The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-05-25
In Re Captain Cooks Death.

MR.. EDITOR: Without proposing
to commit myself to newspaper con-
troversy, desire to offer a few re-
marks on q communication on "Cap-
tain Cooks Last Days." published in
the P. G. ADVERTISER of May 18th,
and to ask the favor of portion of
your valuable space, that 1 may ex-
plain the grounds on which 1 differ
from your correspondent E. Els
worth Carey, as to the character and
bearing of Cook generally, and as to
his conscious assumption of the posi-
ton of deity, more particularly.
have no remark to make on the
extracts from Prof. Alexander's "Brief
History" except to point out that the
address of the priest to Cook, which,
to the Hawaiians seemed a "long
prayer'' and is so mentioned by the
Professor; was recorded by the stran-
gers as "long grafton" or an "unin-
telligible discourse.
What really was the value in the
mind of Cook of the extraordinary re-
ception accorded to him by the Ha-
waiians, the priests in particular, can
be now Only matter of inference, and
and / believe that 1 can show that
any honest inference drawn from the
general behavior of Cook will go to
prove that whatever he may have
thought of the matter, the position of
personified deity never occurred to
him.
First, with regard to himself. In
his first interview with the King
trTereeoboo,n Cook agreed to the very
human custom of exchange of names
and insignia of chieftancy. This, Cook
had observed amongst other Pacific
islanders with whom he had been
thrown in contact, to be the strongest
expression of mutual friendship be-
tween chief and chief and savOred in
no way of the offer by one, or the ac-
ceptance by the other, of any kind of
worship.
Again, very singular circumstance
occurred on board the Resolution on
the day before the death of Captain
Cook which shows emphatically that
so far from "masquerading as a god,n
as your correspondent has it, Cook
did not hesitate to announce both his
humanity and vulnerability. To q
chief who asked him if he were a war
ItOT, 1dlu IOd INOd. uHo
could he show any wounds, Cook held
out his right hand which had a scar
upon it, dividing the thumb from the
finger the whole length of the meta
carpal bones, on which the native
showed his battle-scars, thus plainly
illustrating their common human ma
ture.
OF the crew, Prof. Alexander tells
us that the majority of the natives
looked upon them as supernatural
beings" Other thought them h0OIes
from Kahiki or other mysterious lands
to the Southn wide p. 1867, note), and
father on Up. 10, note) GA seaman
died and was buried in the heiau, with
both Christian and pagan funeral
rites.n "This," says the professor
very justly, twas enough to show the
natives that the strangers were NOR
tai like themselves Had Cook been
"masquerading as a god" would he
not have concealed from the native:
that proof of common mortality anC
buried his man at sea?
With regard to the honors paid IL
Captain Cook by the natives: A
Waimea "the moment he leapeC
ashore the natives all fell fiat upol
their faces and remained so until n
had made signs to them to rise" (Rrle
Hist, p. 1867; and Qhid, p. 10S), 9Th
people retired or Frustrated them
selves at his approach" Now, how
did they meet their own chiefs? (p
26-7) ''The highest chiefs were style
ALI kdpu, or sacred chiefs, and al
most divine honors were paid to them
n When they appeared abroad all tn
~ common people Frustrated themselve
with their faces on the ground" s
Death was the penalty for til
slightest breach of etiquett,
"For example, it was death for a con
mon man to remain standing at th
mention of the kings name in son,
or when the kings food, drinkir