Of these
twelve original members one only
(Mr. Spencer) survives, the others
are all deceased. Some of them
have left a name in the humble re-
cords of Hawaii, but most of them are
clean forgotten here, their names only
being known to the old residents,
whose memories go back into the
forties or fifties. The Hon A. S.
Cleghorn Joined the club in 1855, and
he is the single survivor from that
early period.
If the founders of the Association
have passed away, their deeds live
after them, and the club lives and
fiourishes. 1t has grown steadily in
numbers and wealth until now. 1t
has moved into spacious and hand
some quarters, which were taken pos
session of last week.
Tho first building occupied by the
British Club was the small house on
Alakea street formerly occupied by
the Brickwood family. About 1864
the premises on Union lane were ac-
quired, to which was added, in 1878,
the property on Alakea street on
which B. F. BoWles used to live. After
this acquisition was made the new
building was used as mess-roOm and
the old one as billiard and reading
room, etc. At last, in the year of our
Lord 1891, the old buildings were de-
moIished and the present fine struc-
ture erected.
On the 18th of March, 1879, char
ter was issued to the club, bearing the
signature of Saml. G. Wilder, the then
Minister of the Interior, and the
society became corporation, with a
capital stock of 100 shares of the par
value of $50 each and the privilege of
increasing the capitalization to the
amount of $4,000. Part of this in
creased issue has now been made and
the proceeds applied to the payments
on the new building and furniture.
The club now has a membership of
70. Its name is merely reminis-
cence of its PASTOR it is no longer
British but cosmopolitan. The names
of Germans, Englishmen, Americans
and persons of other rationale
ties still, are found on its rolls. The
dues of non-shareholding members
are 81 monthly, of shareholders So
only, each class being of course enti-
tied to all the privileges of the club.
The new club building is now fin
ished and in use, though work on
the fence and sidewalk is still in pro-
gress. The contractor was E. B.
Thomas and it was built from de-
signs by ]. A. Palmer. 1t is entered
through broad hallway with large
main rooms besides kitchen and pam
try, lavatories and bath rooms. Each
member has the use of a locker, of
which there are Sc. All parts of the
building are lighted by electricity, 81
lamps furnishing all that is required.
The usual telephones and call bell
for one of the hack companies are
among the numerous conveniences.
To the right of the lower hall is the
billiard room with two tables and a
blank space soon to be filled by
third. On the other side is the "his-
torical room.'' adorned with pictures
of George Washington, Wellington,
Palmerston, Nelson, and others, be-
sides Hawaiian kings and queens. In
this room members sit and smoke
chat and read.
Upstairs are the handsomely fur
nished parIor, the large dining room
and two smaller rooms connected by
folding doors, which serve for private
dinners and other purposes. Doors
from the parlor open out upon the
deep upper veranda, so feet long by u
wide, which is breezy and inviting.
The parlor is 24x40 feet and opens, by
large doors, into the dining room,
which is still larger-24X46 feet. The
two rooms offer together a splendid
floor for dance, and the visitor on
seeing them instinctively exclaims,
"When is the British Club going to
entertain its fair friends by doing
honor to the dancing AIuse?n No
petticoats wanted here" was the dis