The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-16
BOOK OF AN ANCIENT MARINER.
He Describes the Hawai- Islands IN
the Century's First Decade.
From the Eet1 York Sun.

humble Scotch sailor. who had lost both his
feet In the frozen wilds Of Alaska, told 10 a
/ friend a round unvarnished tale Of his ad-
/ ventures aud observations during voyage
around the world. The editor of his story
had the rare good sense 10 leave il unsdorned
and simple when be published It. The little
| book A Voyage Around the World by
| Alexander Campbell" never bad a wide
circulation and is long out Of print IL IS
far more interesting, however, than many
/ more prstenu.us works, and Is especially
| valuable because it gives an account OF
/ residence in the Ha Iaiian Islands from
] February 1909, until March. 1910.
! When it is rememb ered that the Hawaiian
/ Islands we're only made known definitely to
| Europeans in MS when Capt. Cook touched
| there, returning the year after to meet a
violent death, IL will be seen how interest
/ ing would be the minute observations Of
| Hawaiian customs, manners and laws be-
\ fore the European and Asistic influences
/ had tainted the simplicity OF such civil "a
/ tion as the uuaided natives had been able to
attain, Campbell, speaking the truth with
| out any prejudice, gives most delightful
/ picture Of life on these islands IN those days,
and, strange TO say, the picture is marred
! by few durk spots, the bloody crimes be-
| ing the results Of degrading superstition and
Of savage instincts.
When Campbell was there Temaak maan
was the absolute m march. This king, as
| youth of 20, had been present ct the killing
of Capt. Cook. he had succeeded TO the
throne after several bloody revolutions,
and he was ruling with peace and pros
perity as the reward Of his hrmness and
gentleness. Strangers" says Campbell,
"ffud themselves as safe in his dominions as
in those Of any civilized nation. he IS
stout, well-made man. and the expression
| of his countensuce IL agreeable. he pOs
Ir Of hal "a
art of attracting others to himself. AL
| though a coaquerOr, he is extremely popular
among his subjects. He Sometimes dressed
| himself IN European fashion, but more fire.
| quently contented himself with the marc or
breech clout. Il Is said that at one time he
| was addicted to ardent spirits. bus that,
| finding the evil consequences OF the prRc-
tice, be had reso wed to abandon 1t"
During Campbells stay there was but one
| capital Punishment, ana that for heinous
| breaking Of a religious rite. Campbell says
/ the natives we're not and never had been
cannibals, that before going TO war they
| sacrificed human victims, but at other times
human life was safe and even sacred. The
! king was fond Of white men. aud liked to
| have them stay in his dOminions. He made
| each white man chief, and exempted him
| from the practice Of the native religion and
| from the more abject forms OF royal eti-
quette He encouraged his people to learn
the useful arts of the white men, and, as
| they were very apt, they did learn well and
| quickly.
The natives distilled several kinds OF in
| toxicants from various roots. Before aBy
white man settled there, they had very
mild intoXicant as a national beverage.
But the white men made stills and taught
them to manufacture powerful drinks. AT
the time Of Campbells visit, however, the
natives we're not much corrupted. He
lie ina or he Ia
the white men set Thev were lazy, drunken
and coarse, being for the most part ex-con-
victs or sailors set ashore because they were
useless to the ships in which they sailed.
There are" says Campbell, "a few ex-
ceptions to this. William Davis, a Welsh
man, used to rise every morning at and go
TO his fields, where he commonly remained
till the same hour in the evening. This
singular conduct puzzled the natives not a
little. But they accounted for it by sup
posing that he had been one OF their own
countrymen in a former life, and had gone
! TO England after his death aud had now
| come back to his native land"
There were no missionaries on the island
at this time. The natives, industrious and
| honest, practiced the superstition of the
taboo in its primitive degradation. The
king was "a most religious man, as well he
might be, since religion was the chief source
of his power. The priests enforced the laws
and collected the revenues. There seemed
TO be no necessity for jails or for execution
blocks in those days. CampbelPs account
Of the methods of procedure in a case Of
robbery shows how law abiding the natives
were. He says:
The person who has been robbed applies
| to priest, to whom he presents pig, and
| tells his story. The priest begins by rub
| bling two pieces Of green wood upon each
| other till a kind of powder is produced
| ,.,l. 9,bf 90 hot fhat ~
| dry grass aud blown upon it takes fire. A
| large fire is thus kiudled and allowed to
| burn q certain time The priest then took
| three nuts ard threw them into the fire one
| at a time and pronounced an incarnation as
each nut burned, provided the thief did not
appear after the first incautatiOn. 'Gen-
| orally" SAYS Campbell, 1.-The culprit makes
his appearance with the stolen property
after the first burning. The property is
restored and the thief punished by fine of
four pigs.
"Should it happen that the unfortunate
does not make his appearance during the
awful ceremony his fate is inevitable. Not
| oue word of the curse can be recalled, nor
the anger OF the Etooah appeased. Procla-
nation is made throughout tho island that
| a certain person has been robbed and that
those who are guilty have been prayed to
death, So firm is their belief in the power
Of these prayers that the culprit pines away,
| refusing TO take any toOd, ana at last Falls
a sacrifice to his credulity." They believed
In q supreme God, in future state and in
the power Of prayer to move an immauent
providence. They had the tradition Of the
deluge localized to their islands
The medical art had not far advanced,
but sufficiently for the simple habits, the
healthful climate aud the regular lives of
the natives at that time. Salt water bath
ing was the chief remedy, and If the pa
tient could not be got to the sea they
brought salt water and rubbed him with it,
Aside from this, they had two chief rene
dies, q strong purgative and an emetic that
never failed.
They were exceedingly clean and careful
in their personal habits bathing frequently,
and looking upon a soiled person as a most
disgusting thing. Their dress consisted of a
breech clout, and in colder weather. a shawl
over the shoulders. The cloth OF which
these we're made was often of "a fine texture.
carefully and rather artistically dyed 10
several colors. AS water spoiled it, when
they swan out to the ships they held it out
of the water, changing it from one hand to
the other IL they got tired. Their faYorite
amusement was the flying of kites, which
they made sometimes Is feet or so in
length aud 8 feet in breadth. THE only
empoynCnt," says Campbell sat which
ever saw the queen, was tue making of these
kites"
The bodies of the dead were always dis
posed of secretly, and Campbell could never
find ont where CleV were inferred "Tha