The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-18

There is general idea and belief
among many of our old residents that
the present Hawaiian flag was made
| by the late Capt. Alexander Adams
| before his voyage to China in the
| brig "Kaahumanu" in 1877, and was
] by him first flown, not only in the
| Chinese waters, but also on the coast
of California. Others again have the
| impression that a flag was brought
| from China by him; but we can gather
no information corrobOrative as TO
who was authorized in Chinese waters
to design flag for this, even small
kingdom, though the description given
cross in the corner filled in with blue,
with field consisting of red and white
stripes, shows almost virtually the
East India flag.
Referring to Capt. Adams journal
we find the following mention only,
that touches upon the points in ques-
ton: "April, 1916, the King of these
Islands having a strong passion to
| purchase the brig, (FOrrester, of Lon
don) and expressing the same, myself
and Capt. Ebbetts were accordingly
deputed to treat with him, but he
would not purchase her without /
would enter his service as her COM
| mander. / resultingly acquiesced, the
brig being given up to him at Keala-
kekua, and called by him Kaahuma-
nu. was accordingly honored
on taking command with the flag of
His Majesty and a salute of eleven
guns"
This certainly refutes the general
| belief that the flag was made by Capt.
Adams, as his own narrative shows a
| flag to have been here before him; but
whether the present one or some other
we cannot gather, for it is evident
| that there has. been more than one.
| In another portion of his journal is an
allusion to flag-but also without
| description-that has no doubt given
rise to the idea of his making the flag;
where at Waimea, Kauai, at which
port he had touched from Honolulu,
| for supplies, en- route for China, he
notes: "March II, 1917, Gave
the King our ensign to hoist in lieu of
| the Russian, who said it was on ac-
| count of his having no other"
1t is to be borne in mind that the
| allusion here is to the King of Kauai,
and not Kamehameha, as Kauai was
under it's own King till 1921, and his
possession of Russian flag while the
! principal town was occupied by
| Russian colony was not strange.
| Finding these theories of Capt.
| Adams authorship exploded by his
| own writings, search was made in
other directions with the following
result. Vancouver, in his last visit,
/ Q793) when he assured Kamehameha
OF England's friendship and pfotec-
ton, gave him an English flag.
! Archibald Campbell IN his Voyage
round the WOrld, 1SO6-1S12," arriving
| at these Islands December, 1908, shows
! that the English co!ors were used, for
he says: "The Kings residence, built
! CLOSE upon the shore, and surrounded
| by palisade upon the land side was
distinguished by the British colors."
| Jarvis History page 96), describing
| the period of about 1916, speaks of the
| flag as somewhat similar TO the pres
ent, viz, English Union, with seven
| alternated, white and blue stripes"
| This, however, is not corroborated by
Lord Byron in his Voyage of the
Blonde" in 1925, in which he describes
the flag "a follows: "On all days of
ceremony, the Sand wich flag is hoisted
on the forts; it has seven white and
red stripes with a Union Jack in the
corner" page 12l.)
This is almost the East India flag
before referred to, and confuses the
searchers after truth as to when the
several changes took place. If Jarvis
il correct in the flag he describes, and
he certainly was in a position to
know whereof he wrote, 1T is grave
error in the recorder of the "Voyage
of the Blonde" TO give so different a
one nine years later
The present flag has eight stripes
representing the islands of the group
white, red and blue, with the Union
Jack in the corner. Captain Hunt,
who was here in the Basilisk in 1915,
is said to have changed the relative
positions of the coIors of the stripes by
placing the white on top instead of at
the bottom, though there is a possi-
bility of this being the time of adding
the eight stripes, Jarvis and Byron
mentioning only seven.
This time of change and adoption of
the national flag as we now have it, is
fully settled by the following descrip-
ton, couched in heraldic terms, which
is found in the Potynesian of May 81,
1915:
'At the opening of the Legislative
Council, May 20, I845, the new nation
al banner was unfurled, differing lit
tie, however, from the former.
at is octo, parted per fess, first,