The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-08-24

us. The people. the language, every
thing was new to US. One of the
persons in the boat was Steven
REYNOLDS, who acted as pilot, and was
well known to all old residents. The
mother of the President of the Repub-
lie was one of the ladies who saw
these almost naked men in the boat,
and they all few to their cabins, Won
dering If these uncouth men were
those among whom their lives were
to be spent
When we landed, il was strange
sight that met our view, and yet it is
in some ways the same today. We
heard the same sweet word that is
still in use-alOha-the word that eX-
presses as much 10 all who have lived
in these islands.
Nv business, a clerk in the store Of
Ladd d Co, brought me much in con
tact with tue natives, and | had to
learn the language. While doing
this, ! bad some curious experiences.
I remember one day asking an
old native TO get me u book, and be
told his boy 10 go and find it. The
boy moved slowly, and the father
ripped out a regular sailors oath.
This made the boy move much more
quickly. | asked him what he meant
by using such language, and be said
il was haole talk. When | asked him
if he knew the meaning OF the words
he had used, he said they meant
"hurry up.n He bad noticed that
when the captain of a ship swOre at
his sailors, they moved faster, and
formed his opinion from this.
In those days, our methods of sell
ing were different from what they are
now. We sold one yard of silk for
dollar, two yards of turkey red for the
same amount, three yards of calico,
and four yards of brown cotton cloth.
This was the universal price, and you
can imagine our surprise when we
woke up one morning aud found an
Englishman selling six yards of cloth
for a dollar. The merchants were
disguised at the innovation, banded
together, aud decided to drive him
out of town. But they didn't and he
throve.
The fish market in those days, was
simply lot of lanai, covered with
leaves. Many natives used to come
down from the villages with their
two calabashes of poi slung over their
shoulders. When they sold or traded
one, they would not divide the poi
that was in the other to make the
weight equal, but would put large
stone in the empty calabash.
Every one in those days, had their
lookout for a ship. Whenever one
was sighted, which was not often,
there was great excitement. We didn't
get steamer nearly every week
then.
/ remember one evening, when the
first double quadrille was danced in
Honolulu. This was the first time
that eight ladies could be found to
dance together. 1t is different now.
There were quite a number of i'm
portant persons here in those days.
remember one evening, there was a
young man leaning up against fence
on Fort street. The English admiral
came down the street and saw sign
over the young mans head. 1t read
"Webster." "Are you related to Dan
iel Webster?n asked the admiral.
ayes, | am his grandfather" said the
Young man, and he and the admiral
were friends for life, because of the
ready answer.
There was little or no friction be-
tween the races then; each was al
ways ready to help the other. Kane
bameha III was a grand illustration
of democratic king. He was man
among men, always dignified, but he
loved his people, and he was among
those who thought to give Hawaiians
an interest in the soil. In his reign
was instituted the Land Commission.
Any native had only to prove that he